Road incidents still the biggest killer in Thailand

“A third of the victims were men and most were between the ages of 15 and 24.”

Road accidents in Thailand accounted for 20,169 deaths last year. Most of those killed were students and young people. The figures are from the Public Health Ministry, the Royal Thai Police and Road Accident Victims Protection.

Motorcycles accounted for 70% of the fatal crashes, followed by 14% involving personal cars or pickups and 10% were pedestrians. These numbers were released as part of the 2018 Thailand road safety situation survey conducted by the Thailand Health Promotion Foundation and road-safety watch teams.

A lecturer from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology LadkrabangPreeda Jaturapong, says the findings show that a third of the victims were men and most were between the ages of 15 and 24. He says the eastern provinces of Rayong, Chon Buri and Chanthaburi had the highest number of road fatalities.

Other high scorers were the provinces of Saraburi, Chachoengsao, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaew, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ayutthaya and Nakhon Nayok.

The provinces with the lowest road fatalities were Mae Hong Son, Bangkok, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat , Satun, Nakhon Pathom, Nong Khai, Nong Bua Lampu and Nonthaburi.

Dr Withaya Chartbanchachai, director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre, said that even though there were fewer road fatalities in 2018, the issue of road accidents remains a key and prolonged problem in Thailand, which still holds the top position when it comes to road fatalities in the ASEAN region.

Thailand is also very far from achieving its 2020 goal of bringing road deaths down to less than 20 for every 100,000 people, he said, citing the WHO’s suggestion that this goal can only be achieved if problems such as lax law enforcement are solved.

SOURCE: The Nation