59 people were killed and 458 others injured in 460 road accidents in Thailand during the first two days of Songkran.
Every year, the Thai New Year, Songkran , triggers large population movements across the country, as many Thais spend the holidays with their families and return to their home provinces.
And unfortunately, these long journeys and drunk driving lead to a large number of road accidents during the holiday period, which is called "the seven dangerous days."
The Road Safety Command Center has revealed the results of the first two days of the Songkran holiday, April 11 and 12.
The center said 39.92 percent of accidents were caused by speeding, 22.18 percent by drunk driving and 20.97 percent by lane changes.
85.77% of accidents involved motorcycles, 83.87% occurred on straight roads, 40.32% on motorways and 33.87% on village roads.
Most road accidents occurred between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Most of the victims were between 20 and 29 years old.
Mukdahan province recorded the highest number of accidents and injuries, with 23 and 25 respectively, while Bangkok recorded the highest number of deaths, with nine.
According to the Probation Department, 1,363 cases were filed in the probation process during the two days.
Fifteen defendants were sentenced by the court to wear electronic ankle monitors for drunk driving, reckless driving and drinking and driving.
Source: Thai PBS World
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3 comments
Reading the statistics in this article, I can only make the following reflections which are very specific to the particular circumstances which are the majority of the most frequent causes of accidents in Thailand and this has been repeated tirelessly for the last 15 years, without anything evolving favorably towards more optimistic, less tragic, less fatal statistics which could signify the positive effects which should be put in place by the authorities and which either are not, or, when they are applied, remain ineffective.
So, to continue on the macabre, fatalistic and sadly ironic note of my brain which has the worst difficulty forgiving happy fools, I share with you my thoughts:
40% of accidents are therefore due to speeding and "only" 22% to blood alcohol levels exceeding the permitted limits, but I would be curious to know how many blood alcohol tests (possibly post-mortem) are carried out on accidents attributed to drivers "speeding"...
The figures concerning the categories of drivers responsible for or victims of accidents are very revealing of the lack of maturity and knowledge of the highway code: 86% involve 2 wheels, which is in line with national statistics established over a year (between 75 and 85% of the total annual accidents are 2 wheels) and the vast majority of drivers are young people under 30, which will not surprise anyone among the expatriate "farangs" and other permanent residents in Thailand, when we see the way young 2-wheel drivers ride, hair in the wind, with unbridled machines reaching 90 to 100 km/h on a small motorcycle between 50 and 125cc and believing they are riding alone on the Buriram Moto GP circuit!
The "peak hours" for these accidents are either between 6 and 9 a.m., that is to say probably among drivers who already have a night of driving in their heads and legs, or in the late afternoon and early evening for those who got behind the wheel very early in the morning and who also have driven for more than 12 hours, very often without 15-minute breaks every 2 hours.
And finally, statistics that contradict our European statistics, 84% of accidents occurred in a straight line (often involving only one vehicle and caused by drowsiness or alcohol in the blood, or both!) and 40% of which occurred on motorways or roads with 4 separate lanes...
In our European countries, these fast and safer roads have fewer accidents than national roads or secondary roads with two lanes, but not in Thailand...
A very surprising statistic which raises questions about the cause and effect of these accidents.
So much for this assessment, oh so sad and which denotes once again the incompetence of the authorities to find effective and lasting solutions (which are obvious to any citizen of an age to think) and the inability of the police to use wisely and intelligently the resources in men and material to reduce statistics which are repeated from year to year, which (and this is in my opinion, the worst indirect consequence) endangers the lives of other drivers who have nothing to reproach themselves for in terms of the driving of their vehicle, but who find themselves victims, injured or dead due to the unconsciousness, irresponsibility, immaturity and chronic stupidity of some of their fellow citizens.
Yes, of course there is some truth in your comment, but you forget that many people use drugs of all kinds and in any case, as I have already said, there is a very big problem of education and respect, whether for Thais or foreigners.
I do a lot of kilometers in the month, what I notice every time is the behavior of people on two wheels and in cars practically no one respects the highway code, there are no driving schools tell me that, but if I say no and if by chance there are instructors, they are far from having the level.
A car driving license can be obtained in two to three weeks with a practical test and driving, but many people don't have a license, the same goes for insurance, and are not disciplined.
Mr Vignac, I absolutely agree with you on all points (drugs, driving licenses, knowledge of the highway code, management of driving schools and training of their staff, etc.).
You confirm my opinion that we absolutely must review all legislation in the area of traffic and road safety as a whole.
But the leaders of the Ministry of Transport, the minister at the head and his entire administration for which he is responsible, do not seem aware of the need to review in particular the entire aspect of the Administration of passenger transport, individual or collective, of obtaining driving licenses with theoretical and practical exams much stricter and more serious than currently as well as the repressive and dissuasive side on the ground by a permanent police presence (and not random and ineffective) on the main roads, at dangerous intersections, in large cities and during "death weekends" to systematically combat the abuse and consumption of alcohol and drugs with substantial fines that hurt the wallet...
But to achieve this, it would also be necessary to combat the laxity and entrenched corruption of the police and administration when it comes to obtaining driving licenses and collecting fines.
All these problems that lead to the dramas of the current situation do not seem to reach the neurons of the advisors and senior officials of this transport administration, who do not put on the minister's desk the necessary legislative proposals that could radically change the immobility of the current situation and finally lead to a general decrease in fatal statistics or those causing serious after-effects of accidents on Thai roads...
I fear that nothing will change under this legislature as under all the previous ones and that we will have to wait for a "zorro" at the head of this ministry to see things move... but we would still have to let him act!!!
In this country, in (very) high places, in certain luxury villas in Bangkok, people do not like the "earthquakes" that stir the thick layer of mud that covers and hides the corruption of the Administration under the politicized and partisan influence of the central power.