Campaign to make Thai roads safer

BANGKOK Thailand’s Department of Land Transport is once more bracing for the annual slaughter on its highways during the travel peak Christmas through to New Year,
It hopes that its latest campaign, “Slow Down Save You Life,” will make drivers stop and think twice about speeding. Past data showed that speeding and drink driving as the main causes of the horrific casualties that exceeded 3,000 over the peak travel season last year. (3,000 was the number of injuries requiring hospital admission).
Ministry of Transport permanent secretary, Soithip Trisuddhi, said the campaign is part of the ministry’s policy that stipulates 2015 as the “Year of Low Speed Drive for Road Safety”.
“The campaign gives top priority to speed-limit detection. Numerous patrol units will be sent out to monitor the speed of buses and other commercial vehicles. The measure will continue until 5 January next year,” the permanent secretary explained.
inside no 1Critics point out that the authorities have to police speeding and drink driving year-round not just in fits and starts when the media spotlight is on a travel holiday such as New Year and Songkran.
Also creating campaign slogans makes headlines, but without substance and a genuine commitment they are largely meaningless words, making little or no impact on the daily casualties.
Once Thai drivers get behind the wheel of a car, or mount a motor cycle, the much talked about Thainess and caring spirit for others flies into the wind. Thai roads are the second most dangerous place to be worldwide.
According to the Land Transport Department, it will carry out spot checks of bus drivers for drugs and booze, as well as make roadside inspections of buses.
The department has also established a 24-hour call centre 1584 at several locations, one at the Land Transport Department Office and others at Mo Chit Bus Terminal, and Ekamai Bus Terminal. These centres provide travelling information and receive complaints from people who face transport problems when returning to their hometowns during 30 December 2014 to 5 January 2015.
Thailand’s death toll over the seven days of the New Year holiday, 27 December 2013 to 2 January 2014, reached 366 (same fatalities as 2013) with 3,345 injured (+0.48% from 3,329) and 3,174 accidents (+0.32% from 3,164). Most of accidents were due to drunken driving and were caused by speeding. Motor cyclists were the most prone to accidents.
Car rental firms, hiring to foreign tourists, usually warn them not to drive after dark as the majority of accidents occur late afternoon at dusk and throughout the night.

sourced:ttrweekly.com