Songkran Death Toll 29 Percent More Than Last Year; Tougher Law Enforcement Ordered

[webfact]

ACCIDENTS
Tougher law enforcement ordered
The Nation


An accident in Sa Kaeo.

BANGKOK: -- Interior Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan yesterday ordered all 76 provincial governors and other officials to get tougher in enforcing the law after the Songkran death toll was 29 per cent more than last year even though road accidents were lesser.

Over the first three of the seven dangerous days, 173 people died and 1,526 were injured in road accidents caused mainly by drunk driving.

Charupong told a meeting of the Road Safety Centre that the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation had recorded 655 accidents on Saturday, which was down 10 per cent from last year, but deaths had soared 28 per cent to 72.

Drunk driving was the major cause of accidents at 46 per cent followed by speeding at 24 per cent. Motorcycles were involved in 82 per cent of accidents and pickup trucks in 10 per cent.



Not wearing a helmet was the top risk behaviour. About 22 per cent of accidents were on straight roads, 66 per cent on village roads and 38 per cent on highways. The most dangerous time of the day was 4-8pm. Some 54 per cent of the casualties were workers. About 68,970 police manned 2,339 checkpoints, stopped 719,010 vehicles and charged 123,770 people with traffic offences, of whom 37,420 did not wear safety helmets and 34,936 could not produce a driver's licence.

Nakhon Si Thammarat had the most accidents at 25 and the most injured at 27 people, followed by Suphan Buri with five accidents.

Before chairing a videoconference of 76 governors, Charupong said he would have local officials stage public awareness campaigns to make people drive more carefully during the last two days of Songkran.

Officials would not be taken to task for the rise in casualties as they were already doing their best but they must strictly enforce the ban against alcohol sales, especially by street vendors, he said.

Chatchai Promlert, director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said that statistics showed accidents were more severe this year. The weather bureau also warned of tropical storms in the North and Northeast that would make roads more slippery.

Dr Chonlanan Srikaew, a deputy public health minister, said this year's accidents were more severe than last year. Of the 1,321 seriously injured, 67 per cent died at the scene and 43 per cent in hospital emergency rooms.

The ministry has instructed its officials across the country to coordinate with local police to enforce the prohibition against alcohol sales more thoroughly and initiate campaigns urging the public to call 1669 hotline when they come across accidents, as the ministry has 15,000 emergency medical teams standing by to offer assistance.

Pol Colonel Thongchai Bunsombat, superintendent of Samre Police Station, admitted that a team of his officers returned fire at a gang of 10 motorcycle racers during a chase. Massayabun Maneewong, 39, who was shot in the stomach by a stray bullet at her stall on King Taksin Road on the Thon Buri side, died later.


-- The Nation 2013-04-15

[Thai at Heart]

I think he should announce less attentive statistic recording.

[Dancealot]

Does this mean the new anti alcohol consuming in the car law, didn't work?

[dcutman]

[LuckyLew]

I guess there comes a time when the Gov't has to hold there hands up and

say .... we are too stupid to stop stupid people from doing stupid things.

Peoples habits will not change unless there are strict penalties

such as immediate loss of certain privelages, confiscate cars and mopeds

and do not let people of with warnings do not let people off with 100 baht tea

money.

Saying you will do something and actually doing something are two different things

[yooper2001]

About 68,970 police manned 2,339 checkpoints, stopped 719,010 vehicles and charged 123,770 people with traffic offences, of whom 37,420 did not wear safety helmets and 34,936 could not produce a driver's licence.

this is the problem. the police need to get away from under a shade tree and patrol the highways and ticket drivers that are speeding and going through red lights and passing over a yellow line

putting cameras at traffic lights and sending tickets to offenders in the mail would do alot to stop running through red lights

[Thai at Heart]

About 68,970 police manned 2,339 checkpoints, stopped 719,010 vehicles and charged 123,770 people with traffic offences, of whom 37,420 did not wear safety helmets and 34,936 could not produce a driver's licence.

Every kid in the whole country isn't wearing a helmet these 3 days.

[tominbkk]

Are most of the deaths/accidents from motorbikes? They drive bad enough when sober...get some Sangthip in them and watch out! I have a rule at Songkran to avoid going out on the streets after 5pm if I can help it.

