Emphasize the progress of road safety policies

Promote Traffic Discipline "Deputy Prime Minister Prasit" urges the National Health Security Office to move forward with the policy of creating road safety for children and youth, set up an academic unit to investigate the causes of major accidents, hoping to reduce losses. Mr. Prasert Chantarawongthong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy and Society (DE), as Chairman of the Health Promotion Fund, revealed at the 7/2024 meeting of the Fund Committee that improving the safety of children and youth travel is an urgent matter. In order to prevent a tragedy like the case of the field trip bus of Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School, it was resolved to set a policy to improve the safety of children and youth travel in 3 areas: Promote safety in traveling back and forth between home and school, such as managing the school bus system, having a system to supervise and manage the safety of field trip buses, and introducing systems and technology to monitor and ensure safety. Promote the wearing of h elmets among children and youth who still need to travel by motorcycle, and 3. Promote learning about traffic discipline and safety in educational institutions. 'Thailand has lost both people's livelihoods and the people who have become disabled from road accidents. In 2023 alone, data from the Ministry of Public Health reported that there were 17,498 deaths from road accidents, with medical expenses of over 10,315 million baht, which is equivalent to an economic value of around 500 billion baht per year. We can all work together to stop this loss by emphasizing that the Thai Health Promotion Foundation work to promote and prevent road safety and work in an integrated manner with all sectors. If every locality has a preventive work plan to reduce road accidents, it will take care of the safety of children at all levels, helping to preserve the future of the nation and further develop the country,' said Mr. Prasert. Source: Thai News Agency