What used to be known as the Seven Days of Danger has been “rebranded” to become “Seven Days for Campaigning for Safe Driving”. However, while the word “danger” may have been removed from the name, it’s still very much a factor on Thailand’s roads.
The annual Christmas and new year break is second most dangerous time on Thai roads, second only to Songkran, the Thai new year.
So far, 3 days in to the end-of-year holiday period, a total of 128 people have died in road traffic accidents. On day 3, there were 51 deaths and 416 people injured, in 424 accidents nationwide.
The total number of injuries currently stands at 1,151, according to data from the Command Centre for the Prevention and Reduction of Road Accidents.
It will come as no surprise that speeding and drink driving were the biggest contributing factors, with evidence of one or the other found in 37.26% and 32.78% of accidents respectively.
According to a Thai PBS World report, motorbikes were involved in 86.91% of accidents. Over 80% of accidents occurred on straight roads and over 21% of victims were between the ages of 20 and 29. The peak time for accidents was between the hours of midnight and 1.00am.
So far, most motorbike accidents have taken place in the western province of Kanchanaburi, which recorded 18 bike accidents. The province also logged the highest number of road accidents overall, with 43, and the highest number of injured people, also 43.
Meanwhile, the highest number of injuries was in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, with 20. Both Nakhon Phanom and Udon Thani, in the northeast of the country, reported 4 deaths. Bangkok had the highest number of road deaths, with 8.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
