474 road accidents kill 86 in first 2 days of New Year holidays: Thailand

[webfact]

Road accidents kill 86 in first 2 days of holidays
Pongphon Sarnsamak,
Prasit Tangprasert
The Nation


Rescue workers tend to people injured in a car accident in Phitsanulok yesterday. Six people were injured in the crash after a speeding pickup crossed a traffic island and hit this sedan head-on.

BANGKOK: -- Police say 474 road accidents killed 86 people and injured 885 between Friday and Saturday, the first two days of the so-called "seven dangerous days".

The road toll is expected to rise further over the coming days.

Yesterday, the Road Safety Centre released statistics from road accidents reported on Friday and Saturday only.

Drunk driving and speeding were the major causes of accidents during the opening days of the festive period, according to Department of Probation director-general Ruenvadee Suwanmong-kol, who chaired yesterday's press conference.

Reports say 37 per cent of road accidents resulted from drunk driving and 23 per cent from high-speed driving; while 81.5 per cent of road accidents involved motorcycles. Most of the motorcycle casualties were not wearing a helmet.

Main roads were the site of 61 per cent of the accidents and 34.6 per cent occurred on village roads. Highways saw 34.3 per cent of all accidents, most of which took place between 4pm and 8pm.

Some 611,600 cars and vehicles were inspected at police checkpoints and 100,587 cases resulted in arrests. Infractions included 31,020 drivers without a licence, and 28,092 motorcyclists without a helmet.

Nakhon Si Thammarat had the highest number of road accidents and number of injured people, with 23 and 25 respectively.

Ayutthaya had the highest number of deaths from road accidents, with five cases. Only four provinces recorded no road accidents during this period: Chaiyaphum, Bueng Kan, Rayong and Samut Songkhram.

Ruenvadee said the centre had ordered provincial authorities nationwide to help eliminate road accidents on main and secondary roads in the cities, especially near entertainment venues.

Police are urged to arrest those who drink and drive, drive at high speed, or ride motorcycles without a helmet.

The New Year holidays are associated with danger as millions of people hit the road on vacation or visits to home provinces.

Chutipong Sukarayotin, a player of the Thai national beach volleyball team, was driving to his home province of Udon Thani when he suddenly fell asleep behind the wheel in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday morning.

His car slammed into a telephone booth.

"The crash woke me up," the 21-year-old man said.

He said he left Bangkok at about 5pm on Saturday but with the traffic jammed, the trip took so long he became tired and fell asleep.

"Fortunately, I had my safety belt on and my car had an air bag. So, I've survived," Chutipong said. "But I've learnt a lesson now.

"I’ll never drive the whole night again."

Police have charged Chutipong with reckless driving and causing damage to the property of others.


-- The Nation 2013-12-30

[Habs]

And so the Carnage continues so so sad

[Mosha]

They showed a tourist bus approaching a corner on a busy road. Going too fast. It missed 2 guys on a motor bike by inches. Others were not as lucky.

[tetleythedog]

They showed a tourist bus approaching a corner on a busy road. Going too fast. It missed 2 guys on a motor bike by inches. Others were not as lucky.

It's the same ols shit every holiday. Stupid Thais who think they can drive ! In the UK we have a 2 week shutdown, but only the occasional accident. Here , like everything else, not only driving, the standards are so low. Not wearing a helmet doesn't kill you .....it's your own recklessness and the stupidity of other road users !

[GaoYuk]

"Fortunately, I had my safety belt on and my car had an air bag. So, I've survived," Chutipong said.

And also fortunately you didn't kill any innocent bystanders when you decided to take a little nap..bozo!

[Halion]

"DRUNK DRIVING AND SPEEDING ARE THE CAUSE" sorry, but they are not, they are the Effect of poor driver training and education,indiscipline,ignorance and lack of enforcement. This annual carnage is the direct result of poor governance and the glaring lack of adequate judicial administration and enforcement.

[jpinx]

Whatever the causes, reasons or politics -- Thailand has not got it right on the roads....

http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/

[ThaiTrav]

"DRUNK DRIVING AND SPEEDING ARE THE CAUSE" sorry, but they are not, they are the Effect of poor driver training and education,indiscipline,ignorance and lack of enforcement. This annual carnage is the direct result of poor governance and the glaring lack of adequate judicial administration and enforcement.

BANGKOK: -- Police say 474 road accidents killed 86 people and injured 885 between Friday and Saturday, the first two days of the so-called "seven dangerous days".

The road toll is expected to rise further over the coming days........."A TREMENDOUS ACHIEVEMENT!! Well done Thai keep up your good work"!

[soi41]

"The New Year holidays are associated with danger as millions of motorists hit the road on vacation or visits to the home province"

And when the carnage is over, they come out with their very precise "statistics", like 82.8563% of those killed were driving motorbikes!!

So people are taking their Honda Wave to go to Isaan??

I don,t understand the point of lying with serious statistics like these, unless they want to prove that Thai cardrivers are indeed very good drivers??

Not much we can do about it, except wait for the next "safety"campaign and following roadcarnage at Songkran!

Stay safe out there!!

[stubuzz]

Infractions included 31,020 drivers without a licence

So, was that the end of their trip. Were the cars impounded, or did they pay a fine and continue their journey?

[DocN]

I guess these roads are not the ones, the monks prayed for and blessed?!

