Songkran’s Holiday Festival Road Death Almost Doubles in One Single Day

CHIANG RAI – On day three of Songkran’s “7 Dangerous Days” the death toll from traffic accidents on highways and secondary roads nationwide has now climbed to 188 Dead and 1,943 injuries.

Only in a single day yesterday, April 13, 86 people were killed, and 852 injured in 820 cases of traffic accidents.

The Road Safety Centre said that in total, 188 people were killed, and 1,934 were injured in three days of the  7-day dangerous period beginning  April 11-17 of  the Songkran festival.

It said authorities took notes of 1,846 cases of traffic accidents from April 11 to 13.

Road Safety Centre spokesman Pol Maj Gen Ekarak Limsangkart said drink driving remained the key cause of most traffic accidents (47.56%), following by speeding (27.44%), while motorcycle crashes recording the highest fatal accidents (78.66%).

A total 172,294 traffic offenders were arrested, 50,197 of which for not wearing helmets, and 45,485 for driving with no licences.

The number of drink drivers arrested by officials in the past three days since April 11 has jumped to 113,960 from almost 60,000 on the second day, said Colonel Sirichan Ngathong, deputy spokesperson of the National Council for Peace and Order, on Saturday. Officials had seized altogether 2,991 cars and motorcycles.

Chiang Mai Has taken over the top spot from Chiang Rai, recording the highest accumulated accident cases of 65, and accumulated injuries of 70 people, while Nakhon Ratchasima, Buriram, and Phetchabun had the highest death crashes of eight each.