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Governor Tree Ackaradecha and Vice Governor Niwit Aroonrat

Phuket Drives Head First into Helmet Safety

Friday, October 29, 2010
A NEW PUSH for helmet safety across all of Phuket from January 1 has the potential to lead to standardised fines for all offences for the first time.

With Phuket Governor Tree Ackaradecha joining Phuket Police Commander Major General Pekad Tantipong today in promoting road safety, the prospect of a coordinated approach can be expected to produce unexpected benefits.

If the helmet campaign is to work, consistent policing with consistent penalties and enforcement practices will be essential. That should flow on to fines, which have always varied depending on the attitude of individual station chiefs on the island.

The helmet safety campaign, begun by Phuket City Police Chief Colonel Wanchai Eakporntip, has been so successful in the island's capital that Major General Pekad had no hesitation in spreading it island-wide.

On Monday he and Colonel Wanchai will meet with Phuket's seven other commanders to plan the campaign. It involves persuading local leaders to add their support, supplying motorcycle taxi riders with helmets for their pillion passengers, then publicising the process.

For the first month, people caught not wearing helmets will have to sit through a safety movie, made especially for a Phuket audience, as well as listening to a lecture on the importance of riding with safety as a priority.

Governor Tree and Vic Governor Niwit Aroonrat were only too happy to help with the media call at today's campaign launch. Colleges and schools across the island now also preach the message of safety, penalising students who are caught without helmets.

Other authorities from Bangkok and several provinces have already visited Phuket with the aim of taking the ''Phuket model'' elsewhere around the country to improve the road toll figures.

The total of 101 deaths on Phuket roads to the end of September reflects a heartening improvement on the 122 deaths on Phuket's roads to the same point last year. The number of injured is also much lower.

Phuketwan supports Mothers or Motorcycles ((MoM) an action group that seeks improved safety on Phuket roads, especially among motorcyclists.

Comments

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Shane and I are absolutely delighted with this news. Well done to the Phuket Police department, for sticking with it. 21 lives less this year, that is such good news. I am thinking how many mothers, are sitting at home with there love ones today because of the new approach to the helmet law. One day Shane and I will come back to Phuket to visit and catch up with friends.

We support MoM.

Posted by Monica on October 30, 2010 00:02

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Interesting...last month saw a cop on mc sans helmet at Central x roads...nice sunglasses though...

Posted by Anonymous on October 30, 2010 07:24

Editor Comment:

Only one last month? And October is now almost over? Things are improving.


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