The dates of this year’s ‘Seven Days’ campaign for the New Year were announced at a meeting of the Phuket Provincial Phuket Road Safety Committee at Phuket Provincial Hall today (Dec 20).
Chairing the meeting was Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrabam.
“This meeting was held to brainstorm ideas on road safety. “There are important issues, especially the guidelines for reporting results,” said an official report of the meeting.
The campaign in full is being carried out from Dec 1-21, said the report, the first report by Phuket officials announcing the campaign this year.
The standard three-stage campaign will be observed this year, beginning with the usual “pre-intensive control period” from Dec 22-28, followed by the much better known ‘Seven Days’ period, this year from Dec 29 - Jan 4.
The campaign will conclude with “intensive control: from Jan 5-11.
“The meeting discussed road accident prevention and reduction work by relevant agencies, including solutions to operational problems such as rigorous law enforcement by the responsible officials,” the report noted.
Among the strategies to be employed by officials to improve road safety during the period is the prosecution of violators of traffic laws to receive the maximum penalty so that motorists will obey traffic laws, especially with regards to making crosswalks safe, the report said.
Other strategies included:
- Marking lines on the road for motorists to reduce speed before crosswalks;
- Making traffic markings on the road surface to be clear;
- Making warning signs and symbols clearly visible to drivers and pedestrians so they reduce speed “in a tight situation”, where there is busy traffic or there is an obstruction, a common way, a junction or a crosswalk;
- Having people actually use crosswalks; and
- Raising awareness of the loss that may arise from undisciplined driving and not obeying traffic rules.
An event to mark World Day of Remembrance for Road Accident Victims for 2022 will be held on Dec 26 to remember road accident victims in Phuket. The event will be held at the U Simarak Gym at Phuket Technical College from 8:30am to midday.
Elsewhere in the world, World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is observed annually on Nov 19.
Another special event will be held to mark the official opening ceremony of the annual campaign to reduce road and marine accidents for the New Year. The event will be held in front of Phuket Provincial Hall on Dec 27, starting at 9:09am ‒ two days before the ‘Seven Days’ campaign begins in earnest.
Steve wooly | 21 December 2022 - 21:22:20