Phuket rides high as Songkran road deaths remain at zero

PHUKET: With just over two days to go in the Songkran ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road-safety campaign, Phuket still has yet to record a single death.

“It’s better than last year. There have been fewer accidents,” said Lt Col Narong Kittipongwiwat, chief of the Phuket City Traffic Police.

Most accidents involved motorcycles, he said.

“The roads have been wet and slippery because of people throwing water, which has caused motorbike riders to fall,” Lt Col Narong explained.

“Some riders fell because they wanted to avoid water being thrown at them,” he added.

The Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), which is compiling road-toll statistics for the Seven Days campaign, recorded nine people injured in nine accidents yesterday.

Seven people were injured in Muang District and two were injured in Thalang.

Yesterday’s contribution brought Phuket’s road toll since the campaign began midday on Monday to 29 accidents involving 28 motorbikes, one car and one six-wheeled truck.

So far 30 people have received hospital treatment for injuries sustained in road accidents in Phuket during the period, with drunk driving branded the main cause.

Fifteen accidents were attributed to alcohol.

Speeding was recorded as the main cause of five accidents, with the DDPM-Phuket registering no less than 37 other causes or contributing factors to accidents and injuries.

Nationwide, as of midnight last night, the DDPM had recorded 2,141 road accidents that have so far claimed the lives of 148 people and required 2,316 people to be admitted to hospital.

At the same point in the Seven Days campaign during Songkran last year, the DDPM had recorded 2,515 accidents nationwide, leaving 212 dead and 2,734 injured

Despite this year’s road toll seeing less accidents, fewer deaths and fewer people injured than last year, Lt Col Narong urged motorists to drive safely.

“No matter how good the road is, no matter how good the car is, please be careful when driving,” he said.

— Janpen Upatising