The best – or worst – videos of traffic violations in the country will receive cash rewards totaling 10,000 baht (£240) as part of a road safety campaign from the Thai Police. The annual seven-day New Year’s road safety campaign by the Thai Police got underway on Wednesday.
The campaign’s objective is to increase road safety in Thailand. Between December 29 and January 4, 2016, there were 2,707 road accidents nationwide that resulted in 333 fatalities and 2,672 injuries.
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Thai Police initiates road safety campaign by offering cash prizes of 10,000 baht (£240) for the best and worst videos of traffic violations
Road traffic accidents claim the lives of 22,000 persons in Thailand annually on average. 7.3 million vehicles were anticipated to be on the roads for the New Year holiday, National Police Chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas told reporters as he launched the safety campaign.
50,000 police officers to be deployed nationally to enforce traffic laws during the road safety campaign from December 29 to January 4
As per Kittiprapas, the police will oversee the December 29–January 4 road safety campaign, when 50,000 police officers will be stationed across the country to strictly enforce traffic laws.
In Thailand, there are 22,000 fatal road accidents every year on average. National police chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas told reporters that he expected 7.3 million vehicles to be on the road for the New Year vacation.
According to him, police would severely enforce speed limits; target drunk drivers, and fine motorcycle riders who didn’t wear helmets or seat belts. The chief said that the two most frequent causes of road accidents in Thailand were speeding and drunk driving. Police have invited individuals to submit vidoes of traffic violations throughout the seven-day campaign. The government will then choose the top seven entries, and each “winner” will receive a reward of 10,000 baht.
Campaign draws criticism of social media
The campaign has drawn criticism on social media from those who claim that people may perform intentional antics on the roads as a result of the police initiative, which will worsen the situation.
But Mark Ritchie, the executive director of Thailand’s International Sustainable Development Studies Institute has stated that he could see the initiative gaining popularity “Thai culture values ‘sanuk’, or fun, so this is a pretty brilliant way to raise awareness.”
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