CityNews – The Royal Thai Police and the Ministry of Interior are considering increasing speed limits on highways and decreasing speed limits in urban areas which would see the first change in speed limit laws since 1979.
The proposal comes after discussions about how road conditions had significantly improved over the last 37 years. Roads are now more than one or two lanes wide, and road surfaces mean driving at higher speeds is safer than back when the previous law was written.
The current speed limit of 80-90 km/h on highways harks back to a time when highways had only two traffic lanes.
The new proposal would set speed limits on inter-provincial highways with no intersections or crossroads at at maximum of 110 km/h.
For urban areas, the current speed limit is 80 km/h which authorities attribute to the high number of pedestrian fatalities. Of the 20,000 people who die in traffic accidents every year, 2,000 are pedestrians, according to Thai PBS.
Dr Thanapong Jinvong, manager of the Road Safety Group Thailand, suggests that the urban speed limit should be set at the international standard of 50 km/h, however police are currently discussing a reduction from 80 km/h to 60 km/h in urban areas.
The proposal is still in the discussion stage.