Measures to curb road casualties ready to put in action

BANGKOK: -- Three government agencies are now working closely to roll out measures that they believe could contain road mishaps during the long New Year holiday that starts next week.

The three agencies are the Public Health Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Royal Thai Police.

Public Health Minister Dr Rachata Rachatanavin told a press conference yesterday that the three government agencies will focus on proactive road-safety campaigns to help reduce number of road traffic injuries and deaths during the so-called ‘Seven Dangerous Days of the New Year’.
December 29, 2014 – January 4, 2015, has been designated as the most dangerous days during the upcoming New Year celebrations.

Dr Rachata said concerned authorities will be deployed to educate people about driving under alcohol influence while soldiers, police and health volunteers will jointly operate 6,000 road-safety checkpoints across the country to prevent road accidenta.

These checkpoints will be set up on major roads and near access to local communities to deter alcohol-impaired driving and enforce motorcycle crash helmet laws.

He said the Public Health Ministry has also prepared mobile health units that can reach accident scene within 10 minutes after being reported.

Some 5,000 ambulances and 100,000 medics and doctors will also be on standby to provide medical care on a daily basis during the seven dangerous day period, he said.

The ministry has also stored up blood supplies in hospitals while Thai Red Cross Society also pleaded for more blood donors to cope with the expected road casualties during the long season.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/measures-curb-road-casualties-ready-put-action

-- Thai PBS 2014-12-20

In not so many words the answer is: Law-enforcement!!

Get the lazy BIB's off their backsides, and for once do the job, they are paid to do!!

Good luck with that!

As trafic accidents seem to be public enemy #1 I welcome the initiatives. But much more needs to be done. Frequent alcohol tests all through the year and not just temporary crackdowns. Much more checking of drivers obeying traffic rules, safety tests of vehicles and abolishing the horror u-turns would certainly help and save lifes.

As trafic accidents seem to be public enemy #1 I welcome the initiatives. But much more needs to be done. Frequent alcohol tests all through the year and not just temporary crackdowns. Much more checking of drivers obeying traffic rules, safety tests of vehicles and abolishing the horror u-turns would certainly help and save lifes.

i fully agree

just as a question does anybody know what the procedure is after one has failed the breath test

my wife has suggested that if one is completely legless you get carted off the the cop shop to sober up then released with a fine end of

a little inebriation = on the spot fine and off you go after a period of time

any one clarify this theory ??(please don't purger yourself

As trafic accidents seem to be public enemy #1 I welcome the initiatives. But much more needs to be done. Frequent alcohol tests all through the year and not just temporary crackdowns. Much more checking of drivers obeying traffic rules, safety tests of vehicles and abolishing the horror u-turns would certainly help and save lifes.

i fully agree

just as a question does anybody know what the procedure is after one has failed the breath test

my wife has suggested that if one is completely legless you get carted off the the cop shop to sober up then released with a fine end of

a little inebriation = on the spot fine and off you go after a period of time

any one clarify this theory ??(please don't purger yourself

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Drunk-driving-law-tightened-30188003.html

But in reality most will walk after spending some tea money...

As trafic accidents seem to be public enemy #1 I welcome the initiatives. But much more needs to be done. Frequent alcohol tests all through the year and not just temporary crackdowns. Much more checking of drivers obeying traffic rules, safety tests of vehicles and abolishing the horror u-turns would certainly help and save lifes.

i fully agree

just as a question does anybody know what the procedure is after one has failed the breath test

my wife has suggested that if one is completely legless you get carted off the the cop shop to sober up then released with a fine end of

a little inebriation = on the spot fine and off you go after a period of time

any one clarify this theory ??(please don't purger yourself

Of the people i know who failed the test all, except one, paid on the spot and were allowed to drive on. The exception was one who became argumentative as he was willing to pay but not what was asked so he spent the night in a cell and in the morning was fined the maximum Bt.20,000 !

He had been asked for Bt.4,000 so there's a lesson there.

