Anutin Orders Strict New Year Road Safety Measures

[webfact]

 

In a bid to enhance road safety and mitigate accidents during the upcoming New Year celebrations, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) convened a national meeting of the Road Safety Policy Committee.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul chaired the meeting, instructing provincial governors to coordinate with local agencies and implement rigorous measures to enforce traffic regulations, reported Siam Rath.

 

During the meeting held at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation on December 13, 2023, at 9:30 AM, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin emphasized the importance of safe driving under the theme "Drive Safely, Thailand Without Accidents." The objective is to prevent and reduce road accidents during the festive season.

 

Acknowledging the economic and social impact of road accidents, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin urged proactive measures, emphasizing collaboration between various government agencies. The meeting, conducted through the online platform Webex, involved provincial governors, heads of disaster prevention offices, and relevant authorities across the country.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Anutin highlighted the need for a concerted effort to address the root causes of accidents, citing alcohol consumption as a significant factor. He called for stricter control over the sale of alcoholic beverages to individuals under 18 and urged citizens to plan their drinking responsibly. Additionally, he emphasized the correlation between increased travel and accident rates, urging citizens to remain vigilant during this festive period.

 

In conclusion, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin underscored the importance of unified efforts to achieve the road safety goals outlined in the National Road Safety Master Plan for the years 2022-2027. He invited all stakeholders to provide feedback and suggestions for the plan, aiming to create a safer environment for all road users during the upcoming New Year festivities.

Following the Prime Minister's directive to appoint him as the chairman of the National Road Safety Policy and Accident Reduction Committee, Anutin issued specific instructions for all agencies to implement measures to prevent road accidents.

 

The directives include:

 

1. Collaboration: Relevant agencies are urged to collaborate closely to implement the Road Safety Master Plan for 2022-2027 seriously. The goal is to reduce the road accident fatality rate to 12 per 100,000 population by 2027 and achieve the national strategic goal of reducing road accident fatalities.

 

2. Local Initiatives: Provincial governors and Bangkok administrators are instructed to utilize local mechanisms according to the regulations on road accident prevention and reduction, emphasizing continuous efforts in partnership with local government organizations, district offices, and the public.

 

3. Law Enforcement: Strictly enforce related laws, enhance awareness, instill a sense of responsibility in society, and ensure continuous implementation.

 

4. New Year Celebrations: During the New Year celebrations in 2023, relevant agencies are directed to intensify efforts in line with the guidelines for preventing and reducing road accidents, emphasizing law enforcement and proactive measures to ensure safety for both tourists and the public.

 

Mr. Chaiwat Choonthiraphong, the Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, highlighted the country's road accident situation. The government has set ambitious targets for the Road Safety Master Plan 2022-2027, aiming to reduce road accident fatalities to 12 per 100,000 population by 2027.

 

Dr. Sirirat Suwannarat, Director of the Injury Prevention Division, representing the Ministry of Public Health, provided insights into road accident statistics for the first nine months of 2022. The data revealed 12,730 road accident fatalities, accounting for 19.54% per 100,000 population. Though comparing favorably with the previous year, 24 provinces exceeded their targets.

 

The government's comprehensive approach encompasses local governance, law enforcement, public awareness campaigns, and preparedness for emergencies. The focus on New Year celebrations includes measures such as setting up command centers, reducing risk factors, and intensifying efforts to promote safe driving practices.

 

These efforts underscore the government's commitment to creating a safer road environment and achieving the ambitious targets set in the Road Safety Master Plan.

 

Top picture: Siam Rath

 

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[herfiehandbag]

Big blue tent, check.

Internet access, check.

Coffee service, check.

Plenty of volunteer auxiliaries for the night shift , and when the enthusiasm and/or overtime budget run low, check.

 

Good to go!

[KhunBENQ]

Not worth more than a laughter.

The yearly clown show 

Well described in post above.

[stoner]

don't listen to all the negative nancy comments that will flow on this thread. i for one applaud the efforts of anutin. keep up the great work buddy. 

[2baht]

7 minutes ago, stoner said:

don't listen to all the negative nancy comments that will flow on this thread. i for one applaud the efforts of anutin. keep up the great work buddy. 

