Songkran safety tops Phuket officials’ agenda

Specifically to be targetted are road and marine transport safety, the officials were told at a meeting at the Phuket Provincial Office yesterday (Apr 3).

Present to hear the mandate were Phuket Vice Governors Snith Sriwihok and Thawornwat Kongkaew, the heads of the main government offices in Phuket and representatives from the local private sector.

“Many tourists visit Phuket every year during the Songkran festival for long holidays. Many people travel by road and sea, so during this period road and marine transport are very busy and have many accidents,” noted a Phuket PR office report of the meeting.

“Phuket (will) set up an operation centre to prevent and decrease road and marine accidents during Songkran. The centre will be the main place to record and evaluate accidents in Phuket,” the report added.

Six measures laid down at meeting to prevent and reduce road and marine accidents were listed as follows:

1. To strictly enforce the law by setting up checkpoints.
2. Ask for a cooperation from contractors to urgently fix roads before Songkran. If repairs are not finished, warning signs must be set.
3. To set up measures and/or guidelines to control public transport and taxis, as well as drivers and staff. Also to check (public transport) vehicles.
4. To prepare emergency medical services.
5. To set up marine operation centres and to check piers.
6. To decrease any “environmental dangers” by checking for hazards beside the road as well as to set up operation centres for road and marine safety with officials stationed at centres.

The meeting also followed up on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between educational institutions and motorbike rental operators to assist with vehicle checks and promoting road safety.

“It is expected that this year the number of injures and deaths and major accidents will be decreased,” The Phuket PR office noted in its report.

“Phuket aims to be a city free of accidents. Its target is to change from a ‘red zone’ to be a ‘yellow zone’” the report added.

Governor Norraphat last year vowed to take action to correct Phuket motorists’ wild driving habits in the hope of reducing the death and carnage on the island’s roads after Phuket suffered four deaths and 70 injuries in 67 accidents during the Songkran “Seven Days of Danger” road-safety campaign from Apr 11-17, 2017. (See story here.)