Sharp increase in drunk driving cases on second of ‘Seven Dangerous Days’
As many as 1,123 traffic violation cases were reported on Tuesday, the second of Songkran Festival's “Seven Dangerous Days”, the Department of Probation said on Wednesday.
This year, the seven dangerous days are being counted from April 11 to 17.
Of the total, 923 cases involved drunk driving, five cases were reckless driving and 195 cases were drug-impaired driving. The court has ordered to attach electronic monitoring (EM) bracelets on two drivers on Tuesday.
In the past two days, the total number of traffic violations was 1,582, of which 1,251 cases were drunk driving, 13 cases were reckless driving and 318 cases were drug-impaired driving.
"On Tuesday, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces reported the highest number of drunk driving cases — 95 cases each — followed by Nonthaburi (90) and Bangkok (77)," the department director-general, Wittawan Soonthornkachit, said.
"The number of drunk driving cases has risen sharply, compared to 18 cases in the same period last year."
Wittawan added that Probation Offices are cooperating with related agencies to ensure safety of motorists at checkpoints nationwide.
He also asked citizens to be careful while driving and wear a helmet to prevent loss due to road accidents.