Two-day death toll exceeds last year's

Apart from the 101 deaths, 838 people were also injured in 791 road accidents, according to the centre’s record between Thursday and Friday, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Interior Panadda Diskul told a press conference.

Panadda said most accidents – about 39 per cent – were caused by drunk driving, followed by speeding 22 per cent. Therefore, authorities would strictly enforce the laws against drivers who drive under the influence of alcohol and over speed limits. 

The first two days of last year’s seven-day campaign to reduce road accidents during Songkran saw 88 deaths and 890 injuries in 824 accidents, he said.

Kanchanaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan had the highest number of deaths – six each. Chiang Mai had the most injuries (34) and most accidents (32). No death was reported in 26 provinces. 

On Friday alone, 465 accidents killed 62 and wounded 496.

He said as most of the revellers had already arrived in their respective provinces and begun celebrations there, the authorities would adjust their safety measures, looking at more secondary roads in the provinces between today and tomorrow. The centre also told the Metropolitan Police Bureau to strictly control drunk driving and speeding, especially at night-entertainment establishments because there was no traffic jam in the capital. 

As many as 118,854 drivers have been arrested at checkpoints across the country for not having a valid licence and for failing to wear a helmet after police stopped 698,968 vehicles.

In an attempt to control alcohol consumption during Songkran, the Public Health Ministry has punished 57 vendors, according to Dr Saman Futrakul, director of the Disease Control Department’s Office of Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco Consumption Control Committee.

He said yesterday that the ministry had inspected 145 vendors in Nonthaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Lamphun and punished 57 of them for offering special promotions and discounts for alcoholic beverages, selling alcoholic beverages to juveniles aged under 20 and selling them during prohibited periods of the day and at prohibited places, such as petrol stations and pharmacies.

Saman said: “This was obviously against the laws.”

Those who offered special promotions and discounts could face up to a Bt500,000 fine and/or a year’s jail term. Vendors selling alcoholic beverages at prohibited places would be fined Bt10,000 and/or six months in jail; those selling them to youth under 20 would be fined Bt20,000 and/or jailed for a year and those selling during the prohibited periods would be fined Bt4,000 and/or jailed for two years.