Roads claimed 195 lives in 2003

PHUKET: A total of 195 people died on Phuket’s roads in 2003, official figures have revealed – the vast majority of them in crashes involving motorcycles. The figure was up 7.7% compared with the 181 deaths in 2002. The Phuket Provincial Health Office reported that another 12,435 people were injured or maimed in 2003 on the island’s roads, with the worst month for injuries being December, when 1,363 people were hurt. May was the worst month for fatalities, with 26 deaths. Fewer deaths were reported in the second half of the year as motorcyclists complied with government pleas to switch on their headlamps during the day, and police cracked down on those not wearing helmets. The statistics were compiled from figures provided by the island’s three government hospitals – Wachira, Thalang and Patong, and do not include road victims taken to private hospitals.