Phuket touts road safety
Phuket hosted a two-day road safety initiative involving all 14 southern Thai provinces last week as part of its move to improve road safety. The 6th Southern Region Road Safety Academic Seminar, titled ‘Safe Drive, the Southern Region is Safe, No Road Accidents’, was launched by Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat at the Phuket Merlin Hotel on Jan 18.
Joining the governor were Dr Siriwat Thiptharadon and Dr Weeraphan Suphanchaimat, both advisors to the Provincial Traffic Accident Prevention Support Plan Committee (OCC), in addition to Dr Anucha Setthasathian from the Committee of the Road Safety Administration Center and Vice Chairman of the Traffic Safety Administration, and Dr Wiwat Seetamanotch, manager of the cooperation program between the Thai government and the World Health Organisation. Officials from 14 southern provinces in Thailand were also present.
Governor Sophon extended praise and congratulations to all network partners, including those from the public and private sectors, volunteers and the Road Safety Administration Center.
He said all such entities help drive towards improving road safety in a diligent and serious manner that is expected to see positive results emerge in time with road related accidents reducing.
He added that local government organisations from the participating districts between 2022 to 2024 have pushed for improved policies and road safety measures to be implemented, such as a specific focus on motorcycle riders wearing helmets 100% of the time to reduce the risk of injury and death.
Governor Sophon also highlighted the national push to reduce road accident deaths to no more than 12 per 100,000 of the population by 2027.
The seminar was therefore crucial for helping to promote and implement such goals to work towards safer roads, Governor Sophon explained.
Over 150 people attended the event to hear specific lectures and panel discussions on topics such as ‘Thailand’s Road Accident Situation’, ‘Moving the Safety Mechanisms of Thailand’, ‘Driving is safe: Promote the economy and how to travel’, while there was also an interactive discussion on the topic of ‘Creating a City of Travel’ and further session focused on law enforcement.
Officials also held a range of activities across the island last Sunday (Jan 21) to highlight ‘Road User Safety Day’.
DEATHS CONTINUE Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti woman died after a motorbike accident in Kamala early Monday morning (Jan 22).
Pol Capt Atcha Yatiwat of the Kamala Police said that officers at Kamala Police Station were first notified of the accident, along the Kamala-Patong Road, at about 4am, after a passing motorist reported the accident to officers at a police box closest to the scene of the accident at about 3am.
By the time police arrived at the scene, the two people who were travelling on the motorbike had already been rushed to Patong Hospital.
At the scene, officers found a Honda PCX motorcycle in a drainage ditch by the side of the road, and a blue helmet that had been broken by the force of the impact.
Police identified the driver as Kuwaiti national Mohammed Y N M Almesfer, 41, who remained at Patong Hospital. A report of the accident did not detail the extent of his injuries.
His passenger was identified as Athari F M KH M Alfahad, 38, also a Kuwaiti national. Ms Athari had died from her injuries, police confirmed.