Tough measures cut road deaths

PHUKET: Measures taken to reduce the number of fatalities on Phuket’s roads appear to have been a success, with just seven people being killed in road accidents on the island in five weeks, compared with the “normal” average of 10-15 a month.

Metha Mekarat, Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), said the reduction was due to “strict measures” introduced by his department.

“We are strict and we are checking people and arresting them day and night, even though people have complained to the Prime Minister that we are too strict.

“But our measures have reduced the number of accidents, and that is good news,” he told the Phuket Provincial Meeting at the Provincial Hall today.

Between 10 and 15 people are killed on Phuket’s roads in an average month. Between June 20 and July 20, 13 people died in road accidents on Phuket, according to figures from Wachira Phuket, Thalang and Patong government hospitals.

The figures from the ODPM show there were seven fatalities in the following five weeks, from July 20 to August 27.