In 2015, some 9,000 people in Vietnam died in traffic accidents. Our Thai neighbors, however, faced even greater danger on the road last year with a traffic-related death toll of 24,000. As a result, the Thai government has come up with a rather macabre way to rectify this problem: sending drunk drivers to the morgue.
The morgue campaign, spearheaded by the Thai Department of Probation, started in April and has since sent more than 1,700 drunk drivers to visit several morgues in the country, according to The Star.
Courts will deliberate on who deserves the punishment, reports BBC. If convicted, drunk drivers are required to clock 12 to 48 hours of community service which includes working at a hospital morgue or emergency room in lieu of jail time.
According to World Health Organization, Thailand has the world’s second-worst record for traffic fatalities behind Libya. Drunk driving is the most prevalent cause of road accidents.
The campaign’s beginning also dovetailed with Thailand’s celebration of Songkran, during which time Thai roads experience a huge increase in traffic as people return to their hometown for reunions and alcohol-addled family meals.
[Photo via The Star]
