Thai holiday road toll hits 857

BANGKOK: -- THAILAND'S New Year holiday road death rose to a record 857 today, with 42,000 injuries, the health ministry reported near the end of an eight-day official tallying period.

The figures reflected more than four deaths per hour and four injuries per minute, with 78 per cent of injuries being the result of motorcycle accidents, the ministry said.

No comparative figures were provided today, but by yesterday the toll had been pegged at 801, a 42 per cent rise over the same period the previous year.

Some 60 people were killed yesterday, while 145 people were killed on January 1, the ministry said, attributing much of the carnage to drink-driving.

The toll was compiled from the reports of more than 900 hospitals around the country, when millions of Thais began leaving the capital for the provinces to take advantage of a four-day official break from last Thursday.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra expressed alarm over the country's failure to reign in the holiday road carnage and conceded that his government needed to do more to reduce the fatalities.

"The main reason causing the accidents is recklessness," he said. "Many of them were not aware of the traffic regulations, didn't use safety belts, were drunk, or didn't wear crash helmets."

The premier also pointed to the kingdom's recovering economy as a key factor in the rising carnage, with many new cars and in particular motorbikes purchased in a booming 2003 flooding the roads.

--Agencies 2004-01-05

BANGKOK: -- THAILAND'S New Year holiday road death rose to a record 857 today, with 42,000 injuries, the health ministry reported near the end of an eight-day official tallying period.

Another personal best for the roadusers of Thailand this holiday season, do other readers think that they try to increase the figures year by year on purpose?

A record cull due then for Songkran.

I do feel sorry though for the innocent road users and pedestrians who get mown down by boozed up louts. Pity its not just the latter who get iced.