Road safety centre set up ahead of holidays
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THE PUBLIC Health Ministry will take proactive measures to keep traffic accidents down during the "seven dangerous days" from December 30 to January 5.
Deputy Public Health Minister Somsak Chunharas yesterday presided over the opening of a centre to help prevent road accidents at Ayutthaya City Hall for the New Year travel season.
Health officials and health promotion volunteers will join local administrative officials and the public in manning 60,000 community checkpoints to flag down such accident risks as drunk drivers, motorcyclists not wearing helmets, and speeding motorists. They will be issued stern warnings or arrested by police, Somsak said.
Health officials will strictly enforce the alcohol control law. The latest operation on December 26 in Chon Buri saw 20 people fined and five warned. The most common offence at 16 cases was the marketing or advertising of alcoholic beverages.
The ministry has mobilised 1,500 public and private hospitals to prepare for the influx of road-accident victims and 5,000 emergency medical teams to be on standby nationwide starting at midnight, he said.
Separately, two Indian tourists and a Thai person died, while eight others were hurt when their chartered van burst into flames after crashing into the back of a six-wheel water truck at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday. Pol Lieutenant Sumet Thabthong of Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station identified the deceased as van driver Jakkrit Silawong, 24, and two Indian passengers – Nupar Dewan, 29, and Suresh Kumar Dewan, 68. The six other Indian occupants, including two children, and the two truck workers Montri Phoungkhammee, 37, and Sakhon Srikotaphetch, 30, were taken to Chularat 9 Hospital.
Over last year’s “seven dangerous days”,there were 3,174 accidents, 366 fatalities and 3,345 injuries reported by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.
