PHUKET: According to Phuket Public Health, 103 deaths have occurred on the holiday island's roads so far this year compared to the very high figure of 280 deaths last year.
The road toll on Phuket - kept a ''state secret'' for years - was finally revealed today at a meeting to assess the dangers of deaths and injuries on Phuket and decide what should be done to improve safety.
As Phuketwan has been saying for a very long time, the most important step forward would be to improve awareness.
Too many tourists die on Phuket's roads because they are not warned of the dangers of hiring a big bike, and drinking alcohol.
They also often expect the road conditions to match those of Europe.
The effects on families, the economy and the quality of life of residents and expats of road deaths and serious, life-changing injuries is shocking - but mostly avoidable.
A glimmer of light appeared in the dark today when police and the Public Health office appeared to reverse the policy of hiding the toll figures and accepted that awareness and greater publicity is one of the important needs to reduce the road toll.
Until April 2012, when the Public Health office decided to suspend publication of toll updates, Phuketwan carried monthly statistics on deaths and injuries and attempted to inform at-risk tourists and residents about the dangers on Phuket.
After more than three years of covering up what has been happening on the roads of Phuket, the revelation of a toll of 280 for Phuket in 2014 and a lower figure of 103 for 2015 so far at least showed there is hope for change.
The Deputy Commander of Phuket Police, Colonel Theerapol Tipcharoen, and the Director of Public Health, Dr Bancha Kakong, both emphasised the need to warn tourists of the dangers of riding motorcycles on Phuket.
''There is a different culture and different conditions on Phuket,'' Dr Bancha said. ''People who hire big bikes and are not expert must be warned.''
A disproportionate number of tourists and expat residents die in motorcycle crashes.
It's still not plain why the Public Health office stopped releasing monthly updates in April, 2012 in spite of evidence elsewhere around the world that emphasising the needless toll is the best means of reducing it.
All of Phuket's police stations, senior officials and representatives from hospitals and insurance agents were at today's meeting at Phuket's Public Health office.
Efforts have been made by police to enforce helmet laws and obliterate black spots for crashes but a needlessly high number of tourists still die on the island's roads, especially on motorcycles late at night or early in the morning.
The road toll on Phuket - kept a ''state secret'' for years - was finally revealed today at a meeting to assess the dangers of deaths and injuries on Phuket and decide what should be done to improve safety.
As Phuketwan has been saying for a very long time, the most important step forward would be to improve awareness.
Too many tourists die on Phuket's roads because they are not warned of the dangers of hiring a big bike, and drinking alcohol.
They also often expect the road conditions to match those of Europe.
The effects on families, the economy and the quality of life of residents and expats of road deaths and serious, life-changing injuries is shocking - but mostly avoidable.
A glimmer of light appeared in the dark today when police and the Public Health office appeared to reverse the policy of hiding the toll figures and accepted that awareness and greater publicity is one of the important needs to reduce the road toll.
Until April 2012, when the Public Health office decided to suspend publication of toll updates, Phuketwan carried monthly statistics on deaths and injuries and attempted to inform at-risk tourists and residents about the dangers on Phuket.
After more than three years of covering up what has been happening on the roads of Phuket, the revelation of a toll of 280 for Phuket in 2014 and a lower figure of 103 for 2015 so far at least showed there is hope for change.
The Deputy Commander of Phuket Police, Colonel Theerapol Tipcharoen, and the Director of Public Health, Dr Bancha Kakong, both emphasised the need to warn tourists of the dangers of riding motorcycles on Phuket.
''There is a different culture and different conditions on Phuket,'' Dr Bancha said. ''People who hire big bikes and are not expert must be warned.''
A disproportionate number of tourists and expat residents die in motorcycle crashes.
It's still not plain why the Public Health office stopped releasing monthly updates in April, 2012 in spite of evidence elsewhere around the world that emphasising the needless toll is the best means of reducing it.
All of Phuket's police stations, senior officials and representatives from hospitals and insurance agents were at today's meeting at Phuket's Public Health office.
Efforts have been made by police to enforce helmet laws and obliterate black spots for crashes but a needlessly high number of tourists still die on the island's roads, especially on motorcycles late at night or early in the morning.
So whose job is it to clean up the Thai Driving?
I am sure you will get a kick out of this - well worth watching http://tinyurl.com/qhgzlfw
Posted by Tbs on August 11, 2015 20:52