The campaign began with a ceremony at Phuket City Police Station that included a helmet giveaway and the start of the convoy getting a confetti sendoff.
Leading the opening ceremony of the campaign yesterday were Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum joined by Phuket City Police Chief Pratuang Pholmana and Sophon Thongsai, head of the Phuket Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office (DDPM-Phuket).
The campaign was a joint effort initiated by Region 8 Police, explained Pol Col Prathuang.
Region 8 Police Commander Pol Lt Gen Suraphong Thanomchit had indicated that a key aspect of reducing injuries from motorbike accidents was getting people, and especially students, to wear helmets, he noted.
Deaths and injuries in road accidents often cause great emotional and financial harm for families, and even affect the national economy. The loss of life was an aspect “that cannot be assessed”, he added.
“Therefore it is necessary to urgently solve this problem seriously and continuously with the participation of every sector,” Pol Col Prathuang said.
“Wearing helmets ‘100%’ helps to reduce the number of deaths and injuries among motorbike riders. We need to make road users aware of this and increase awareness of safety and traffic discipline, as well as to provide knowledge How to wear a helmet correctly,” he said.
Often misunderstood, the ‘100%’ often expressed in helmet-wearing campaigns not only means wearing a helmet at all times while riding a motorbike, it also means using the chin strap to ensure the helmet stays on the rider’s head.
“The benefit of drivers and passengers wearing helmets ‘100%’ is that Phuket can be a role model for other provinces to follow,” Pol Col Pratuang noted.
Pol Col Pratuang warned that police will begin their enforcement of the ‘100% rule today (Apr 10), with full application of the rule to be enforced throughout the ‘Seven Days’ safety campaign for the Songkran holidays, which starts at midnight tonight.