Self-study and classroom lessons based on newspaper feature stories

This column is for self-study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill-building practice and vocabulary explanations.

April 20, 2004

Driven to disaster

INTRODUCTION

Thailand has one of the worst records for road accidents in the world. Despite government campaigns to warn people of the hazards of dangerous driving, death tolls on our highways continue to be problematic.

Newspapers like the Bangkok Post have a duty to raise awareness on issues such as road safety and our feature this week does just that. The full article (featured in Outlook on April 8^th) looks at the causes of injury and death on our roads, particularly during the Songkran period, which is usually when the number of road accidents escalates.

In order to create the most impact, feature writers often use personal stories to illustrate their point. Look at the way the writers of our article, Karnjariya Sukrung and Krittiya Wongthevavimarn, have used Kuson’s experience to show the tragic effects of reckless driving. This is much more interesting than a simple statistic or a more general example, although the writers have also cleverly included facts and figures that surprise us. However, by allowing Kuson to tell his story, the writers have clearly shown the human side of the tragedy. And that makes you think.
Benefit of hindsight

The feature extract on the left was written before the Songkran festival. By midday on Friday, we knew that 494 people had died in traffic accidents throughout Songkran. This is a decrease on this time alst year although the figure is still painfully high.

Try writing the introduction of a follow-up article to “The road to ruin” bearing in mind this year’s figures. Is it clear that people are finally learning the dangers of negligence? You’ll notice from the statistics that this maybe is/isn’t the case at all.

In your introduction, you could quote from someone who was involved in or saw an accident during Songkran. If you are fortunate enough not to know anyone like this, you could make up a story and use that. See if you can make your point, too, that someone needs to be doing more to address the problem. Think also about any advice you would want to give to drivers in Thailand about road safety as well as their responsibilities on the road.

OUR STORY FROM THE BANGKOK POST

The road to ruin

The risk of injury or death on the roads
over the Songkran holiday is well known.
For a safe holiday, don’t drive drunk
— and don’t drive drowsy either
KARNJARIYA SUKRUNG and KRITTIYA WONGTHEVAVIMARN
“It was so sudden and unexpected. I never thought it could happen to me,” said Kuson Aeam-Aroon, 41, writer and editorial chief for special books at publishers Sarakhadee, describing his Songkran experience of 12 years ago.

“But then, that’s why it’s called an ‘accident’, isn’t it?”

On what was supposed to be an occasion for celebration, Kuson and six other friends were on their way to Nakhon Pathom province. Suddenly, the driver, a relative greenhorn, failed in an attempt to overtake a pick-up truck. In the blink of an eye, the group’s Sedan collided with an 18-wheeler. Four passengers died on the spot; three others were badly injured.

Kuson’s face was disfigured and he subsequently had to undergo several bouts of plastic surgery.

“It was our own negligence that caused the accident,” he recalled.

“We thought it was okay for our friend, an inexperienced driver, to drive the short distance from Bangkok to Nakhon Pathom. But every little thing you do matters when you’re on the road.”

Negligence, recklessness and the ‘it’ll-never-happen-to-me’ attitude, Kuson said, are “vices” on the road. They lead to dangerous driving behaviour, such as drunk and high-speed driving, using a mobile phone, and not having the condition of a vehicle checked in advance.

On any given day, according to research from the Knowledge Management Unit for Road Safety, there are approximately 50 road fatalities. During an extended holiday period, however, that figure rises astronomically. Last year’s Songkran toll was about 840, and over the new year season, only four months ago, there were as many as 850 deaths and 42,000 injuries.

Over the coming Songkran festival, the Road Safety Commission hopes to keep the fatalities under 930. It is worth noting that some researchers expect this year’s toll to be higher than last year’s, given the increased number of vehicles on the roads.

Over the years, the Road Safety Commission has launched several road-safety campaigns, ranging from efforts to curb drunk driving, which it said was a major cause of death and injuries, to the so-called “Anti-Drowsy Driving” initiative, another major cause of accidents.

But the number of road accidents and casualties remains as high as ever.

“When we overlook even minimal safety measures on the road, accidents can happen any time, anywhere and to anybody,” Kuson said.

SOME VOCABULARY HELP

hazard
something that can be dangerous or cause damage

escalate
to become greater, worse and more serious

illustrate
to make clear by use of examples

greenhorn
a person who has little experience of something and can easily be deceived

subsequently
afterwards

bout
short period of great activity

negligence
failure to give something enough care and attention

recklessness
showing a lack of care about danger

vice
criminal or immoral behaviour

astronomical
huge

• This lesson was prepared by Maureen Paetkau, a professional teacher of English as a second and foreign language and Assistant Manager and Webmaster for Learning Post at the Bangkok Post.

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