Eyeing new speed limits
On the eve of yet another festival period on the nation’s roads, a debate is under way over road safety. The discussion is about speed limits. The old saying has it that “speed kills”, but growing evidence and public opinion seems to indicate that it’s far more nuanced than that. Road and highway speed limits are not going to change for the long Songkran weekend and the familiar “seven dangerous days”. But all indications are that the debate is likely to continue.
The virtual temperature has risen online. Last week, the Social Media Centre of the Police Operations Command took this issue to Facebook.
While online polls were neither scientific nor necessarily accurate, public response was quick and very one-sided. Tens of thousands of Facebook “votes” responded quickly, and almost nine out of 10 favoured increasing speed limits on the nation’s highways.
The question was specific: Do you favour raising the basic highway speed limit from the current 90kph to 110kph? And more than 18,000 of 21,000 responses were “yes”. Even allowing for the possibility of multiple votes, that is an overwhelming response. Those who pressed for lower speed limits in recent months will be appalled, and doubtlessly will be doubling down in their own efforts.
The head of the Traffic Police Bureau, Pol Maj Gen Theerasak Surewong is in favour of raising the speed limit. The 90kph limit, he says, was established long ago. Both vehicles and roads have improved, and a higher limit is generally a good idea. If nothing else, the policeman says it will ease numerous conflicts. Drivers pulled over for speeding often argue that conditions should allow a higher speed limit.
The argument for lower speed limits is based on logic. Lower speeds provide drivers with more time to make crucial decisions. Braking time is reduced. It is certain that in a collision, a lower speed improves the chance of survival. Some argue, as seen occasionally on this page, that laws reflect that the driving ability of Thais is so poor.
This ridiculous argument aside, the debate over speed limits is taking place in the wider frame of road safety. Thailand has the world’s highest death toll on the roads among prominent countries. Police statistics suggest that alcohol and speeding are the two leading causes of accidents. But these numbers are highly misleading and almost certainly inaccurate. They only reflect the opinion of a policeman at the scene of a major accident, not any deep investigation.
Among the loudest voices for a lower speed limit is Bangkok City Hall. The Traffic and Transportation Department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has recently called for reducing speed limits on city roads from 80kph to 50kph. But it undercut its argument by revealing that just 70% of Bangkok drivers fasten their seat belts while an astounding 80% allow their children to ride without any restraint.
Plenty of countries have higher speed limits than Thailand on their main highways. The US system, which has guided most Thai road building and laws, allows speeds up to 80mph (about 130kph) on many highways. Germany famously has no speed limit at all on some of its expressway-type highways. Such foreign legislation and enforcement is useful, but cannot explicitly determine what is correct for this country.
Speed limits should depend on local roads and conditions including the amount of traffic, time of day and weather — among many other factors. Indeed, new technology could allow “smart signs” to set limits and change them according to numerous existing conditions. A Facebook poll allows for public opinion but cannot be the sole reason for changing this law.
Drivers pulled over for speeding often argue that conditions should allow a higher speed limit.