Helmet among youths promoted

BANGKOK, Nov 5 (TNA) -- Minister of Social Development and Human Security Adul Saengsingkaew on Wednesday presented safety helmets to students, while urging senior citizens to advise their grandchildren to be more mindful of road accidents. Pol Gen Adul, together with secretary-general of the Kon Huang Hua or Mind the Head Club, Don't Drive Drunk Foundation, and the National Elderly Council officially launched the project earlier, opening a platform for senior citizens to express their worries to the younger generations. The minister also presented safety helmets to students during the opening ceremony of the project. The minister said that presently, Thailand is seeing a fatality rate ratio from road accidents as high as 36.2 per cent to every 100,000 people, which is the second highest figure in the world. He added that drinking and driving among youths and those who do not use safety helmet are most at risk of loosing their lives when accidents occurred. He said the ministry has then cooperated with the Don't Drive Drunk Foundation to provide safety helmet to youths to prevent further accidents, while aiming to create a more loving family by encouraging the elderly of each family to warn their grandchildren to be more careful on the road. The said project is fully supported by the New Hampshire Insurance Co, Ltd, a subsidiary of the AIG group, which provided 3,500 safety helmets to help strengthen road accident prevention. According to statistics, over 2 million youths in Thailand are still riding their motorcycles without safety helmets, which the ministry has planned to urgently promote the importance of safety helmets among youths continuously to create awareness. (TNA)