The first SIX days of Thailand’s Songkran festival, which started on April 11, has seen an overall increase in traffic accidents compared to last year’s celebrations, resulting in more casualties. But the death toll from road accidents has decreased, according to the Interior Ministry.
Chotenarin Kerdsom, the permanent secretary, reported that there were 2,008 traffic accidents during this six day period, causing 236 deaths and injuring 2,005 others.
Compared to the same period of last year’s Thai New Year celebration, the number of accidents rose by 16%, and the number of injured people increased by 18%. Despite this, there was a 4.45% drop in the death toll. Mr. Chotenarin pointed out that Bangkok had the highest number of deaths during the holiday season, with 20 fatalities, while the northern province of Nan recorded the most traffic accidents, with 62 accidents and 63 injured people.
On the sixth day of the Songkran festival, there were 263 traffic accidents, resulting in 36 deaths and 268 injured people. According to Mr. Chotenarin, speeding was the most common cause of the accidents, accounting for 39% of them, followed by drink driving, which accounted for 24%. Motorcycles were involved in 78% of the accidents.
Weerakit Hanpariphan, the director-general of the Probation Department, reported that during the six-day period, courts ordered probation in 6,705 cases of drink driving, 230 cases of drivers who abused drugs, and 23 reckless driving cases.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
