Phuket aims to reduce road fatalities from 135 per year on average to 110 or better within the next year.

Governor Sophon Suwannarat said after a Phuket Road Safety Operation Committee meeting at City Hall on Wednesday that the province will toughen traffic measures to tackle road accidents.

From 2017-2022, Phuket saw 135 road accident deaths on average per year, or about 11 deaths per month.

Mr Sophon said road accident deaths from January to Nov 13 of this year stood at 141, an increase of 26 from the same period last year. So far this year, the island province has recorded more than 18,600 deaths from road accidents.

The province will introduce urgent policies to improve road safety for both drivers and pedestrians, as well as prevent deaths and injuries. The governor said the city will strictly follow the Road Safety Master Plan for 2022-2027.

The meeting also agreed to regulate car rental operators and strictly enforce the rules: car or motorbike renters must hold a valid driver's licence, and motorcyclists must wear a helmet at all times while riding.

Moreover, car rental businesses must not keep their clients' passports during a rental period and only rent out legally registered cars with proper third-party insurance. The vehicles must also be well-maintained and roadworthy.

The committee also considered the draft of a road safety operation plan for 2024, guidelines which govern policies and lay out action plans for the effective prevention of road accidents.

Mr Sophon said Phuket has set a target of bringing road-accident deaths down to 22.57 per 100,000 of the population from next year.