"road safety"

The flash of passing cyclists paused briefly at the start of the fourth day of the Tour de France Tuesday as riders protested road conditions after a number of crashes marred the third stage.

Speaking on Monday (October 21), after a meeting with Heidi Gallant, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AmCham), Transport Minister Saksyam Chidchob said AmCham had expressed interest in investing in infrastructure projects in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

The Metropolitan Police Bureau’s Traffic Police Division will officially implement a revamped red-light camera system at 30 intersections across the city from September 1 onward, deputy city police chief Maj-General Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ake said on Friday.

The safety of passengers riding in public vans must be tackled at its root problem, the bad driving behaviours of drivers, said Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob on Tuesday.

Road accidents accounted for 20,169 deaths in Thailand last year, with most of those killed being students and youth.

Justice Ministry deputy permanent secretary Tawatchai Thaikyo on Monday urged police to take action against the parents of a 13-year-old boy whose foot was torn off in a crash on the “big bike” motorcycle they bought him.

In an effort to boost road safety during Songkran, the Department of Land Transport (DLT) has started inspecting drivers and the condition of public transport vehicles at 195 transportation hubs and locations nationwide.

The number of road fatalities is lower so far during this year’s New Year holidays, but drunk driving and speeding remain the key contributing factors in crashes, accounting for most of the arrests made, Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda told reporters at Government House on Wednesday.

Phuket police are gearing up for the annual “seven days of danger" road safety period from December 27 to January 2.

Starting in the first quarter of next year, police-issued traffic tickets will be linked to the Land Transport Department’s system, resulting in a suspension of vehicle-tax renewal for those failing to pay traffic fines, deputy department chief Kamol Buranapong said on Monday.