Govt thinks 80km speed limit in cities may be too fast
Thailand could soon lose its status as the Asian country with the highest urban speed limits.
The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning is mulling a reduction in the speed limit along city roads from 80 kilometres per hour to 40, director Chaiwat Thongkhamkoon said on Monday.
He noted that Thailand has the highest city speed limit in Asia, where the norm is 40-60km/hr.
“Thailand might opt for a speed limit of 40km/hr, the same as Japan,” he said.
“It may take a year before the new speed limit could be implemented,” Chaiwat added.
The World Health Organisation in 2015 ranked Thailand second-highest among all countries for road accidents, behind Libya.
The 24,237 fatalities on Thai roads that year represented a death rate of 36.2 persons per 100,000 population.
Economic losses stemming from accidents were last year estimated at Bt500 billion, equivalent to 3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product.