Those found texting on their mobile phones while driving in Bangkok will be arrested after the Metropolitan Police Bureau on Tuesday enforced a new rule prohibiting the act. Though the gravity of the new regulation is not enough to land text message addicts in jail, they are required to pay a maximum fine of 1,000 baht if the law is broken.
Traffic police in 88 police stations around the capital have received the order and are now keeping an eye on those discreetly tapping on their mobiles in flickering movements while they sit behind the steering wheel. In police-free zones, the city's functional CCTV cameras will act as lawmen, recording drivers' behaviour with traffic tickets being delivered to their doorsteps.
This no-texting-while-driving operation is a reminder of a road safety campaign in the US launched a few months ago by the US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Under the theme "You Drive. You Text. You Pay", it's the country's first federally-funded ad campaign to discuss and raise awareness regarding distracted drivers.
The campaign's first 30-second TV spot, which was recently introduced to Thailand, features three young adults in a car doing magazine crosswords. Suddenly, the female driver receives an instant message alert on her phone. She takes her eyes off the road only for a few seconds and fails to see a stop sign. The car is hit by a lorry, heading full speed towards the driver's side of the car. The car is tossed around on an empty road.
The aftermath of the crash is not shown, though fatalities can be easily predicted. The footage ends with a message: "If you are texting, you are not driving."
Banning texting while driving is not a new concept. In the US, for example, it has been banned in California, along with the usage of hand-held devices and mobile phones for bus drivers and novice drivers. In New York, hand-held devices and texting is prohibited and the same is banned in Washington, Nevada, New Jersey and many other US states.
To sum up, the US has banned text messaging while driving in 44 states, while 12 have prohibited drivers from using hand-held devices. US police offers can,
by law, ticket drivers for the offence
without any other traffic violation taking place.
In Thailand, prohibiting all mobile phone use, inclusive of texting, is not new. The Land Traffic Act modified in 2008 prohibits drivers from using mobile phones while driving, except in cases where a supplemental accessory such as a Bluetooth headset is used. Attempts from public and private organisations to promote and raise awareness regarding safe driving in Thailand are continuing.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau's new rule is a positive step in the right direction, which may be able to reduce car accidents. With the rule being put into effect, more drivers are likely to become attentive to safe driving.
But the real question is: For how long will this no-texting-while-driving
regulation work? For how long will
drivers refrain from texting given that they do not see how important it is to comply to the 2008 law in the first place?
Years ago when the Thai authorities first started to get serious with the "use seat belts while driving" rule, Thai drivers developed a strong commitment to obey. Today, less than 40% fasten their seat belts and 43% consider them unnecessary when travelling short distances, according to the Thai Roads Foundation.
Obviously, traffic laws in the US are stricter than in Thailand. But it does not mean that the law has never been broken.
About 71% of teens and young people say they have composed or sent short mobile messages while driving, for example, and almost 80% of teens and young adults say they read mobile messages while driving, according to studies from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In tackling careless driving, the law is only part of the equation. The key to enforcing it is public awareness regarding the importance of safe driving. Tougher directives with harsher punishment can be good weapons against irresponsible driving. But for long-term solutions, these imperatives might be useless if people have no interest in obeying the law.
For more safety on the roads, it is all about drivers being able to follow the existing traffic laws. Yet on the police side, it is about how they can more efficiently and strictly implement the authority they already possess.
And so if we understand and respect the gravity of the law we already have, new and upcoming measures might not be a necessity.
Arusa Pisuthipan is Muse editor for the Bangkok Post.