The first four days of Songkran’s “seven dangerous days” claimed 259 lives in road accidents from April 11-14.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation’s road safety center also said 2,378 people were injured in 2,216 road accidents nationwide, an increase of 27.7% over last year.
The National Council for Peace and Order’s (NCPO) civil affairs spokesman Lt Gen Thirawat Boonyawat said at a joint press conference with the department that yesterday alone, 78 people died and 601 were injured in 555 road accidents.
Drink-driving was the major cause of accidents or 39.8%, followed by speeding, 32.1%, he said, citing the road safety center’s report. Most accidents involved motorcycles, with 78.8%, followed by pickup trucks, 10.8%.
Over the four days, Chiang Mai province recorded the highest number of road accidents with 100 cases and the highest number of injuries, 104.
Bangkok had the highest number of fatalities with 14.
NCPO deputy spokesman Col Sirichan Ngathong, meanwhile, said that 1,492 vehicles were impounded at road-safety checkpoints across the country yesterday as part of the government’s no drink-driving campaign during Songkran.
She said there were 41,797 traffic violations involving public vehicles and personal cars yesterday.
Authorities seized 571 driving licenses, impounded 313 cars and public vehicles and arrested 9,323 people for drink-driving yesterday, she said.
Between April 9 and 14, a total of 3,057 vehicles, including 2,361 motorcycles and 696 cars, have been impounded, reported Thai PBS.
A total of 14,880 driving licenses were seized, and 32,400 motorcyclists and 19,916 drivers of public vehicles and private cars were arrested during this period, she added.
Graphic: Thai PBS
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