Thai Highways Department holds road safety campaign

[webfact]

The Department of Highways holds road safety campaign



BANGKOK, 24 December 2013 (NNT) — The Department of Highways will be holding a road safety campaign in order to provide safety measures and convenience to travelers during the New Year holiday.

Deputy Transport Minister Gen. Prin Suwannathat presided over the opening ceremony of the campaign and provided the department with the appropriate policies that would ensure motorists’ safety during their New Year travels.

Department of Highways director-general Chatchawan Booncharoen-kit expects numerous people to travel back to their hometowns during the holidays - especially up north to enjoy the unusually cold weather and frost.

To ensure travelers’ safety and prevent fatalities on the highways, the Department of Highways has therefore launched a caravan of patrol police that will keep an extra close watch on the safety of motorists during December 27 - January 2 of next year.

-- NNT 2013-12-24

[daiwill60]

Wouldnt one way be to enforce stricter driving tests, as well as improve road and night time lighting standards.

Actually teaching people to drive properly at appproved driving schools and introducing stricter, heavier penalties for drink driving offences might help too.

[EricBerg]

The patrolmen will soon stop to eat, drink beers and chill a bit. Business as usual.

[soi41]

Time for that speech again!! Will be repeated again a couple of days before Songkran.

As it has been for the last 10 years!

Only change over the 10 years is, that Thailand has "advanced" to the third most dangerous country in the world to drive in.

Without enforcement they can talk as much as they want, nothing is going to change!

[naidraw66]

Here we go again a total waste of time. If the police actually enforced the laws then things may change. But in a society where it is possible to pay off the police no lessons will ever be learnt and thousands of needless deaths will occur every year . . . .

[FangFerang]

Wouldnt one way be to enforce stricter driving tests, as well as improve road and night time lighting standards. Actually teaching people to drive properly at appproved driving schools and introducing stricter, heavier penalties for drink driving offences might help too.

How dare you make sense! Foriegn infiltrator! Farang curmudgeon!

Merry Holidays and Happy Christmas.

[Johnnie99]

You've got to admire their pluck for trotting this out every year with no noticeable result, though.

[Emdog]

How about some public service announcements on the tube? Some shots from trauma ward (I went to one at Chonburi Hospital last month. Not lots of fun), a few from various avoidable accidents.... things like that?

[jaltsc]

'Deputy Transport Minister Gen. Prin Suwannathat presided over the opening ceremony of the campaign and provided the department with the appropriate policies that would ensure motorists’ safety during their New Year travels.'

So far, every road safety campaign in the past has not reached the "official"goals. This appears to be some more of the same rhetoric with no teeth to back up the safety campaign. Stricter driving tests, stricter enforcement of road regulations, and ongoing motor vehicle safety inspections will go a lot further than the same line of: "We have a safety campaign which will reduce traffic fatalities: "

If you keep doing what you've always done, you keep having what you've always had. Don't expect traffic fatalities to go down unless there are fewer people on the road this year during the holidays.

[Mosha]

Zero deaths blah blah blah

[laobali]

You've got to admire their pluck for trotting this out every year with no noticeable result, though.

It's called paying lip service; all part of the 'smile'.

[Crossy]

Indeed ^^^.

Do you ever get that feeling of déjà-vu?

[Ulic]

Seems to me the road safety campaign anouncement is just a warning to drivers to have their 1-200 baht ready so Po Po

can process them through the tea money mill with greater speed and efficiency.

Edited December 24, 2013 by Ulic

[SOTIRIOS]

.....on the eve of the 'holidays'....my.....my.......another campaign......

[little mary sunshine]

Highway Safety and Thailand used in the same sentence.........amazing 55555555555555555555555555555

[PETERTHEEATER]

Last week on Channel 3 Thai TV I saw a very good motor cycle safety film short and to the point illustrating the life and injury saving aspects of wearing a safety helmet. I thought that a daily prime time road safety campaign was underway but I have seen nothing since.

The message didn't get through even to the westerner (farang) bike riders in my area since they still ride without protective helmets or clothing just the usual underwear and flip-flops.

When in Rome..........

