Regional News
Thailand’s Death Toll For New Years Holiday 366 Killed, 3345 Injured
BANGKOK – Thailands New Years 7 dangerous days numbers this year were 366 people killed and 3,345 injured in 3,184 accidents nationwide during the seven dangerous days this year. The death toll is unchanged from the previous year.
The Interior Ministry made known that the number of road accidents and injuries is higher than that of last year. Drunk driving was ranked the main cause of accidents, at 41.71%, followed by speeding. Of the total vehicles involved in accidents over the period, 81.03% were motorcycles.
The province with most fatalities is the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, which saw 21 deaths during the period. Nakhon Sawan had the highest number of road accidents at 127.
Provinces which remained road fatality-free over the seven days were Mae Hong Son, Buengkan, Trat, Pattani and Phang Nga.
The ministry said it is satisfied with this year’s figures and promised that road safety measures will be further tightened in the years to come.
The Royal Thai Police Office earlier said it has established new road safety measures to cope with the number of accidents in the nation.
Deputy Commander of the Royal Thai Police, Police Lieutenant General Ruangsak Jarid-ake (เรืองศักดิ์ จริตเอก) disclosed that the bureau has approved several measures to reduce road accidents. They include increased utilization of equipment to monitor traffic, installation of CCTVs in dangerous spots and more campaigns and publications on road safety.
The number of road accident-related deaths in Thailand is estimated at 17 people per 100000 population per year. Authorities aim to reduce that to 10 by next years.
Thailand’s accident rate recently topped the ranking in Asia, as the World Health Organization (WHO) noted Thailand as one of the three countries with the most frequent road accidents in the world.
