88 Killed During First Two Days Of '7 Dangerous Songkran Holidays'

[george]

88 Killed in 824 road accidents during first two days of '7 Dangerous Songkran Holidays'

BANGKOK: -- A total of 58 people were killed in road accidents yesterday, the second of the "seven dangerous days" of the Songkran holidays, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported on Friday.

The total holiday road toll rose to 88, from 30 reported on Thursday.

Phichit and Chumphon had the highest number of road fatalities, with five deaths each, followed by Chiang Rai, Suphanburi, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Pathom and Kalasin (three each), the department said.

Drunk driving identified as main cause of accidents.

-- 2012-04-13

[Chris Lawrence]

Breathalyser's and helmets may save lives?

[gemguy]

Thais and alcohol , alcohol and Thais.....hmmmm makes for an interesting life altering combo.

[Jim walker]

Happy Days

[buhi]

The daily average for deaths on the road throughout the year is about 34 per day. However, during the new year period this tends to rise due to drunk driving and speeding. These are the two main causes of accidents during Songkran.

Looking back at the statistics for the past three years, 2009-2011, an average of 510 accidents took place each day. From that, there is a daily average of 48 deaths and 553 injuries. That seems a lot, but from what I have been told, this is not an accurate figure. The true numbers are really higher as not all road deaths get officially noted. We saw that last year when reported road deaths in Phuket newspapers didn’t match the official tally. In addition, if the road accident victim doesn’t die at the scene, then it is not counted as a “death”.

Stats from @pump_kt: สถิติอุบัติเหตุช่วงสงกรานต์ปี 52-54 เฉลี่ย 510 ครั้งต่อวัน เสียชีวิต 48 คน/วัน บาดเจ็บ 553 คน/วัน

: Thailand News

So the difference isn't as great as implied.

Edited April 13, 2012 by buhi

[how241]

The daily average for deaths on the road throughout the year is about 34 per day. However, during the new year period this tends to rise due to drunk driving and speeding. These are the two main causes of accidents during Songkran.

Looking back at the statistics for the past three years, 2009-2011, an average of 510 accidents took place each day. From that, there is a daily average of 48 deaths and 553 injuries. That seems a lot, but from what I have been told, this is not an accurate figure. The true numbers are really higher as not all road deaths get officially noted. We saw that last year when reported road deaths in Phuket newspapers didn’t match the official tally. In addition, if the road accident victim doesn’t die at the scene, then it is not counted as a “death”.

Stats from @pump_kt: สถิติอุบัติเหตุช่วงสงกรานต์ปี 52-54 เฉลี่ย 510 ครั้งต่อวัน เสียชีวิต 48 คน/วัน บาดเจ็บ 553 คน/วัน

: Thailand News

So the difference isn't as great as implied.

Good post. Interesting facts. Thanks

[norrona]

Great way of keeping the numbers down, shame other countries don't celebrate it like this!!!

[belg]

what not use all those man in brown for something more usefull than collecting tea money from motorists? ah ja, works and no play makes BIB a dull boy

[lee68]

Thais and alcohol , alcohol and Thais.....hmmmm makes for an interesting life altering combo.

you forgot to add car and motorbike,lol

[metisdead]

Some overly derogatory posts have been removed.

[gemguy]

Thais and alcohol , alcohol and Thais.....hmmmm makes for an interesting life altering combo.

you forgot to add car and motorbike,lol

Yes they commonly manage to create a great deal of carnage without the alcohol.

I would surmise that near every country has its fair share of road carnage caused by alcohol during their festival season.

From what I have been told by many Thais, over the years, there is hardly anyone who would actually criticize anyone who is obviously drunk and driving a motor vehicle.

Drunk bus drivers just carry on as if they are sober and the thrill of a life time ride with a drunken bus drive is basically not a concern when the passengers board the bus.

They are just happy they are fying down the roads at break neck speeds hoping to get home as soon as possible and the happy go merry drunken bus driver is going to get them there ahead of schedule and they are gratefull.

[AzarovDmitriy]

I can't believe in it. It's so sad. It's true, shouldn't go out during these days.

[chrissables]

Breathalyser's and helmets may save lives?

If they stopped the drinking and bad driving, there would be no need to wear a helmet!

[Paul1Kanya]

Buihi is absolutely correct inasmuch deaths occuring say 4 days plus of the accident are not added to the toll of 'the season' as the hospital administrators are not obliged to count back and inform the authorities. Even if they were would they do it, I guess not.

Another case of TIT and things being smoothed over by department heads to save face by not giving an accurate picture of the true level of carnage and risking censure by their superiors or worse still scaring off tourists and the loss of a few dollars.

