Let us hope the picture of our next prime minister driving off in his bronze Porsche on Sunday without fastening his seat belt is not an indication of the priority his administration intends to give road safety. True, none of the parties made the carnage on our roads a campaign platform - it's hardly glamorous and it's not much in the way of a vote-getter, and it would be churlish to nit-pick as Thaksin Shinawatra enjoyed his finest hour, but the issue does warrant serious attention by our new government. .
We must face up to the fact that it is no longer acceptable for at least one person to be killed and for 116 to be injured each and every hour on our roads. The causes are obvious and we know their effects, so neither the tolerance nor apathy displayed in the past will do. .
At least 351 people died needlessly on our roads over the New Year holiday period. Another 19,562 people were treated for accident injuries with motorcyclists making up the bulk of the victims, and alcohol consumption and failure to wear crash helmets largely to blame. This is supposed to be a time of celebration, not suffering, and yet we seem to take this annual ritual carnage for granted. .
It is horrifying that each year about 20,000 motorcyclists die in road accidents while at least 400,000 are hospitalised. A recent study of patients treated in the emergency rooms of major hospitals in 19 provinces including Bangkok showed a huge decline in the use of helmets among motorcyclists, particularly pillion riders. The blame for this is usually put on the lack of effective law enforcement. Certainly this is a major aspect, but it is not the only one. Lack of driver education, self-discipline and awareness are also prime factors. .
Police trying to enforce the law banning drink driving complain of problems in explaining to motorists why they are considered drunk. Sweden and, most recently, Norway solved this by making it illegal to drink any alcohol at all prior to driving a motor vehicle.