Thailand Road Carnage: At last some good news from Phuket

[webfact]

Thailand Road Carnage: At last some good news from Phuket

 

Picture: Thai PBS

 

Phuket has been hailed as a model province in its efforts to improve safety on the roads.

 

Dr Wiwat Sitamanote, the head of a provincial accident prevention group, said that improving driver discipline especially among the very young, insisting on helmet use and improving hundreds of accident blackspots using technology has all shown results. 

 

He said that in the past Phuket was always in the top five of provinces in Thailand for death on the roads. 

 

In 2018 it was 300. In addition 35 Thais and foreign tourists were being injured each and every day. 

 

The number of deaths is now down by 50% to 150. 

 

This has drawn praise from international organisations like the WHO, Safer Road Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, he said.

 

Strategies to improve driving skills and road discipline have been employed especially among children up to young adults, he said. 

 

There have been crackdowns on drunk driving and insistence on 100% helmet use on motorcycles. 

 

Picture: Thai PBS

 

Also technology has been used to improve 200 accident blackspots meaning less accidents. 

 

Thaivisa notes that Phuket's apparent success needs to be replicated in the rest of Thailand as a matter of priority. 

 

Daily reports regularly indicate 60-70 dead at the scene of accidents.

 

Senior government figures have admitted the death toll is above 20,000 nationwide with an anti-drink driving foundation putting the figure at 24,000 to 26,000 when deaths at and on the way to hospitals are added to "on scene" figures.

 

There are 77 provinces in Thailand.   

 

Source: Thai PBS

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-09-24

 

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[GarryP]

Good for them, but that pillion rider doesn't appear to be wearing a skid lid. 

[yeahbutif]

Would have said numbers down because of covid.. would be good to see more photos after the date of this so called effort.

[bluesofa]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Phuket has been hailed as a model province in its efforts to improve safety on the roads.

Has it banned vehicles from the roads?

 

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr Wiwat Sitamanote, the head of a provincial accident prevention group, said that improving driver discipline especially among the very young, insisting on helmet use and improving hundreds of accident blackspots using technology has all shown results. 

'insisting on helmet use'   How novel.

Going on previous crackdowns, I'll give in two days.

[johng]

2 hours ago, GarryP said:

Good for them, but that pillion rider doesn't appear to be wearing a skid lid. 

Don't worry I'm sure they both had face masks and maybe some lucky amulets so totally protected already.