Thai Transport Ministry to lower road mortality by 50% in the next 7 years

[webfact]

Transport Ministry to lower road mortality by 50% in the next 7 years

BANGKOK, 30 November 2013 (NNT) - The Ministry of Transport has set a target to lower traffic-related mortality rate by 50% in the next seven years.

According to Deputy Permanent Secretary Theerapong Rodprasert, about 14,000 people were killed in road accidents in 2012, or around 38 people a day. One-third of the number was breadwinners prompting their families to face financial difficulties.

Moreover, those accidents have disabled around 5,000 - 6,000 people a year which can be translated into an economic loss of 230 billion baht annually, or 2.8% of Thailand's GDP.

The ministry aims to reduce the number of accident-related deaths to 7,000 in 2020 by working closely with other ministries and bodies such as the Interior Ministry, local and provincial administrations, to monitor and prevent road accidents, under the ten-year master plan on road safety started two years ago.

On December 11-12, the ministry will also hold the 11th national seminar on road safety to encourage every party involved to speed up their works on how to lower the number of road accidents and increase awareness among road users.


-- NNT 2013-11-30

[tonytigerbkk]

This is so funny in so many ways.

[JRSoul]

Somebody is confusing their ambitions with their abilities.

[ezzra]

Somebody is confusing their ambitions with their abilities.

Somebody is confusing their longevity with what's going

on in Thai politics....

[yooper2001]

The only way they will reduce traffic deaths is to get rid of every policeman and start over with training a new force about knowing the rules of the road, and enforcing the law. Have zero tolerance for taking bribes and have real fines for breaking traffic laws. Yesterday when I was riding my bike for exercise I saw 4 tour busses pass another vehicle over a double yellow line around a curve. All vehicle's coming from opposite direction had to pull off the road to allow them to pass. Also Who gave permission for tour busses to be built too high that they tip over when they make a turn too fast. Someone told the company that built these busses that it is ok. these busses did not just appear out of thin air. Thailand has a long way to go to reduce traffic deaths and Every time the government puts out a number of highway deaths it gives a different number. I looked at world highway deaths and it has Thailand # 6 at 29,000 highway deaths per year. The department of transportation must be using thai math again.

[maengda]

In order to achieve this, 50% of the drivers must not drive.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[noikrit]

If it wasn't such a serious issue that statement would have been TOTALY Hilarious !.... What a CLOWN !!!

[NongKhaiKid]

How can this be taken seriously ? Just another outrageous statement from officialdom who forget th think first.

[simple1]

Very conflicting report on number of road deaths. In March this year Vice Interior Minister Silapachai Jarukasemratana announced there were around 26,000 road deaths a year in Thailand.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Road-death-toll-in-Thailand-among-highest-in-the-w-30202066.html

[jaltsc]

"The Ministry of Transport has set a target to lower traffic-related mortality rate by 50% in the next seven years."

There is stupid....and then there is STUPID!!!

[kotsak]

Hub of big statements!

[roamer]

Forget tourist bus deaths, doubt they amount to 0.01% of the mortality rate. Don't bother about truck crashes, minibus crashes, car crashes etc. Enforce the motorcycle helmet law (even if it goes to tea money...) you will meet the target. Not rocket science.

[Yunla]

I'm going to learn to fly in the next seven years.

I'm going to not tell anybody about my plans or investments to make my flying possible, I'm going to just talk about the number of times I didn't succeed in flying in the past, and then stick a "seven years - mission accomplished" label on it and see if they believe me. If I'm still falling on the floor in seven years time, I will revise the timeframe.

Edited November 30, 2013 by Yunla

[noitom]

Thais are always quick to "propose" lofty goals without ever having a clue on action steps.

[lemoncake]

Sooooo what's the plan ?

[johnlandy]

Somebody is confusing their ambitions with their abilities.

The square faced man publicly stated around 15 + years ago that he would personally solve Bangkok's traffic woes within the following 6 months.

It is now as bad as when he made that statement "if not worse"

Why do these fools open their mouths and confirm what many people already believe "that they are stupid brain dead cretins"

And to quote incorrect figures e.g. 14,000 died in 2012 (when in actual fact is double that figure as quoted here) further compounds the difficulty in achieving their stated objectives.

Thais are the worlds greatest talkers, talking about nothing, talking purely because they like to listen to their own voices 'and in the process spouting pure shyt.

[WitawatWatawit]

So, the 11th national seminar on road safety. The previous 10 seminars have done a simply marvellous job, peoples, in reducing the road toll. I'm in awe.

