During the initial five days of the Songkran road safety campaign week, statistics released on Tuesday revealed that there were 206 fatalities and 1,593 injuries resulting from traffic accidents.
Between April 11 and April 15, there were 1,564 reported traffic accidents, marking a 10.4% decrease from the previous year’s figure of 1,745 over the same five-day period. Although there was an increase in the number of deaths from 200 to 206 compared to last year, injuries decreased by 8.3% from 1,737 to 1,593.
Out of 77 provinces, 17 remained free of fatal traffic accidents as of the latest data, as stated by Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew.
Chiang Rai, the northernmost province, recorded the highest number of traffic accidents with 61, while Nan, also in the North, had the highest count of injured individuals at 60. Both Bangkok and Chiang Rai reported the highest fatality figures, with 13 deaths each.
On Monday alone, there were 301 traffic accidents resulting in 39 fatalities and 314 injuries, according to the health minister. Speeding was identified as the primary cause in 43.2% of accidents, followed by drink-driving (23.9%) and cutting-in (15.3%). Motorcycles were involved in 83.8% of all accidents.
Chaiwat Chuntirapong, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, cautioned that traffic congestion was notable on roads leading to Bangkok on Tuesday, emphasizing the importance of ensuring drivers are in a suitable condition to operate vehicles.
Ruangsak Suwaree, director-general of the Probation Department, reported 4,132 traffic violations between April 11 and 15, with 96% attributed to drink-driving. Bangkok recorded the highest number of drink-driving cases at 446, followed by Nonthaburi with 238 and Samut Prakan with 214 incidents.
Thailand’s roads have garnered a grim reputation, ranking as the deadliest in Southeast Asia, with the ninth-highest rate of road fatalities globally at 32.7 per 100,000 people each year, as per a 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) report. Approximately 20,000 individuals, translating to an average of 56 deaths per day, succumb to traffic accidents annually.