[Mosha]

About 68,970 police manned 2,339 checkpoints, stopped 719,010 vehicles and charged 123,770 people with traffic offences, of whom 37,420 did not wear safety helmets and 34,936 could not produce a driver's licence.

Every kid in the whole country isn't wearing a helmet these 3 days.

In the sticks neither are the police.

[jackr]

I guess there comes a time when the Gov't has to hold there hands up and

say .... we are too stupid to stop stupid people from doing stupid things.

Peoples habits will not change unless there are strict penalties

such as immediate loss of certain privelages, confiscate cars and mopeds

and do not let people of with warnings do not let people off with 100 baht tea

money.

Saying you will do something and actually doing something are two different things

Won't work. Only way is to reduce it to one day and stop people from setting up their antics on main roads... which won't happen. All they can do is continue to note the statistics.

[clockman]

From my observations Thai politicions and officials, love to talk. But never grasp the nettle!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NongKhaiKid]

I guess there comes a time when the Gov't has to hold there hands up and

say .... we are too stupid to stop stupid people from doing stupid things.

Peoples habits will not change unless there are strict penalties

such as immediate loss of certain privelages, confiscate cars and mopeds

and do not let people of with warnings do not let people off with 100 baht tea

money.

Saying you will do something and actually doing something are two different things

Spot on LL but this is what we are used to here, long on talk and short on action. Officialdom seems to think that saying the right thing is enough. I see from The Post that provinces have been ordered to step up road safety for the last few days of the holiday but no one gets disciplined if casualty figures remain high

[NongKhaiKid]

A lot has been said about the roadside safety tents and I have to say that when I passed my local one today one of the inhabitants was actually awake BUT she was arranging the rice boxes

[culicine]

Are most of the deaths/accidents from motorbikes? They drive bad enough when sober...get some Sangthip in them and watch out! I have a rule at Songkran to avoid going out on the streets after 5pm if I can help it.

A bike was laying on the ground outside my school the other day. A bit of rain and the rider fell off; fortunately at a low speed. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the accidents involved motorcycles. They ride bad enough as it is, let alone drunk.

And in the OP - not wearing a helmet is not a risk behaviour - it does not increase the risk of an accident itself, only may increase the likelihood of injury. Simply riding a bike increases the risk of an accident, based on the statistics we are seeing.

[meatboy]

34,936 drivers could not produce or didnt have a licence,what happened to the vehicle's? korp-kun [mahk mahk]

[slapout]

Hindsite is 20/20, but when you put 1.3 million first time car owners benind the wheel via a populist policy, then they go home to show off their new wheels, buy a couple bottles of the local firewater to impress the extended family, and then do their Mario impression on the over crowded roads,what can you expect?

Most people realize that installing speed bumps can be a hazard if drivers are not forewarned, educated to their function, etc. Maybe there could be a color/logo system for vehicles, depending on your status, the bullseye could be issued to the motorcycles, a skull crossbone symbol for trucks/buses and finally a oversized baht sticker on those deemed elite/wealthy/government freeloader. The rest of us could use a picture of a chicken on our front bumper.

[Mampara]

possibly because too much concentration on keeping the city booze free and too little on our roads,

[Thai at Heart]

Hindsite is 20/20, but when you put 1.3 million first time car owners benind the wheel via a populist policy, then they go home to show off their new wheels, buy a couple bottles of the local firewater to impress the extended family, and then do their Mario impression on the over crowded roads,what can you expect?

Most people realize that installing speed bumps can be a hazard if drivers are not forewarned, educated to their function, etc. Maybe there could be a color/logo system for vehicles, depending on your status, the bullseye could be issued to the motorcycles, a skull crossbone symbol for trucks/buses and finally a oversized baht sticker on those deemed elite/wealthy/government freeloader. The rest of us could use a picture of a chicken on our front bumper.

There is a logo system already.

A triangular star in a circle can drive with impunity. I have always wondered who sells those emblems.

[Tomtomtom69]

22% of accidents occurred on straight roads? My god if they can't even drive properly on a straight road, these idiots wouldn't last one minute on mountainous Laotian roads where there are surprisingly few accidents mind you.