[Mosha]

Infractions included 31,020 drivers without a licence

So, was that the end of their trip. Were the cars impounded, or did they pay a fine and continue their journey?

31,020 x 200 Baht = 6m. Not bad and it's a renewable resource too.

[Barney R]

Is 86 the "real" figures for as I understand the reporting now they only count if you are dead at the scene , if you are still breathing when they close the ambulance doors and die on the way to hospital or in hospital that is not regarded as being killed in a road accident . At least it is one way of reducing the road carnage .

[tominbkk]

81% drunk motorcycles. Darwin is having a field day.

[ginjag]

"The New Year holidays are associated with danger as millions of motorists hit the road on vacation or visits to the home province"

And when the carnage is over, they come out with their very precise "statistics", like 82.8563% of those killed were driving motorbikes!!

So people are taking their Honda Wave to go to Isaan??

I don,t understand the point of lying with serious statistics like these, unless they want to prove that Thai cardrivers are indeed very good drivers??

Not much we can do about it, except wait for the next "safety"campaign and following roadcarnage at Songkran!

Stay safe out there!!

It says 85% of the people die are M/cyclists, it doe's not say it was their fault entirely (but maybe) it looks by the stats that the fault lies with them, but could well be half die because of larger vehicles hitting them.

In Thailand it doesn't matter what you drive, most have the same mentality. So most die because of less protection.

[noddy77]

"The road toll is expected to rise further over the coming days."

Just like the sun is expected to rise over the coming days.

If that's not stating the obvious then I don't know what is.

[chooka]

Driving down from Chiangmai to Kanchanaburi on Saturday we passed 6 collisions. One looked very nasty at 6 a.m,(I would guess a fatal) a vios had smash into a concrete barrier virtually in the middle of the road at one of those police check points down near Tak. The check point wasn't operating and no lighting. This proved to me that these points are extremely dangerous and I hope the BIB are sued over this one.

The traffic heading north was bumper to bumper virtually all the way south of Nakon Sawon to Chiangmai

Edited December 30, 2013 by chooka

[Pib]

Everyone seems to concentrate on the car/truck/bus deaths & accidents, but around 82% of the deaths/accidents involve motorcycles...probably drunk motorcycle drivers with no helmets zipping along a country road. I know for me here in western Bangkok I rarely see a serious vehicle accidents that obviously killed/hurt people...but I see plenty of minor to medium low speed rear end collisions because of the constant tailgating....I think most Thai's consider maintaining a couple of car length distances from the person in front of them as being a crime against humanity and they just don't do it. I still waiting for the day someone rear-ends my SUV...it's just a matter of time...came close many times already with people tailgating and not paying full attention.

I sure know when I'm driving around in the provinces on the back roads it's the land of motorcycles, no helmets, all age groups riding motorcycles with some of the age groups being young kids or really old folks...and I expect many have no license. And of course it's very common to see old motorcycles loaded down with a whole family of dad, mom, and a couple of kids...and of course none of them wearing helmets.

[ThaiTrav]

"The road toll is expected to rise further over the coming days."

Just like the sun is expected to rise over the coming days.

If that's not stating the obvious then I don't know what is.

...............but we,re not going to do anything about it other than print what we think we should do !

[ThaiTrav]

"Fortunately, I had my safety belt on and my car had an air bag. So, I've survived," Chutipong said.

And also fortunately you didn't kill any innocent bystanders when you decided to take a little nap..bozo!

Auwww Sowwy.........I don't tink about anyone else but me!!! me not hurt ....good huh!

[TPI]

A damn shame as most of the victims are really victims of other people's idiotcy...damn damn!

[Mosha]

I winder how many of those accidents involved the new drivers the PTP unleashed on the road.

[bushwacker]

Kind of makes the entire political unrest deaths and injures a bit immaterial!

[upena]

Numbers from Thai Government are pure fiction as they only count road deaths during the 7 Dangerous Days if the person died at the scene. So, there are probably 3-5 times as many dead than are being reported. For accidents, many, many are not reported.

[Tommy2cents]

I like rice. Rice is great when you're hungry and you want 2,000 of something.

[kirk0233]

The roads are a metaphor for Thai society as a whole. No one follows the laws and the police don’t enforce them or take bribes to ignore them.

[lucjoker]

every 3 min in my car (or motorcycle) i safe my live and the live of other

(moron) -drivers, just by driving double defensive and looking 360 degrees around

constantly .I must have saved hundreds of lives (yearly) and also mine many times.

It is a bit stressy ,expecting an accident every second ......but if i want to survive ,i have

to do it .

[Pib]

The roads are a metaphor for Thai society as a whole. No one follows the laws and the police don’t enforce them or take bribes to ignore them.

I'm not sure they routinely take brides to ignore the laws; other times I think they just ignore them...call it selective enforcement or freebies

[Ozybear]

Road safety campaign

Wear a helmet

Don't drink n drive

Yaba is a no no

Slow down

Learn to drive first

Who am I kidding?

It's Thailand.

[Hawk]

"Fortunately, I had my safety belt on and my car had an air bag. So, I've survived," Chutipong said.

And also fortunately you didn't kill any innocent bystanders when you decided to take a little nap..bozo!

This alone proves that many motorcyclists are killed by asswipes such as Mr.Chutipong and the many brainless, often times drunk, drivers like him. So, just because the majority of the dead are motorcyclists, many, many of them were just innocent victims.