The Department of Disease Control (DDC) will launch a campaign next year urging children under 15 not to ride motorcycles in a bid to curb road casualties among youngsters.
DDC director-general Suwanchai Watthanayingcharoenchai said the campaign is part of a series of measures the department is taking to curb road accidents and fatalities.
Citing reports from transport agencies, Dr Suwanchai said: "The fatality rate in road accidents in Thailand remains high and poses a serious concern especially among the 15-29 age group, many of whom were killed in motorcycle-related accidents.
"We'll have to implement measures to protect them and agencies concerned are mobilising resources and efforts to address this problem," he said.
He said the department will also launch another campaign aimed at reducing road accidents outside hospitals, claiming that roads in front of several hospitals are accident-prone.
"Traffic outside hospitals is chaotic as people enter and leave hospital all the time. This makes the roads vulnerable to accidents," he said.
The DDC will also mobilise efforts from various agencies including police and the Department of Transport to step up law enforcement and increase public awareness of road safety, he added.
Dr Suwanchai's remarks came as he shared the findings of a report on road safety compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in which Thailand saw a reduction in road fatalities compared with the last report in 2015.
According to the WHO's Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018, published earlier this month, the death toll from road accidents in Thailand stood at 22,491 people, or 60 a day, and the death rate was estimated at 32.8 per 100,000 people.
Thailand ranked ninth among 175 nations in terms of road fatalities -- down from second in 2015.
The DDC chief said the WHO's figures were consistent with records compiled by Thai authorities.
In 2016, 21,745 people were killed in road accidents and the fatality rate was put at 31.58 per 100,000 people.
Based on the WHO's report, its fourth edition, about 1.35 million people were killed worldwide in road accidents this year, or 3,700 a day.
Moreover, road accidents were the leading cause of death among children and young people.
Dr Suwanchai also called on motorists to take road safety precautions and provide full co-operation to authorities with the New Year holiday approaching.
These precautions include refraining from drink-driving and speeding, and wearing safety belts in cars and crash helmets on motorcycles, he noted.
