Thailand Road Carnage: More booze bans and checkpoints needed - look at lockdown success

[webfact]

File photo: REUTERS

 

Rungarun Limlahaphan of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation said that Thailand needs to look at the lessons of lockdown from last and this year when road death stats dropped 10% and more.

 

She said that measures introduced in last year's lockdown banning alcohol led in part to far less death on the roads. 

 

She said that in previous years the death toll was about 20,000 annually but last year it was only 17,831.

 

So far until August this year it has been 8,862 she claimed saying that the whole country needs to get together to work on ways to lower it further pointing to hardship in families and the devastating impact on the wider economy.

 

Rungarun Limlahaphan. File photo

 

She also noted that when alcohol checkpoints were stopped last year the number of DUI cases rocketed.

 

She said the lessons from lockdown were clear - more alcohol bans and more checkpoints meant fewer deaths. 

 

ASEAN NOW notes that far less traffic on the roads did not appear to be a major part of Rungarun's 'analysis'. 

 

Her comments were reported in the Thai media after an online forum was conducted by the THPF and the Mohanamai (doctors) Academic Network. 

 

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[robblok]

I don't agree on alcohol bans, but more checks are always welcome combined with harsher punishment of those who drink and drive (alcohol).

 

The conclusion of this analysis is totally wrong only taking into account what they think is the reason because they want that to be the reason.

 

Less traffic means less accidents, seems far more of a cause then less alcohol. At least logically but can't back this up. Of courese alcohol has something to do with it too.

[TooMuchTime]

Thailand definitely needs to more drastic measures to keep the road deaths wayyy down.  There has been a much stronger response to covid which has causes less deaths here.

[Dmaxdan]

Just slap a 50,000 baht fine, and a years driving ban on all those who are caught drinking and driving.

 

And if you kill someone then you should be given a minimum 10 year prison sentence. 

 

Everybody knows drink driving is wrong, so all offenders should be heavily punished. There are no excuses! 

 

 

 

 

[ikke1959]

It is not the alcohol.. it is the bad driving education or lack of education of it.....

[Whale]

This is so biased (I note the AseanNow also noted her analysis was incomplete). Why doesnt she stand for banning cars, or new mandatory driving tests for all, or for the police to do their job or the judiciary to make drink driving come with a jail sentence or huge fine?

 

Why ? Because she does not drink? She wants to impose her personal moral values on the rest of us even though by drinking no one is breaking the law. 

[seajae]

they need a police presence on the road in patrol cars/bikes so they can catch all th drivers/riders doing the wrong thing as well as booze busses operating to catch out all the drink drivers. Problem is it would cost money to get started which they dont like to spend plus the police would not want to go out and patrol roads etc as we have all seen, a presence at night would also help, policing is supposed to be 24 hours not sun up to sun down. Paying police a decent wage would also go a long way to clearing up the need for graft and getting them more enthusiastic to do their jobs

[smedly]

44 minutes ago, webfact said:

She said that measures introduced in last year's lockdown banning alcohol led in part to far less death on the roads. 

sure just ban all vehicles - problem solved lol

 

how do these people get these jobs ?

[Will B Good]

15 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

Just slap a 50,000 baht fine, and a years driving ban on all those who are caught drinking and driving.

 

And if you kill someone then you should be given a minimum 10 year prison sentence. 

 

Everybody knows drink driving is wrong, so all offenders should be heavily punished. There are no excuses! 

 

 

 

 

Wholeheartedly agree....but some on here will be apoplectic.  

[smedly]

11 minutes ago, Whale said:

This is so biased (I note the AseanNow also noted her analysis was incomplete). Why doesnt she stand for banning cars, or new mandatory driving tests for all, or for the police to do their job or the judiciary to make drink driving come with a jail sentence or huge fine?

 

Why ? Because she does not drink? She wants to impose her personal moral values on the rest of us even though by drinking no one is breaking the law. 

she doesn't know what planet she's on, you think she got this job based on merit or intellectual ability - pretty obvious she didn't 

[2long]

20 minutes ago, Whale said:

Why ? Because she does not drink? She wants to impose her personal moral values on the rest of us even though by drinking no one is breaking the law. 

Whale = spot on! ????????????????

 

 

26 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

Just slap a 50,000 baht fine, and a years driving ban on all those who are caught drinking and driving.

 

And if you kill someone then you should be given a minimum 10 year prison sentence. 

But 50,000B is a huge amount for some people (fair punishment) and a tiny drop in the ocean for others (no deterrent at all).

