Gov Norraphat, who began his term as Governor of Phuket only on April 10, vowed to “bring all the road accident statistics and other relevant information to discuss with the Phuket Provincial Committee to come up with ways to solve this problem and create a campaign that will make driving safer in Phuket.” (See story here.)
That promise came on the back of police announcing how many people were fined for traffic violations during the seven days. Notably, the greatest offenders were 5,628 people fined for not wearing helmets; and 3,075 fined for driving without a licence. (See story here.)
However, even officials in Bangkok have recognised that the current range of penalties for traffic violations are not enough to correct people’s behaviour. On Songkran last year they started forcing some offenders to perform community service by helping out at morgues and came back to this practice in 2017. (See story here.)
The Phuket News has yet to hear of any such alternative forms of punishment for traffic offenders in Phuket, and hence ask our readers the simple question, “Do the current penalties deter people from breaking the traffic laws?”
Responses available are:
1) Yes, the current penalties are enough; there is no need to change anything
2) Yes, the current penalties are enough, but enforcement is lacking
3) No, the current penalties do not deter traffic offenders and must be made harsher, for example fines should be increased
4) No, the current penalties, which are mostly fines, do not work and officials must also use alternative punishments such as community service.
To vote in the poll, click here.
The poll will close at midnight Sunday, May 7.
If your preferred response is not available, feel free to add it in the comments below.
To see the results of our previous poll, asking “Should tour guides or tourists be charged for coral damage?”, click here.