Ghost Riders in the sky......

[MESmith]

The road safety campaign should be on television. Paid advertising slots during the most popular shows. Not exactly rocket science is it?

"Clunk, click every trip"

worked elsewhere in the developed world about 40 years ago. Time to catch up methinks.......

[ThaiTrav]

Wouldnt one way be to enforce stricter driving tests, as well as improve road and night time lighting standards. Actually teaching people to drive properly at appproved driving schools and introducing stricter, heavier penalties for drink driving offences might help too.

Oh Pleeze! We can only handle harf to one ting at ta time ,...doen git to technical on us! Caaarp!

[Mosha]

The road safety campaign should be on television. Paid advertising slots during the most popular shows. Not exactly rocket science is it?

"Clunk, click every trip"

worked elsewhere in the developed world about 40 years ago. Time to catch up methinks.......

1st pickup I bought. Climbed in the cab. Wife says "No problem police no lock" So I told her of my friend Brian

I worked at the same site, it was a large place 1 mile sq. . Speed limit was 20 mph. He had a massive heart attack at the wheel. It was never worked out if the impact to his head or the heart attack killed him. He was 40 my friend, and I still miss him. Wife a;ways puts on the seat belt.

[ThaiTrav]

The road safety campaign should be on television. Paid advertising slots during the most popular shows. Not exactly rocket science is it?

"Clunk, click every trip"

worked elsewhere in the developed world about 40 years ago. Time to catch up methinks.......

yeah but its more than just seatbealts !!!!! How do you tell em how the brake works or how to keep the head pointing in the direction their travelling , no texting or moving phone calls or driving intoxicated or in the pull over lane or permanently in overtaking lane or on the footpath, what the speed signs mean, dangly things distracting and restricting vision on rearvision mirrors .......oh so much there wouldn;t be time on the tv for for movies . I sadly thinks it is rocket science ,....least for them . History will repeat just watch! Good to see someone least gave it a thought though !

[ThaiTrav]

'Deputy Transport Minister Gen. Prin Suwannathat presided over the opening ceremony of the campaign and provided the department with the appropriate policies that would ensure motorists’ safety during their New Year travels.'

So far, every road safety campaign in the past has not reached the "official"goals. This appears to be some more of the same rhetoric with no teeth to back up the safety campaign. Stricter driving tests, stricter enforcement of road regulations, and ongoing motor vehicle safety inspections will go a lot further than the same line of: "We have a safety campaign which will reduce traffic fatalities: "

If you keep doing what you've always done, you keep having what you've always had. Don't expect traffic fatalities to go down unless there are fewer people on the road this year during the holidays.

Sorry maybe I'm missing something ......What are the official goals? The minimum numbers they expect to be killed and injured? Where do you find the anticipated number or where is it published? Does one go on last years score?

[JoeThePoster]

a caravan of patrol police

That's a novelty! In the Wild West it was the caravans getting robbed.

Edited December 24, 2013 by JoeThePoster

[Basil B]

The road safety campaign should be on television. Paid advertising slots during the most popular shows. Not exactly rocket science is it?

"Clunk, click every trip"

worked elsewhere in the developed world about 40 years ago. Time to catch up methinks.......

TV companies should be complied to show "Public Information" adverts free as part of their agreement to broadcast.

These should include: first aid, road safety, crime prevention, etc.

When do the auditions start for the actor to play "Reginald Molehusband"?

The script reads:

This is the story of Reginald Molehusband, married, two children, whose reverse parking was a public danger. People came from miles just to see it. Bets were laid on his performance. What he managed to miss at the back, he was sure to make up for at the front. Bus drivers and taxis changed their routes to avoid him. Until the day that Reginald Molehusband did it right. Not too close, far enough forward... come on Reggie... and reverse in slowly... come on.... and watching traffic... and park perfectly! Well done Reginald Molehusband, the safest parker in town.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Molehusband

Edited December 24, 2013 by Basil B

[indyuk]

Cameras at every set of lights and stop sign in Thailand with computerised fining and charging followed by bailiffs mandatory collection of penalty cash......might work

[lee68]

Same carnage as every new year,its already started in Chiang mai with the yearly influx of Bangkok tourists coming up north for the cooler weather and bringing there reckless driving with them,the locals are bad enough,hospitals will be busy the next week!

