Ministry of Transport to lay out action plan to avert road accidents

The Ministry of Transport is taking steps to lay out an action plan to prevent and reduce road accidents between 2016 and 2017 in the wake of an official report that Thailand has ranked second in the world’s most road mishaps.

Transport Minister Arkhom Termpitayapaisit, who presided over a workshop on anti-accident measures, quoted the report of the World Health Organization as saying Thailand ranked second among the countries where most of the road accidents had occurred in 2015.

About 16,000 road accidents had taken place in this country, accounting for one to two deaths on hourly basis throughout last year, the WHO report says. An estimated 200 billion baht in economic losses, registering 1.7 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, had been attributed by such road mishaps, according to the WHO report.

Many road accidents might possibly result from driving on slippery roads in rainy season or driving carelessly or driving under the influence. The types of automobiles involved in the road mishaps included sedans, pickup trucks, heavy-duty trucks and buses.

The workshop was a brainstorming session to formulate a comprehensive action plan to prevent road accidents from this year until next.

NNT

Stay updated with Samui Times by following us on Facebook.