Safer roads will boost Thai GDP by 22 per cent…

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Safer roads will boost Thai GDP by 22

∠
per cent: World Bank
national September 24, 2018 01:00
By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
THE NATION
4,234 Viewed

THAILAND could gain significant long-term

economic benefit by making the roads safer and
saving its mainly young and capable population
from premature death in accidents, the World
Bank says.

A report released earlier this year, titled “The High Toll of

Traffic Injuries: Unacceptable and Preventable”,
concludes that, if road traffic injuries could be reduced in
Thailand by 50 per cent and satisfactory road safety
sustained for 24 years, the economy would enjoy a 22-
per-cent boost.

Dipan Bose, one of the researchers involved, said the key

to earning that substantial benefit was ensuring that
productive young people live long enough to contribute to
the country’s prosperity.

Instead, they’re dying or being maimed in road crashes

while still young.
Dipan Bose

“Road traffic injuries are the single largest cause of

mortality and long-term disability among people in the
prime working ages of 15 to 29 years old,” said Bose of
the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility.

“By improving road safety, we can save many young and

valuable people – human capital – from being killed or
disabled in road accidents,” he said in an exclusive
interview with The Nation earlier this week.

Statistics indicated that three out of four victims of traffic

accidents were young and male and most were poor
families’ breadwinners.

By losing these productive young people, not only does

the country lose the benefit of their economic
contributions, but their families suffer heavily as well.

According to the Thai Road Safety Centre, 15,256 people

died in road accidents last year. Nearly 79 per cent of the
deceased were male and most were 16 to 25 years old.

Bose said improved road safety also brings welfare

benefits to society. The researchers calculated that, if the
road-accident mortality rate could be halved from now to
2038, 138,168 deaths could be prevented.
That would lead to macro-level income growth,
generating an additional flow of income equivalent to
22.2 per cent of Thailand’s 2014 GDP, he said, and
provide general welfare benefits to society ranging from
$850,000 to $1.8 million.

With the potential for such high economic and social

gains, said Bose, Thailand and other middle-income
countries would be wise to give priority to making roads
safer.

Improving the infrastructure, promoting use of public

transport and encouraging people to walk or cycle rather
than driving would all accomplish this.

Thailand’s roads are the second deadliest in the world,

according to the World Health Organisation, with
accident fatalities topping 36 per every 100,000 people
and an annual estimated death toll above 24,000.

That breaks down to 66 people dying daily on the roads,

causing preventable financial loss equivalent to 3 per
cent of Thai GDP.
More than 11,000 deaths and 717,000 injuries have
occurred|in road accidents in Thailand so far this year.

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