Songkran Death Toll Way Over Last Year As Millions Return To Bangkok

[webfact]

Songkran Death toll way over last year as millions return to Bangkok

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The first five days of the Songkran holiday saw 253 people killed on the roads - a large jump over last year, although the numbers of accidents and people injured were slightly down.

There were traffic jams on most major roads late yesterday as holidaymakers headed back to Bangkok amid full buses and trains operating at extra capacity to cope with peak demand.

The first five days (April 11-15) of the Thai New Year saw 253 deaths and 2,751 injuries in 2,581 road accidents - compared to 188 deaths and 2,786 injuries in 2,584 accidents over the same period last year. Drunk driving remained the major cause of accidents.

Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat in the South had the most deaths with 10, and Chiang Rai reported the most injuries at 106 people, as well as the most accidents (also 106).

Although there were more deaths than last Songkran, acting government spokesman Anusorn Eiamsa-ard said yesterday that injuries and road accidents were actually down and that there were 12 provinces with no road deaths. They were Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Phanom, Nong Bua Lamphu, Chon Buri, Trat, Lopburi, Sing Buri, Trang, Pattani, Yala, Ranong and Satun.

Anusorn said the government's "Songkran Plodpai Tai Pen Soon" (Safe Songkran with zero death rate) campaign created public awareness of road hazards, stricter implementation of traffic laws, and the setting up of checkpoints to stop drunk drivers. This succeeded in lowering the number of accidents and thus saved money.

He said the government would continue its road safety campaign for various Thai holidays, and wished that all Songkran holiday-makers could return home safely.

At the Road Safety Centre, Probation Department deputy chief Kasem Moonchan said that on Sunday 477 accidents claimed 43 lives and saw 463 others injured - compared to 443 accidents, 40 deaths and 2,786 people injured on the same day last year.

Drunk driving was the major cause at 42 per cent followed by speeding at 22 per cent, while most accidents involved motorcycles at 83 per cent. Over half (52 per cent) of road casualties were people of working age, Kasem said.

Some 69,819 officials manned 2,411 checkpoints. They stopped 743,201 vehicles and charged 114,165 motorists for breaking the law. Most failed to wear helmets or to present a driver's licence.

Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said he had instructed hospitals, especially those located on Phaholyothin, Asia, Mitraparp, Phetchkasem and Sukhumvit roads, to prepare for road trauma, as drivers were rushing home and some were tired and may doze off behind the wheel.

Officers enforcing restrictions on selling alcohol at gas stations and to people under the age of 20 checked on 552 shops and arrested 95 people for illegal sales of alcoholic beverages, he said.

Public Health permanent secretary Dr Phaijit Worachit said only 19 per cent (3,828 people) of the 20,302 injured and deceased people sent to hospitals nationwide went by ambulances over the five days (April 11-15). Given that 97 per cent of the injured treated by EMT rescuers survived, he urged people to use the EMT service more by calling 1669.

Asia Highway in Ayutthaya's Bang Pahan district saw tailbacks kilometres long yesterday, while Mitraparp Highway in Nakhon Ratchasima saw police open a special lane at four congestion-prone spots until midnight.

Nakhon Ratchasima's Bus Terminal added 120 bus trips to the usual 200 trips to help clear all passengers, while Uttaradit added 50 buses yesterday to support 5,000 passengers until midnight. Chiang Mai operators added 100 Bangkok-bound bus trips to get people back to the capital.

The State Railway of Thailand added 12 trains to serve the North and Northeast from April 16-18.

-- The Nation 2012-04-17

[Colin Yai]

Personally writing I think the actual "body count" /Casualty/accident rates is way over those that are portrayed , "head onners" in the UK are extremely rare ,yet here they are the order of the day ,simply because (1) they overtake were they cannot see like on a blind bend or the brow of a hill , or (2) when turning right they invariably take the corner on the WRONG SIDE of the road!, the results of these insane moves are obvious.

[Greer]

Yes, people simply dont watch what they are doing on the roads - either through ignorance, stupidity, or just being tired or drunk.

Yesterday I was turning right at an intersection on Viphavadee Rangsite Rd, and the guy in front of me turned hard right, straight into three oncoming lanes - luckily for him there was nothing in the way, and he worked out that the three lanes CLEARY marked with arrows pointed directly toward him meant he was on the wrong side of the road... it happens far too frequently that people just ignore their surroundings...

[WhizBang]

How about a road safety campain 24/7, not just lip service during holidays. How about the police actually doing their jobs and enforcing the law. How about requiring that drivers actually take driving lessons and actually pass a drivers test. None of this slip the police 100 baht to ignore the infraction or slip the test examiner 1000 baht to get the license nonsense.