It's the meaningless annual propaganda exercise as with Songkran.

Mind you the BIB don't mind drunk drivers as the on the spot ' fines ' are far more lucrative than those for no helmet, licence etc.

5000 ambulances and 100000 medics on the ready.......they probably know full well that it will be the same as last year......and all the other previous years.......no amount of campaigns will ever work, while lawlessness on the countries roads prevails unchecked!!

Dismantle the RTP.........??...IMO, just get the same people with different faces!!

They utter same same every year

Deaths continue unabated

Only way to curb road deaths would be to close all roads and ban driving for 7 days

a police presence on the roads in cars and pulling over all those that break the laws and issuing big fines, arresting drunk drivers and stopping unroadworthy vehicles would be a great start but as it would require police to actually do their jobs/ get out of the air-conditioned offices it will never happen.Why bother to have a police force if they wont do what they are paid for, maybe they should just bring in police from overseas to do it for them.

maybe they should just bring in police from overseas to do it for them. NO THANKS

Every year, these roadside tents pop up with a few cops or military lounging around in them on plastic chairs. I wonder what telepath(et)ic or osmotic effect on road accidents they have.

while soldiers, police and health volunteers will jointly operate 6,000 road-safety checkpoints across the country to prevent road accidenta.

So again we will see those usual road tents erected, some in a way that obstruct traffic flow, with police sleeping in their chairs or playing games on their phones.

blah, blah, blah .. and enforce motorcycle crash helmet laws

lol

A post with a formatting error has been removed as it messed up the formatting of this page.

As trafic accidents seem to be public enemy #1 I welcome the initiatives. But much more needs to be done. Frequent alcohol tests all through the year and not just temporary crackdowns. Much more checking of drivers obeying traffic rules, safety tests of vehicles and abolishing the horror u-turns would certainly help and save lifes.

i fully agree

just as a question does anybody know what the procedure is after one has failed the breath test

my wife has suggested that if one is completely legless you get carted off the the cop shop to sober up then released with a fine end of

a little inebriation = on the spot fine and off you go after a period of time

any one clarify this theory ??(please don't purger yourself

Of the people i know who failed the test all, except one, paid on the spot and were allowed to drive on. The exception was one who became argumentative as he was willing to pay but not what was asked so he spent the night in a cell and in the morning was fined the maximum Bt.20,000 !

He had been asked for Bt.4,000 so there's a lesson there.

Here again corruption is a major cause of reckless and drunk driving. Thais drive drunk, drive the wrong way on motorbikes, make all sorts of illegal vehicle manuvers - all because they know they can simply pay a bribe and be let go. If the actualy laws were enforced and people knew there would be severe condequences - then they would be far less likely to commit this unsafe acts.

If a driver is stopped and tests positive for being drunk - he should not be allowed to continue driving after paying a bribe.

Three government agencies are now working closely ....

Amazing Thailand! This should have been planned from early this year... not now, one week before the holiday period starts!

I have never seen a 'Don't drink and drive' advert on TV in all my years here...and I doubt we will see one for many years to come.

As trafic accidents seem to be public enemy #1 I welcome the initiatives. But much more needs to be done. Frequent alcohol tests all through the year and not just temporary crackdowns. Much more checking of drivers obeying traffic rules, safety tests of vehicles and abolishing the horror u-turns would certainly help and save lifes.

I understand why you are saying what you are about the horror U turns, but if they abolished them, there would be many more drivers driving on the wrong side of the road.

It's the meaningless annual propaganda exercise as with Songkran.

Mind you the BIB don't mind drunk drivers as the on the spot ' fines ' are far more lucrative than those for no helmet, licence etc.

To be forgotten about for the rest of the year when nearly all of the 24000 will die. When will anyone here wake up?

Big smoke no fire. Same statements every year before New Year and Songkran festivals.

In not so many words the answer is: Law-enforcement!!

Get the lazy BIB's off their backsides, and for once do the job, they are paid to do!!

