Overview:
Unintentional injuries are defined as "that subset of injuries for which there is no evidence of predetermined intent" (Skolnik, 2020). These often include: - Road injury - Other transport injury - Poisonings - Falls - Fires, heat, and hot substances - Drowning - Exposure to mechanical forces - Adverse effects of medical treatment - Animal contact - Foreign body - Environmental heat and cold exposure This post will focus on unintentional road injuries. Thailand, famously, has the world’s second-highest rate of road fatalities per capita, surpassed only by Libya, according to a 2015 report from the World Health Organization. When it comes to per-capita motorcycle deaths, the country is No. 1" (Beech, 2019).
(Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/19/world/asia/thailand-inequality-road-fatalities.html)
The WHO estimated 22,941 people die each year in traffic-related incidents in Thailand, making its roads the deadliest in Southeast Asia. That's an average of 62 deaths every day, according to the WHO's 2018 report on global road safety. 73% of those deaths are riders of motorcycles, which is the most popular form of transport in the country (Olam, 2019).
Common Factors:
Alcohol: The Interior Ministry's Road Safety Thailand unit said the majority of deaths during the 2019 New Year period (41.5%) were caused by drunk driving and 28% by speeding (Olam, 2019).
Poor Enforcement of Traffic Laws: Just over half of motorcycle drivers wear a helmet and a mere 20% of passengers, and only 58% of car drivers wear seatbelts, according to the WHO report. Nikorn Jumnong, former Deputy Transport Minister and Chairman of the People's Safety Foundation, said "Education on law enforcement is the key. We have so many laws and I think they are good and more than enough. But it is all about enforcement"(Olam, 2019).
(Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/03/asia/thailand-road-deaths-new-year-intl/index.html)
Health Promotion Activities:
Key to health promotion efforts was the establishment of The National Road Safety Management Center, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister, and the foundation of Country Cooperation Strategy on Road Safety 2017–2021. Through these groups, numerous traffic prevention policies have been put in place. Examples include, motorcycle lane enforcement, campaigns for safe transportation during public holidays, amplifying the punishment on drunk drivers in the revised traffic laws, education on road safety, and banning alcohol advertisements on national television and radio programs (Suphanchiamat, 2019).