‘Central agency needed’ to tackle rising road accidents

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION

 

File photo

 

Country can learn from Vietnam on promoting safety, say who experts

 

INTERNATIONAL ROAD safety experts have urged Thailand to follow Vietnam’s example by setting up a central agency to directly mitigate the country’s severe accidents problem and create a digital traffic database to enhance traffic-law enforcement.

 

Some of the world’s top experts and academics gathered in Bangkok on the opening day of 13th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion yesterday. The high number of deaths and injuries from road accidents in Thailand was among the key issues discussed. The experts considered the numerous efforts to promote road safety which have failed to stop the increasing number of casualties.

 

Dr Wittaya Chadbunchachai, director of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Collaboration Centre for Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, said Thailand has long been struggling to solve the serious road-safety problem, and the number of road-traffic casualties continues to rise. 

 

He said there was an urgent need for Thailand to drastically alter its strategies on road-safety promotion and learn from the success of other countries.

 

“Thailand ranks second among countries with the highest deaths from road accidents, and the situation seems to be worsening. We have analysed and found two major factors that make Thailand’s efforts to mitigate the problem ineffective: weak law enforcement and the lack of a direct central agency to tackle the problem,” Wittaya said.

 

 

He pointed out that among Asean countries, Vietnam has the most progressive measures to mitigate road-traffic accidents. Vietnam has a central agency, National Traffic Safety Committee, which works directly on road safety promotion, creates strategies and effectively mobilises implementation of the policies.

 

As a result, Vietnam has reduced the number of brain injuries from traffic accidents per year by 500,000, while also preventing more than 15,000 premature deaths, which can save over US$3.5 billion (Bt100 billion) in economic losses due to road-traffic injuries, he said.

 

Dr Etienne Krug, director of the WHO’s Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention, also urged the Thai government to create an agency working directly on road-safety promotion. 

 

He said that since many agencies were involved in this issue, it had created discord in the country’s road-safety promotion policies.

 

“I think Thailand needs a lead agency on road safety. One agency that is in charge of road-traffic injuries prevention, which reports directly to the prime minister,” Krug said.

 

“The mission to ensure road safety and mitigate road-traffic injuries in Thailand needs collaboration from all stakeholders, and it is not only the duty of the authorities but also of road users to have more consideration for other people on the road.”

 

Wittaya also suggested that as the Kingdom was pushing its economic and technological advancement to achieve “Thailand 4.0”, the authorities should use this opportunity to merge the traffic databases of various related agencies into a shared single database to enhance implementation of traffic policies and management and law enforcement. 

 

According to WHO, more than 25 million people around the world die every year as a result of road accidents, while in Thailand, the Road Accidents Data Centre for Road Safety Culture reported that 13,111 people had died from road accidents since the beginning of this year, while 850,461 had suffered injuries.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30357948

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-11-06

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

He said there was an urgent need for Thailand to drastically alter its strategies on road-safety promotion

Here we go again, waffling on about road safety.

Enforce the law, and apply proper penalties and punishments is the way to go.

Next month we'll get the usual 7-7-7 crap, leading into the New Year, with no change in the results of fatalities.

"...Central agency needed’ to tackle rising road accidents..."

 

What a pile of crap.

 

What is needed is for the police to get off their asses, get on to the roads and patrol. And, when they see someone driving badly, stupidly, under-age and/or drunk, take action.

 

It ain't rocket science.

 

This is a police problem. If the police did their job, Thailand would have MUCH MUCH safer roads.

 

End of discussion.

 

BTW: this "Central Agency" is yet another case of Bureaucratic BS. Stop wasting everyone's time and money on Bureaucratic empire-building.

 

 

Edited November 5, 20187 yr by Samui Bodoh

By past experience this will result in even more policemen living in tents over the holiday period, heavier fines and more opportunities for press conferences. 

Nobody will bother about un-Thai things such as prevention, education Police and public), engineering and corruption.

It's a policing problem, as in lack thereof! End of story.

There is no need for an agency. They only need one person with a brain, that realizes that real driver education is necessary. At the same time they also have to make the population follow and have the deepest respect for rules, laws and fellow human beings.

As you clearly understand. Agency or no agency. This is an impossible mission.

Thailands lack of law enforcement creates the enviornment where thais become defiant  and emboldened to the point, they feel it is their inherent right to ''do as they please''....This attitude is nation wide and effects everything from corruption to tour group operations..If Thailand wants to move forward as a nation ..THIS ATTITUDE MUST END...or just  give me 40bt to my dollar, I can live in this THUNDERDOME,cause you cant have it both ways...shinny new malls do not define a society...

Edited November 5, 20187 yr by mok199

3 minutes ago, mok199 said:

Thailands lack of law enforcement creates the enviornment where thais become defiant  and emboldened to the point, they feel it is their inherent right to ''do as they please''....This attitude is nation wide and effects everything from corruption to tour group operations..If Thailand wants to mover forward as a nation ..THIS ATTITUDE MUST END...