That's the same when someone wakes up and there coffe is cold

Re., "concerned authorities will be deployed to educate people about driving under alcohol influence."

That's rather vague. How, exactly, are they going to do this?

The ministry has also stored up blood supplies in hospitals

Ahh, there's the solution. Definitely will help curb fatalities. See, there is a simple Thai solution to all vexing problems. This elegant solution is so much easier than the burdensome task of enforcing the laws of the road.

a police presence on the roads in cars and pulling over all those that break the laws and issuing big fines, arresting drunk drivers and stopping unroadworthy vehicles would be a great start but as it would require police to actually do their jobs/ get out of the air-conditioned offices it will never happen.Why bother to have a police force if they wont do what they are paid for, maybe they should just bring in police from overseas to do it for them.

When I lived in a village around 50% of scooters had no lights, nothing wrong with the electrics just need bulbs. Where were the BIB hmmmmmm

no work at night

a police presence on the roads in cars and pulling over all those that break the laws and issuing big fines, arresting drunk drivers and stopping unroadworthy vehicles would be a great start but as it would require police to actually do their jobs/ get out of the air-conditioned offices it will never happen.Why bother to have a police force if they wont do what they are paid for, maybe they should just bring in police from overseas to do it for them.

When I lived in a village around 50% of scooters had no lights, nothing wrong with the electrics just need bulbs. Where were the BIB hmmmmmm

no work at night

They work but they know better than to drive while they are intoxicated.

...Roads will be made free of all un-safe vehicles, and of drivers without a driving license. Na-ah, much too harsh a measure, imagine! Impossible!

'...5,000 ambulances and 100,000 medics and doctors...' From where? Are the Chinese coming in? Already, before the new railways? What an utter kwaï d...k!

Do all these imbeciles of mandarins in their bubble of an ivory tower have no sense of reality left, at all? Public Health and Interior Ministry, plus the infamous RTP... and all the rest! What a silence there would be, when they would only open their mouth when they have something sensible to tell! And Mr Rachata is a Dr, a MD? You don't say! My deepest feelings for his patients then, when he is as good in that trade...

As trafic accidents seem to be public enemy #1 I welcome the initiatives. But much more needs to be done. Frequent alcohol tests all through the year and not just temporary crackdowns. Much more checking of drivers obeying traffic rules, safety tests of vehicles and abolishing the horror u-turns would certainly help and save lifes.

i fully agree

just as a question does anybody know what the procedure is after one has failed the breath test

my wife has suggested that if one is completely legless you get carted off the the cop shop to sober up then released with a fine end of

a little inebriation = on the spot fine and off you go after a period of time

any one clarify this theory ??(please don't purger yourself

Of the people i know who failed the test all, except one, paid on the spot and were allowed to drive on. The exception was one who became argumentative as he was willing to pay but not what was asked so he spent the night in a cell and in the morning was fined the maximum Bt.20,000 !

He had been asked for Bt.4,000 so there's a lesson there.

Here again corruption is a major cause of reckless and drunk driving. Thais drive drunk, drive the wrong way on motorbikes, make all sorts of illegal vehicle manuvers - all because they know they can simply pay a bribe and be let go. If the actualy laws were enforced and people knew there would be severe condequences - then they would be far less likely to commit this unsafe acts.

If a driver is stopped and tests positive for being drunk - he should not be allowed to continue driving after paying a bribe.

If a driver is stopped and tests positive for being drunk - he should not be allowed to continue driving after paying a bribe.

I agree. For a Bt 4,000 bribe, I should get a policeman to drive me and my car to my home. Thank you very much.

As for the first part of your post, we both know that ain't gonna happen.

Is 'Dead' easy this one, in two steps:

1. apply the law governing driving, riding and policing on the Roads/Highways

2. When a F acking Great BiG sink hole appears or some other dangerous event, then block the road off to prevent death or injury

is simple really, but I won't hold my breath here in LOS