More accidents, fewer deaths on the island’s roads

PHUKET TOWN: The latest year-to-date figures, those to December 20, show that 172 people, 153 of them on motorcycles, have died on Phuket’s highways this year. Last year at this time, 186 people had died, 164 of them on motorcycles. But there is no basis for optimism in these figures. In November, traffic accidents increased by 14% from the same month last year. In addition, the total number of accidents for 1999 stands at 9,590, up from 9,432 last year. Police say there is a high correlation between traffic accidents and drinking. The end of this millennium and the beginning of the next will be cause for a great deal of celebration. Hopefully it will not also be cause for a blood bath on Phuket’s highways.