Increased safety measures at Bangkok pedestrian crossings are being urged as most road accidents have been found to happen outside schools and hospitals.
ThaiHealth's Social Mobilisation for Motorcycle Safety Project made the call following a recent accident in which a motorcycle hit a 68-year-old South Korean tourist at a pedestrian crossing outside a hospital on Phaya Thai Road in Ratchathewi district.
It was the same location where an ophthalmologist was killed by a motorcyclist while crossing the street, two years ago.
The project manager said the fact that the two accidents occurred in the same location, despite there being a clear stop light, reflects Thailand's failure to address road accident prevention.
In many countries, she said, rumble strips are installed ahead of pedestrian crossings to slow vehicles down, which can help prevent accidents.
Some of China's pedestrian crossings have illuminated signs, smart sensors and sound alerts when pedestrians are waiting to cross.
South Korea uses a smart crosswalk system, which has lights on the ground for pedestrians.
In other safety measures, there are also cameras and sensors to capture licence plates of vehicles violating crosswalk rules.
Recent data from CCTV cameras at pedestrian crossings in Bangkok show 20 high-risk locations where accidents often happen are in front of schools and hospitals.
