Drunk drivers in Thailand could be jailed without suspension during Songkran

Authorities in Thailand are vowing to get serious about drunk driving during Songkran. Drunk drivers caught between Monday and Sunday next week, during the time of the holiday, are more likely be jailed without suspension if convicted. A police major general said yesterday that police recently discussed measures to discourage drunk driving with officials.

The major general said police and officials agreed that courts should not suspend jail terms for drunk drivers. This news comes after Phuket Governor Narong has started planning this year’s Seven Days of Danger road safety campaign. Last year, the campaign focused on ending drunk driving and inspecting “risk points” where accidents had happened. Narong’s goal for Songkran this year is to have zero casualties.

Across Thailand last year, 277 people were killed, and 2,357 were injured in almost 2,400 road accidents. Drunk driving was involved in more than one third of the accidents. Ever since a motorcycle hit and killed an eye doctor at a zebra crossing in Bangkok in January, a public debate has emerged on Thailand’s problems with pedestrian safety.

Meanwhile, the Thai Red Cross Society urges the public to donate blood during the holiday period, when road accidents are expected to surge. The director of the National Blood Centre said the centre has been running low on blood reserves since January, and they need blood for use during the holidays.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World