POLL: Phuket readers in standoff over police checkpoints

PHUKET: Despite this year’s new year holiday road toll being only half that of last year, Phuket Gazette readers are not convinced that the extra police road checkpoints during the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road safety campaign actually made Phuket roads safer.

Readers were asked: “Four people died on Phuket roads during the recently-completed Seven Days of Danger road safety campaign. Do you think the police road checkpoints set up as part of the campaign make Phuket roads safer?”

Overall, opinion was almost evenly split among those who thought the checkpoints were effective (36.2%), those who thought they weren’t (31.0%) and those who said they didn’t know (32.7%).

Far more local foreign residents had a definite opinion than did Thais and tourists. Almost half of all Thais (48%) and tourists (46%) said they didn’t know if the checkpoints were helpful. In contrast, only 18% of expats answered “I don’t know”.

Among the expats, 42% thought the checkpoints were ineffective compared with 39% who thought they were.

Just 33% of tourists and Thais thought the checkpoints were effective.

A total of 596 readers voted in the 10-day poll, which was posted on January 7, 2011.

For the complete results click here.

The vote in the new poll, which asks who are the worst drivers in Phuket, click here or on the icon at the top right of this screen.

To submit a poll idea, email polls@phuketgazette.net