THE Traffic Management Centre warned that counterflow driving risks serious accidents and carries severe penalties including vehicle confiscation and imprisonment, TV Channel 7 said today (Jan. 26).
Pol. Gen. Samran Nualma, this centre’s deputy commissioner general, said recent data shows that counterflowing is a significant cause of numerous serious accidents. This not only violates Land Traffic Act B.E. 2522 (1979), but also demonstrates negligence on the part of the driver that can cause harm to others.
A violation occurred last Thursday (Jan. 22) at around 7.53 p.m. with the expressway traffic control centre detecting a private vehicle counterflowing from a rest area outbound to Kanchanaburi. A warning was immediately radioed to the local highway police and officers promptly intercepted the vehicle preventing a serious accident.
The driver, a 67-year-old woman, stated that she chose to counterflow on the return trip even though she could have continued and used a safe exit to make a U-turn. She was charged with “driving without regard for the safety of others” under the Road Traffic Act B.E. 2522.
Pol. Lt. General Somprasong Yenthuam, assistant commissioner of police and deputy director of this centre, said going on the opposite direction of the traffic on the expressway is extremely dangerous because of high speeds and heavy traffic and could lead to serious accidents that could entail the loss of life and property.
Police are going to strictly enforce the law without exception with those caught “driving without regard for the safety of other people’s lives” facing up to one year in jail and a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 baht, or both.
In all such cases, the investigating officers must gather evidence and present it to the public prosecutor, along with a recommendation to the court to confiscate the vehicle used in the offence in order to deter risky behaviour that endangers the lives and property of road users.
CAPTION:
Top and Front Page – A car counterflowing on the expressway. Photo – TV Channel 7
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