EDITORIAL I: The frightening cost of death
Published on November 23, 2004
The fatality rate on Asean’s chaotic roads is exacting a terrible social and economic toll
The estimated death toll of 385,000 men, women and children, and millions others injured or
maimed in Southeast Asia over the next five years sounds more like the casualty count from a major armed conflict. However, there aren’t any large-scale wars in the region. The projected loss of lives and injuries are attributable to one single, man-made factor – road safety, or the lack thereof. According to the Asian Development Bank, which sponsored an in-depth report, some 75,000 people were killed and more than 4.7 million injured or disabled for life in road accidents in Southeast Asian countries last year.
This startling revelation was among a litany of grim statistics publicised by the ADB, aimed at drumming up support among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for the drafting of a five-year Regional Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan.
Asean groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The proposed coordinated approach to improving road safety is due to be discussed today at an Asean transport ministers meeting in Phnom Penh.
The well-researched report was bound to raise eyebrows – but not because Southeast Asians are squeamish about the loss of precious human lives to senseless road mishaps, many if not most of which are preventable – after all, life continues to be a cheap commodity in most Asean countries. Rather, the report grabs the attention because of the thoroughness with which the researchers collected mismatched sets of data from 10 different countries, harmonised facts and figures and crunched numbers to produce a report that provides insights and a sense of perspective for policymakers and the general public.
If the sheer number of people killed and maimed on Southeast Asia’s deadly highways and byways fails to move or stir governments and peoples into action, perhaps the staggering economic cost from traffic deaths and injuries could do the trick?
According to the ADB, if nothing is done to improve road safety, not only will some 385,000 people die, with millions of others injured and maimed, traffic accidents will also incur an economic cost of over US$88 billion (Bt3.5trillion). Annual economic losses from road accidents are put at around $15 billion, or 2.2 per cent of the region’s total gross domestic product.
In other words, life may continue to be cheap in this part of the world, but the economic cost associated with untimely, preventable deaths of otherwise able-bodied, tax-paying, productive members of the society comes with a price. One has only to think about the lost income, lost productivity, property damage, medical bills, social problems and other burdens on society to appreciate the magnitude of the problems caused by the lack of road safety.
Surely no society can sustain such huge casualties and ballooning economic cost and still expect to achieve sustainable economic and social development.
It is still not clear what form the proposed regional strategy and action plan to improve road safety in the region will take, and whether it will be effective. But at least one thing is clear for Thailand: out of the 10 Asean countries, Thailand recorded the highest number of deaths – 13,116 – reported to police in 2003. Although there were discrepancies between the deaths reported to the police and estimates based on local research, health statistics and sample surveys, the grim situation Thailand is in cannot be overstated.
In monetary terms, Indonesia loses the most in the region, amounting to $6.03 billion per year (or 2.91 per cent of its annual GDP), followed by Thailand at $3 billion (2.1 per cent of GDP).
Surely, leading the countries in the region with level of road carnage, compounded by runaway economic cost, is not something Thailand should be proud of. It’s high time the Thai authorities and members of the public took the initiative to slow down and avert the country’s hell-bent rush along its killer roads toward economic disaster.
We can start with strict enforcement of traffic laws. Because too many Thai motorists have little or no regard for human life, perhaps including their own, strict enforcement must be backed by strong deterrents, including steep fines and mandatory jail terms for reckless motorists causing death and injury, regardless of their economic or social status.
SO NOW
See below!!
So that did not last long did it?
What did I say about Thai Driving Licences?
Oh This is what I said to my friend:
Anyway we are now the proud possessors of a glitzy black Toyota, which after 5 minutes in the Sukothai dust looks like a badly rusted coal scuttle. However the alternative colours were dire and besides I have not had a black car since that old Austin 10 when I was 8! The clock goes up to 220 kph..can this be possible? I doubt it ..lots of the roads here are like those provincial French ones…30 kilos of straight road, but without the plane trees..so maybe! Not planning to try.
K has been to ‘driving school’ for 20 hours and has thus on payment of a consideration of £50 received a driving licence. There were some hiccups over minor matters like hill starts and reversing round corners, neither of which have yet been achieved, but hey so what. There seems some doubt over whether she can actually drive in the UK with this ludicrous piece of paper, but even if not now ..only wait one year…lordy! We were returning from a not so distant kraal yesterday and The Bill fancied a look at driving licences. I gave him my International one which he studied for a while, upside down, then saluted smartly and waved us on. They have discovered they can charge £8 to those not in possession of driving licence, which means about 80% of Thai drivers are likely to be game…it goes up to £12 as you get nearer payday at the end of the month, then they disappear off the streets for a while.
Oh...My foot a bit slow on the brake..well of course Flip Flops