So sad but we won't change it.

Slightly off post but loosely related, a Thai doctor friend of ours was saying that in his and his peers opinion it will take up to five generations for the mindset of Thai's to change and become more open in the way they do business (read corruption) politics (read corruption) education (read corruption) road accidents (read corruption) and their list went on.

Needless to say we just sat and listened but it's a scary thought that our kids and their grand children will still be in this situation,

Paul 1 and her

[willwildy]

The USA has an average of 93 road fatalities a day. Running to over 200 a day during the christmas holidays. The US population is roughly 5 times thailand and has some of the best emergency response teams and safest cars in the world. If you do the math thailand's holiday fatalities are almost the same per capita. I would say they aren't doing so bad.

[TheCure]

It's very simple : Thai drivers are ignorant , selfish, aggressive and for most downright moronic ..

If you randomly picked 10 Thai drivers , and got them to take a proper European style driving test, the failure rate would be 100 %.

They simply have no idea what to drive responsibly and safely means.

[zakk9]

The USA has an average of 93 road fatalities a day. Running to over 200 a day during the christmas holidays. The US population is roughly 5 times thailand and has some of the best emergency response teams and safest cars in the world. If you do the math thailand's holiday fatalities are almost the same per capita. I would say they aren't doing so bad.

An independent analysis done a few years ago indicated that the actual number of traffic deaths in Thailand is possibly between 60 and 80 per day. Interestingly, HIV/AIDS deaths are underreported too, which makes one wonder how the authorities can plan medication and care, or maybe they don't?

http://www.unescap.org/stat/meet/vs-Sep09/Thailand.pdf

[sausageandmash]

They should be criticised and strongly. That's why this is still a third world country and always will be until the negative aspects of Thai culture are done away with - for good!

Thais and alcohol , alcohol and Thais.....hmmmm makes for an interesting life altering combo.

you forgot to add car and motorbike,lol

Yes they commonly manage to create a great deal of carnage without the alcohol.

I would surmise that near every country has its fair share of road carnage caused by alcohol during their festival season.

From what I have been told by many Thais, over the years, there is hardly anyone who would actually criticize anyone who is obviously drunk and driving a motor vehicle.

Drunk bus drivers just carry on as if they are sober and the thrill of a life time ride with a drunken bus drive is basically not a concern when the passengers board the bus.

They are just happy they are fying down the roads at break neck speeds hoping to get home as soon as possible and the happy go merry drunken bus driver is going to get them there ahead of schedule and they are gratefull.

[BrianCR]

Breathalyser's and helmets may save lives?

So might having to sit a controlled driving test and passing it, rather than just paying a bribe!

Any of you remember this true and interesting little snippet? - About twenty years ago a middle aged lady went into a Sukhumvit car showroom and paying cash brought a new car. Two days later, the car being ready for collection, the dear lady returned to take delivery. The staff offered to drive the car from the showroom onto the road but the lady insisted that she was more than capable so they walked off and left her to it. A few seconds later there was a God Almighty crash as the car sped off and crashed straight through the showroom window, across the road, finally stopping in the doorway of a shop opposite the car showroom. Frantically the showroom staff and others ran to her assistance and to ask what had happened? To their disbelief the dear lady replied that she had never driven a car before but thought that it would be easy!! This was actually reported in both the Nation and Bangkok Post newspapers.

[lee68]

It's very simple : Thai drivers are ignorant , selfish, aggressive and for most downright moronic ..

If you randomly picked 10 Thai drivers , and got them to take a proper European style driving test, the failure rate would be 100 %.

They simply have no idea what to drive responsibly and safely means.

you have to get them to pass the Thai test first,they do that over and over until they pass it.ive done it 3 times,a 10 year old could do it,but in every class ive been in,most of the Thais have had to do it again.

[BrianCR]

Breathalyser's and helmets may save lives?

So might having to sit a controlled driving test and passing it, rather than just paying a bribe!

Any of you remember this true and interesting little snippet? - About twenty years ago a middle aged lady went into a Sukhumvit car showroom and paying cash brought a new car. Two days later, the car being ready for collection, the dear lady returned to take delivery. The staff offered to drive the car from the showroom onto the road but the lady insisted that she was more than capable so they walked off and left her to it. A few seconds later there was a God Almighty crash as the car sped off and crashed straight through the showroom window, across the road, finally stopping in the doorway of a shop opposite the car showroom. Frantically the showroom staff and others ran to her assistance and to ask what had happened? To their disbelief the dear lady replied that she had never driven a car before but thought that it would be easy!! This was actually reported in both the Nation and Bangkok Post newspapers.