[Songhua]

Thais are always quick to "propose" lofty goals without ever having a clue on action steps.

True. Actual measures seem to be a bit of a way off just yet.

'the ministry will also hold the 11th national seminar on road safety to encourage every party involved to speed up their works on how to......'

[CraigSchuler]

Start with drug and alcohol testing for all commercial drivers!

[bangkokheat]

i love positive people but good luck with that

[worgeordie]

To achieve this goal,they must be going to remove 50% of the cars,

buses,trucks and motor bikes from the roads,that is the ONLY way.

Stupid people,saying stupid things.

regards Worgeordie

[Carl64]

Really it's not that hard. Everyone wear helmets. Not just plastic skull caps but real motorcycle helmets. And of course do them up.

Make it compulsory for seat belts to be worn in the back seats of cars.

Outlaw people riding in the back of pickups. (Saw a very nasty roll over in Chiang Mai , several killed)

Enforce the road laws.

End tea money and enforce real fines.

Real driver training for new drivers. Consistent throughout the country.

Media education for everyone.

Repeat offenders to loose licence and then have to do new driver training.

Proper child restraint systems to be used.

Reduced speed school zones.

Speed limit signs in built up areas.

Better future urban planning , particularly around market areas. Eg. No proper parking , no market!

Trucks , busses, taxis, vans etc. to have properly trained and licenced operators behind the wheel.

Constant checks for older vehicles when re registering. I know they do this now but it's not consistent .

A duty of care from bar owners carrying their drunk Thai patrons to their cars so they can drive home! I have witnessed this and the bar owner said he is ok to drive just can't walk.

With the added income from fines actually getting through to the government and reduced costs in the public health care system this can be done.

But I doubt anything will actually eventuate!

[crusader79]

Why not 60%? Or 67%? That would be even better.

[PaullyW]

It's funny because most of us Westerners and probably plenty of more sophisticated Eastern countries (Korean, Japan, Singapore, etc.) just read these silly pronouncements knowing that so much more, fundamentally is required to bring about these grandiose changes Thais perpetually talk about.

It's truly one of the hallmarks of Thai culture: talking about extraordinary changes while overlooking the deep, fundamental changes that society must undergo rather than the quick and easy fix approach that Thais regulary think they are in a position to make.

The ENTIRE system

roads - maintenance? lighting? consistency?

drivers - education, FACE, road superiority and abuse through reinforced feelings of superiority (I'm in an expensive car, so I will drive like a 'bat out of hell')

traffic engineers - u-turns on highspeed highway? overpasses that come out on the wrong side? signage?

NEEDS TO CHANGE.

They just don't get it. The rest of the world laughs silently.

[ginjag]

He's got it completely wrong, it should have been 40% in the next 8 years, that would be more sensible

[culicine]

Three words: enforce the law....let's just start there please. But that seems a distant dream in this 'democracy'.

[Thaddeus]

And to quote incorrect figures e.g. 14,000 died in 2012 (when in actual fact is double that figure as quoted here) further compounds the difficulty in achieving their stated objectives.

Mission already accomplished then, Thai style, just fudge the numbers.

[pomchop]

Thais are always quick to "propose" lofty goals without ever having a clue on action steps.

Setting a "target" and hitting the target are not the same thing. It never ceases to amaze me how many people still get on the motorbike every single day all over Thailand with no helmet. It especially amazes me how many adults seem to think nothing of their kids riding with no helmets.

I often loan a motorbike to people but rule number one is if I EVER see them ride ten feet without a helmet then they are immediately and permanently barred from ever riding my bike again....and funny but every single person I have loaned to seems to understand that I am not kidding and to my knowledge wear the damn helmet.

Just imagine IF Thai parents actually laid down the law to their kids....no helmets...no motorbike riding. Of course maybe a bit tough to do since many of the parents also don't wear helmets. There are some things that Parents can do much more effectively than all the government proclamations in the world.

[drdoom6996]

This is so funny in so many ways.

Yep, just headline news. Only talk. No substance.

[NongKhaiKid]

Very conflicting report on number of road deaths. In March this year Vice Interior Minister Silapachai Jarukasemratana announced there were around 26,000 road deaths a year in Thailand.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Road-death-toll-in-Thailand-among-highest-in-the-w-30202066.html

They need to take advice on how to present statistics from TAT.

No wait, that would mean even more deaths especially tourists flocking here to get killed on the road.