How many bongs you had this morning?

[daveAustin]

Never mind all that, just put everyone in sobering up areas. 👍

[stoner]

1 minute ago, 2baht said:

How many bongs you had this morning?

 

clearly not enough. 

[Geoffggi]

Absolutely nothing new same thing every year, & why are these standard comments only applicable at Christmas?? .................LOL

[happysoul]

Here we go again... And not a word about TEACHING people how to drive, just repression. Why not teach them how to properly drive first than come with repression. 

 

And the goal of 12 is laughable, it's Russia's 2019 average. Not appealing to me. Why not aim at 6 (about EU average) ? Thailand stood at 32.2 in 2019, first of asian countries.

[lordgrinz]

I got an idea, trade in the BMW's, Mercedes, and Tesla police cars for Toyotas, then put computers and police officers in them, then patrol the streets and enforce traffic laws. What was I thinking, hey Anutin? Pass the the bong!

[Ironmike]

4 hours ago, 2baht said:

How many bongs you had this morning?

Yeah dude bong on bro let's get high and talk crap, every year the same crap comes out of these people and every year people die on the roads,, why????? Because the police are to busy shaking down the tourists to give a crap, bla bla bla. 

[dallen52]

As opposed to not so strict road safety measures..lol

[Gandtee]

Another lot of hot air. Until the police get out on the roads doing the job they are paid to do and not sitting in their huts and tents, nothing will change. The Thai driving test is laughable. Most holders of Thai driving licenses would fail a test miserably in a developed country. Nothing will change in my lifetime.

[prakhonchai nick]

The objective is to prevent and reduce road accidents during the festive season.

Mr Anutin...............What about the other 350 odd days in a year?  Not your problem sir????

[Nickcage49]

What a joke. It's the wild wild west out there. Instruct the police to do their jobs, hand out tickets and while you're at it, give out a few parking tickets as well. Pattaya for one is a freaking mess.

[Gandtee]

4 hours ago, stoner said:

don't listen to all the negative nancy comments that will flow on this thread. i for one applaud the efforts of anutin. keep up the great work buddy. 

Are you Stoner, or stoned?

[findlay13]

The same procedure as last year and the year before and the year before ad infinitum

[dallen52]

22 a day. 

 

14,737 people lost their lives on the road in 2022, with 924,799 injuries reported.

 

Bold target. 

[findlay13]

3 hours ago, Nickcage49 said:

What a joke. It's the wild wild west out there. Instruct the police to do their jobs, hand out tickets and while you're at it, give out a few parking tickets as well. Pattaya for one is a freaking mess.

When you can get a ticket for no helmet ,then be allowed to continue with no helmet nothing will change.

[TheFishman1]

Every year the same thing they sit in the tents they drink coffee smoke cigarettes, plan their phone how is that preventing road? Accidents amazing TIT

[Thumbs]

No excuse in the big cities plenty of public transport and taxis, get into the provinces and pretty much nothing available.  

[sammieuk1]

Under 300 corpses a day will be rated a success time to start planning for next years carnage 🤔

[biggles45]

8 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

. Most holders of Thai driving licenses would fail a test miserably in a developed country.

Under reciprocal ASEAN arrangements, Thai license holders can drive on their license in other ASEAN Countries. I use my Philippine license regularly. 

[Gandtee]

1 minute ago, Nickcage49 said:

What a joke. It's the wild wild west out there. Instruct the police to do their jobs, hand out tickets and while you're at it, give out a few parking tickets as well. Pattaya for one is a freaking mess.

I got wheel clamped on Walking Street around 1am, way back in 1987. I must have been the first one in Thailand. It cost me Bt300, reduced from Bt500 because I told the desk sergeant that my brother inlaw was a top policeman. Or I thought I did. I called him a sopolot (pineapple) and not a saluwat (policeman) He is retired now and I met him a week ago and he said to my son "Me sopalot. Bt500." The family joke.

[Thingamabob]

Similar statements are made before every new year with no improvement in the death rate.

[Clarkey611]

Where is Baldrick when you need a plan?

