Songkran road safety day 5: 37 deaths, 330 accidents

On the fifth day of Songkran’s infamous “seven dangerous days”, there were 330 road accidents resulting in 37 deaths and 328 injuries reported across Thailand. Songkran brings an increase in travel, and with it, an unfortunate increase in traffic accidents and road deaths. With Covid-19 severely curbing festivities this year, figures are generally down, but the government continues to encourage its Songkran road safety campaign.

New revelations today from the Director-General of Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation who observed that inter-provincial roads and secondary backroads are more dangerous and deadly statistically, data he attributes to the amount of drinking and driving on these roads. The DDPM has ordered surveys of these roads and high-risk areas that produce higher than average injury and death rates. The departments in these areas will survey the areas for the remainder of the safety campaign, as road accidents may increase in the coming days as holiday travellers begin to return home to work.

DAILY FIGURES

As usual, speeding was the top cause for accidents with nearly 35% of crashes attributed to it, with driving while drunk accounting for nearly 32% of all accidents. Once again motorbikes were involved in the overwhelming majority of road accidents, with 86% of crashes. And again, straight routes were the location of 61% of accidents, a wide majority. 37% of yesterday’s road accidents were on national highways while slightly more accidents, 38%, occurred in local communities and villages.

Accidents were most frequent during the late afternoon and early evening again, with 27% of reported accidents happening between 4 pm and 8 pm. 18% of injuries and deaths were between 30 and 39 years old, the most common demographic.

Pathum Thani was the most fatal province today, with 4 reported road deaths. Prachuap Khiri Khan had the highest rate of road accidents, with 12 incidents within the province. 13 was the number of the most injuries in a province, with that figure being tied by Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Sri Thammarat and Tak.

TOTALS

After 5 days of the Songkran “seven dangerous days” there have been 1,795 accidents reported. 1,818 people were injured on the roads of Thailand in the last 5 days, with 192 road deaths reported nationally.

Nakhon Sri Thammarat has become the most dangerous province, with its 76 road accidents being the most of any province as well as its 82 injuries topping the list of injuries by province. The most deadly provinces were Bangkok, Khon Kaen, and Pathum Thani.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News