334 killed over six days of road accidents during New Year holiday

[webfact]

334 killed over six days of road accidents during New Year holiday
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, Jan 2 -- Day six of the seven-day New Year holiday period saw 68 deaths and 539 injuries in 536 road accidents on January 1, bringing the death toll to 334 with 3,041 injured overall in 2,891 road accidents, according to Thailand's Road Safety Centre.

Deputy Interior Minister Visarn Techateerawat told a press briefing that driving under the influence of alcohol was the main cause of deaths at 51.49 per cent followed by speeding over the legal limit at 24.44 per cent.

Motorcycles are the vehicles with the highest number of accidents at 81.62 per cent, with high risk behaviour by not wearing helmets.

The government launched the seven-day campaign between December 27-January 2 to cut road accidents during the New Year celebration.

Overall, the most deaths were reported in Nakhon Ratchasima with 21 fatalities, while the highest number of injured was seen in Nakhon Sawan at 121.

There was no accident free province but eight provinces were recorded as having no fatalities - Mae Hong Son, Bueng Kan, Yasothon, Chai Nat, Trat, Samut Songkhram, Pattani and Phang-nga.

Nahhon Sawan and Chiang Mai were two provinces that have the highest number of accidents, each with 111 mishaps. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-01-02

[Costas2008]

I feel so sorry and sad about all those deaths.

And I beg the government the police or any responsible authority to try and put an end to this carnage.

Edited January 2, 2014 by metisdead
Font reset to normal.

[clockman]

The transport minister, should be removed!

[MaxLee]

The next set of holiday news will be Chinese New Year and Songkran holidays...

[Lite Beer]

Road death toll now rises to 334

Death toll for the past six days now rose to 334 with 68 people died and 539 injured in a single day on January.

According to the Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, a total of 334 people died in the first six days of the safe driving campaign from December 27 to January 1.

There were altogether 2,891 cases of road accidents during the period with 3,041 people injured.

For January 1, there were 536 cases of road accidents with 539 injured and 68 dead in a single day.

It blamed drunk driving as the major cause of most road accidents or 51.49%, followed by speeding 24.44%.

Motorcycle remains the vehicle which engaged in most accidents of up to 81.62%, followed by pickup trucks 8.11%.

Chiang Mai recorded the highest road accidents with a total of 27 cases while Udon Thani recording highest death toll of seven people.

It said that most accidents happened between midnight to 04.00 a.m. or 25.19% and most fatalities are in the labor group or up to 60.79%, while 19.93% are teenagers and youths.

It also said that during the safety driving campaign period, highway and traffic flagged down 699,447 vehicles for checks. A total of 101,618 vehicles were fined when drivers have no driving licenses and did not wear crash helmets.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/road-death-toll-now-rises-334/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=road-death-toll-now-rises-334

-- Thai PBS 2014-01-02

[ginjag]

The next set of holiday news will be Chinese New Year and Songkran holidays...

On normal days don't forget 30,000 + deaths a year is far more than the daily deaths on drink holidays. have given the figures on a previous page ( 5th day of)

[cardinalblue]

Is there truly a campaign to reduce fatalities? All I see are a few accident posters on roads, checkpoints (which has no bearing on how Thais drive) and the ability to record-keep which I question how accurate their systems are to record...

I believe the gov just doesn't want to be bothered by implementing a program which requires effort, energy, changing one's behavios and comprehensive training (drivers and enforcement)

It is so much easier to sit and socialize at these check points and issue a few non-moving violation tickets...

How are they measuring if their campaign is even progressing/working? It should involve much more than counting dead and injured bodies...

Their goal is to reduce # by half in 10 years using 2010 as a baseline.. First two years into it, raw numbers have gone up....

Hired someone who knows how to create and implement an effective program and then convince them that is was their idea all along...

Can't they relalize that it's not working and admit it....

CB

[aguy30]

The death average is now about 56 for first 6 days of the holiday period. That is only down 16 from the normal 72 per day carnage in Thailand with less traffic. Now if the BIB would do what they are paid on the other 359 days. Thailand is obsessed with being a hub for everything they can think of, but not a good thing to be a hub for traffic deaths.

I have never seen the police stop a car, motorcycle or truck on a city street for any moving violation. The best they can come up with is the road block motorcycle checks and they seem to always finish them before school lets out for the day. Why should anybody obey the laws when they aren't ever enforced in the hub of "me first", "I want" and "mai pen rai"

Edited January 2, 2014 by aguy30

[mrfill]

Over half the deaths are put down to drink driving.

Govt wants to reduce deaths by 50% by 2020.

Do you need any further clues?

[moe666]

The usual nonsense post by people who just do not understand, hehehehehe.

[ChrisY1]

The transport minister, should be removed!

Agree........he doesn't care....no-one does!

