85 dead, 786 injured as Thailand’s ‘7 Dangerous Days’ kick off
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported 85 deaths and 786 injuries from road accidents on December 29 and 30 – the first two of Thailand’s annual “Seven Dangerous Days”.
Road accidents usually surge during the New Year holidays as thousands of people head to their hometowns.
“December 30 [Thursday] alone saw 442 accidents with 44 deaths and 426 injuries,” said Nirat Phongsitthithavon, director of the department’s Road Accident Prevention and Mitigation Centre. “The total number of accidents over Wednesday and Thursday came in at 784, with 85 deaths and 786 injuries.
“The most common cause is speeding [33.7 per cent], followed by drunk driving [26.3 per cent] and poor visibility [17.8 per cent]. Chiang Mai has seen the most accidents at 31, while Nakhon Ratchasima has seen the highest number of deaths at seven,” he added.
“Most accidents or 83.1 per cent involved motorcycles, followed by pick-up trucks [6.5 per cent] and personal cars [3.53 per cent].
“Motorists are advised to strictly obey speed limits and traffic rules, wear helmet or seatbelt and never drive when under the influence,” Nirat said. “Also follow Covid-19 prevention measures to prevent clusters and another explosion of cases.”