The Thai government is reporting that deaths on Thailand’s roads are getting worse despite efforts to fix the issue.

The secretary of the National Health Security Office gave horrifying statistics for victims of road accidents, but it’s widely believed that these are only a fraction of the actual numbers of those killed, maimed and injured on the Thailand’s roads.

Thailand is one of the worst in the world for fatal road incidents and the World Health Organisation says it is one of the kingdom’s biggest problems.

The secretary of the National Health Security Office, Dr. Sakchai Kanchanawatana, has presented damning statistics for victims of road accidents that accessed funds from the government’s social security scheme. He presented statistics for in-patient care using state insurance for 2015 to 2018.

From 2015 to 2018, 13,861 patients died, including 11,177 bikers. The injured (reported) amounted to 265,243. Of the 265,243 injured 210,963 were motorcyclists. Costs to the insurance scheme exceeded 6 billion baht. The statistics only measure those who accessed the government’s insurance schemes.

• 2015: Injured: 62,773 Dead: 3,509, Cost 1.3 billion baht

• 2016: Injured: 63,981 Dead: 3,486, Cost 1.5 billion baht

• 2017: Injured: 67,517 Dead: 3,440, Cost 1.5 billion baht

• 2018: Injured: 70,972 Dead: 3,426, Cost 1.6 billion baht

These audited figures indicate the trend of a rising road death toll.

In the same period, the number of pedestrians injured was 10,672, with 916 killed. Senior pedestrians were the highest fatality bracket, with the figure dropping for younger citizens. Of the dead and injured, most involved motorcyclists.

Provinces that showed a 20% rise during the reported time period were Bung Kan, Chaiyaphum, Prachinburi, Petchaburi, Trang, Phatthalung, Satun, Patani and Naratiwas. Areas with population increases and tourist areas showed decreases in road deaths.

The actual total road toll for Thailand, annually, is acknowledged to be between 21,000 – 24,000 each year.

SOURCE: Thai Visa | Naew Na

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PHOTOS: Dragon Rescue Foundation

A 23 year old driver died as a result of his vehicle colliding with a tree and catching fire in Mueang Chonburi this morning. Dragon Rescue Foundation was notified of the accident at 3:50am on the Wat Saman Road in Nong Kangkok, Chonburi, north of the Laem Chabang seaport.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene to find the car which had collided with a coconut tree and was already on fire. It took rescue workers about 15 minutes to control the fire. Inside the vehicle they found the body of the driver, identified as 23 year old Pattaraphon Natee.

Rescue workers used hydraulic cutters to access the wrecked car and recover his body. His remains were taken to a local hospital.

Police speculate that he might have fallen asleep at the wheel before colliding with the tree.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News

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An accident between a mini-bus and a six-wheel truck has left seven dead and seriously injured four others.

Thai PBS World reports that the collision happened in Ubon Ratchathani, northeast Thailand, yesterday morning. Witnesses say the mini-van was travelling at high speed when the driver lost control, crossing into the path of oncoming traffic and colliding head-on with the truck.

Photo: News1

The force of the collision caused the truck to flip onto its side and completely wrote off the mini-van. The seven people killed were all passengers in the mini-van and understood to have been two monks, two women and three other men.

The driver and three others were all seriously injured and taken to nearby hospitals by rescue workers at the scene.

SOURCE: thaipbsworld.com

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