Nothing will change until all the corruption stops. So not in my lifetime.

[barrybankruad]

Note that the Muslim Southern Provinces had no fatal accidents. Shows what consumption of alcohol does to the statistics.

[metisdead]

A post containing a derogatory generalization toward Thais has been removed.

[MEL1]

"The first five days (April 11-15) of the Thai New Year saw 253 deaths and 2,751 injuries in 2,581 road accidents - compared to 188 deaths and 2,786 injuries in 2,584 accidents over the same period last year. Drunk driving remained the major cause of accidents."

"Anusorn said the government's "Songkran Plodpai Tai Pen Soon" (Safe Songkran with zero death rate) campaign created public awareness of road hazards, stricter implementation of traffic laws, and the setting up of checkpoints to stop drunk drivers. This succeeded in lowering the number of accidents and thus saved money."

-------------------

Stats:

1. Injuries were of 98.7% compared to last year's toll, based on the above figures.

2. There were 3 less accidents, or a 99.9% comparison to last year's toll, based on the above figures.

3. There was an increase by 26% of deaths in comparison to last year, based on the above figures.

I'm sure this saved huge money, not!

-mel.

[george]

UPDATE:

On first 6 days of #Songkran, there were 282 deaths & 3,059 injuries in 2,872 accidents /via @191Thailand

[Insight]

Twelve Songkran's in and I'm really finding it difficult to enjoy it any more. The balance between fun and outright stupidity is now weighted very heavily against fun.

What Songkran I did see in Bangkok yesterday resembled some sort of aquatic Mad Max. Drunk people standing in the middle of Sukhumvit road, which is very often handles more traffic than a busy UK "A" road. Large swarms of people on bikes in gangs, drunk and covered in that powder. No helmets, obviously, but I did see one guy wearing a snorkel.

And then there's the trucks of people, all drunk. But, of course the drivers have volunteered to stay sober now, haven't they?

Although I spotted a few cops here and there over the past few days, yesterday I could see none.

Call me a grump. I think I'm pretty much through with Songkran's like these now...

[soundman]

More posts have been removed.

Do not comment on board moderation in forum.

Do not make sweeping negative generalizations about Thai people.

[UbonOz]

Twelve Songkran's in and I'm really finding it difficult to enjoy it any more. The balance between fun and outright stupidity is now weighted very heavily against fun.

What Songkran I did see in Bangkok yesterday resembled some sort of aquatic Mad Max. Drunk people standing in the middle of Sukhumvit road, which is very often handles more traffic than a busy UK "A" road. Large swarms of people on bikes in gangs, drunk and covered in that powder. No helmets, obviously, but I did see one guy wearing a snorkel.

And then there's the trucks of people, all drunk. But, of course the drivers have volunteered to stay sober now, haven't they?

Although I spotted a few cops here and there over the past few days, yesterday I could see none.

Call me a grump. I think I'm pretty much through with Songkran's like these now...

Better to be a Grump than a Corpse!!!!!!

[otherstuff1957]

I may be wrong about this, but I wouldn't be surprised if changing Songkran from Fri-Tues to Fri-Mon may have made it even less safe for travellers. With an extra day upcountry, drivers might have had a chance to rest up (and sober up).

[webfact]

Revelers Travel Back to Bangkok after Songkran

The Mo Chit bus terminal and the Hua Lampong railway station was jam-packed with people returning to the capital following the long Songkran holiday.

An influx of people are returning to the capital following the long Songkran holiday, making the Hua Lampong train station busy all day yesterday.

Passengers traveling from Yala and Hat Yai to Bangkok said they are satisfied with the comfort of seats on trains but said locomotive malfunction delayed the departure of some trains. The passengers requested related agencies to urgently solve the problem to prevent its recurrence.

An officer from the State Railway of Thailand, or SRT, Siripong Klansiri, said it is estimated that approximately 120,000 passengers traveled back to Bangkok from all over the country yesterday. The company has added four more carriages for arrival trips between yesterday and Wednesday to accommodate all passengers.

He noted that with tight security measures implemented by the SRT, there has been no report of crime so far.

In the meantime, the atmosphere at the Mo Chit bus terminal was also lively. All buses were full and people riding the Transport Company's buses stated that they were satisfied with services provided by the company’s staff. They added there has been no problems about overpriced tickets since most travelers have reserved tickets in advance.

The Transport Company added 40 percent of additional return trips, particularly from the northeastern region, from 6,000 to 10,000 per day to ensure that no passengers are left stranded.

