Songkran exodus: RTP set 5% accident reduction target

[webfact]

 

Yesterday the Royal Thai Police's top brass gathered for that perennial question.

 

What to do with the roads and the massive populations that will use them in the yearly exodus that are the Songkran holidays.

 

Gen Damrongsak Kittipraphas gathered his troops to mount their battle plans that had been handed down for "the good of the people" from PM Prayuth Chan-ocha and RTP chief Gen Suwat Chaengyodsuk, reported Siam Rath.

 

Two figures leapt out of the meeting.

 

Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe

 

Firstly the fact that Songkran is expected to see places like Bangkok empty from 8th to 17th April as the rush to the countryside pans out.

 

About 6.7 million people are expected to go in and out of Bangkok during this period - up from 6.4 million in 2021.

 

Then there is the accident reduction target. 

 

This year it is at 5%.

 

In total 80,000 officers are being mobilized to take care of the public during Songkran. 

 

Aetna Platinum+ Light on premium, great on coverage

 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-03-29

 

- Aetna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

[ThailandRyan]

If they are serious then they need to actually start doing real enforcement on the open road and not just checkpoints.  Talking a good game does not reduce the statistics only creative book keeping does that for these folks after they slap themselves on the back and say "Good Job", which is just pure BS.  

[mikebell]

29 minutes ago, webfact said:

In total 80,000 officers are being mobilized to take

the overtime and look at their phones.

[Will B Good]

I assume the target is based on a strategy that they intend to employ......and not  the 'fingers crossed and let's hope for the best' strategy.

[Misterwhisper]

Oh jeez, these accident reduction targets have been announced EVERY year -- for DECADES!

 

If they had worked out, Thailand by now would've accumulated a NEGATIVE road accident rate. Which is of course just as impossible as the annually announced 5% reduction.

 

Solutions are there... and we all know what they are.

 

But "gathering troops to mount battle plans" (Gen Damrongsak Kittipraphas), a strategy that usually means setting up police check points on main roads and randomly stopping motorists is NOT among these solutions. Evidently, these "battle plans" have failed again and again and again.

 

As long as local motorists continue to find nothing wrong with getting behind the wheel stone-drunk, only have the foggiest knowledge about traffic rules and have almost no sense for their own safety and that of other motorists, nothing is going to change. 

[ikke1959]

So job done, and now back to usual behaviour during these days... Sitting in a tent looking around and playing cellphone...Don't check for drivers license, alcohol, black smoke, drugs, overloaded vehicles, speeding, even not stopping when told by the police,broken lights, no license plates and so on.... and all things will be solved in this meeting already..

[lujanit]

During Songkran it is the best time to be driving in BKK.

[blackshadow]

they can make the reduction target what ever they want NOTHING will change.

The change starts with proper education in driving skills at a very early age....

NOT the stupid so called "TEST" to get a driving licence.....

[Will B Good]

2 hours ago, lujanit said:

During Songkran it is the best time to be driving in BKK.

Yep...heading against the traffic flow first and last day....

[huangnon]

3 hours ago, lujanit said:

During Songkran it is the best time to be driving in BKK.

Yep. I remember driving up an empty Expressway years ago at Songkran. It was eerie, tbh. ???? Zombie Holocaust type scenario.

[Cake Monster]

A 5 % reduction on numbers of fatalities over the Carnage of the Songkran Holidays, is still a hell of a lot of lives wasted.

[Orinoco]

Quote

Songkran exodus: RTP set 5% accident reduction target

So does that mean the cops are going to quit drinking

over Songkran. !!!!!!! Lol

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, Orinoco said:

So does that mean the cops are going to quit drinking

over Songkran. !!!!!!! Lol

It's an everyday Sangsom Songkran day, as the song will be sung.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Then there is the accident reduction target. 

 

This year it is at 5%

With the country on the road, I'd say it would be better to estimate a 15% increase if not more.

[RichardColeman]

Songkran exodus: RTP set 5% accident 'report' reduction target

 

There, corrected

[Sydebolle]

I dare to disagree. No water splashing is one thing. Another thing is, that it is forbidden to drive around drunk. So, without water splashing and alcohol-fogged drivers, the accident ratio will be possibly 5%, not less but from previous years figures. 

Or am I getting this wrong again? 

[thailand49]

80,000 better put in orders for tents and chairs if not already????

[brianthainess]

On 3/29/2022 at 8:47 AM, webfact said:

 

About 6.7 million people are expected to go in and out of Bangkok during this period

Is this people or vehicles ?

On 3/29/2022 at 8:47 AM, webfact said:

In total 80,000 officers are being mobilized to take care of the public during Songkran

If it is people then lets say a conservative average of 3 in a car not including trucks with 7+ on board that is around 1 cop for every 30 people, obviously if you included the crammed trucks say 7 per truck well you do the math. 

[brianthainess]

14 hours ago, thailand49 said:

80,000 better put in orders for tents and chairs if not already????

another good money spinner.

[brianthainess]

18 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

A 5 % reduction on numbers of fatalities over the Carnage of the Songkran Holidays, is still a hell of a lot of lives wasted.

Or wasted drivers making hell

[brianthainess]

21 hours ago, blackshadow said:

they can make the reduction target what ever they want NOTHING will change.

The change starts with proper education in driving skills at a very early age....

NOT the stupid so called "TEST" to get a driving licence.....

And a lot are so stupid they can't even take the 'TEST' yet alone pass it.