[Tomtomtom69]

34,936 drivers could not produce or didnt have a licence,what happened to the vehicle's? korp-kun [mahk mahk]

In Vietnam not being able to produce a local license results in confiscation of the bikes and in theory, you can go to jail for a long, long time. In practice this law is rarely exercised, but the confiscation of the offender's bike for up to 30 days DOES indeed happen and SHOULD also happen in more developed Thailand.

In China, you can be detained for up to 15 days for not being in possession of a driver's license. I'm pretty sure that in China the police can and do carry out enforcement of this law, although it is up to the discretion of the officer of course.

Edited April 15, 2013 by Tomtomtom69

[Markaew]

These police check points are useless. Everyone that see them turn around and go a different way. I do this as well because I have been stopped on a motorbike breaking no laws and I get shaken down for tea money. I end up breaking laws trying to evade them.

The BiB camp out in one spot and think they can cure the ills of society while sitting in the shade under their tents collecting tea money. Or maybe I am wrong and they just don't care except for the tea money.

[jack1964]

I love Thailand and love it with a passion, but there is one blatent problem that needs to be resolved. And that is the stubborness of this nation to ask for assistance and education by other countries that have proven ability in law enforcement. Not just law enforcement, but in many area's. This has always been put down to the fact that Thailand was never colonised by outside forces, proving Thailand to be superior. I'm proud of the fact that Thailand held its head high, and didnt allow itself to become merciful of outside forces, but this is 2013, not 1901. Times have changed and Thailand need to change with the times. If there is corruption within the police ranks, stamp it out. If the way they build infrastructure doesnt work, get someone in to show you how it works. If your health system is failed, and doesnt protect your people in a time of need, look for a model that does. If the law states, "WEAR A HELMET" then every police officer should be wearing one, and upholding that law. Get your people trained by proffesionals that have mastered the systems that they operate under to the highest level, do not accept corruption as a part of life, and come down hard on anyone that is seen to be corrupt within your rank and file. Unfourtunately it lays in the hands of the law makers, and of the highest officials, and for some reason, whilst their people are out on the road killing themselves and others, well, they are just to busy doing something else. This is a great country that could be so much greater if they bit the bullet, asked for training, asked for advice, and understood that not every tourist that comes to Thailand lives under the banner of Som Num Nah. In fact we often now are starting to look like the country NOT to visit.........

[anon467367354]

I noticed on the news that a lot of these flipped over in a ditch cars look like very brand new "first buyer" get a rebate from the government cars.

many of them have red license plates. There is no emphasis on driver education here. People have to wait until they are adults

to get a license rather than a learner's permit and learn to drive with an experienced driver. <----ridiculous assumption noted

I have a friend the failed her test 3 times and when asked how much experience she has driving, her response was 10 hours.

[DocN]

Actually: what laws? What enforcement?

I was out on Silom on 13th and -without any problems- bought 8 beers at 3 different stall in 2 hours for me amd my friends.

People were holding up and waving signs, while standing on boxes.

It was harder NOT to see them!

[Chao Lao Beach]

34,936 drivers could not produce or didnt have a licence,what happened to the vehicle's? korp-kun [mahk mahk]

How can a 8yo be licensed ?

[Issangeorge]

The gpvernment added one million new cars with about the same amount inexperienced drivers. No wonder the accidents increased. As for law enforcement, forget it.

[webfact]

RT @191Thailand:

In the first 4 days of the Songkran holiday in Thailand, 218 people have been killed & 2,020 injured in road accidents

[uptheos]

I guess there comes a time when the Gov't has to hold there hands up and

say .... we are too stupid to stop stupid people from doing stupid things.

As a guest, I must never call my hosts stupid and they should carry on as they see fit.......as it's their country (I am told ad nauseam).

[Ace of Pop]

If you read the Decree from the Minister of Crashes in the Post,one could be excused for thinking hes Kim Jong. What a Plonker, how can Officials stop accidents, they are part of the problem here.

[robert888d]

It is very sad that at what is meant to be a happy,joyful time so many Thais will lose their lives and be badly injured. Yesterday in Pattaya I saw people hurling buckets of water at people going past on motor bikes and they seemed even gleeful when some skidded and fell off !