-- Tan Network 2012-04-17

[GentlemanJim]

So the accident and injury rates are almost identical to last year, but the death rate is up 30% or thereabouts and a Government spokesman calls their campaign a success! These people must have PhD's in 'spin'.

The problem in Thailand is that there is little deterrent for breaking the law. It is pointless banning someone from driving when most people drive around without a licence anyway. They need to get tough. How about around these festivals (for a start), if you drive or ride without a helmet on a bike, the police confiscate your bike, never to be returned (the kind of thing that can happen in Holland/Germany). If you are drunk driving an automatic 3 months in jail, do not go home do not pass go do not get off with a 200 baht fine, go to jail, go directly to jail! There would be a couple of years of pain, crowded jails and overflowing vehicle compounds but the idea would get through.

[Colin Yai]

Twelve Songkran's in and I'm really finding it difficult to enjoy it any more. The balance between fun and outright stupidity is now weighted very heavily against fun.

What Songkran I did see in Bangkok yesterday resembled some sort of aquatic Mad Max. Drunk people standing in the middle of Sukhumvit road, which is very often handles more traffic than a busy UK "A" road. Large swarms of people on bikes in gangs, drunk and covered in that powder. No helmets, obviously, but I did see one guy wearing a snorkel.

And then there's the trucks of people, all drunk. But, of course the drivers have volunteered to stay sober now, haven't they?

Although I spotted a few cops here and there over the past few days, yesterday I could see none.

Call me a grump. I think I'm pretty much through with Songkran's like these now...

AND so should every one else be with a gramme of responsibility to other road users!.

[Colin Yai]

So the accident and injury rates are almost identical to last year, but the death rate is up 30% or thereabouts and a Government spokesman calls their campaign a success! These people must have PhD's in 'spin'.

The problem in Thailand is that there is little deterrent for breaking the law. It is pointless banning someone from driving when most people drive around without a licence anyway. They need to get tough. How about around these festivals (for a start), if you drive or ride without a helmet on a bike, the police confiscate your bike, never to be returned (the kind of thing that can happen in Holland/Germany). If you are drunk driving an automatic 3 months in jail, do not go home do not pass go do not get off with a 200 baht fine, go to jail, go directly to jail! There would be a couple of years of pain, crowded jails and overflowing vehicle compounds but the idea would get through.

Sheer commonsense Jim ,but when has that been the "order of the day " here ,"Mi pen ri " rules OK

[Colin Yai]

"The first five days (April 11-15) of the Thai New Year saw 253 deaths and 2,751 injuries in 2,581 road accidents - compared to 188 deaths and 2,786 injuries in 2,584 accidents over the same period last year. Drunk driving remained the major cause of accidents."

"Anusorn said the government's "Songkran Plodpai Tai Pen Soon" (Safe Songkran with zero death rate) campaign created public awareness of road hazards, stricter implementation of traffic laws, and the setting up of checkpoints to stop drunk drivers. This succeeded in lowering the number of accidents and thus saved money."

-------------------

Stats:

1. Injuries were of 98.7% compared to last year's toll, based on the above figures.

2. There were 3 less accidents, or a 99.9% comparison to last year's toll, based on the above figures.

3. There was an increase by 26% of deaths in comparison to last year, based on the above figures.

I'm sure this saved huge money, not!

-mel.

Of course there are statistics ,and there are statistics in Thailand ,A kinda FACT Vs FICTION

[animatic]

So far no horrendous bus crash, but there's still time.

I don't like to have more than 5-10km to drive for the whole thing if I can limit it to that.

[osiboy]

How about a road safety campain 24/7, not just lip service during holidays. How about the police actually doing their jobs and enforcing the law. How about requiring that drivers actually take driving lessons and actually pass a drivers test. None of this slip the police 100 baht to ignore the infraction or slip the test examiner 1000 baht to get the license nonsense.

Nothing will change until all the corruption stops. So not in my lifetime.

some scary public information films on drunk driving would be useful , same as they show every xmas time in the UK with kids being killed and the spirit leaving the body , i think it would scare the sh*t out of thais , ............ well worth it if it saves a life though ! , i can never understand why there are no safety ads on thai TV , at least it would make the people think the Govt cares .

[moe666]

Drove down to tak and back to Chiang mai no problems no wrecks just a lot of water, the loss of life is a shame but then again I am here for the mai bpen rai life style and if people where honest that is the reason many of you came here as well but now you want it to be like home. Get a grip no nanny state here unless you are rich and famous

[ricklev]

There are about 12000 traffic deaths in Thailand each year. 250 per week or so. Songkran deaths are not any worse than any other week when you figure kilometers travelled.

