“Je Set” orders the Road Safety Operations Center (ศปถ.) to oversee road safety measures following a vehicle collision involving a group of monks on pilgrimage in Mukdahan Province, Thailand.
On 3 Jul 2026 GMT+7, Je Set Thai Set, Deputy Minister of the Interior, responding to concerns from Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who also serves as director of the Road Safety Operations Center (ศปถ.), instructed the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ปภ.)—the secretariat of the Road Safety Operations Center—to implement measures to prevent and reduce road accidents in the aftermath of the vehicle collision involving monks on pilgrimage in Mukdahan. He emphasized that provincial, district, and local administrative road safety centers must prioritize four main approaches:
1) Preventing children and youth from driving vehicles: local authorities, village heads, and community leaders are to monitor and urge parents not to allow underage or unlicensed youth to operate vehicles and to keep vehicle keys out of children's reach.
2) Strict enforcement of the law: coordinate with local police to crack down on unlicensed driving, unauthorized youth drivers, driving on road shoulders without necessity, and speeding beyond legal limits.
3) Public awareness campaigns via provincial media such as community radio, public announcement systems, and social media to encourage drivers to reduce speed and exercise caution when encountering pedestrians or pilgrim monks roadside, especially during early morning and dusk when visibility is limited.
4) Improving roadside environments: coordinate with highway agencies and local governments to inspect and maintain lighting, warning signs, and traffic markings along main and secondary routes to ensure they are operational and clearly visible.
The Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Theerapat Kachamat, stated that the department, as secretariat of the Road Safety Operations Center, has coordinated with Mukdahan Province to urgently implement these measures through all levels of the road safety command centers. They will continuously monitor progress, particularly focusing on surveillance of unlicensed youth drivers, educating parents, and addressing high-risk roadside areas to ensure practical effectiveness and reduce accident risks.
Finally, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation urges parents to closely supervise their children, prohibiting underage and unlicensed youth from using vehicles. They also call on all road users to strictly obey traffic laws, reduce speed, drive cautiously, and increase vigilance when encountering pedestrians or monks walking along roadsides to collectively prevent accidents, minimize losses, and ensure safe travel, Theerapat concluded.