Assistant national police chief Pol Lt Gen Kornchai Klaiklueng said yesterday that the Apr 11-14 period formed four days of the government’s road safety campaign week for the Songkran Thai New Year festival. During the period, there were 1,259 traffic accidents, reports the Bangkok Post.
According to him, Nakhon Si Thammarat had the highest traffic accidents, 50, and the largest number of those injured, 54. Bangkok and Roi Et recorded the highest death toll, 10 each.
On Sunday alone, there were 317 traffic accidents, 38 fatalities and 311 people injured. On that day Nan saw the highest numbers of accidents, 14, and those injured, 16. Nakhon Sawan recorded the highest death toll at three.
Pol Lt Gen Kornchai said some people started to return to workplaces in Bangkok and other regional economic hubs, and traffic volumes were thus building up on national highways.
Chaiwat Chuntirapong, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said yesterday that the numbers of accidents, fatalities and injured people were lower than during last year’s Songkran festival.
Ruangsak Suwaree, director-general of the Probation Department, said that from Apr 11 to 14 there were 3,890 cases of traffic violation prosecution and drink-driving formed 96% of them. Bangkok had the most cases of drink-driving, 399, followed by Nonthaburi, 227, and Samut Prakan, 214.
United Nations figures show that in fact, an average of about 55 people die every day of the year following accidents on Thai roads.