Dozens left to die on streets
HIT AND RUN
Dozens left to die on streets
BANGKOK: — Eighty-one people have been killed in hit-and-run accidents on Thailand’s roads over the past 90 days with most occurring in and around Bangkok, “FM 91 Traffic Pro” radio station revealed yesterday.
Police investigators, victims’ relatives and members of public have been contacting the radio station via freecall numbers (02 5620033/4 and 02 9410847/50) in a bid to find people who witnessed hitandrun accidents, station executive Jaiton Sriwangpol said.
There were 23 such deaths in January, 30 deaths in February and 28 in March. Most of the accidents – 62 – took place at night (between 6pm and 6am), while 19 others occurred in daytime (between 6am and 6pm), she said.
Bangkok had the most hitandrun accidents with 34, followed by Samut Prakan with 15, Pathum Thani with 12, Nonthaburi with six and Ayutthaya (three), she said.
Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon each had three such deaths, while there were others in Sing Buri, Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok, Chachoengsao and Tak, she added.
The law has required all vehicles to have accident insurance according to the Protection for Motor Vehicle Accident Victims Act 1992, she said but the report indicated that more than 80 motorists in the past 90 days acted more like coldblood murderers to run away after the accidents, leaving the victims to die in the streets.
In related news, the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) yesterday gave 190 alcohol breath testing devices to police in support to the force’s antidrunk driving policy.
In cooperation with Johnnie Walker whiskey distributor Diageo Moet Hennessy (Thailand) Ltd, NECTEC had produced more efficient devices and gave police the 190 portable devices in roadaccidentpreventing mission especially during the Songkran Holidays, said Acting Highway Police Commander Police Colonel Somyos Phromnim.
NECTEC director Pansak Siriruchatapong said that the devices were easy to use and could yield the result only in five second. If a driver has a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) beyond the legal limit of 50 mg percent, the device would set off the alarm sound with blinking red light on screen, he said. This Thai innovation with each device cost Bt8,000 could save the country from importing similar products, he added.
