314 Dead 2,761 Accidents and 2,848 Injured as of Day 5 of the Thai New Year Holiday

BANGKOK – The Province of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand has posted the highest number of accidents, in Thailand’s “Seven Dangerous Days” of New Years, while Nakhon Ratchasima has suffered the most deaths.

On the 5th day of Thailand’s “seven dangerous days” of New Year there were 569 road accidents which killed 72 people and injured 591 others. Bringing  the 5 day total to 314 deaths 2,761 road accidents  and 2,848 people injured according to the Road Safety Centre.

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The most common cause remained drink driving — which led to 44.82% of Monday’s accidents — followed by speeding (29.88%). Motorcycles were involved in 81.62% of the accidents, followed by pickup trucks (6.24%). The most accident-prone time was between 4pm and 8pm.

On Monday, the highest number of accidents was 23 in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The highest number of injured people was 27 in the same province. The highest one-day death toll was four in Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani.

The figures showed that Thailand’s roads were slightly less lethal than over the same five-day period last year.

Over the four days, Chiang Mai recorded the highest number of accidents — 91. The highest death toll was in Nakhon Ratchasima, with 14 fatalities, and the largest number of injured people — 96 — was in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Authorities and volunteers are stepping up measures and deploying more medics as travellers return to Bangkok from home visits or vacation.

Meanwhile, the Spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), Dr. Paisan Dankum, has advised New Year revelers to prepare themselves for their return trip to avoid accidents.

On Sunday, Dr. Paisan said people should sleep for at least eight hours, drink a lot of clean water, engage in light exercises, and eat nutritious food.

The general public can call the Emergency Medical Service’s hotline at 1669 in case of road accidents and emergency around the clock.