Death Toll Climbs to 378 on the 6th Day of Thailand’s Songkran Holiday

BANGKOK – Thailand’s Road Safety Centre announced on Tuesday that on the 6th day of Songkran’s 7 Dangerous Days, the accumulated death toll from road accidents has risen to 378, with 3,575 people injured and hospitalized.

On Monday, 49 people were killed and 464 others injured in 425 crashes across the country, said Lt Gen Thanet Kallapruek, director of the army’s directorate of civil affairs, citing a report from the Centre.

Thailand’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) said on Tuesday (Apr 17) that military officers manning all road checkpoints have arrested more than 200,000 drivers for drunk driving during the past six days of the Songkran festival.

NCPO deputy spokesman Col Sirichan Ngathong said only on April 16, 52,298 drivers of motorcycles were arrested, and 2,767 motorcycles were seized.

She said of these motorcycle drivers arrested, 34,521 were charged for drunk driving.

As for public transport vehicles, and private cars, she said 41,574 traffic offenses were found and authorities had to seize driving licenses of 2,324 drivers, and seized 1,098 cars.

A total of 20,902 offenders were charged, she said.

In total of six days from April 11-16, she said 220,507 cases of traffic offenses relevant to motorcycles were found, along with 163,840 cases of public transport vehicles and private cars.

She said authorities needed to seize 13,964 vehicles whose drivers were found to drink drive.

They were broken down to 10,139 motorcycles, and 3,825 cars.

She said authorities also decided to charge 147,971 drivers of motorcycles, and 86,674 drivers of public transport vehicles and private cars for drunk driving.

Nakhon Ratchasima has so far recorded the highest accumulated death toll, Chiang Mai had the highest number of injuries and also the highest number of road crashes, while Chiang Rai recorded the most drunk drivers.

Source: CRT, The Nation