Thai Health Minister ramps up road safety policies

[webfact]

MOPH ramps up road safety policies

BANGKOK, 21 March 2016, (NNT) -The Minister of Public Health Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, said today that improving road safety measures is one of his agency's most urgent policies.

The Minister said his ministry is aiming to reduce the number of road accident victims, while pointing out that the majority of them are from the working-age population, often family leaders.

The latest records from the ministry show that more than 27,000 people were injured and 436 killed in road accidents from December 29, 2015 to January 4, 2016. He said driving under the influence of alcohol was the major cause of the accidents.

The Minister said his agency had come up with new road accident prevention measures that have yielded effective results. The measures involve installing alcohol checkpoints together with a center to temporarily detain drunk motorists.


-- NNT 2016-03-21

[clockman]

Empty words.!

[ChrisY1]

The figures are about right.....436 killed in a week.....

But as clockman above mentioned.....empty words!

[NongKhaiKid]

This is coming from the Health Minister not the Interior Minister or the national police chief !

[Jessi]

"said today that improving road safety measures is one of his agency's most urgent policies."

Urgent policy, your a bit late for the thousands of lives that have been lost due to the Government doing nothing but "Just Talk"

Get some driver education in force and fines, penalty's in place that will hurt them in the pocket and get the so called

"Highway patrol" of their fat asses to do some work instead of just collecting tea money.

[madmitch]

Education is what's needed, not checkpoints. And the centre to detain drunken motorists should already exist: it's called a police station.

[jamesbrock]

Any the risk of sounding like a broken record, nothing less that the complete restructuring of the RTP will end the carnage on the roads - until this happens no amount of education will stop the people already on the roads doing whatever they want.

Until the government commits to this, everything they say is just lip service - including caring for the people themselves.

[NongKhaiKid]

"said today that improving road safety measures is one of his agency's most urgent policies."

Urgent policy, your a bit late for the thousands of lives that have been lost due to the Government doing nothing but "Just Talk"

Get some driver education in force and fines, penalty's in place that will hurt them in the pocket and get the so called

"Highway patrol" of their fat asses to do some work instead of just collecting tea money.

In my time here especially as a driver with a lot of time and kms on main highways I have never seen any police mobile patrol pull a driver over, it seems to be static enforcement or nothing.

I am definitely using the term ' enforcement ' VERY loosely.

[jamesbrock]

"said today that improving road safety measures is one of his agency's most urgent policies."

Urgent policy, your a bit late for the thousands of lives that have been lost due to the Government doing nothing but "Just Talk"

Get some driver education in force and fines, penalty's in place that will hurt them in the pocket and get the so called

"Highway patrol" of their fat asses to do some work instead of just collecting tea money.

In my time here especially as a driver with a lot of time and kms on main highways I have never seen any police mobile patrol pull a driver over, it seems to be static enforcement or nothing.

I am definitely using the term ' enforcement ' VERY loosely.

I've seen it once. In a taxi from the airport to Chonburi, a mobile patrol pulled over the taxi for the sole purpose of soliciting a bribe - he didn't even pretend to get the driver for doing something wrong! When he saw me in the back seat watching the goings on, he sheepishly asked the driver to get out and completed the transaction outside the car.

[selftaopath]

To my knowledge few individuals in developed countries choose to drink and drive. They are not necessarily concerned a/b safety/being "good citizens" etc. The main reason for this change are: Big fines, increased rates of insurance, loss of drivers license, AND jail. Yes jail. These measures worked in many western countries. Here they won't even be remotely considered. Just business.... yea that's what Thailand is about ... money/business.. as usual. The carnage will continue until hell freezes over.

[Brer Fox]

Is there some subtle difference between "ramping up" and "clamping down"? The Health minister should be looking at ways to ramp up the penalties for drivers such as that young lady who managed to kill nine people by her reckless road behaviour. That might send a message but I doubt it. Drink driving and texting while driving seem to be an accepted part of the Thai road safety mentality.

[amdy2206]

Just do the job and enforce the laws. But not by a 500B fine. Take the vehicle and make the fines high so even Thai people will think twice. Possibly link the fine to the earnings to be fair to the not so well off and really sting the wealthy who usually/always abuse the system.

[Rayk]

Why bother Installing alcohol checkpoints when it's apparently your right to refuse to be breathalized.

[Benmart]

A "Health Minister" addressing what seems to be a law enforcement matter. I have never seen a Health Ministry car pull over any car, let alone see one of them empowered to enforce whatever laws exist relative to traffic related matters.

The RTP seems to be apply a static, reactionary methodology when dealing with drunk drivers. About the only mobile police I have ever seen on the highway are the brown and yellow Highway Police cars. I've never seen bilingual "If you see a drunk driver call this number", and if there were, most likely the call would go unanswered or misunderstood.

Enforcement of existing traffic laws seems to be the purview of the RTP, who in this instance, have a long way to go. The carnage continues to be an everyday event, with the goal of becoming #1 for traffic related deaths worldwide.

[wabothai]

This is coming from the Health Minister not the Interior Minister or the national police chief !

Or not to forget the transportation minister, who by the way should be fired.

[Jonmarleesco]

'He said driving under the influence of alcohol was the major cause of the accidents.' The third major cause. It follows Thai drivers' generally poor knowledge of road craft, rules, markings and signs, and oft linked to incompetence; and the incompetence and lack of enthusiasm for enforcement commonly demonstrated by the RTP.

[Redline]

Policies! What good are they?

[connda]

I almost got hit by some idiot on a motorcycle who was driving down the centerline of the road carrying a 4 meter length of bamboo across the width of the road. No flag, ribbon, or tape on the wood. It was pretty much invisible until I ducked as it went over the roof of my car. Khun Einstein's length of wood was spanning over half of both the right and left lanes on a busy road in Lamphun. If he managed to get to his destination without killing himself or someone else, I'd be surprised.

The Thai Health Minister can do whatever he wants, but there is simply no cure for Stupid. There is far too much stupid on the roads here in Amazing Thailand.

[connda]

A "Health Minister" addressing what seems to be a law enforcement matter. I have never seen a Health Ministry car pull over any car, let alone see one of them empowered to enforce whatever laws exist relative to traffic related matters.

The RTP seems to be apply a static, reactionary methodology when dealing with drunk drivers. About the only mobile police I have ever seen on the highway are the brown and yellow Highway Police cars. I've never seen bilingual "If you see a drunk driver call this number", and if there were, most likely the call would go unanswered or misunderstood.

Enforcement of existing traffic laws seems to be the purview of the RTP, who in this instance, have a long way to go. The carnage continues to be an everyday event, with the goal of becoming #1 for traffic related deaths worldwide.

Next they'll have the Thai Buddhist Patriarch chiming in calling it a moral problem that can be solve by making more merit. <head shake> The RTP simply need to do their job, but there is no will to do so and the 'sanctions' for bad driving are laughable. "Nothing to see here.....move along..."

[ramrod711]

Why bother Installing alcohol checkpoints when it's apparently your right to refuse to be breathalized.

It is only your right to refuse if you are rich, influential and very busy.

[jerojero]

Under influence of alcohol.... No shit Sherlock, that's a known fact across the country for decades. Yet police often fail to do sobriety tests to drivers involved in accidents.