The Second Decade of Road Safety Target: Can the Dream Come True?

Abstract

Thailand announced the challenging national target of road traffic death reduction from 27.2 in 2020 to 12 per hundred thousand in 2027. World Health Organization developed the 12 Global Road Safety Performance Targets to support national road safety operation. Having a good national action plan and a good leading agency are the first targets that each country should have achieved in 2020. The Transportation Standing Committee of Parliament’s study and Thailand’s status against 12 Global Road Safety Performance reported by WHO Thailand found the similarity results about Thailand’s road safety management structure. The unclear role and responsibility and the lack of decision power are the barrier to effective operation. Both studies recommend the establishment of a lead agency by law to unify and have the key authority and accountability for road safety efforts. Vietnam, which has 55 million motorcycles, achieved 100% helmet use and was able to continuing to reduce injury and death rates in the last decade. The National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) leads road safety in accordance with the guidelines recommended by the World Bank. The NTSC has single line of command under Deputy Prime Minister while Thailand has two levels of command with lack of authority across different agencies. The NTSC can create the result-focus national road safety plan that harmonize related agencies to work in the same direction. Thailand needs to improve the management structure of the leading agency to harmonize, monitor, evaluate and drive a national road safety action plan between sectors and create a national action plan that sets the result focus on reducing injuries and deaths within a time frame.