According to a report of the meeting by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket), the meeting was held to provide summaries of the results of the Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign during the New Year holidays.
Also discussed were progress reports on the points system for driving licences, which currently is only in effect for delivery transport drivers and drivers of public transport vehicles only, including truck, van and motorbike delivery drivers as well as tuk-tuks, taxi, bus and passenger van drivers.
The meeting also discussed a postponement of the issuance of tax “badges”, said the report, though no other details of this issue was provided.
However, the report noted, “The committee has assigned the Ministry of Transport to discuss with the Royal Thai Police to determine a clear format before publicizing it for the public to know.”
Deputy PM Prawit raised the issue of safety pedestrian crossings, in light of Dr Waraluck Supawatjariyakul, an ophthalmologist of the faculty of medicine at Chulalongkorn University, being mown down and killed by a policeman riding a Ducati Monster motorbike at speed in Bangkok last Friday (Jan 21).
Phuket officials were ordered to ensure that a warning line to instruct drivers to slow down is to be painted on the road before each pedestrian crossing, and additional signs warning of a pedestrian crossing ahead are to be installed.
“The Royal Thai Police will increase the intensity of law enforcement for offenses that are a risk factor for accidents as well as to survey and prioritize improvements at every pedestrian crossing. In addition, [police are to] follow up and assess all cases of accidents on the pedestrian crossings as a guideline to prevent further accidents,” Deputy PM Prawit said.