Skip to main content

Thailand to tackle illegal motorway racers and child road death toll

Illegal motorway car racers in Thailand are to be targeted with additional radio frequency identification (RFID) systems and surveillance cameras. The move comes after Thai authorities have been tackling high-speed motorcycle racing involving youth gangs, mainly from low-income households. Meanwhile, a new seatbelt law for children is set to be introduced in a bid to reduce the country’s number of child accident deaths. It will make it compulsory for children aged below 15 to use a seatbelt when a passenger
May 9, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Illegal motorway car racers in Thailand are to be targeted with additional radio frequency identification (RFID) systems and surveillance cameras.

The move comes after Thai authorities have been tackling high-speed motorcycle racing involving youth gangs, mainly from low-income households.

Meanwhile, a new seatbelt law for children is set to be introduced in a bid to reduce the country’s number of child accident deaths. It will make it compulsory for children aged below 15 to use a seatbelt when a passenger in a vehicle. The move has been welcomed by Adisak Plitponkarnpim, paediatrician in the 5469 Faculty of Medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital, who has also called for safety seats for younger children in vehicles to be made compulsory. 

According to a report by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, 614 children aged 15 years and below died in motor vehicle accidents in Thailand in 2011. Out of the total, 126 had not fastened their safety belts.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Speed Cycling
    August 10, 2012
    A South African cyclist suffered a serious crash during a race in his country, due to an antelope’s lack of awareness of road rules. The cyclist was knocked off his bicycle by a Red Hartebeest buck, which charged across the dirt road he was riding along. The cyclist saw the animal spring from the side of the road but there was little he could do to stop. The antelope dazedly stood up following the impact and then bounded away, apparently unhurt. However the cyclist was left sprawled in the grass.
  • Polish road safety continues to improve
    January 16, 2014
    Official data from Poland shows a continued improvement in road safety. The data reveals that there were 5% fewer accidents, almost 8% fewer fatalities, a 5% decrease in injuries and a 5% reduction in drink-drivers. The information was made available recently through Pan-European police body TISPOL. According to TISPOL, the statistics confirm that police action can be effective in reducing vehicle crashes. Comparing the data for 2013 with statistics for 2012 and 2011 reveals a notable drop in road crashes,
  • Caribbean: a region stepping up to the road safety challenge
    July 5, 2016
    Transport Minister sets ambitious Vision at IRF Caribbean Regional Congress. Returning to Montego Bay, Jamaica, IRF’s 5th Caribbean Regional Congress was dominated this year by discussions focused on reducing injury risk through coordinated action by public and private sector stakeholders. Close to 100 participants from a host of Caribbean nations have reaffirmed a vision for roads free from death and serious injury. Many of Jamaica’s government departments with a role in achieving this vision were prese
  • Getting a foothold on road safety
    September 3, 2012
    The Indian businessman, Rohit Baluja, has become one of the most articulate and outspoken advocates of road safety in developing countries. A leading figure in his country’s shoe industry, Baluja was converted to the cause that has become his lifelong passion during regular business trips to Europe