It seems that only the Farang on TV and a couple of other sites have any emotion over these stats.......even someone very close to me just shrugs and says "yes....very dangerous on the roads".....

[godden]

can we have the full exstent of this carnage, with those who died after the crash?

[Nemesis7]

I thought the monks were incharge of stopping such accidents to take place!!!!!

Oh boy if any one of these accidents took place where a farang was involved, it would sure make the headline and all foreigners would be blamed for all these accidents that takes place all over thailand.

[Rockhound]

_{This will take a total change in attitudes to driving from all Thai people. And it will take a generation to get it down anywhere near to 'normal' levels.}

[sirchai]

If anybody gets caught driving drunk, let them walk for a year, plus working at a hospital's ICU unit for six months on weekends.

Posters of accidents and crippled/dead people everywhere would maybe help a little. Let them pay into a fond, where accident victims would benefit in form of a wheel char, artificial body parts etc....

Or just forget about it and continue. Or both.-

[Sam Gold]

Ok so the monks blessing the roads didn't work, much to my astonishment.

How about hitting people where it hurts and confiscating their oh so precious car for any case of drunk or reckless driving? Who knows, fear of repression and loss of face may work better than well-wishing.

[culicine]

It's all karma. Fate cannot be changed. That's why it seems noone seems to care. They think an accident will happen regardless of whether they are speeding and or drunk or high. Only the educated in this country seem to take any safety precautions at all.

[godden]

i have some holy water that will stop this, but still wating for my brown envelope.

[MaxYakov]

The death average is now about 56 for first 6 days of the holiday period. That is only down 16 from the normal 72 per day carnage in Thailand with less traffic. Now if the BIB would do what they are paid on the other 359 days. Thailand is obsessed with being a hub for everything they can think of, but not a good thing to be a hub for traffic deaths.

I have never seen the police stop a car, motorcycle or truck on a city street for any moving violation. The best they can come up with is the road block motorcycle checks and they seem to always finish them before school lets out for the day. Why should anybody obey the laws when they aren't ever enforced in the hub of "me first", "I want" and "mai pen rai"

I've seen it a few times on Sukhumvit. They used to occasionally enforce the no-U-turn at the Sukhumvit/Soi 4 intersection (motorbikes). It was/is? doubtlessly a token effort.

[Mosha]

"Nahhon Sawan and Chiang Mai were two provinces that have the highest number of accidents, each with 111 mishaps."

Mishaps?

[falangadang]

can we have the full exstent of this carnage, with those who died after the crash?

...err,. no, that would be asking far too much!

_{This will take a total change in attitudes to driving from all Thai people. And it will take a generation to get it down anywhere near to 'normal' levels.}

Yes,... and in order for the Thai motorists (and some farang to be fair) attitudes to change would require full implementation of the law by the police,.. and sadly that's not likely to be happening any time soon!

[harber8]

I drove back to Bangkok yesterday from Ao Manao and some of the driving I witnessed in the 4 hours journey time was absolutely shocking. You would think 10 year olds were behind the wheels of the vehicles. Had I been a UK cop on patrol yesterday I would have handed out driving bans to at least ten drivers. No joke.

Edited January 2, 2014 by harber8

[Ulic]

Time for a comprehensive plan with a multi year budget and serious enforcement. A one week safety

campaign or some reactionary quick fix is a waste of time and just makes the transport system loose credibility.

Replace him with someone who should be given goals and measured on his progress. Replace him if ineffective

and on and on.

[laobali]

The transport minister, should be removed!

And just how will that help?

[laobali]

"Nahhon Sawan and Chiang Mai were two provinces that have the highest number of accidents, each with 111 mishaps."

Mishaps?

No, just "unlucky days". They should have consulted the monks before venturing out.

[clockman]

The youth, and future is being murdered every day. All they can think of, is the greed mantra!

[ginjag]

I drove back to Bangkok yesterday from Ao Manao and some of the driving I witnessed in the 4 hours journey time was absolutely shocking. You would think 10 year olds were behind the wheels of the vehicles. Had I been a UK cop on patrol yesterday I would have handed out driving bans to at least ten drivers. No joke.

Where is the law, besides pocket money road checks. ??? Why are they not on traffic police duty, out and about, there when needed and a deterrent.

When seen on the highway they are travelling from a to b that's all. BUT have a vip convoy and they are like flies round a honey pot.

[belg]

this must be the THAINESS in action , everybody is talking about

Edited January 2, 2014 by belg

[orosee]

Stop pickup trucks scuffling with ten wheelers!

[thailandpeter2]

yes, it's a sorry state of affairs.

but as you correctly wrote: the government, the police OR any respionsible autority... because these two ones named are surely not responsible in any way...

I feel so sorry and sad about all those deaths.

And I beg the government the police or any responsible authority to try and put an end to this carnage.