FOR THE EXPAT IN ALL OF US! ISSUE 411 6th January 2017
ABSENT WITH OUT LEAVE IN THE LAND OF SMILES
FREE
EVERY FRIDAY SINCE 2008
THE ORIGINAL AND BEST!
GET RACING FROM ONLY 400 BAHT! OPEN EVERYDAY 10.30AM - 7PM
Call 032 547 199 (Office) or 081 817 3000 (Mobile) Located on Soi 2, Phetchkasem Road opposite Hua Hin Airport
www.gokarthuahin.com info@gokarthuahin.com
Victor’s
OPEN 24/7
WIDE RANGE OF ROOMS IN THE HEART OF HUA HIN A/C, LCD TV, DVD player, fridge, free premium wifi, cable TV victorguesthouse@gmail.com 032 511564 60 Naresdamri Road, Hua Hin
P A N AMA BAR
Good Times Every Night A DJ To Save Your Life
NO CHANGE
ROAD DEATHS AND INJURIES CONTINUE TO RISE IN THAILAND
•The• national and local media in Thailand at this time of year is always awash with the news about the HUA HIN
number of deaths and injuries occurring in road accidents during the ‘seven deadly days’. And indeed, here at AWOL, we frequently report on foreigners who have died on the road, and try to stress to you, our readers, the dangers that await all of us on the highways and byways here. However, the focus on the holiday periods of New Year and the Thai New Year of Songkran, in April, while understandable in that many more people are normally travelling at these times, is actually quite misleading. So far, figures available for the period 29th December 2016 to 3rd January 2017 indicate that there have been 426 deaths and 3,761 injured during that time. This is an increase on last year, but does not deviate very much from what the average number every other day of the year is. The last year statistics are currently available for is 2013, and the total number of road deaths for the whole year was 24,237, or an average of just over 66 per day. The average for this New Year is 71 per day. Statistics for Hua Hin specifically are not available, and only the figures for certain provinces have been made available for the current period, and Prachuap Kiri Khan is not one of them. However all provinces have been instructed to use the data to find solutions to reduce accidents not only during long holidays but also on regular days. At the same time, they were asked to promote conscience and responsibility among motorists, by Lt Gen Teerawat Boonyawat, head of civil affairs of the National Council for Peace and Order. We can only hope that these efforts, and the new more stringent driving test will go some way to reduce the daily carnage on Thailand’s roads. Ultimately it requires both better education, stricter enforcement and a change in attitudes to do so though.