Seminar on Road Safety in Southeast Asia : Issues and Prospects
Séminaire
📌 Screening venue : Alliance française in Bangkok, 179 Thanon Witthayu, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330
📅 Date : 04 November 2024
🕒 Schedule : 8:45 AM – 4 PM
The seminar is jointly organized by the French Embassy in Thailand and the Research Institute on Contemporary Southeast Asia (IRASEC). It will gather experts from Thailand, the United Nations and France, providing a comparative approach to global issues of road safety and formulating concrete recommendations. It will include three round-table discussions and presentations led by experts from various Southeast Asian countries and France (magistrates and police officers), for a comparative approach to the context and challenges of road safety in Southeast Asia, and the formulation of concrete recommendations for improving road safety. The round tables will be held in English, with Thai interpretation.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Southeast Asia is the 2nd region in the world most affected by road deaths, and Thailand, the country with the highest road death rate in this region.
The WHO’s “Global status report on road safety 2018” indicates that the number of deaths due to road accidents worldwide continues to rise, reaching 1.35 million in 2016, while the mortality rate relative to the size of the world’s population has stabilized in recent years. The progress made in a number of countries to stabilize the overall risk of dying from road accidents has not occurred at a fast enough pace to offset the increase in population and rapid motorization of transport in many parts of the world.
Where progress has been made, this is largely attributable to improved legislation on key risks such as speeding, drink-driving and failure to wear seatbelts, motorcycle helmets and child restraints.
Effective enforcement involves establishing, regularly updating and enforcing laws at national, municipal and local levels to combat the above-mentioned risk factors. It also means establishing appropriate levels of penalties. These measures have helped reduce road deaths in 48 countries.
What safety for two-wheelers in Southeast Asia ?
In Southeast Asia, the growing number of motorcyclists not wearing helmets is a scourge. While motorcyclists and passengers account for 28% of all road deaths, in Southeast Asia this proportion rises to 43%. These figures reflect the scale of the problem, but they also raise profound questions about the underlying causes of road unsafety.
From a sociological point of view, it is essential to understand driver behavior, attitudes towards safety and public awareness. From a public policy point of view, we need to take account of existing regulations, their enforcement and cooperation between governments to harmonize standards. The economic stakes are also high, as road accidents entail high costs in terms of healthcare, lost productivity and damaged infrastructure.
To reflect together on the complex and interconnected issues in this hard-hit region, we propose to bring together multi-disciplinary experts and researchers in a seminar, and thus create a space where knowledge will be shared, ideas discussed and best practices identified. By encouraging an inter-state dialogue, we aim to transcend national boundaries and address road safety as a regional challenge requiring cooperation and mutual understanding.