I can also add the time I was leaving a multi-storie car park on Ratchadapisik and twisting around the many bends on the downward ramp when a Thai driver ran into the back of me. When asked why he crashed into me he responded that he was used to driving an automatic car and was busy sorting out the gear shift on the manual car he was driving at the time of the collision!

[BrianCR]

It's very simple : Thai drivers are ignorant , selfish, aggressive and for most downright moronic ..

If you randomly picked 10 Thai drivers , and got them to take a proper European style driving test, the failure rate would be 100 %.

They simply have no idea what to drive responsibly and safely means.

For the most part i agree with you but, as for the "selfish, aggressive and for most downright moronic" have you ever witnessed the western twenty-something year-old to be found in all Thai holiday resorts trying to break the world land speed record (usually whilst drunk) on their rented 50cc motorcycles and at the same time yelling at anything wearing a skirt that they ride past? (Might be a wake-up call for them if they managed to pick up the 'wrong' piece of 'skirt' - they wouldn't be sitting on a rented motorcycle for a few days after) Ha-ha

[TheCure]

It's very simple : Thai drivers are ignorant , selfish, aggressive and for most downright moronic ..

If you randomly picked 10 Thai drivers , and got them to take a proper European style driving test, the failure rate would be 100 %.

They simply have no idea what to drive responsibly and safely means.

For the most part i agree with you but, as for the "selfish, aggressive and for most downright moronic" have you ever witnessed the western twenty-something year-old to be found in all Thai holiday resorts trying to break the world land speed record (usually whilst drunk) on their rented 50cc motorcycles and at the same time yelling at anything wearing a skirt that they ride past? (Might be a wake-up call for them if they managed to pick up the 'wrong' piece of 'skirt' - they wouldn't be sitting on a rented motorcycle for a few days after) Ha-ha

They also qualify as morons , I agree . But with a 50cc moped, chances are they will kill themselves only, and not inflict irrevocable pain on innocent , law abiding citizens, as the Thai pick up, minibus, bus and Fortuner drivers do on a daily basis ..

[sausageandmash]

Hope you claimed off him

Breathalyser's and helmets may save lives?

So might having to sit a controlled driving test and passing it, rather than just paying a bribe!

Any of you remember this true and interesting little snippet? - About twenty years ago a middle aged lady went into a Sukhumvit car showroom and paying cash brought a new car. Two days later, the car being ready for collection, the dear lady returned to take delivery. The staff offered to drive the car from the showroom onto the road but the lady insisted that she was more than capable so they walked off and left her to it. A few seconds later there was a God Almighty crash as the car sped off and crashed straight through the showroom window, across the road, finally stopping in the doorway of a shop opposite the car showroom. Frantically the showroom staff and others ran to her assistance and to ask what had happened? To their disbelief the dear lady replied that she had never driven a car before but thought that it would be easy!! This was actually reported in both the Nation and Bangkok Post newspapers.

I can also add the time I was leaving a multi-storie car park on Ratchadapisik and twisting around the many bends on the downward ramp when a Thai driver ran into the back of me. When asked why he crashed into me he responded that he was used to driving an automatic car and was busy sorting out the gear shift on the manual car he was driving at the time of the collision!

[PoodMaiDai]

So much for Yingluck's zero casualty pipe dream plan.

[metisdead]

An insensitive baiting post has been removed as well as a reply.

[georgey]

It's very simple : Thai drivers are ignorant , selfish, aggressive and for most downright moronic ..

If you randomly picked 10 Thai drivers , and got them to take a proper European style driving test, the failure rate would be 100 %.

They simply have no idea what to drive responsibly and safely means.

ur so right.....

of course drunk driving adds to the accident rate (as does speeding), but blaming that as the main cause is totally wrong.....

the main cause is lunatic driving = overtaking on the wrong side then squeezing into the tiniest space in the outside lane before repeating the manoeuvre - crazy, stupid, insane

driving right up the backside of the car in front - doing that at any speed & sober or not is the worst, particularly when such a high %age of vehicles are high (pickups, buses, minibuses trucks), which makes it impossible for the following (stupid) driver to see the brake lights of those in front.....

[SnugglePuma]

Drivers being hit by buckets of water probably doesn't help the safety record. But I suppose it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things since all of those people are going to be reincarnated anyway...

[Woodcaulk]

Just out of curiosity I wonder are there any statistics on how many of the traffic casualties are passengers being launched out of the back of pickup trucks?

[zabaleta]

so,the annual deathfest is upon us again.

people getting injured,people getting killed(either accidently or intentionally).

the worst thing,in my opinion is the doughnut falangs who probably are/were bullied in their own country coming over here and assaulting people(albeit with talc and water) knowing they are going too get away with it.