[Cabradelmar]

and nothing will change/improve... and anyone who has ever had to get a thai DL knows why. Thais are terrible drivers, terribly educated/training on how to drive safely, for starters. 

[spidermike007]

Deputy Prime Minister Anutin emphasized the importance of safe driving under the theme "Drive Safely, Thailand Without Accidents." The objective is to prevent and reduce road accidents during the festive season.

 

Is ridiculosity an actual word? If not, it should be invented to describe this spectacularly insincere, and ineffective so called leader.

 

Nowhere else in the world have I seen people consistency take the kinds of chances and risks in the road, that they take here, with their families in the car. Nowhere. When they could have waited four seconds to make the uturn or turn onto the highway, and have a completely clear path, they instead choose to take a tremendous risk. It is beyond comprehension. I see it all the time. My eyes do not lie to me. This rarely ever happens to me in the US. If I decide to cut you off on a highway, when you are going 120kph, and I am making a u-turn, and there was plenty of room behind you for me to make a safe turn, is that an error, if it results in a horrific, fatal accident, and I take the lives of you and your family? I don't make the kind of errors that result in bad accidents, much less fatalities. Why? Because I am very, very careful on the road, and very, very respectful of other drivers, their lives, and those of their families. That is a choice that results in NOT making very many terrible mistakes.

Sometimes an error is wearing white after Labor day in New York City. And sometimes an error is having the hubris to invade Russia, knowing the winter is imminent.

 

In many nations people drive with common sense and reason, partly because there is a deterrent. Here, neither the police, nor the highway patrol are willing to patrol the highways. Nobody, and I mean nobody takes these guys seriously. There is absolutely nothing in the way of a deterrent here, and the local governments, the central government, and the police do not take traffic safety seriously. Not even one iota. The safety of the public means less than zero to the small men in charge here. Nothing. They show that on a daily basis.

They will not do a thing. Why? They do not care about the people one iota. Not the common people. Not the average pleb. No way. Never have cared, and may never care in the future. It is all about protecting the elite, the super wealthy, those that are connected, and those in power. The rest of the population? They do not matter. The ex-pat community does not matter. And the police will not get involved unless an accident has already occurred. There is no prevention. None. The idea of getting the police more involved, is an interesting one, and it would be an effective one. But, the issue is money. They are grossly underpaid, and until the government steps up, and spends the trillion baht on updating the police equipment, and paying each cop a living wage, it is not going to happen. Until then, they will just work the franchise.

The only way to survive here on the road, is to be patient, have eyes in the back of your head, drive with caution, and always, and I mean always watch out of the other guy. Chances are, he does not have much driving skill, nor patience, nor reason, nor common sense. You cannot be too careful on the road here. Especially considering that the toy police offer no traffic safety, prevention, enforcement of the law, or concern toward the prosecution of very reckless drivers. Those of us with driving skill, and a strong desire for not only survival, but the avoidance of terrible injury, are constantly scanning the road, in front of us, beside us, and behind us. There are an exceptionally high number of reckless fools on these roads, and it is the only way to preserve our lives, and those of our families, and friends, who may be driving with us, and depending on us. 

When I was growing up, we took drivers education courses. They showed us horrendous films, of semi trucks plowing into cars, and literally obliterating everything in their path. They also showed us graphic images of head on collisions. 120mph impacts. Even as a young kid, it made quite an impression. It was horrific, and it was hard to get those images out of your head afterwards. But, it left a lasting impression, and when I started driving, I understood it was serious business, and that it was a very dangerous thing to do. Also, I had the benefit of my lovely Mom, as my instructor. She spent countless hours in the car with me giving me tips, advice, and teaching me driving etiquette, courtesy and respect toward other drivers. That was priceless, and I doubt many Thai kids benefit from that kind of guidance. 
 

[Classic Ray]

Many officers have their subordinate (or dominant) business in the entertainment industry to run and family celebrations over Christmas/New Year so are regrettably unable to do much patrol or even tent-sitting at this time. Happy holidays to all.

[newbee2022]

Same procedure as every year......

I wonder if he can spell "law enforcement"🧑‍🎄