AUTHORITIES have confirmed the controversial ban on passengers in the cargo bed of pickup trucks and extended cabin space will be implemented after Songkran. But road safety experts said yesterday there were more practical ways to ensure long-term road safety.

Their suggestions included:

• Registering personal cars and trucks so they can legally carry people and loads;
• Requiring owners of pickup trucks to have seatbelts and for seats with belts to be installed in the extended cabin space and the cargo bed of pickups;
• Banning pickup trucks that carry |passengers in the cargo bed from using Level 1 and 2 highways, but allowing them on Level 3 and 4 roads where vehicles go at lower speeds;
• Imposing a speed limit of 90 kmh and punishing motorists who exceed the limit harshly.

Academics said owners should be allowed to use pickups to carry many people to a specific event such as an ordination or funeral procession in rural areas. But such processions should be banned from inter-provincial highways and supervised by local police.

Most accidents were caused by drunk or reckless drivers, or people falling asleep behind wheel, so police should focus on those issues to curb road deaths, they said.

Police in Bangkok issued a letter yesterday to confirm that up to six passengers will be allowed to ride in open cargo beds of pickup trucks during the Songkran period from April 11-17.

The letter signed by deputy chief Pol Maj-General Jirapat Phumjit said that police will fine drivers and passengers in the front seat who fail to wear seatbelts, while allowing passengers to ride in the extended cab space. Operators of public transport vehicles including vans, taxis and inter-provincial buses will be fined if any passengers are found not wearing seatbelts, it said.

Pick-up ban was our idea, not PM: Prawit

Deputy Premier Prawit Wongsuwan, meanwhile, urged the public not to criticise Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha for banning passengers from riding in the open cargo bed of pickup trucks. He admitted that he and a joint committee had proposed such a ban for the premier, out of a concern for public safety.

In Phichit, provincial transport office chief Surachai Tabya led officials to inspect public transport vehicles, notably vans, and check on drivers’ sobriety to boost road safety ahead of the Thai New Year next week. He also warned van drivers not to let other drivers use their GPS card to avoid being detected for speeding, saying card owners would be held responsible for any illegal action by people borrowing their cards.

On Thursday, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said his agency aimed to reduce road accidents on highways by 5 per cent against the 1,358 accidents last Songkran. Among the measures being taken are: repairs of roads, rest stops, a “real-time” traffic monitoring system, the free hotline 1586 and toll-free motorway services from April 11-18.