Regional News
Day Five of Songkrans “Seven Dangerous Days” 248 Dead, 2,643 Injured
The greatest number of the accidents on Tuesday were caused by drunk driving (35.46%), followed by speeding (24.89%). The majority (79.4%) of the accidents involved motorcycles.
THAILAND -Two hundred and forty-eight persons were killed and 2,643 others were injured in 2,481 road accidents during the past five days (April 11-15) of the Thai New Year holiday, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
Pol Maj Gen Surapol Yunuch told a briefing today that yesterday alone, 44 deaths and 501 injuries in 454 road accidents were recorded.
The accidents mainly resulted from driving under the influence of alcohol, followed by speeding beyond the legal limit.
From April 11-15, the most deaths were reported in Nakhon Ratchasima with 12 fatalities, while the highest number of injured was seen in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Chiang Mai with 101 each.
Chiang Mai had the highest number of accidents, with 91 mishaps
Meanwhile, eight provinces were recorded as having no fatalities— Amnat Charoen, Chai Nat, Phetchaburi, Lop Buri, Ang Thong, Narathiwat, Phang-nga and Yala.
Following the record, Panadda Diskul, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Interior, said that the number of fatalities dropped while a number of accidents and injuries rose.
As a large number of Songkran celebrants were returning from upcountry to the capital today, Mr Panadda said that the Road Safety Centre instructed the government’s holiday travel service to set up checkpoints and rest areas to facilitate the traffic and travellers and provide road safety.
