Thailand - November 16, 2014

On November 16, 2014, AIP Foundation Thailand Country Director Ratana Winther attends World Day or Remembrance event to commemorate those who died or were injured in road crashes and to raise public awareness of road safety.

The Minister of Interior launched the activities for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims today, aiming to reduce the rate of fatalities in road accidents.

The Minister of Interior Gen. Anupong Paochinda, Acting Executive Director of the Road Safety Directing Center (RSDC), presided over the opening ceremony of the 2014 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims event today in front of the United Nations building in Bangkok.

According to the RSDC executive director, each year Thailand experiences about 44,000 fatalities from road accidents. The government has been trying to reduce this number down to 10 fatalities per 100,000 people.

The government has issued five campaigning measures to reduce road accidents, namely the management, the road safety campaign, the vehicle safety campaign, the safe driver campaign, and the accident response plan.

These measures aim to make drivers more aware of the damage and pain caused in road accidents that will help create a driving culture which emphasizes safety, said the RSDC executive director.

For this event, the Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has given a message on the aim of creating the awareness of road safety in youth and children, as well as showing condolences to the victims that have experienced road accident and losses in their families.

White orchids were laid on the ground and white balloons were set afloat as a remembrance ceremony to the victims of road accidents in this event.