[MESmith]

The road safety campaign should be on television. Paid advertising slots during the most popular shows. Not exactly rocket science is it?

"Clunk, click every trip"

worked elsewhere in the developed world about 40 years ago. Time to catch up methinks.......

yeah but its more than just seatbealts !!!!! How do you tell em how the brake works or how to keep the head pointing in the direction their travelling , no texting or moving phone calls or driving intoxicated or in the pull over lane or permanently in overtaking lane or on the footpath, what the speed signs mean, dangly things distracting and restricting vision on rearvision mirrors .......oh so much there wouldn;t be time on the tv for for movies . I sadly thinks it is rocket science ,....least for them . History will repeat just watch! Good to see someone least gave it a thought though !

The seatbelt campaign I qoted was just an example!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course all the other stuff needs ramming into their heads. Goes without saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't ya just love exclamation marks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited December 24, 2013 by MESmith

[gcbruk]

I was deeply shocked driving through France a few years ago. Alongside the road every few Km or so or sometimes less there were silhouettes of people, lifesize, sometimes a single person or couple, sometimes a family with children or a group of people. At first I thought these to be some sort of an art form, but then someone told me that they represented people who had been killed in car crashes on that very spot. I thought it was a great idea; simple, cheap, sobering and apparently very effective. Worth a try!

[robertthebruce]

I was deeply shocked driving through France a few years ago. Alongside the road every few Km or so or sometimes less there were silhouettes of people, lifesize, sometimes a single person or couple, sometimes a family with children or a group of people. At first I thought these to be some sort of an art form, but then someone told me that they represented people who had been killed in car crashes on that very spot. I thought it was a great idea; simple, cheap, sobering and apparently very effective. Worth a try!

Hi

I was shocked too when I was driving through France, I kept seeing The Crucifix , every mile or so, I just thought it was a Catholic thing, until I was informed it was where someone had been killed.. , in a Car Accident...

Was really taken a back, I thought France was bad for accidents and bad driving, but Thailand exceeds that, 100 percent scared driving here in Thailand.

[willyumiii]

Department of Highways will be holding a road safety campaign in order to provide safety measures and convenience to travelers during the New Year holiday.

Thailand drastically needs a Road Safety Campaign aimed at Thai drivers and not travelers!

How about some Public Safety Announcements on Television and Billboards about:

driving at a safe speed,

not passing on blind corners,

staying on your own side of the road,

driving drunk,

speeding in school zones? ( oops! what's a school zone? )

Why it's useful to have headlights that work at night.

Six good topics to start with.

Oh, and a campaign that would teach law enforcement that to actually enforce the traffic laws rather than collect that 200 baht and look the other way!

Imagine all the death and suffering that could be avoided.

[daiwill60]

The road safety campaign should be on television. Paid advertising slots during the most popular shows. Not exactly rocket science is it?

"Clunk, click every trip"

worked elsewhere in the developed world about 40 years ago. Time to catch up methinks.......

TV companies should be complied to show "Public Information" adverts free as part of their agreement to broadcast.

These should include: first aid, road safety, crime prevention, etc.

When do the auditions start for the actor to play "Reginald Molehusband"?

The script reads:

This is the story of Reginald Molehusband, married, two children, whose reverse parking was a public danger. People came from miles just to see it. Bets were laid on his performance. What he managed to miss at the back, he was sure to make up for at the front. Bus drivers and taxis changed their routes to avoid him. Until the day that Reginald Molehusband did it right. Not too close, far enough forward... come on Reggie... and reverse in slowly... come on.... and watching traffic... and park perfectly! Well done Reginald Molehusband, the safest parker in town.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Molehusband

HAHA, and not a whistle blowing hand waving poochai in sight , and please, do not say they are all in Bangkok.

Could also get any number of overhyped current pop star to do the acting or get Chewee to do it , he is always looking for a good publicity stunt.

Edited February 11, 2014 by daiwill60