25 Percent Fewer Deaths This Songkran

[webfact]

25 percent fewer deaths this Songkran

By The Nation

The death toll from road accidents during the "seven dangerous days" of Songkran this year showed a 25percent drop compared with the period last year.

The director of the Road Safety Centre, Dr Thanapong Jinwong, said yesterday that 271 had been killed this year compared with 361 during last Songkran.

"The numbers of road accidents and of victims with serious injuries have also dropped."

He said the number of road accidents had dropped from 3,516 to 3,215, and victims with serious injuries from 3,802 to just 3,476.

Thanapong said the number of accidents had dropped because relevant officials and organisations had strictly enforced laws against drunk driving, speeding and the failure to wear crash helmets.

Drunk driving accounted for 38.7 per cent of the road accidents during this Songkran, while speeding was blamed for 20.5 per cent and 15.6 per cent were related to reckless driving by motorcyclists.

Up to 4,910,038 vehicles, or 497,159 more than last year, were flagged down for checks this Songkran. Of the vehicles stopped, 646,837 were fined for violating traffic rules, including 202,956 motorcyclists who were caught not wearing crash helmets.

Thanapong hopes that safety campaigns and strict law enforcement will ensure that all motorcyclists and passengers wear crash helmets.

-- The Nation 2011-04-23

[onnut]

More like the number of recorded deaths have dropped.

[Soutpeel]

More like the number of recorded deaths have dropped.

That thought occured to me..

[Ricci]

Thanapong said the number of accidents had dropped because relevant officials and organisations had strictly enforced laws against drunk driving, speeding and the failure to wear crash helmets.

uhm...yeah, i beleive that right away. no checkpoints in my area (isaan). they just sat at the main junction, offering water to thirsty drivers, while having a bottle of lao khao or harassing bystanders with their guns....

[animatic]

Good news in general.

Of course we are getting 2000% more screaming about tits on display this year.

[Thaddeus]

I take any Official Figures quoted in Thailand with a huge pinch of salt.

[toybits]

I thought that this was probably because fuel is so !@$!@king expensive that there were less people on the road. There seemed to be less people at Chiang Rai this year compared to last year.

[ib1b4]

'...Are we to expected to believe from these figures that the standard of driving and road safety have improved, or merely that there clearly weren't so many people on the roads?'

Yes the latter is more likely, I did quite a bit of driving around Issan (Yasothon, Mukdahan & Ubon) during SONGKRAM and all roads were not much busier than normal.

[SICHONSTEVE]

Well done Abhisit and the team!!!

It's good to see that Thailand has got something right at last, as although still too high, it is going in the right direction and has brought joy (and NOT joy followed by utter despair and sorrow) to 25% fewer families for the "Thai new year" !!!

[sirchai]

Thanapong said the number of accidents had dropped because relevant officials and organisations had strictly enforced laws against drunk driving, speeding and the failure to wear crash helmets.

uhm...yeah, i beleive that right away. no checkpoints in my area (isaan). they just sat at the main junction, offering water to thirsty drivers, while having a bottle of lao khao or harassing bystanders with their guns....

Then you're not talking about cops, they don't drink Lao Khao. There were checkpoints all over the 226 and 24 though. Guess it's strange to stop them all.

Theory and reality isn't always the same.................:jap:

[EarthAlien]

If these figures are correct then this is a very encouraging result.

Of course the recorded 271 deaths is still not a good or acceptable scenario but if we are truly experiencing a 25% drop then that is awesome.

Whilst the efforts to introduce "alcohol free zones" appear somewhat feeble and semi-token gestures, at least it is a move in the right direction.

I also noticed some advertising on TV which was basically saying that a "Mai Pen Rai" attitude to drinking while driving and accidents was NOT cool. I think this is excellent and we only now need blanket saturation of these messages (in the same manner as the "white skin is best" cosmetics commercials) and perhaps the message will sink in!

Hope to see a similar drop in fatality stats next year!

[wandrinstar]

Not suprised, but the extra traffic was negligable in Centrall Plains compared to New Year.He Would Say That Wouldnt He. There has not or ever will be an improvement, the tests a joke, no one cares,TIT.

[thailandadam]

Be it less drivers on the road or some extra effort against drunk/unsafe drivers/riders, it's a start for less deaths...and less sadness for the their families/friends...

[tragickingdom]

The best explanation is that the army did not went on a rampage and stayed in their barracks, or am I too cynical right now?

[asiawatcher]

Since when are these statistics at all acceptable? Any death by misadventure at the hands of people using cars and motorbikes as weapons should have a greater penalty than taking robes, shaving heads and a payoff to victims families!

[whybother]

The best explanation is that the army did not went on a rampage and stayed in their barracks, or am I too cynical right now?

I must have missed the news where the army went on a rampage and caused a heap of road accidents.

[ableguy]

If you can believe one word of this report you need medical attention.

[dananderson]

How many years, deaths and serious injouries did it take before they embarked on this feeble attempt to be proactive? I am glad that there was a fraction less but this face saving, self-serving pat on the back is half a baby step in the right direction. So much more needs to be done. Hefty fines and jail for anyone throwing water at a moving vehicle traveling faster than say 5km per hour for starters. Intentionally causing injuries by using a pvc high pressure idiot stick would be another. It's a long list,imho

Edited April 25, 2011 by dananderson

[PETDCAT]

I think the real reason for the drop in accidents and deaths was 1 day of Songkran it was pouring rain. The 13th was rained out in Chiang Mai and not as busy as it would have been for a sunny day.

[dean999]

If these figures are correct then this is a very encouraging result.

Of course the recorded 271 deaths is still not a good or acceptable scenario but if we are truly experiencing a 25% drop then that is awesome.

Whilst the efforts to introduce "alcohol free zones" appear somewhat feeble and semi-token gestures, at least it is a move in the right direction.

I also noticed some advertising on TV which was basically saying that a "Mai Pen Rai" attitude to drinking while driving and accidents was NOT cool. I think this is excellent and we only now need blanket saturation of these messages (in the same manner as the "white skin is best" cosmetics commercials) and perhaps the message will sink in!

Hope to see a similar drop in fatality stats next year!

Maybe they should say alcohol makes your skin darker. I bet sales will drop.