National police chief is going to war with street racers

PHOTO: The almost weekly crackdown on motorcycle street racing around Bangkok. So far measures haven’t worked to curb the activities of the fast & furious Bangkok youth – Bangkok Post

Despite weekly reports about late night weekend street racing around parts of Bangkok, and the sophisticated use of social media to promote the events, the national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda is vowing to make motorcycle racing “extinct” in Thailand.

The police say they are also rolling out several road-safety measures, including painting 3D zebra crossings in high-risk areas as well as on main roads near schools. The first 3D zebra crossing is being painted near the state-owned Bodindecha high-school in Bangkok and will be ready for use by August 6. (How the police chief thinks 3D road crossings are a ‘road safety measure’ was not explained).

As for street racing, the police chief said the entire ‘food chain’ will be monitored – from shops that sell race-related equipment and provide modification services for motorcycles, up to taking legal action against administrators of social-media pages that encourage racing or arrange racing events. He is also going to target parents and guardians who fail to keep their children “in check”.

Pol General Chakthip also vowed to penalise chiefs of Bangkok police stations who are found to have not heeded his orders. Local metropolitan police will be encouraged to take pre-emptive action by preventing races from taking place through intelligence and online surveillance, and also seizing motorcycles or vehicles owned by the racers or spectators.

Chakthip warned that these measures will be strictly implemented over the next five months to force racers or organisers of races to stop. Meanwhile, deputy police chief Pol Lt-General Damrongsak Kittipraphas said the 3-D zebra crossings are expected to help reduce accidents and road casualties (how?!) and will be painted near all schools in Bangkok.

SOURCE: The Nation