Phuket survives first day of New Year Seven Days of Danger with no deaths

PHUKET: The first day of the New Year Seven Days of Danger, Thursday (Dec 28), drew to a close at midnight last night without any deaths on Phuket’s roads, though six people were injured in six accidents, all involving motorcycles, with most being due to alcohol.

Phuket Has survived the first 24 hours of this year's Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign for the New Year with no deaths. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

Prapan Kanprasang, Chief of the Phuket Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office (DDPM-Phuket), confirmed to the The Phuket News this morning, “There were no deaths on the first day of the New Year Seven Days of Danger. However, there were six accidents, all involving motorbikes, which left six people with minor injuries.

“Two accidents were due to alcohol consumption,” he said.

Meanwhile, Phuket Governor Norraphat Phodthong this morning ordered police to test for alcohol in every accident during the New Year road-safety campaign.

The move is in line with a nationwide push to reduce deaths and injuries caused by drink driving across the country during the festive period. (See story here.)

“I cannot ignore the impact of alcohol in this. Drunk driving deeply concerns me. Police are to test drivers for alcohol in every accident,” Phuket Governor Norraphat told at a meeting at Provincial Hall this morning specifically held to receive the Seven Days road-safety report.

Police reported issuing 700 fines for moving violations during the 24-hour period, as follows:

306 people fined for not wearing helmets
16 fined for operating an unsafe/illegally modified motorcycle
40 fined for not wearing seatbelts
211 fined for driving without a licence
21 fined speeding
17 fined for running a red light
21 fined for ghost driving (driving opposite traffic flow)
22 fined for dangerously cutting off other motorists in traffic
22 fined for using mobile phones while driving.
24 people were arrested for drunk driving during the period.

The New Year Seven Days of Danger campaign will end at midnight at the close of Jan 3.

Last New Year, two people were killed and 81 people were injured in road accidents in Phuket during the New Year Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign. (See story here.)

In 2016, seven people in Phuket were killed and 75 others received hospital treatment for injuries sustained in road accidents. (See story here.)

The nationwide death and injury toll over the New Year for 2017 made international headlines after the carnage skyrocketed, with 487 people killed in 3,919 road accidents during the seven-day campaign. (See story here.)

The abysmal record last year nationwide was a sharp rise from the 380 deaths and 3,505 people injured in 3,379 traffic accidents over the New Year 2016 holidays.

In 2015, 341 people died on Thailand’s roads during the New Year holidays.

Nice book kept list! OK: ---306 people fined for driving without helmet, after paying fine they could drive off without helmet. Why? ---16 fined for driving UNSAFE illegally modified motorbike. After paying fine they could drive off on UNSAFE motorbike.. Why? ---211 (!!!) fined for not having driving license. After fine paid they drove off without driving license.. Why? --- 17 fined for runni...