Reducing Road Accidents
through Correct Enforcement
Dr.Kriengsak
Chareonwongsak
Senior
Fellow, Harvard Univerisity’s Center for Business and Government
As drunk driving is one cause for car
accidents, campaigning to eradicate this problem is therefore an important necessity. While
alcohol checkpoints can help to reduce accidents, many other accident factors
are also involved that require investigation and resolution. Bangkok’s accident
statistics collected in January 2008, for example, discover other accident causes
to be excessive speed (18.83%), sudden driving interferences (17.17%), failure
to signal (3.65%), driving in the wrong lane (2.82%), failure to heed stop signs
(2.69%), not keeping in the left hand lane (1.76%), unprofessional driving (1.76%)
and failure to give way (1.76%). These statistics do not differ greatly nationwide.
According
to statistics, lack of discipline to keep traffic rules is a significant cause of
accidents. In addition, not only is there a loss of life and property for
accident victims, but their family members and relatives are also certainly affected.
Therefore, in order to solve this problem, a disciplined observance of traffic
rules should be seriously enhanced.
However,
in addition to arranging rule-drills for people, especially juveniles, the
discovery of a solution to control or punish those who break the rules would
also be significant, also requiring rapid and effective attention. For example,
in 1989 a policy was established to catch speed riders in every city area in Victoria,
Australia, with cameras installed to detect cars driven at high speed. Due to
this policy, the accident rate was reduced by 30%.
It
is therefore necessary to solve Thailand’s road accident problem using law
reinforcement against high speed riders and those who break traffic rules. This
can be achieved using such technology as a camera watch system linked to
electronic gadgetry that can issue tickets and extend the validity of road licenses.
Such measures should be combined with a “drive without drink” campaign in order
to reduce the occurrence of road accidents.
Restrictive
legal measures combined with the attentiveness of traffic police are very
important so that all drivers will be helped to respect each other while
driving on the road. Road safety in Thailand will then proportionately increase.
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