Thailand - September 28, 2017

The Legal Development Program (LDP) convened road safety legal scholars and key government officials for a multi-stakeholder discussion on obstacles and successes of Thailand’s Traffic Fine System and penalty provisions in the country’s Road Traffic Act, B.E. 2522. The event began with a panel discussion with five road safety legal experts including Pol. Lt. Gen. Wittaya Prayongpan, Ass. Prof. Dr. Taweesak Taekratok, Thanachart Paliyawate, Dr. Thanapong Jinawong, and Fred Wegman taking turns offering their perspectives on legislation, enforcement and traffic fines, and penalties in Thailand and other countries. Key recommendations that emerged from the convening were that current and future efforts should be directed towards improving enforcement tools and mechanisms for traffic violation detection, recording, and processing in order to generate respect for the law and deter repeat offences. An emphasis was also placed on measures such as education and awareness raising, which would have to be developed and implemented alongside enforcement.

The LDP, which is led globally by the World Health Organization and the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety, aims to build the capacities of legal, civil society, and media professionals to strengthen road safety legislation and enforcement. AIP Foundation coordinates LDP activities in Thailand.