Road accidents killed 322 people nationwide over the seven days of the Songkran holiday, according to the Road Safety Centre of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
Caretaker Interior Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan said Friday that statistics compiled by the Road Safety Centre showed that 2,992 road accidents occurred during the seven-day campaign to reduce road accidents nationwide.
The total number of road accidents over the seven days this year was 164 more than during the seven days of the previous year, while 322 deaths was one less fatality than last year, and 3,225 injuries represented an increase of 185 over last year, he said.
Most accidents resulted from drunk driving, followed by speeding.
Motorcycles are the vehicle type with the highest number of accidents, followed by pickup trucks.
Charupong said that the Road Safety Centre was generally satisfied with the campaign to reduce the road accidents but more should be done on law enforcement and campaigns on the motorists to adjust their behavior to be aware of their safety when riding and driving during the Songkran festival. (MCOT)
Local update: In Chonburi there were 15 accidents with 6 dead (5 men, 1 woman) and 12 injuries (8 men, 4 women). The causes of accidents were listed as drunk driving, high speed, driving too close to the vehicle in front, and unsafe motorcycle riding. The most common accidents occurred on motorcycles and pickup trucks. Areas of accidents: Banglamung 4, Panat Nikom 4, Muang 3, Sriracha 2, Koh Chan 1, and Sattahip 1 accident. Number of police checkpoints: 191 checkpoints with 9,269 officials on duty. Cases of tickets issued and fines levied: riding a motorcycle without a helmet, drunk driving, no driving license, speeding, running red light, driving the wrong way, unsafe overtaking and turning, and using a telephone while driving.
