As Songkran kicks off, the police are busy cracking down on dangerous or reckless driving behaviour, with hundreds of probation orders handed out already. According to a Coconuts report, over 300 offenders have received the court-mandated orders so far.
Weerakit Hanpariphan, chief of the Probation Department, says most offences (77%) involve drink driving. Others include driving under the influence of other substances, reckless driving, and speeding. Songkran, or Thai New Year, is a time when dangerous driving and road traffic accidents tend to run high.
The Probation Department says the provinces with the highest number of drink driving incidents are Bangkok, with 37, the neighbouring province of Nonthaburi, with 32, and Chiang Rai in the north, with 26.
According to Weerakit, his department plans to assess offenders caught drink driving, prior to sending them to a government-run hospital for a mandatory 3-day rehabilitation programme.
Meanwhile, a total of 45 checkpoints, including community checkpoints manned by volunteers, have been set up across Thailand as part of the country’s Songkran road safety campaign.
SOURCE: Coconuts
