BANGKOK – As workers headed back after the long New Year break, Thailand’s roads delivered another hard truth. The Road Safety Operations Centre, part of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), has published its final results from the 2026 New Year “seven dangerous days” campaign. The figures cover 30 December 2025 to 5 January 2026.
The totals show a small improvement in overall crashes when compared with recent holiday periods. Even so, the human toll stayed severe, with 272 deaths, 1,464 injuries, and 1,511 road accidents recorded nationwide.
Officials pointed to tighter checkpoints, stronger public messaging, and firmer law enforcement as reasons for the drop in crashes. But the death rate, almost 39 lives lost each day, shows Thailand still faces a serious road safety problem.
Thailand’s “Seven Dangerous Days” Campaign
The “seven dangerous days” is a national road safety push held twice each year, during the New Year and Songkran (Thai New Year in April). It targets the busiest travel days, when large numbers of people leave cities such as Bangkok for hometowns, family visits, and holidays, then return in heavy waves.
The DDPM works with the Royal Thai Police, the Ministry of Transport, and local agencies. Actions include roadside checkpoints, breath tests, speed checks, rest areas, and constant media reminders. The 2026 message was “Drive safely, slow down, reduce accidents”. Despite these annual efforts, the same risks return every year: heavy traffic, tired drivers, alcohol, and unsafe choices.
Final Results Show Progress, But Risks Stay the Same
The Road Safety Operations Centre said accidents and injuries fell slightly against recent New Year averages, while deaths remained worryingly high.
- Road accidents: 1,511
- Deaths: 272
- Injuries: 1,464
Motorcycles continued to dominate the reports, making up more than 70 to 80 per cent of crashes on most days. Speeding led the list of causes, with drink-driving close behind, the same pattern seen year after year. Many crashes happened on straight stretches of road, often in late afternoon and evening, when tiredness and poorer judgement can take hold.
Where It Hit Hardest: Bangkok Leads in Deaths, Phuket in Crashes
Bangkok recorded the highest number of deaths. Dense traffic and the rush of people returning at the end of the holiday period added pressure to the capital’s roads.
Phuket, one of Thailand’s busiest holiday areas, ranked highest for total accidents and injuries, as visitors packed the island during the break.
In provinces such as Chiang Rai, early-week crashes were higher than usual in some areas. Fog on mountain routes and overloaded vehicles were linked to several incidents. Other northern and north-eastern provinces also reported clusters of crashes tied to long family trips.
Seven provinces reported zero deaths across the full campaign period, offering examples of what local planning and steady enforcement can achieve.
Thailand’s Wider Road Safety Problem, Backed by WHO Data
Holiday crash totals reflect an issue that runs all year. The World Health Organization’s Global Status Report on Road Safety (2023 data) places Thailand’s road traffic death rate at 25.4 per 100,000 people, among the highest in Asia and for upper-middle-income countries.
The WHO estimates 18,000 to 20,000 people die on Thailand’s roads each year. Motorcyclists make up more than 80 per cent of deaths, and young adults aged 15 to 29 are hit hardest. The financial impact is also heavy, with crash losses estimated at more than 3 per cent of GDP each year, affecting families, health services, and the wider economy.
Specialists often point to the same root causes: uneven enforcement outside holiday periods, poor vehicle condition (including worn tyres and faulty brakes), limited public transport options in some areas, and attitudes that still treat speeding and drink-driving too lightly.
Pressure Builds for Daily Action, Not Seasonal Campaigns
DDPM Director-General Theerapat Kachamat praised the joint work across agencies, but said the data must be used to guide local solutions. He highlighted districts with zero incidents as models others can follow.
Road safety groups, including those working in Chiang Rai, agree that short campaigns cannot carry the full load. They want safer roads and junctions, consistent helmet and seatbelt checks, stronger emergency response in rural areas, and road safety lessons that start at school age.
As communities in the North mourn losses from highland routes and long return journeys, a clearer message is emerging. Thailand can’t keep treating hundreds of avoidable deaths as a normal part of holiday travel.
New Year’s celebrations brought happiness to many households. For 272 families, the season ended in lasting grief. Until road safety becomes a day-to-day focus, the “seven dangerous days” will keep returning with the same painful headlines.
