Starting April 1, the maximum speed limit on highways will change from 90km per hour to 120km per hour. The new policy by Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob is not only sending a confusing signal to drivers but is also raising the need for an urgent debate about road safety.
Published in the Royal Gazette on March 10, the ministerial regulation mandates drivers using the outermost lane of a four-lane highway to drive no less than 100km per hour and no more than 120km per hour. The speed must be maintained unless the lane is hindered, hampered by poor visibility or obstructed. The rule will not yet be applied to all highways but initially to only one section of Highway 32 starting from Bang Pa-in district in Ayutthaya to Ang Thong province — a distance of 50km — for a two-month trial.
The new traffic law may…
