The death came less than 24 hours after Deputy Minister of Interior Niphon Boonyamanee presided over the opening ceremony of New Year accident operations center at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon (Dec 26).
Although the Thai Road Safety Committee (ThaiRSC) confirmed on its website earlier today that one person had died in a road accident since midnight, the website included no details of the accident or the death.
Prapan Kanprasang, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket), also confirmed to The Phuket News that he had yet to be informed of any details about the road fatality.
“We have not received any details about accidents so far [during the campaign]. We will receive a full report at 9am tomorrow, after the 24-hour period has concluded,” he explained.
The ThaiRSC reported that in addition to the one death, 31 people had been injured in accidents in Muang District, with another 23 people injured in Kathu District and 13 more in Thalang District.
The death and 72 injuries on Phuket’s roads before even the first day of the campaign has concluded follows Deputy Minister Niphon presiding over a ceremony to declare the main accident operations centre for the Seven Days campaign in Phuket officially open.
Present for the ceremony was Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana along with 300 officers from traffic-related government offices and agencies and local administration officials.
“The New Year holidays is a period that has many accidents. The main causes of accidents during the holidays is drunk driving, and followed speeding and reckless overtaking.” Mr Niphon pointed out
Mr Niphon also called on people to follow the same 10 safety points during the “Seven Days of Danger” road-safety campaign for the new year that Royal Thai Police Assistant Commissioner Lt Gen Sakda Cheunpakdee declared in Phuket on Tuesday. (See story here.)
To repeat, the 10 points are:
1. Do not exceed speed limits
2. Do not violate traffic signals
3. Do not drive against the flow of traffic
4. Do carry your driving license at all times
5. Do wear seat belts
6. Do not overtake on narrow ways
7. Do not drunk drive
8. Do wear helmets
9. Do not drive any vehicles in unsafe condition
10. Do not use the phone while driving
“I thank you for your efforts and good cooperation from everyone to take care of drivers during the seven days,” Mr Niphon told the assembly of officers.
“Lives will be saved if we follow the traffic law,” he added.
Governor Phakaphong explained that the accident operation center was set up to be the main managing center for preventing accidents and reducing the number of accident on the roads – and in the sea – during the Seven Days of Danger campaign, from Dec 27 to Jan 2.
“The goal of this year is that we want to coordinate with officials, private sector [organisations] and the public to reduce risk causes of accidents. I believe that this coordination will make this work effective and create a culture of safe driving,” he said.