A progress monitoring meeting was held at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Dec 16), chaired by Charan Kwankaew, Head of Strategy and Management Group at the Phuket branch of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM Phuket).
The meeting brought together representatives from government agencies, the private sector, local organisations and the community.
The project was launched in response to alarming statistics from the Department of Disease Control (DDC), which ranked Phuket as a high-risk area for motorcycle accidents in 2023. The DDC, under the Ministry of Public Health, tracks data for all health risk incidents nationwide.
The initiative also aligns with Thailand’s Road Safety Master Plan 2022–2027 and aims to reduce injuries and fatalities by strengthening accident prevention mechanisms across the province, said an official report of the meeting.
The meeting addressed the progress of current safety measures, evaluated their effectiveness and discussed sustainable solutions to enhance road safety in all districts of Phuket.
By leveraging the coordination of road safety operation centers, the project seeks to establish a robust system for managing and preventing accidents.
“Our primary goal is to ensure the safety of everyone on the road, especially motorcyclists, who are among the most vulnerable,” said Mr Charan.
According to national road-safety agency ThaiRSC, 139 people have been killed in road accidents in Phuket so far this year. A further 24,626 people have been injured in road accidents on the island.
During the 24 hours of yesterday alone (Dec 16), one person died in a road accident in Phuket, and 94 people were injured.
An overwhelming 83% of fatal accidents in Phuket involve motorbikes; the remaining 17% involve cars.
Of those killed in road accidents in Phuket this year, 71.22% were males.
