Phuket road safety workshop targets Safe System approach

Phuket officials have held a multi-agency workshop aimed at improving coordination on road safety as the province reports 122 deaths and more than 20,180 injuries in road accidents so far this year.

The workshop, titled “Developing Leaders to Integrate and Improve the Effectiveness of Area-Level Road Accident Prevention and Reduction, 2026”, took place on Thursday, 24 September 2026, at the A2 Pool Resort Phuket on the bypass road in Ratsada.

Phuket Governor Chotinarin Kerdsom assigned Wasan Chai-thaweewong, director of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Centre Region 18, to chair the event. Participants included Phuket Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office chief Warat Surawadee, Pol Col Phasakorn Sonthikul representing Phuket Provincial Police, Phuket Transport Office chief Adcha Buachan, representatives of the Phuket Highway Office and officials from other agencies.

Discussions focused on Phuket’s road-safety situation, the responsibilities of each agency and the move towards a sustainable “Safe System” approach. Officials examined challenges and limitations affecting accident prevention, along with measures covering law enforcement, road-user behaviour, data management, transport and vehicle systems, road infrastructure and identified accident blackspots.

The programme included a presentation on “Unlocking Local Power for Road Safety” and a practical session titled “Turning Knowledge into Safe Road Use”, intended to help officials apply the approaches discussed in their daily work.

According to the Phuket Provincial branch of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, 122 people have died and more than 20,180 people have been injured in road accidents in Phuket so far this year. The provincial government said the initiative aimed to strengthen multi-agency cooperation and the use of data in planning to reduce losses from crashes and improve safety for residents and visitors.