Holiday road-death toll soars despite authorities’ crackdown

Six of the so-called seven dangerous days saw 426 deaths and 3,761 injuries in 3,579 road accidents – marking an across-the-board increase from 340 deaths and 3,216 injuries in 3,092 accidents over the same period last year – the Road Safety Directing Centre announced yesterday.
Chon Buri suffered the highest number of fatalities at 33, said Lt General Teerawat Boonyawat, head of civil affairs of the National Council for Peace and Order. This included the 25 people killed in Monday’s horrific crash involving a van and pickup truck.
Udon Thani reported the highest number of accidents with 146 incidents and the most injuries at 156. Only Mae Hong Son, Phang Nga, Yala, Ranong and Satun had no deaths, he said.
Citing a report by the Transport Operation Centre, Teerawat said that since December 29 until yesterday, the number of cars on Bangkok roads reached 6.27 million, compared to 4.7 million during a normal period, which greatly increased the risk of accidents and casualties.
On Tuesday alone, 422 accidents led to 59 deaths and 419 injuries, he said. The main factors remain speeding, at 27 per cent, and drunk driving at 26 per cent while most accidents involved motorcycles (79 per cent) and occurred between 4pm and 8pm. Most victims (45 per cent) were of “working” age between 20 and 49, he added.
Officials at 2,047 checkpoints nabbed 110,704 law-breaking motorists, mostly for failing to present a driver’s licence (30,958) and not wearing a helmet (30,366).
Teerawat said Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had instructed the centre and related agencies to enforce traffic laws strictly, particularly against speeding and drunk drivers.
Prayut also asked officials to analyse the New Year holiday road toll to learn lessons for better implementation of road safety measures throughout the year. He also urged them to campaign for public awareness and to appeal to motorists’ consciences to bring about a road safety culture in Thai society.
National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) deputy spokesperson Colonel Sirichan Ngathong reported that, in the first six days of the New Year period, 20,889 drivers and 38,168 motorcyclists faced prosecution for driving under the influence of alcohol. A total of 4,208 vehicles – including 2,965 motorcycles – had been seized.
Meanwhile, Royal Thai Police deputy spokesman Pol Maj-General Piyapan Pingmuang told a separate press conference yesterday that police had arrested 669,037 traffic law violators during the New Year period.
Most failed to present a driver’s licence, failed to wear a helmet or wear a seatbelt, and drove vehicles in bad condition, he said, adding that police also arrested nearly 10,000 drunk drivers.