Skip to main content

Thailand’s road safety crisis is killing the young

Thailand’s road safety crisis is killing a worryingly high number of its young citizens. The latest data reveals that over 17,000 youngsters are killed in road crashes/year. Most of the road crashes involve the use of motorcycles. Between 2013 and 2017, 17634 youngsters were killed on average every year, according to data assembled by the Road Accident Victims Protection Company, the Public Health Ministry and the police. The lack of helmet use amongst many of Thailand’s powered two wheeler riders is see
May 21, 2019 Read time: 1 min

Thailand’s road safety crisis is killing a worryingly high number of its young citizens. The latest data reveals that over 17,000 youngsters are killed in road crashes/year. Most of the road crashes involve the use of motorcycles.

Between 2013 and 2017, 17634 youngsters were killed on average every year, according to data assembled by the Road Accident Victims Protection Company, the Public Health Ministry and the police.

The lack of helmet use amongst many of Thailand’s powered two wheeler riders is seen as a major factor in the high annual fatality rate.

Related Content

  • British road safety; a small improvement
    May 26, 2023
    British road safety is showing a small but encouraging improvement.
  • New Zealand is bucking the trend in road safety with increasing crashes
    June 4, 2015
    New Zealand is bucking the trend worldwide on improving road safety with an increase in crashes on its roads. The country saw 5.7 road deaths/100,000 people in 2014 according to the International Road Traffic and Accident Database, an increase of 16.1% from the previous year. This is the largest increase in the 28 countries surveyed, and largely reverses a 17% reduction from the previous year. The death toll on New Zealand’s roads so far in 2015 is 134, compared to 123 and 100 in the comparable periods of 2
  • India road safety aim to save lives
    November 29, 2016
    A study produced by the United Nations reveals the high risk of motorcycling in India. In 2015 the country had 36,800 motorcyclists killed on its roads, with a further 93,400 being injured. However the UN’s study reveals that the fatality rate for India’s motorcyclists could be cut by as much as 42%, if helmet wearing was mandatory. Compulsory helmet use by India’s motorcycle riders would save around 15,000 needless deaths/year, while cutting serious head injuries by around 69%. The UN Motorcycle Helmet Stu
  • Road fatalities drink driving
    April 16, 2012
    The European Union is making serious moves to tackle road fatalities in a bid to cut Europe's road death rates to 25,000/year by 2010. So far, measures taken have had little effect, bringing the number down by just 18% to 41,000/year.