The government must allocate enough budget to district road safety authorities for a drive to reduce road fatalities nationwide, says Road Safety Policy Foundation secretary-general Dr Thanapong Jinvong.
According to a foundation study, one of the root causes of deaths from road accidents is a lack of financial investment in road safety, weak law enforcement and flash-in-the-pan road safety campaigns.
"We only see initiatives to boost road safety during the Songkran festival and New Year celebrations, while deaths that occur during the two major holiday periods in fact only amount to a combined 4% of yearly road-related deaths," Dr Thanapong said.
The country must provide more money to educate people about road safety, he said, estimating that around 260 million baht a year should be earmarked for the purpose.
"About 880 districts would each need an extra 300,000 baht to promote road safety year-round," Dr Thanapong said.
According to Department of Disaster Prevention chief Chayapol Thitisak, more than 15,000 road-related deaths were recorded last year, with a further 5,000 people left disabled or paralysed from road accidents.
Thailand currently ranks among the countries with the highest road-related mortality rates, with a World Health Organisation report ranking the country number one in the category in 2015.
"Many accidents occur in the same areas," Dr Thanapong said.
There are winding roads in many areas that are notorious for accidents, where crashes involving public transport vehicles are regularly reported in the news, he noted.
Meanwhile, the Super Poll research centre showed 64% of respondents feel the National Council for Peace and Order should play a role alongside the Transport Ministry to ensure road safety.
Super Poll director, Noppadon Kannika, said 91% of respondents said road-related deaths were caused by lack of safety precautions and other scientific reasons, while 32% said karma was one of the causes.