2012 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

[Mod]

2012 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

Sunday 18 November 2012 marks the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims to remember all those killed or injured in road traffic accidents, together with their families, the emergency services and all others affected or involved.

To mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims the British Embassy Bangkok is hoping to raise awareness of the day and warn people of the dangers of driving abroad.  There are over 25 million vehicles in Thailand, a high proportion of which are motorcycles and mopeds.  Sadly road traffic accidents in Thailand account for the second most frequent cause of death among British nationals as well as a high number of hospitalisations.  The majority of these involve motorcycles and mopeds. Although it is compulsory for the rider to wear a helmet in Thailand, many do not do so.

Some of the key factors behind accidents involving visitors abroad are:

Research has shown that holiday makers abroad are most at risk of having an accident just 60 minutes into their first journey. Further information and tips for driving abroad can be found at www.fco.gov.uk/drivingabroad.
Visitors to a foreign country are one-and-a-half times as likely to have a serious accident when travelling in a 100-110 km/h speed limit zone as domestic drivers, because of unfamiliarity at driving at these speeds.  Familiarise yourself with the local driving laws – including local speed limits.
Visitors to a foreign country are twice as likely to have a serious accident as domestic drivers because of driver fatigue.  Don’t drive when you’re tired, jet lagged and take regular breaks on long journeys.
An international or Thai driving licence is required to drive in Thailand.
Travelling by motorcycle, scooter or moped is significantly more dangerous than by car - if you’re not accustomed to riding a motorcycle you should not attempt to ride one for the first time when abroad on unfamiliar roads.  Always wear a safety helmet and suitable clothing.
The probability of being involved in an accident increases for car drivers when renting a vehicle, but is six times higher for people who hire mopeds or motorbikes. If hiring, rent from a reputable company and check your insurance cover.  Some motorcycles or scooters for hire in beach resorts are often unregistered and cannot be used legally on a public road. You could be held personally responsible for any claim for injury or damage if you are not fully covered.  Check with your insurance company that you’re fully covered to drive abroad including breakdown recovery and any medical expenses resulting from an accident.  Make sure your travel insurance covers you before you decide to drive or be a passenger on a motorbike - check the exclusions carefully.
In the UK all drivers and passengers are required to wear a seatbelt and all motorcyclists wear a crash helmet and safety clothing. These simple but life saving measures are all too often forgotten or ignored when abroad.
Don’t drink and drive. The legal blood-alcohol limit in Thailand is 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. In the UK, the alcohol limit for drivers is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.
Road traffic accidents are a cause for great concern having a profound effect on both those individuals involved and their families.   Accidents do occur and not all tragedies are avoidable, but the outcome could be very different with many lives being saved and critical injuries reduced if people adopted the same safety precautions abroad that they would naturally take at home.

Our consular team provides assistance and support to families bereaved as a result of road traffic accidents and additionally, regularly assist individuals who have sustained severe head and brain injuries caused by motorcycle accidents.  Regrettably some of these people suffer life changing, incapacitating injuries.  It is not uncommon for families to have the additional worry of mounting hospital bills as either the motorbike’s engine size or the failure to wear a crash helmet invalidates many travel insurance policies.

During his recent visit to Thailand, the UK Foreign Secretary Mr William Hague raised road safety with his counterpart , Thai Foreign Minister Dr Surapong Tovichakchaikul. The UK stands ready to share its experience in achieving one of the best road safety records in the world, and would be happy to support Thailand in this area.

British nationals involved in an accident and needing consular assistance from the British Embassy should call us on 02 305 8333 and my consular team will do all they can to help.  For more information on how to prepare yourself for driving abroad, visit our website.

Further information
Sunday 18 November 2012 is The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and is held on the third Sunday of November each year.  It is the day on which all those killed and injured in road traffic accidents are remembered, together with their families, the emergency services and all others affected or involved in the aftermath.  In 1993 the UK road victim charity RoadPeace campaigned nationally and internationally for appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic accidents and their families.  This was adopted by the United Nations on 26 October 2005 and the day recognises that road traffic accident victims and their families deserve much greater recognition.

The Royal Thai Police’s annual report for 2011 states that in 2011 there were 68,582 reported road traffic accidents in Thailand, which is a reduction of 18% on the previous year.  And 9,205 people died.  Worryingly, this is an increase of 19% on the previous year.  Additionally there were 17,822 reported injuries, and a further 4,095 serious injuries.  Despite the welcome falling trend in overall accidents reported, the number of deaths and injuries has increased on the 2010 report.

30% of  all reported accidents involved motorbikes , accounting for  70% of all road traffic deaths.  There has also been a disturbing rise in the number of bus crashes, with an increase of 8% over the previous reporting period, which had seen a downward trend on preceding years.  Regrettably, a number of British nationals have found themselves caught up in these incidents, with some having resulted in fatalities.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a recent statement has urged the Thai Authorities to strengthen their enforcement of traffic regulations in order to improve road safety.

[Alan]

This article is complete bollocks!
The only thing this remeberance day will bring is miserable memmories for those affected. These do good nanny state twats that think up this shite should start getting tough on enforcing driving skills and responcibility of road user. Only then will they see a fall in road accidents.
Thailands record for road accident victims is appauling and due to the current attitude of most road user and the law enforcement this will not improve.
Foriengners should be made aware of the real facts when driving in Thailand not ridiculed or used as part of the problem such as this article implies.
Instead of the British Embassey puffing out their proud chests banging on about how good they are maybe they should be hanging their heads in shame at how often the farang who becomes a victim of a road accident finds himself without any support or interest of Thai law or justice. 

[Nobby]

+1
More Thai's die from RTA's than HIV here!!!!!