[ricklev]

http://www.unescap.org/ttdw/roadsafety/Reports2006/Thailand_RSpaper.pdf

[RichardinBKK]

Note that the Muslim Southern Provinces had no fatal accidents. Shows what consumption of alcohol does to the statistics.

This is a very astute and interesting observation, and one that never occurred to me. Thank you.

[chasntong]

Note that the Muslim Southern Provinces had no fatal accidents. Shows what consumption of alcohol does to the statistics.

Neither did Chon Buri/Pattaya and they drink there.

[Hostile17]

Personally writing I think the actual "body count" /Casualty/accident rates is way over those that are portrayed , "head onners" in the UK are extremely rare ,yet here they are the order of the day ,simply because (1) they overtake were they cannot see like on a blind bend or the brow of a hill , or (2) when turning right they invariably take the corner on the WRONG SIDE of the road!, the results of these insane moves are obvious.

I have a restaurant close to a small but very busy road that has a T junction with no lights and just 5 meters left of the junction there is a small road to get to a bunch of small apts.

In 3 years sitting around the restaurant for an hour a day i have NEVER seen a single thai turn from the bottom of the T to the right without by moving forward then turning right once he crosses the line, im not exagerating, 0 in 3 years, they all try to run over the motorbikes turning left into the lane. Also never seen a single thai coming from the left of the T junction turning into the bottom lane doing it right. They always stop right at the junction ini front of the incoming and they turning straight, trying to cut to the right of the cars waiting in the wrong lane instead of moving forward to their left lane and turning in it. Almost everyday this creates massive jams as the guys going forward on the upper part of the junction have no stops. So once someone wwants to turn in the mini APT road 5meters down the people will leave a spot open in front of the bottom of the T to turn in but since they are too dumb to move forward to the lane and want to cut from A to C directly they block the APT road, waiting to cut into parked car instead of moving 2meters forward and now everyone is completely stuck for 5-10mins untill either the guy turning home gives up or the idiot who doesnt want to go from A to B to C decides to finaly hit the B point. 2meters ahead where he should be turning in a 90 degre angle.

Then after i see this daily i remember people telling me that all thais need is education and time to evolve..

yeah right, have 3 years of data to prove the complete oposite. It's the same people who do the same mistake everyday.

Edited April 17, 2012 by Hostile17

[Wiggy]

Drove down to tak and back to Chiang mai no problems no wrecks just a lot of water, the loss of life is a shame but then again I am here for the mai bpen rai life style and if people where honest that is the reason many of you came here as well but now you want it to be like home. Get a grip no nanny state here unless you are rich and famous

The mai bpen rai lifestyle is great? So you wouldn't complain if a loved one got killed/maimed by a drunk driver? Some rules are necessary (like a ban on drink-driving), but I agree not to the level of nanny states like some countries in the west. There can be compromise.

[RogueExpat]

Note that the Muslim Southern Provinces had no fatal accidents. Shows what consumption of alcohol does to the statistics.

Neither did Chon Buri/Pattaya and they drink there.

I think that would be because of all the farang setting a good example.

[GeorgeO]

No deaths in many places, such as Satun .....that is of course if we are prepared to ignore the murder of someone who didn't want to be involved in the mayhem when on his way to a funeral....!!

Correction, that paticular murder was in Chomphun, the one in Satun was the result of a fatal stabbing after someone was alleged to have molested the perpetrator's girlfriend during one of the many water fights.

What a lot of fun they have during Songkran....!

Edited April 17, 2012 by GeorgeO

[how241]

There are about 12000 traffic deaths in Thailand each year. 250 per week or so. Songkran deaths are not any worse than any other week when you figure kilometers travelled.

Interesting post.

[Markaew]

"The first five days (April 11-15) of the Thai New Year saw 253 deaths and 2,751 injuries in 2,581 road accidents - compared to 188 deaths and 2,786 injuries in 2,584 accidents over the same period last year. Drunk driving remained the major cause of accidents."

"Anusorn said the government's "Songkran Plodpai Tai Pen Soon" (Safe Songkran with zero death rate) campaign created public awareness of road hazards, stricter implementation of traffic laws, and the setting up of checkpoints to stop drunk drivers. This succeeded in lowering the number of accidents and thus saved money."

-------------------

Stats:

1. Injuries were of 98.7% compared to last year's toll, based on the above figures.

2. There were 3 less accidents, or a 99.9% comparison to last year's toll, based on the above figures.

3. There was an increase by 26% of deaths in comparison to last year, based on the above figures.

I'm sure this saved huge money, not!

-mel.

A 26% increase is quite a bit. I suppose there was a lot more drinking this time around but then in bad economies people do drink more.