Another tragic accident on the “road of death” involving a foreign tourist occurred on the resort island of Phuket on September 18th. According to The Phuketnews, the lives of travelers have been regularly cut short there lately.
Death Road is a highway in the northern part of Phuket where foreign tourists who run across it die every month. Therefore, Russians traveling to Phuket should be extremely careful there.
The incident occurred on a recently expanded highway. In this regard, members of the local community in Khao Lak called for measures to reduce the speed of motorists on the highway passing through popular tourist areas.
A 40-year-old Swedish traveler was killed under the wheels of a car. At 10:30 p.m., he tried to cross the highway, but was hit by a Honda sedan at full speed. The fatal accident happened just before traffic lights in Bang Nyang, where traffic lights turn to flashing yellow at night.
Earlier last month, a French tourist was killed in a similar attempt to cross the road 500 meters before a traffic light in Khao Lak. The Frenchman was crossing the road along a painted zebra. The man behind the wheel of the car that killed a French man last month has been charged with reckless driving resulting in death. Under Thai law, this carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to 32,500 rubles (20,000 baht) or both.
The fatal crashes happened just a few kilometers apart on a highway that authorities have widened in recent years to two lanes each way. The refurbished track stretches a total of more than 24 km from Khao Lak to Baan Bang Muang, south of Takuapa. Since then, drivers have not tried to slow down when passing through small coastal villages and not slowing down in settlements where people cross the road.
A member of the local rescue fund who responded to both accidents told the publication that the fatal last month's crash did not prompt the authorities to take any action to ensure safety and encourage drivers to slow down.
Regarding a traveler who was hit by a zebra crossing last month, he noted: “There are white lines on the road, but no signs informing drivers that there is a zebra crossing ahead. In addition, he said, the zebra crossing is also located just after the ridge of the road, making it impossible for drivers heading north to see that there is a pedestrian crossing.
“Something needs to be done to force drivers to slow down when passing through here. Speed cameras or more police checkpoints need to be installed… Signs telling drivers to slow down don’t work,” said the expert.
Although the road is technically a highway, the speed limit is through Khao Lak and Bang Nyang, according to the SDA , is 70 km/h because it is in a municipal area. “Most vehicles pass here at a higher speed than the permitted 70 km/h,” the source added.
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