[connda]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Rungarun Limlahaphan of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation said that Thailand needs to look at the lessons of lockdown from last and this year when road death stats dropped 10% and more.

"Look!  Totalitarianism is great.  Heavy-handed state repression saves lives.  Let's embrace a fully totalitarian state.  That will keep the commoners in line by golly."

Creepy in its connotation for the future.  ????

[grego49]

The greatest thing they can do to bring down the road toll is enforce the wearing of helmets,,

[2long]

You really don't need to be a genius to figure some things out! (Pubs closed = fewer drunk drivers = fewer accidents = fewer deaths.) Traffic and pollution have also dropped during lockdown.

 

How many have suffered, sold their souls to loan sharks or or even committed suicide in the past 18 months?

[RJRS1301]

42 minutes ago, TooMuchTime said:

There has been a much stronger response to covid which has causes less deaths here.

14,353 total covid attributed deaths

[Will B Good]

5 minutes ago, grego49 said:

The greatest thing they can do to bring down the road toll is enforce the wearing of helmets,,

Not driving my car wearing a helmet...no chance.

[Will B Good]

6 minutes ago, 2long said:

Whale = spot on! ????????????????

 

 

But 50,000B is a huge amount for some people (fair punishment) and a tiny drop in the ocean for others (no deterrent at all).

A % of estimated wealth.......there will suddenly be a lot of very poor MP's.

[RJRS1301]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Rungarun Limlahaphan of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation said that Thailand needs to look at the lessons of lockdown from last and this year when road death stats dropped 10% and more.

Perhaps as the "Thai Health Promotion Foundation" lobby the government and run some descent HEAHTH PROMOTION campaigns on drink driving, lobby for greater police presence on the roads, application and enforcement of the road rules, and real driving testing.

[edwinchester]

6 minutes ago, grego49 said:

The greatest thing they can do to bring down the road toll is enforce the wearing of helmets,,

I asked a couple of wifeys police friends why the law wasn't enforced......'not easy, too difficult' was the reply. Before anything actually changes the Royal Thai Police Force needs to be staffed by officers who actually care about the job they're supposed to be doing.

[Will B Good]

Just now, edwinchester said:

I asked a couple of wifeys police friends why the law wasn't enforced......'not easy, too difficult' was the reply. Before anything actually changes the Royal Thai Police Force needs to be staffed by officers who actually care about the job they're supposed to be doing.

Good one.

[tingtong]

The predicted rise in suicides caused by effects of lockdowns, financial and mental will on total far more  outnumber the lives saved on less road accidents.

So yeah, lockdown.. think again!

 

Thailand is leading in suicides of ASEAN.

[Gottfrid]

"Thailand Road Carnage: More booze bans and checkpoints needed - look at lockdown success"

 

Right! We must all congratulate this woman. Seems like she is one of the first to understand the problem the population have with rules, education and respect for other human beings.

 

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

And if you kill someone then you should be given a minimum 10 year prison sentence. 

Or a global Beano for a Hi-So...

[Andycoops]

Only 17000 deaths, I bet the families of the 17000 passed souls will not consider their dearly departed as, only's.

The usual arrogance from a hi-so.

[cardinalblue]

Law and order doesn’t rule in thailand….so you action plan can’t be increase fines stiffer sentences jai time etc 

 

thais see nothing wrong with drinking and then driving….it is normal to them….they have always done it and will continue to do so…

 

so yes, the elimination of motor vehicles and return to bikes and animals is the only course of action…

[Jimbo2014]

Thailand has one of the highest proportions of police to citizens - but they seem to be more interested 'side hustles'.  All it takes is to place working speed cameras on the roads.  They would pay for themselves in two days the way most Thai's drive! 

[Kevin Taylor]

Oh dear

Now these people have had a taste of draconian lockdowns and oppressing peoples freedoms they want to do it more. I dunno does it make them feel powerful ? Why would you want to oppress the population.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

Everybody knows drink driving is wrong, so all offenders should be heavily punished. There are no excuses! 

I'm not so sure about that.

[petermach]

reasons very well known , high speed ,high drivers alcool/yaba , telephone , trafficked motorbike often without any light . first limit and control the speed and number of death will be limited . (last but not least , many people have to learn driving , getting driving license is a joke)

[2 is 1]

Form every party where i have been 50% people who leave there drive drunk! Its Thai habit! Nobody care if you not get punishment from it! I have seen Thais from very high position driving drunk , teatcher's ,school director's, police chief's etc... Nobody dont care coz law is so weak and you almost always manage it whit 500 bth or less!