Road safety: Thailand bottom of the table?

BANGKOK  Thailand’s Accident Prevention Network has said that the country’s high road fatality rates that make it the world’s second deadliest place for commuters may in fact be understated.
The warning was published on the Security Alert Service’s latest bulletin issued Monday
The accident prevention network was responding to the Public Health Ministry’s campaign to reduce road fatality rates claiming the count was often flawed.
The network said statements were inaccurate and under-reported.

inside no 7It claimed Thailand should, in fact, be declared the most dangerous nation in terms of road fatalities.
On the day its criticism of the Public Health Department was released, there were reports of a fatal accident in Phuket when a tourist minivan ploughed into a police officer who was directing traffic near the airport. The driver of the minivan was drunk.
APN claims government agencies have different criteria for recording accidents. Police records are based on legal charges and those from the Public Health Ministry are based on hospital admissions.
According to the recent World Health Organisation 2015 Global Status Report on Road Safety, the number of people reported killed on Thai roads and highways in 2012 was 14,059.
The Ministry of Public Health says that is equivalent to a road-death rate of 36.2 people per 100,000.
This rate was only surpassed by war-torn Libya, where 73.4 people per 100,000 died that same year.
However, WHO concluded that road fatalities in Thailand were far higher than reported. It estimated road traffic fatalities that year were actually as high as 24,237, or 42% more than stated.
Thailand is presenting itself as a world-class tourist destination. The Minister of inside no 7.1Tourism and Sports underscores this objective by claiming the country is now attracting up-scale tourism and looking at revenue rather than head counts as the criteria for success.

High quality travel focuses on self-drive holidays and exploring secondary destinations, other than popular beach resorts. Cycling holidays are becoming fashionable, but accidents involving tourists on bikes has increased.
World-class destinations usually have a better record on road safety especially if they are attracting high spend tourists who travel independently rather than with tour groups who use charter buses. Even sturdy tour buses are not immune to catastrophic accidents.
Once a country promotes a wider selection of destinations and encourages travellers to independently explore the country without the safety net of tour operator nannies, it has to have a far better record in road safety and crime prevention to keep tourists casualties at a minimum.
This is not the case for Thailand where there are daily reports of fatal accidents, and violent crimes against tourists.
Thailand’s attractions and hospitality are legendary and world-class, but sadly it is let down by an alarming lack of concern for road safety and highway code compliance.

sourced:ttrweekly.com