Thailand gears up for the "Seven Deadly Days" of Songkran 2021

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

Though celebrations of the Songkran Festival or traditional Thai New Year are set to be muted again this year because of the pandemic, the authorities are still pressing ahead with measures to mitigate the carnage on the roads that goes hand in hand with the celebration.

Last week DPM Prawit Wongsuwan initiated a five point plan to lessen road accidents for the so called "Seven Deadly Days of Songkran" before, during and after the weeklong holiday from 10th to 16th of April as reported by Thai Rath.

These measures were designed to ensure less accidents and less damage to life, limb and vehicles. 

In substance they contained very little new to what is always seen in Thailand every January and April New Year time - a greater sense of enforcement, closure of some danger spots on highways like U-turns, and lots more of the familiar "convenience tents" for the public. 

This is all delivered with lashings of lip-service, say critics.

Opinions are divided on whether the measures really do any good. Certainly the number of dead and maimed on the roads is similar to "normal" days though some might argue that traffic is higher so the measures are in part at least a success.

Thailand has an accepted death toll on the roads of between 24,000 and 26,000 annually with the great majority of those - possibly as high as 80% involving motorcycle accidents. 

Last year's carnage was largely helped by the curfew and ban on the sale of alcohol at the height of the first wave of the pandemic. 

But even though things like water splashing look set to be banned limiting the free-for-all aspect of Songkran 2021, there are fears it will be more of the same as experienced every year prior to the pandemic.

Other critics of the seven deadly day focus have said that it is typical of Thai officialdom - and the people themselves - to make a song and dance of a problem for public show once or twice a year - then revert to type for the remaining 50 weeks of the year. 

Meanwhile in Bangkok Thai Rath reported that safety campaigns would be carried out over the next two weeks followed by the seven day crackdown.

They made much of the comments of a civil engineer called Thaiwut Chankaew of the BMA who said that measures would include the checking and repair of the road surface and lights prior to Songkran.

The media said in their headline that these measures would reduce accidents. 

In addition there will be greater enforcement in the capital, lots of checkpoints and those "convenience tents".

Contractors of the large rail infrastructure projects would be encouraged to make repairs and mitigate accident prospects on damaged roads too. 

However, for most Bangkok residents Songkran - with the annual exodus of workers to the countryside - is usually deserted with the roads free of the normally gridlocked traffic creating a blissful week. 

Much of the carnage shifts from the well policed main roads at Songkran to the country roads of the provinces where drunks in cars and on bikes roam free. 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-03-17

 

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[Dmaxdan]

More like Thailand gears up for the 'We have got to be seen to be doing something' cliché...

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

More like Thailand gears up for the 'We have got to be seen to be doing something' cliché...

Exactly that…. Then Thailand can announce another crack-down on road safety… Shorty afterwards it can hold some conference afterwhich is it announced that it ‘aims to be the hub of traffic calming measures’….

 

The reported daily traffic numbers will match the daily statistics for the rest of the year, as it has done every year, someone hungering for a little media spotlight will announce a successful reduction in fatality numbers !!!

[tinca tinca]

here we go again and again.....when will they underatand that DRIVING NEEDS TO BE LEARNT AT A VERY EARLY AGE....and that rules of the road APPLIES TO EVERY SINGLE DRIVER......!!!

[PostmasterGeneral]

They seem very well geared-up, with 358 days of practice. 

[ThailandRyan]

Rinse and repeat

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/03/asia/thailand-road-deaths-new-year-intl/index.html

Just change the year and the dates.

[Justgrazing]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

This is all delivered with lashings of lip-service, say critics

Just as well be lashings of lipstick for the good it'll do .. 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"Seven Deadly Days of Songkran"

Says it all .. given a term like that by the authorities makes it sound like a tacit admission of failure in their duty to the population .. but rather than do anything about it , we'll give it a catchy tagline .. 

[Misterwhisper]

Thailand gears up for the "Seven Deadly Days" of Songkran 2021

What are they gearing up with? Excuses as per why their "road safety campaign" once again will turn out to be completely ineffective... just like in every year? 

[ThailandRyan]

The words THAILAND and Road Safety should never be used in the same sentence, as using the two together is actually an oxymoron.  Road Safety when used in conjunction with Thailand is contradictory.

[Cake Monster]

16 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

Thailand gears up for the "Seven Deadly Days" of Songkran 2021

What are they gearing up with? Excuses as per why their "road safety campaign" once again will turn out to be completely ineffective... just like in every year? 

By " Gearing up ", it probably means the Ambulances will have an Oil Change and some kind of Service, as well as being hosed out 

[ThailandRyan]

21 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

By " Gearing up ", it probably means the Ambulances will have an Oil Change and some kind of Service, as well as being hosed out 

Body bags and extra shovels at the ready.

[Emdog]

Back to normal slaughter we're all familiar with.

[Misterwhisper]

45 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

By " Gearing up ", it probably means the Ambulances will have an Oil Change and some kind of Service, as well as being hosed out 

And stocking up on enough coffins and saw dust?

[lujanit]

On the positive side Bangkok is a pleasure to drive in during Songkran.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

This is all delivered with lashings of lip-service, say critics.

I'm in favour of this... more details please, does it involve "pretties in pit-stops" on the side of the road when I'm feeling in need of  pepping-up?

[edwardandtubs]

4 hours ago, PostmasterGeneral said:

They seem very well geared-up, with 358 days of practice. 

Last year the so-called 7 deadly days were no more deadly than any other 7 day period. The whole thing is just so that officials can pretend they're doing something useful.

[ThailandRyan]

The phrase I believe was suppose to resonate with the people and that alone was to be enough to save the road deaths in the framers minds.  Not!!!

[thequietman]

Bring it on !  ????

 

Been living here 15 years. I don't expect anything different. Tents at side of road, staff checking their smartphones, nothing constructive being done. Whatever Thailand- Whatever!  ????

[Happyman567]

Here we go again 7 days of Thais killing themselves and others on the road  Just a bit of a joke question here.  Are the police ready to patrol the roads? mmmmmmm  NOPE

[tinca tinca]

2 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

Last year the so-called 7 deadly days were no more deadly than any other 7 day period. The whole thing is just so that officials can pretend they're doing something useful.

useful ......like what???

[jvs]

7 hours ago, tinca tinca said:

here we go again and again.....when will they underatand that DRIVING NEEDS TO BE LEARNT AT A VERY EARLY AGE....

You probably don't mean kids as young as 7 years old riding motorbikes because that is when they start "learning"over here.