Drones being used to help manage Thai holiday traffic

An early morning collision today has taken the lives of 5 family members in Thailand’s lower northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. One boy, aged 5, and two girls, aged 3 and 11, along with other family members, were killed when a pickup and sport utility vehicle collided in the Non Daeng district at around 6:40 am on the Mitrapap highway near the Ban Krok village of tambon Yao Yai, which lies north of Nakhon Ratchasima town. 4 men were also injured in the crash.

28 year old Anuwat Onnual, the driver of the Isuzu pickup, told police that he and 2 other male passengers were returning to Bangkok after unloading meatballs in Nong Khai province, when he lost control of the pickup, causing it to swerve across the highway median and collide with an oncoming Toyota SUV in Non Daeng district. Anuwat admitted he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

The other family members apart from the children killed were a 30 year old woman, who was driving, and another 35 year old woman. 2 other men who were in the SUV were also seriously injured along with 2 other men in the pickup. Those who were injured were separately admitted to Khong, Sida and Non Daeng hospitals, which are situated along the Mitrapap highway where the accident occurred.

Police say all 7 people who were travelling in the SUV were of the same family, in which 5 of those family members were killed. Police say an investigation was underway.

The accident is the latest in Thailand’s ongoing dangerous road saga, as 2 days ago, a Thai singer died after crashing his carinto a lamppost while on a video call with his girlfriend. 23 year old Akkarachai, known as Ice, was found dead at the scene on Pahonyothin Road, or Route 1.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

A Thai singer died after crashing his car into a lamppost while on a video call with his girlfriend. Thai media did not report on the estimated speed, but photos of the wreckage show severe damage. The roof ripped off the Toyota Altis and the car is almost unrecognisable.

23 year old Akkarachai, known as Ice, was found dead at the scene on Pahonyothin Road, or Route 1. He performed at many night venues and events around the Central Thailand province Chai Nat. Ice’s friend told police that he was on his way home to his girlfriend’s house in Nakhon Sawan about 25 kilometres away. While on the phone with his girlfriend, there was suddenly a loud noise and the phone went dead.

Chai Nat police warn people not to use their phones while driving.

SOURCE: Thai Visa

The Ministry of Transport has confirmed that hundreds of road traffic accidents have taken place over Thailand’s holiday weekend. 139 people have died and 653 have been injured in the course of the 4-day holiday, which was introduced to boost domestic tourism.

The Pattaya News report that 455 car accidents have been recorded, with nearly 79% of them being caused by excessive speed. 82 people died in car accidents, with a further 466 injured. The Ministry of Transport says 27 accidents caused by speeding occurred in Chon Buri.

Another 153 accidents involved motorbikes, with 47 bike riders killed and 165 injured. Most of the bike accidents were recorded in the central province of Nonthaburi and the northern province of Lamphun, with each province recording 11 motorbike accidents.

Public transport vehicles and trucks accounted for 21 accidents, with 13 caused by trucks, 5 by buses, and 3 by trains. Those accidents contributed a further 10 deaths and 22 injuries. Over 10.68 million people took to public transport over the course of the 4-day holiday, while out of more than 14 million vehicles that left Bangkok, 13 million were private cars.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News