Prachuap highway police have been out in force handing out free crash helmets in a bid to save the lives of motorcyclists come New Year. Rather than fining people for not having a helmet, they dished out 200 new ones in a campaign sponsored by the Toyota head office in the province, another local company and the family of a police officer. Prajuab Khiri Khan Highway police are busy doing their best to educate the public – and motorcyclists in particular – in good habits on the roads.
Pansa Amaraphitak of the highway force said that motorcyclists represented the highest number of deaths from road accident.
It was not just their refusal to wear crash helmets, he said, but ignoring the rules of the road, going against the traffic flow, cutting in front of other traffic suddenly and drink driving that contributed to the bad statistics. He said that wearing a helmet won’t save you if you speed and ignore traffic laws but a helmet in conjunction with obeying the rules was what was needed. Police reiterated that they will be out in force all along Petchkasem Road in the province as the long New Year holidays progress. Checkpoints will be set up to
ensure that traffic rules are being obeyed, they said. – Sanook