Beefed up safety measures at Bangkok pedestrian crossings are being urged as most road accidents have been found to occur outside schools and hospitals.
Chamaipan Santikarn, manager of ThaiHealth's Social Mobilisation for Motorcycle Safety Project, made the call following a recent accident in which a motorcycle hit a 68-year-old South Korean tourist at a pedestrian crossing outside the Kidney Institute Hospital on Phaya Thai Road in Ratchathewi district.
It was the same location where an ophthalmologist was killed by a motorcyclist while crossing the street, two years ago.
Ms Chamaipan said the fact that the two accidents occurred in the same location, despite there being a clear stop light, reflects Thailand's failure to address road accident prevention.
"Accident prevention is not difficult. Government agencies can play a key role in this matter," she said.
In many countries, she said, rumble strips are installed ahead of pedestrian crossings to immediately slow vehicles down, which can help prevent accidents.
In China, the ELLUMIN Intelligent Pedestrian System helps increase the efficiency of pedestrian crossings with illuminated signs, smart sensors and sound alerts when pedestrians are waiting to cross, she said.
South Korea, meanwhile, has installed a smart crosswalk system, which features crossing lights on the ground for pedestrians looking at their cell phones or when their sight of normal lights is obscured by buses.
Audio guidance alerts them before crossing, and illuminated crossing signs which have been installed can be seen from a distance, even at night.
In other safety measures, there are also cameras and sensors to capture licence plates of vehicles violating crosswalk rules, she said.
Recent data from CCTV cameras at pedestrian crossings in Bangkok show 20 high-risk locations where accidents often occur are in front of schools and hospitals.
These include: Bangkok Intercare School, Yothinburana School, Kidney Institute Hospital, Buengthonglang High School, Rattanakosinsompoch Bangkhunthian School and Big C on Itsaraphap Road.