The figures were confirmed at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall today (Apr 17) to formally close the Road and Maritime Accident Prevention and Reduction Center for Songkran 2026. The meeting was chaired by Vice Governor Teeraphong Chuaychoo and attended by senior police, transport and marine officials, along with disaster prevention officers.
Data compiled by the Phuket Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office showed that Muang Phuket District recorded the highest number of accidents, with 17 incidents, followed by Kathu (9) and Thalang (6).
In terms of injuries, 16 people were reported “injured” in Muang Phuket, nine in Kathu and four in Thalang, bringing the total number of injured to 29.
Fatalities were highest in Muang Phuket District with three deaths, followed by two in Thalang. No deaths were reported in Kathu.
Specifically for the Seven Days campaign, officials only recognise as “injured” people whose injuries were severe enough for them to be admitted to hospital for treatment.
Officials noted that all five fatalities were Thai nationals, and no foreign deaths were recorded during this year’s Songkran period ‒ a decrease compared with the New Year campaign. Authorities attributed this improvement in part to proactive public awareness campaigns targeting foreign visitors.
Daily figures revealed that Apr 11 and Apr 13 were the most dangerous days, each recording seven accidents. The highest number of injuries in a single day was reported on Apr 15, with seven people injured. No deaths were recorded on Apr 12, 14 or 15.
Motorcycles were involved in the vast majority of accidents, accounting for 93.76% of cases, with sedans and pickup trucks making up a much smaller proportion.
Speeding was identified as the leading cause of accidents, responsible for 62.5% of cases, followed by drunk driving at 18.76% and sudden lane cutting at 12.5%. Poor visibility and other factors accounted for the remaining incidents.
Risky behaviour data highlighted that failure to wear helmets was the most common contributing factor, recorded in 40.35% of cases. Speeding followed at 33.33%, while drunk driving accounted for 14.04%.
Most accidents occurred on straight roads (65.63%), followed by curves (18.75%) and intersections (15.62%). The peak time for accidents remained between midnight and dawn, with the highest concentration between 3:01am and 6am.
The majority of those injured were Thai nationals (55.17%), followed by Myanmar nationals (20.70%) and Russian nationals (6.89%), with smaller numbers of other foreign nationals also affected. Men accounted for the majority of casualties at 75.86%, with the most affected age group being 25-34 years old.
Officials said the data continued to underline that risky behaviour ‒ particularly among domestic road users ‒ remains the key driver of accidents.
Of note, the official report today made no mention that during the ‘Seven Days’ campaign during Songkran last year, Phuket suffered 45 people injured in 45 road accidents ‒ but with no fatalities.
The meeting today also raised concerns about disruptive behaviour by some tourists, including ignoring traffic laws, speeding in residential areas, and causing disturbances in public spaces, which officials warned could increase accident risks and damage Phuket’s tourism image.
Authorities said discussions would continue on tightening measures to address such behaviour, including clearer regulations and stricter penalties.
Looking ahead, officials confirmed that efforts will focus on intensified area-based enforcement in tourist zones and other high-risk locations, alongside the use of technology to improve traffic management.
A proposal is under consideration to introduce AI-powered traffic systems capable of monitoring intersections and detecting violations in real time. At the same time, authorities plan to expand multilingual public awareness campaigns in Thai, English, Chinese, Russian and Myanmar to better reach both tourists and migrant workers.
Officials added that cooperation will be sought from hotels, tour operators and car rental businesses to help communicate road safety rules and monitor behaviour from the outset, as part of a broader push to reduce accidents and protect Phuket’s long-term tourism reputation.