ThaiHealth forum urges improved road safety for children

Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), in collaboration with a working group on welfare policy for young children at 450 locations, held a public forum on Friday to raise awareness of road safety and reduce the risks of accidents involving children and young people.

Associate Professor Sunee Chairoj, chairwoman of the Working Group for Driving the Comprehensive Welfare Policy for Young Children, said that a 2022 review of early-childhood care in daycare centres by Rangsit University showed that Thailand has 4.3 million children aged six and under, of whom 2 million must rely on various forms of public transportation to educational institutions, exposing them to road hazards. 

These dangers stem from driver behaviour, lack of traffic-rule awareness, negligence, poor vehicle quality, and lack of attention from relevant parties.

"This forum is part of a collective effort by government agencies, civil society, and the public to develop policies, regulations, and stricter road-safety standards. It also aims to encourage parents and schools to use the children's book ‘Drive Safely to the Beach’ to enhance road-safety skills among children and youth," Sunee said.

Natthaya Boonphakdee, senior director of ThaiHealth's Office of Child, Youth, and Family Health Promotion, reported that the Road Safety Situation Report for 2023, by the Ministry of Public Health, revealed alarming statistics: Thailand recorded 17,498 fatalities from road accidents, averaging 48 deaths per day. Among these, children and youth aged 0-24 years accounted for as many as 10 deaths daily, representing one in five of all road-accident fatalities.

The leading causes of these accidents include risky behaviour, with 90.7% of individuals not wearing helmets, 38.3% driving under the influence, 37.5% not using seatbelts, 33.5% lacking driver’s licences, and 17.3% being unfamiliar with their routes.

Given these findings, the protection of children's welfare, safety, and quality of life should be prioritised as a critical policy for all governments and should be addressed urgently.

To support the long-term development of child-safety policies on the roads, ThaiHealth has proposed the following measures for the government and relevant agencies:

Promote safety in transportation to and from school by managing school-bus systems and field-trip vehicles, while integrating technology to ensure safety.

Encourage the use of helmets among children and youth.

Advocate for educational institutions to instil knowledge about traffic discipline and road safety.

Saree Aongsomwang, secretary general of the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, said that to promote safe student transportation, the board recommends that the Ministry of Education develop a safety management curriculum for school transportation for educational personnel, drivers, and parents. 

Additionally, the board has proposed that the Ministry of Transport establish a specific standard for the driver's licence for student-transportation vehicles, differentiating it from licences for personal vehicles and other types of public transport.