An In-Depth Investigation of Roadside Crashes on Thai National Highways

Road crashes in Thailand cause some 13,000 deaths each year. About 12% of these occur on national highways under the jurisdiction of the Department of Highways (DOH). For the past four years, 2007-2010, roadside crashes have constituted between 42.2 - 47.9 %, averaged 44% of the total crashes on the DOH's highways. This paper presents the result of in-depth roadside crash investigations with the aim of improving the roadside safety situation in Thailand. It was found that speeding was the main human error that contributed to the crashes, accounting for 57% of the causes. The cases involving vehicle hitting trees, the most common roadside hazard in Thailand, were found to be the most serious and common roadside crashes accounting for 72% with resulting 48 fatalities. The paper gives details of the investigation into the cause and consequences of these crashes. The authors urge DOH to take needed actions on the proposed strategies to deal with this immensely serious problem. The strategies are based on the DOH Roadside Safety Strategic Plan 2009-2013.