Authorities will ramp up road safety campaigns and inter-agency cooperation to curb road accidents during the New Year, says Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong.
He was speaking in his capacity as president of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) which wages various state-run campaigns to reduce traffic accidents.
During a ThaiHealth meeting on Thursday, Mr Prasert hammered home the urgent need for stricter measures to prevent road accidents during the upcoming holiday.
He said that during the New Year holidays from 2022 to 2024, Thailand recorded a combined 7,435 road accidents, resulting in 7,416 injuries and 934 fatalities.
Young people aged 20–29 were disproportionately affected, with those aged 24 years and under making up 29% of the total casualties.
Mr Prasert said reducing accidents is critical to achieving the Road Safety Master Plan 2022–2027, which aims to limit road fatalities to 12 per 100,000 people.
He emphasised that ThaiHealth is looking to work with various agencies to implement robust accident-prevention campaigns and also called for stricter enforcement of the law prohibiting alcohol sales to young people aged under 20.
Mr Prasert has told the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and agencies under its supervision, including Thailand Post and CAT Telecom, to develop an online traffic ticket tracking system linked to the police and the Department of Land Transport, as part of measures to beef up law enforcement.
Such integration will improve law enforcement against offenders within six months, he said.
Meanwhile, ThaiHealth Manager Pongthep Wongwatcharapaiboon outlined plans for the New Year, including a nationwide media campaign in partnership with road safety agencies.
He called on the public to report reckless drivers via social media platforms to aid enforcement efforts.
Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote said Bangkok's main bus terminal, Morchit 2, was fully equipped to handle the holiday rush which officially began yesterday.
The number of daily interprovincial bus passengers leaving Bangkok was expected to peak at 120,000 on average yesterday and today.
At least 4,500 bus trips per day will be made from Bangkok, supplemented by 1,000 additional buses, he said.
The deputy minister placed top priority on passengers' safety, emphasising that bus drivers must rest adequately, and all vehicles must undergo rigorous inspections. Passengers are urged to check their tickets for departure points and arrive early.