thailand reports 242

Thailand Reports 242 Road Fatalities During Songkran Period, Marking 5% Decline Versus Three-Year Average

ByJustpaste.in

BANGKOK — A total of 242 people were killed and 1,200 others injured in 1,242 road accidents recorded over the seven days of the Songkran holiday, according to the Road Accidents Prevention and Mitigation Command Centre, in a final toll that represents a five percent decrease from the three-year average.

Six Days of Songkran: 216 Lives Lost on Thailand’s Roads

The last day of the annual “seven dangerous days” safe-driving campaign, which concluded on Thursday, saw 17 deaths and 123 injuries resulting from 123 road accidents. While any loss of life remains deeply tragic, authorities have cautiously welcomed the downward trend as evidence that intensified enforcement and growing public awareness may finally be making a difference on Thailand’s notoriously dangerous roads.

Speeding continued to be the leading cause of accidents throughout the holiday period, contributing to 40.65 percent of all crashes, followed by close-range cutting or sudden lane changes at 25.20 percent. Motorcycles, the primary mode of transport for millions of Thais, were involved in nearly 65 percent of all accidents, a statistic that underscores the persistent vulnerability of two-wheeled travellers during the annual New Year migration. The combination of high speeds, alcohol consumption and the lack of protective barriers on motorcycles has long been a deadly formula, and this year proved no exception despite the overall improvement.

Bangkok recorded the highest death toll of any province, with 21 fatalities, reflecting the capital’s role as both a major origin point for outbound holiday travellers and a destination for those returning to work. The northern province of Phrae, meanwhile, recorded the highest number of injuries with 50 and the highest number of accidents with 48, cementing its unfortunate status as the most dangerous locale for Songkran travel this year.

On a more positive note, ten provinces reported no road fatalities during the entire seven-day period: Nakhon Phanom, Bueng Kan, Pattani, Phang-nga, Rayong, Satun, Samut Songkhram, Sing Buri, Nong Bua Lamphu and Mae Hong Son. These provinces, spread across the Northeast, South, East and North, offer a model of what can be achieved through effective traffic management, community engagement and perhaps a measure of good fortune.

Teerapat Kachamat, director-general of the Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said in a statement that the number of accidents and casualties recorded during this year’s Songkran celebrations was five percent below the average of the past three years. While the improvement is modest, it represents a step in the right direction for a country that consistently ranks among the worst in the world for road safety. Officials have attributed the decline to a combination of factors, including increased checkpoints, stricter enforcement of drunk-driving laws, and a shift in public behaviour as more travellers opted for public transport over private vehicles due to high fuel prices.

Songkran Road Accidents and Injuries Drop 20% From a Year Ago, Fatalities Also Decline

As the final statistics are analysed and the holiday recedes into memory, the 242 families who lost loved ones are left to mourn. For the rest of the nation, the challenge remains clear: to build on this year’s modest improvement and ensure that next year’s Songkran brings even fewer deaths, until the “dangerous days” are dangerous no more.

-Thailand News (TN)

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