Japanese fund research to help us learn why so many die on our roads

Awardees: Dinh, second left, Chanida, third left, and Kawin, fifth left./Wannapa Phetdee

"Policymakers and also police haven't reflected on whether those measures they have issued or implemented are appropriate," said Chanida Anurakamolkul, one of a fivemember team from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).

Since police have reported that speeding was a main cause of road accidents, and in a bid to help authorities employ speed control measures, her team had decided to focus its study on traffic signs, such as for speed limits; engineering design, such as rumble strips; and traffic law enforcement, such as using cameras as evidence to fine speeding drivers.

"We'll use a questionnaire to find out if drivers agree or disagree, obey or ignore the current speed management measures," Chanida said. "After completing this research, we'll propose the findings to policymakers and police next year."

This research proposal from AIT Assist Prof Kunnawee Kanitpong was awarded a research grant of Bt150,000 from Japan's Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Welfare Foundation. This is the first time for MSIWF to search for suitable projects in Thailand.

MSIWF held an awards presentation ceremony on Wednesday at the Bangkok Club for the three topics winning a Bt150,000 grant this year.

Chanida went to the ceremony as Kunnawee's representative.

The other two proposals were from Mahidol University International College's Science Laboratory Manager Kawin Plaon and AIT's Vietnamese doctorate candidate in structural engineering Dinh Van Nguyen.

Kawin will determine the factors influencing pedestrians' decision not to use overhead walkways in Nakhon Pathom's Buddhamonthon area and Dinh will assess the safety and passenger ride comfort measures of the express railway section.

"To make use of my research I'll present the outcomes to all stakeholders in the survey scope, including local administration organisations, police and pedestrians, so that they'll try to find a more effective strategy to encourage more and more pedestrians to use the walkways," Kawin said.

 Dinh hopes that his research will help predict catastrophic train accidents, assist in the establishment of a proper maintenance plan for railroad tracks and increase the quality of railway service.

"Traffic accidents kill about 13,000 people a year, or 35 deaths a day - almost five times higher than the number of deaths from crimes, while the fatality rate of road accidents in Thailand is about four times higher than those of industrialised countries," Dr Tairjing Siripanich, secretarygeneral of the Don't Drive Drunk Foundation, said at the awards ceremony.

MSIWF executive director Kazuo Sekiguchi said the foundation selected these researchers for grants as it hopes to help improve traffic safety.

"We'll have them report their results next year and also will post the outcomes on our foundation's website. Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group can also apply the findings in its social corporate responsibility projects in the future," Sekiguchi said.

"We plan to continue giving other researchers in Thailand traffic safety research grants next year and we'll probably offer them eldercare research grants in the future," he added.

MSIWF has been supporting initiatives in the areas of automobile accident prevention since its inception in 1975 and later it has been supporting research regarding eldercare in Japan.

It has extended grants to researchers in Singapore since 2007.

Already 1,572 research grants with a combined value of 1.97 billion (Bt762.26 million) have been disbursed.

Last year 48 awardees in all three countries picked up grants worth 42.6 million.