Speeding, drunk driving claim 157 lives in first 4 days of Songkran

Road accidents usually spike due to a large number of people travelling upcountry to their hometowns and the seven dangerous days this year are being counted from April 11 to 17.

“April 14 saw 324 accidents with 41 deaths and 332 injuries,” said Nirat Phongsitthithavon, director of the department’s Road Accident Prevention and Mitigation Centre.

He added that the period from April 11-14 has seen 1,195 road accidents with a total of 157 deaths and 1,185 injuries.

“The most common cause for the accidents is speeding [35.19 per cent], followed by drunk driving [32.41 per cent],” he added. “Motorcycles have had the highest number of accidents at 84.23 per cent, followed by pick-up trucks at 5.06 per cent.”

Of the four days of Songkran, Chiang Mai has reported 44 times more accidents, while Nakhon Ratchasima logged the most traffic injuries at 43 persons. Lampang, meanwhile, has the highest death toll at seven.

The department set up 1,907 checkpoints on major roads nationwide to enforce traffic laws and provide assistance to motorists. Since April 11, 56,377 officers and volunteers have been stationed at these checkpoints, where a total of 406,487 vehicles were pulled over for safety checks. So far, 75,615 motorists have been charged for violating traffic laws. The most common offence is driving without a licence (20,542), followed by riding a motorcycle with no helmet (19,876).

“Motorists are advised to strictly obey the speed limit and traffic laws, wear helmets or seatbelts and never drive when drunk,” Nirat said.

Accidents can be reported via the 1784 hotline or via the Line application @1784DDPM.