Phuket Songkran: Four Accidents But No Deaths On Day 1

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Phuket Songkran: Four accidents but no deaths on Day 1
Phuket Gazette


Phuket survived the first 24 hours of the Songkran Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign without a single fatality. Photo: Irfarn Jamdukor

PHUKET: -- The first 24 hours of Phuket Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign for the Songkran holidays passed with zero deaths.

The annual road-safety campaign this year began at midnight Wednesday night.

In the 24 hours that followed there were four accidents, including two involving drinking and driving, according to statistics released today by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket branch (DDPM-Phuket).

All of the accidents involved motorcyclists; three of the drivers were women.

The first accident occurred at 1am yesterday when Kunlayanee Pulad, 22 cut in front of another motorcyclist on Chao Fa East Road.

This was followed by the first drunk driving case, which occurred at 1:44am when Wanassanan Maliwan, 17, collided with a power pole.

At 1:30pm, Tanyaluk Saipat, 28, failed to obey a traffic sign and collided with a taxi on Thepkrasattri Raod.

The second drunk driving case occurred at 6pm when Supalak Kwampian, riding without a helmet, collided with another motorbike on Thepkrasattri Road.

Ms Wanassanan suffered two broken legs and had surgery yesterday. The Gazette was not able to confirm the injuries of the other riders.

Police manning static checkpoints yesterday reported stopping and checking 1,429 vehicles, with 350 people caught committing traffic offenses, as follows:

- Riding a motorbike without wearing a helmet – 125 people

- Riding an unsafe motorbike – 4

- Driver and/or passengers failing to use seat belts - 30

- Driving under the influence of alcohol - 0

- Driving without [carrying] a valid driving license - 157

- Failing to stop at a red traffic light - 0

- Driving in the wrong way (ghost-riding) - 1

- Overtaking in a restricted zone - 1

- Using a cell phone while driving - 32

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Phuket-Songkran-Four-accidents-but-no-deaths-on-Day-1-20773.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2013-04-13

[MikeENZ]

"- Driving under the influence of alcohol - 0"

Maybe if they had breath testers that worked this number would be a LOT higher..

[Sydneycraig]

+ the car that missed the corner coming down into kamala from surin and smashed straight into an oncoming pickup...6-30pm

[eezergood]

No deaths - REPORTED YET!

[steelepulse]

+ the car that missed the corner coming down into kamala from surin and smashed straight into an oncoming pickup...6-30pm

+1 The accident coming down Kata Hill into Chalong where the beer Singha truck hit the tourist van head on due to a wet slippery road.

Almost plus one where two thai kids couldn't negotiate a turn and came head on into my lane and just missed me by a few cm at a notorious turn in Nai Harn by the islander bar.

[Felt 35]

Driving without [carrying] a valid driving license - 157

This alone sums up how much the general population care and respect each other on the roads

[NomadJoe]

We just had a very interesting one here. A little puke with a bar girl on the back pulls up to one of our guests that is throwing water and tells her that if she throws water at him one more time he is going to kick her ass. Of course everyone douses the guy, then he punches the girl in the stomach and takes off on his bike before Rick or I can get to him.

[Valentine]

2nd day is surely not going so well as I have heard at least 6 ambulances pass by on Chao Fa West today.

[LivinginKata]

2nd day is surely not going so well as I have heard at least 6 ambulances pass by on Chao Fa West today.

My wife was just remarking how quiet it has been today with none of the usual ambulance horns (on a normal day) along Patak Road going into Kata.

[NomadJoe]

On a very slow ride yesterday from Rawai to Wat Chalong at about 3pm I saw only two ambulances.