The People’s Safety Foundation has urged the government to strengthen safety measures in order to reduce road accidents during the New Year holiday. The chairman of the foundation, Nikorn Chamnong, expressed concerns about the expected increase in holidaymakers as the Covid-19 pandemic has eased. With the government’s policy to promote domestic travel, there is a higher likelihood of more people traveling across the country during this period.
Early reports have already indicated a rise in road accident fatalities. As people have started traveling to their provinces since Christmas Day, there were 56 deaths reported on Monday and 53 deaths on Tuesday due to road accidents. Additionally, during the holiday season, families tend to travel together using rental cars or pickups, which increases the risk of accidents.
The cabinet has approved a four-day New Year holiday from today until January 1st. Originally, January 2nd was meant to be an additional holiday to compensate for December 31st, which falls on a Sunday. However, the government has decided to shift the extra day off from January 2nd to December 29th.
Mr. Nikorn expressed concerns about the lack of rest for many New Year celebrants, as they will have to rush back to work on January 2nd. Fatigue while driving long distances could pose a significant risk of accidents.
In 2019, there were a total of 91 deaths caused by road accidents on January 1st. Mr. Nikorn warned that similar accidents may occur this year if caution is not exercised.
Mr. Nikorn also raised concerns about the recent regulation allowing nightlife venues in certain areas to remain open until 4 am. Although the regulation only applies to specific venues in Bangkok, Phuket, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, and registered hotel bars nationwide, he fears that some venues outside these designated zones may also operate beyond their usual closing hours.
To address these concerns, Mr. Nikorn emphasized the need for increased security checkpoints and rest areas along the roads for exhausted drivers and travelers.
During the “seven dangerous days” between December 29th, 2022, and January 4th, 2023, a total of 2,440 road accidents were reported, resulting in 317 deaths and 2,437 injuries. Drunk driving was identified as the second leading cause of road accidents, accounting for 25.49% of the cases, according to the Public Health Ministry.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin expressed his concern about potential road accidents during this year’s seven-dangerous day period and urged motorists to avoid drunk driving. He inspected the Traffic and Accident Management Centre at the Department of Highways and was briefed on traffic management measures for the New Year festival.
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, also opened the road safety operation center at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, launching a road safety campaign to mitigate road accidents during the New Year holiday. Anutin highlighted that this would be the first time people could freely travel during New Year since the pandemic began.
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