Unfortunately this aspect of Thailand is part of what we love about the place (most of us). Changing Thailand into a disciplined, rule following nation is impossible but would also be likely to destroy its character as far as I'm concerned. 

So less talk about police repression please, and start talking about education and prevention, which should also be a part of police work. 

1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...Central agency needed’ to tackle rising road accidents..."

 

What a pile of crap.

 

What is needed is for the police to get off their asses, get on to the roads and patrol. And, when they see someone driving badly, stupidly, under-age and/or drunk, take action.

 

It ain't rocket science.

 

This is a police problem. If the police did their job, Thailand would have MUCH MUCH safer roads.

 

End of discussion.

 

BTW: this "Central Agency" is yet another case of Bureaucratic BS. Stop wasting everyone's time and money on Bureaucratic empire-building.

 

 

I agree 100%, to see the difference, just pop across to Lao, the only thing bad about Lao is they drive on the "wrong" side of the road, but they do drive a hell of a lot better than Thais.

2014 = 4,310 deaths

2015 = 11,385 deaths

Looks like the first time car buyer scheme was a huge success.

 

 

Stop messing about,  you two,  we got a meeting in 5 minutes. 

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand needs a lead agency on road safety

I thought that was the job of the police! 

59 minutes ago, cooked said:

Unfortunately this aspect of Thailand is part of what we love about the place (most of us). Changing Thailand into a disciplined, rule following nation is impossible but would also be likely to destroy its character as far as I'm concerned. 

So less talk about police repression please, and start talking about education and prevention, which should also be a part of police work. 

I can see that you love the country for all the right reasons.

Today I will drive 200kms home from Chiang Mai. The first 15 towards the city on a 'highway' with U-turns, shops, markets and many junctions will pass without me see any speed limit signs. Whats safe? Who knows and who cares. Some will be doing 100kph+. Nowhere will I come across a highway patrol car looking for speeders. They are solely used for VIP convoys. I will find myself behind at least 10 cars being driven by drivers without the first clue to driving and road use, people who shouldn't be out on the road at all. Yes, just another normal day. Proper speed limits, proper enforcement, proper driving tests. More bureaucrats and agencies will end up just another layer of uniformed wage earners sitting at desks.

For motorcyclists, a new campaign slogan: Keep death off the roads - drive on the pavement.

Need to change the culture of absolute selfish idiots into responsible drivers/human beings. Good luck with that.????

Ban u-turns, install roundabouts.

11 million unpaid road fines....sums up how authorities see issues about road safety here....no-one cares!

It matters not if it's 25,000 or 125,000 killed on the roads annually.....they still won't care.

One of the worst police force globally and useless public officers.......again, who don't care!

 

7 minutes ago, gmac said:

Ban u-turns, install roundabouts.

Ha ha! Explain to drivers the concept of how a roundabout works. Have a policeman on duty at every roundabout to ensure the rules are followed...and then I woke up.

At least 90% of the accidents must be from motorbikes.  So many of them are menaces on the road.

No central agency needed, just get another Big Joke guy to clean up the mess and particularly with the rough bikers and drivers that for them the road's rules are only an advisory items they can use or dismiss all together...

Edited November 6, 20187 yr by ezzra

9 minutes ago, tominbkk said:

At least 90% of the accidents must be from motorbikes.  So many of them are menaces on the road.

1 hour ago, Aussie999 said:

I agree 100%, to see the difference, just pop across to Lao, the only thing bad about Lao is they drive on the "wrong" side of the road, but they do drive a hell of a lot better than Thais.

Driving better wouldn't be hard. 

Vietnamese society is based in large part on Confucian values. Things like learning, hard work, family, correct behavior, ethics. Instill those values here and perhaps copying VN model might take hold. Until then, BS rules

48 minutes ago, Prairieboy said:

I thought that was the job of the police! 

Me too but the Police are all on inactive posts or sleeping at the office untill the bell rings...

For heavan sake just start with:

 

1. Helmets used
2. Seat belts used
3. Proper driving lessons and licensing
4. Active and visible policing
5. Severe fines and vehicle confiscation for unlicensed/drunk/drugged riding/driving and repeated other offences

42 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

For motorcyclists, a new campaign slogan: Keep death off the roads - drive on the pavement.

Isn't that already in practice and refined to an art form. 

Nation’s ...Khun Rujipaviron ...”Need to”? Interesting verb phrase ! I’ll add some more that’s true about Thailand ! “No desire to, don’t want to, don’t care, doesn’t matter and why bother “

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

enforce the laws already in place, i.e. crash helmets and seat belts.

3 minutes ago, BoganInParasite said:

For heavan sake just start with:

 

1. Helmets used
2. Seat belts used
3. Proper driving lessons and licensing
4. Active and visible policing
5. Severe fines and vehicle confiscation for unlicensed/drunk/drugged riding/driving and repeated other offences

Start with? Not one of these has ever been enforced for more than five minutes.