Phuket officials target motorbike rental shops to reduce road accidents

Phuket authorities have decided to implement inspections of motorbike rental shops in an effort to decrease the number of deaths and injuries from accidents on the popular island’s roads. The decision was announced at a special meeting, chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrabam, which was organised to discuss and draft guidelines for controlling and organising motorcycle rentals in the Phuket region.

At the meeting, representatives of the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), high-ranking police officers, and officials from various road safety agencies were present. The attendees decided to establish a multi-agency task force, responsible for creating a database of all vehicle rental operators on the island and drafting a list of measures that should be enforced, reported the Phuket News.

The task force will collaborate with vehicle rental business operators in Phuket to familiarise them with the new special measures to be introduced. Random inspections will also be conducted to ensure that these measures are being implemented effectively.

During the meeting, attendees discussed the importance of a 100% helmet policy, encouraging motorbike riders to always wear this essential safety gear.

Officials outlined plans to promote “the public to participate in obeying traffic rules and wear 100% helmets,” although they did not detail any specific methods that rental agents should use to enforce this policy after the customer leaves the shop.

The report provided by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) outlined the potential impact of achieving near-total helmet usage across Thailand.

According to their figures, if Thais wore helmets close to 100% of the time, it could prevent up to 6,984 deaths per year. The meeting concluded by stressing the importance of improving the control and organisation of motorcycle rentals in the Phuket area to produce tangible results in road safety.