songkran road toll

Songkran Road Toll Climbs to 154 as Holiday Travel Enters Fourth Day

BANGKOK — The first four days of the Songkran holiday’s “seven dangerous days” have claimed 154 lives and left 705 people injured in road accidents across Thailand, with Bangkok recording the highest number of fatalities, authorities reported on Tuesday.

Songkran Holiday Road Death Toll Rises to 95 After Three Days

While the toll remains deeply troubling, the overall number of accidents has dropped significantly compared with the same period last year. A total of 755 road crashes have been recorded, representing a decline of nearly 25 percent from the 1,002 accidents reported during the first four days of Songkran in 2025, when 144 people died and 999 were injured. On Monday alone, 237 accidents occurred nationwide, resulting in 224 injuries and 51 deaths, according to Yossapol Wenukoset, head of the Road Safety Centre. The government’s annual safety awareness and enforcement campaign, themed “Drive Safely, Reduce Speed, Prevent Accidents,” runs from April 10 to 16.

Speeding continues to be the deadliest factor on Thailand’s roads, responsible for 41.8 percent of all accidents between April 10 and 13. Drink driving followed closely, accounting for 27.4 percent of crashes. Motorcycles remain the most vulnerable vehicles, involved in nearly 71 percent of all accidents. The vast majority of crashes, 75.5 percent, occurred on straight roads, with those under local tambon administrative organisations and in villages making up the largest share at 36.3 percent. The most dangerous time of day has been the late afternoon period between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., when 20.25 percent of all accidents took place. Young adults and middle-aged travellers have been the hardest hit, with those aged 20 to 29 and 30 to 39 each accounting for 17.8 percent of injuries and fatalities.

Songkran Road Toll at 71, With 317 Injured After Two Days

Lampang province in the north has seen the highest cumulative number of accidents with 33 cases and the highest number of injuries with 34. Bangkok, however, has recorded the highest death toll with eight fatalities. On a more positive note, 22 provinces have reported zero road deaths during the four-day period. Thiraphat Khatchamart, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said traffic volumes remained heavy on Tuesday as many people were still travelling to Songkran celebrations while others had begun making their return journeys to Bangkok or their workplaces in an effort to avoid the severe congestion expected on Wednesday. He added that the Road Safety Centre has instructed all relevant agencies to manage traffic according to local conditions, with special attention being paid to major routes where construction is underway. Checkpoints and service points are being set up in suitable locations to help prevent drowsy driving and rear-end collisions, Thiraphat added.

-Thailand News (TN)

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