Police gear up to tackle traffic and other challenges during Songkran
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) will have 80,000 police officers on standby during the Songkran Festival to help with traffic and safety during the holiday period.
The RTP held a press conference to reveal its measures during the “Seven Dangerous Days” to prevent road accidents. Police have set up a control centre to prevent and reduce road accidents during the Songkran Festival from April 10 to 18.
Deputy National Police chief Pol General Damrongsak Kittiprapas said that 18,731 police will set up traffic checkpoints, 12,139 of them will man sobriety checkpoints, and 9,670 of them will be fast deployment units to help with accidents.
The rest of them will work on normal duties such as investigation, patrol, and administration to prevent crime and give service to citizens during the festival.
In addition, there is a volunteer traffic project for drivers with videos from dashcams or mobile phones to record traffic violations or accidents as evidence to help police identify culprits.
The Don't Drive Drunk Foundation will select 10 videos monthly with a total prize of 50,000 baht. The project began in November 2021 and people have sent more than 100 videos.
During Songkran, the RTP will select seven videos for a prize of THB10,000 each.
People could submit videos to RTP’s social media centre, Facebook page "JS100 radio", Facebook page "FM91 Trafficpro", or DDD’s Facebook page "Ar-sa Ta Charachorn" (volunteer traffic eye).
