Across The RegionDepartments

Thailand: Combating Drunken Driving

Several convicted drunken drivers were brought to a Bangkok morgue in June 2016 to see a corpse and reflect on the gory consequences of their actions as part of a program aimed at combating the carnage on Thailand’s roads.

Thailand has the world’s second-worst record for traffic fatalities, according to the World Health Organization, just behind Libya. Most of the road accidents are caused by drunken driving.

Thailand’s Department of Probation introduced the morgue campaign in April 2016 during the nation’s traditional seven-day New Year’s holiday, known as Songkran. Thousands of Thais spend time on the road, returning to their home villages for reunions and celebrations. The government has dubbed the holiday “The Seven Days of Danger” because an estimated 2.3 people die and 160 are injured in road accidents every hour.

Since April 2016 officials have brought more than 1,700 drunken drivers to dozens of morgues nationwide, according to Prasarn Mahaleetrakul, deputy director of the Department of Probation. “In the past, we have tried campaigns, but the statistics were not going down. So why not try other activities? What kind of activity would create more shock and worry?” The Associated Press

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button