'Keep teens sober during Songkran'
Highway police Commander Maj-General Suwira Songmetta and Miss Thailand World 2005 Sirinda Jensen hand out road-safety stickers at a checkpoint on the Bangkok-Chon Buri highway yesterday.
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Parents are being warned to keep their children under 18 away from alcohol during the Songkran festival, as authorities plan to crack down on underage drinking during as part of the effort to curb the road toll during the annual holiday.
Parents whose children are caught drinking during the festival could face penalties - starting with a written warning - under the Child Protection Act of 2003, said Dr Narong Sahamethapat, deputy head of the Disease Control Department.
Those who sell alcohol to children face a maximum three-month prison term and a Bt30,000 fine under separate legislation, the doctor said.
Recent statistics showing a large increase in alcohol consumption among teens combined with reckless motorbike riding were particularly worrying, Narong said.
"This group needs to be watched," he said.
While the Songkran holiday road toll has declined in recent years, the average annual road toll has risen, said Dr Surachet Satitnirmai, director of the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.
The average daily road-accident fatality rate rose from 38 in 2004 to 39 last year, he said.
The Songkran road toll has been cut thanks to the deployment of extraordinary resources and manpower during the festival, Surachet said. But this unbalanced approach of focusing resources on the holiday period has actually led to an increase in the annual average death rate, he said.
More than half of all road accident deaths could be prevented by deterring people from driving while drunk, said Surachet.
Arthit Khwankhom
The Nation
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