Phuket Records A Day Without Death On The Roads

Phuket records a day without death on the roads

Phuket Gazette

A ‘Give way’ sign lies on the ground at the Tesco Lotus junction on the Phuket Town bypass road in Rassada, where numerous road accident fatalities have occurred in recent years. Photo: Stephen Fein

PHUKET: -- Today marks the last day of the “Seven Days of Danger” holiday road-safety campaign. No fatalities were recorded in Phuket yesterday, Day 6 of the campaign, with the number of fatalities standing at six.

According to official figures from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket Office (DDPM-Phuket) this morning, Day 6 ended with nine serious injuries in eight reported accidents, but no deaths.

Among the injured was one foreigner, listed as Canadian national Daniel Frewing, age 63.

Mr Frewing was driving fast without a helmet when he lost control of his motorbike on Sakdidet Road in Baan Borrae, Wichit, according to DDPM-Phuket notes of the accident.

The Canadian was taken to Bangkok Hospital Phuket for treatment of injuries, the gravity of which were not reported.

Of the eight accidents reported yesterday, half were attributed to drunk driving. In these cases all of the victims were Thai males in their 20s and 30s.

The youngest accident victim yesterday was three-year-old Nassaroot Bandam, who fell from a motorbike driven by his father in Pa Khlok at about 10am.

The child was injured when his dangling feet got caught in the motorbike's rear wheel, wrenching him off the vehicle.

The extent of his injuries were not reported, but the DDPM-Phuket log notes that the boy was rushed to Thalang Hospital for emergency treatment and then referred to the better-equipped Bangkok Hosptial Phuket in Phuket Town.

Yesterday’s accidents bring the six-day total to 66, with six fatalities and 70 people suffering injuries requiring admittance to a hospital.

So far during the campaign, 44,125 vehicles have been pulled over for inspections at police checkpoints in Phuket, with 3,554 charges levied. Eighteen people have been charged with drunk driving in Phuket since the campaign began.

Nationwide, the first five days of the campaign record 282 people killed and 2,783 injured in 2,544 traffic accidents, the Road Safety Center in Bangkok reported yesterday.

Buri Ram remains the deadliest province, with 16 fatalities, while Chaiyaphum was the only accident-free province.

Compared with last year, deaths were up by one, while injuries were down by 308 and accidents down by 337, Silapachai Jarukasemrattana, deputy permanent secretary for the Transport Ministry said yesterday.

Chiang Rai had the most accidents at 95, while Nakhon Sawan was tops in injuries at 100.

On Monday alone, 41 people were killed and 401 injured in 377 road accidents.

National reporting by Phuket Gazette partner publication The Nation.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle11894.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-01-04