Songkran: Highway accidents this year severer than last year

[webfact]

Highway accidents this year severer than last year



BANGKOK: -- Highway accidents during the first three days of this year's Songkran festival is severer than last year with 65% of victims pronounced dead at the scenes, and 2,884 others hospitalized.

Dr Nopporn Chuenklin, deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department, said from April 11-13, or the first three days of the seven dangerous days, the Emergency Call 1669 of the Public Health Ministry received a total 12,578 emergency calls from the people. But 25% of the total calls were responded with ambulances being sent out to the rescue and rushing a total of 2,442 victims to hospitals in 10 minutes, or 80% of responded calls.

Emergency ambulances rushing victims to hospitals could save lives of 2,364 victims or 97%, while 7,264 victims were rushed to hospitals by passersby and relatives.

He said driving behavior that poses high risk of accident is drunk during and speeding while vehicles involving most serious accidents are motorcycles and pick up trucks.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/highway-accident-year-severer-last-year/


-- Thai PBS 2014-04-15

[art vandelay]

why does no one in this country care enough to do anything about this annual tragedy? oh sorry, the PM gave 'instructions' to the provinces to act to reduce the accident and death toll on the roads. clearly very effective.

[phosphorescent]

They always put it down to Songkran but sadly this is not just a yearly occurrence over the Songkran period, it's a daily occurrence. The other 358 days are just as bad as the so called '7 deadly days'.

[PatOngo]

Deja Vu

[Morakot]

7,264 victims were rushed to hospitals by passersby and relatives.

Aggravated situation: Reckless driving combined with an inadequate emergency (para)medical care infrastructure.

[Pib]

why does no one in this country care enough to do anything about this annual tragedy? oh sorry, the PM gave 'instructions' to the provinces to act to reduce the accident and death toll on the roads. clearly very effective.

Yeap, makes a person feel like they are caught in the Ground Hog Day movie.

[delgarcon]

Quite appropriate that the Disease Control Department reported these stats, it's almost an epidemic here!

[Showbags]

Its actually not a bad weeding out mechanism.

More holidays I say.

[kimamey]

Is the increase in numbers down to more dying at the scene rather than the next day which I believe takes them off the statistics?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[BigRick]

I think Thai people should get a refund from these monks who put prayers in their cars and spend it on driving classes. I have always wondered why Thai people think it brings luck when its the second most dangerous country in the world to drive. I would argue because of said prayers people drive more erratic because they think Buddha is on their side. It is the biggest pain about living here is knowing every day you ride a bike you are a potential victim to some idiot who does not obey even the most simple of traffic rules. Stop sign means "STOP" not stop for the oncoming traffic that you are driving into oblivious of everyone else! This is 3rd of 4 Song Krans for me that I have had a friends injured on motorbikes. From what I also understand Thailand does not count the people who die at the hospital in those statistics you add that number in the are clearly leading the world in traffic fatalities.

Edited April 15, 2014 by BigRick

[sms747]

A realistic driving test might be a start

[MMarlow]

Its actually not a bad weeding out mechanism.

More holidays I say.

Very nice attitude, full of compassion. I hope you are never a victim, well, I'm sure you know what I really mean anyway.

Obviously it never crossed your feeble mind that many of those victims whose deaths you celebrate would not have been at fault, just unfortunate people in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[Banzai99]

Drunk driving is a problem in many countries, Thailand is just one of them.

1.4 Million people were arrested in the US for DUI in 2010

Thousands die in alcohol related accidents each year there too, it's not only a Thailand problem.

In Pattaya, many Thais and Farangs were caught early Monday morning at a Police checkpoint in South Pattaya, I saw the Farangs sitting in the back of a Police pick up, nearly every Farang I know drinks and drives on a regular basis in Thailand.

[crazyguyinthailand]

Songkran Happy Madness

[Chicog]

I know what the problem is. This year, they didn't have a 'Crackdown'.

[phosphorescent]

Should be renamed Chonkran.

[marko kok prong]

the vehicle in the picture,my God it looks like it has been hit by an ied.

[Goat Roper]

Could it have anything to do with YL dumping more than one million new cars on the road to inexperienced drivers? Just wondering.

[Mentors]

Wait, Songkran is not over yet.

Tonight the caravan starts to driving back home.

[NongKhaiKid]

Is the increase in numbers down to more dying at the scene rather than the next day which I believe takes them off the statistics?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Over the years I've heard and read so many times about how statistics are counted. I really don't know the truth of this and would be grateful if any poster has information showing this is the case as it's an important point.

Stats are often questionable at the best of time and always open to manipulation and of course TIT.

Apart from the question of death at the scene I remember in the past when extra days have been tagged onto official holidays the death and injury toll on those days isn't counted as they were not ' official '

Thai officialdom gets slammed, quite correctly, for their lip service attitude to these tragedies and it's a sure sign things are badly wrong when stats have to be fiddled to hide the truth..

[NongKhaiKid]

Is the increase in numbers down to more dying at the scene rather than the next day which I believe takes them off the statistics?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Over the years I've heard and read so many times about how statistics are counted. I really don't know the truth of this and would be grateful if any poster has information showing this is the case as it's an important point.

Stats are often questionable at the best of time and always open to manipulation and of course TIT.

Apart from the question of death at the scene I remember in the past when extra days have been tagged onto official holidays the death and injury toll on those days isn't counted as they were not ' official '

Thai officialdom gets slammed, quite correctly, for their lip service attitude to these tragedies and it's a sure sign things are badly wrong when stats have to be fiddled to hide the truth..

[Showbags]

Its actually not a bad weeding out mechanism.

More holidays I say.

Very nice attitude, full of compassion. I hope you are never a victim, well, I'm sure you know what I really mean anyway.

Obviously it never crossed your feeble mind that many of those victims whose deaths you celebrate would not have been at fault, just unfortunate people in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Does not seem to bother the war mongers...collateral damage and all.

I stay off the roads on these holidays, certainly off major roads, drive slower and much more aware than the usual aware....do not go away any distance from home to join the melee.

Yes, it is unfortunate for the innocent victims, always is.

Is it so unfortunate for the idiots that get into these cars or on these bikes with drunks etc....they have a choice and a mind of their own...yet choose to never use it.

I have no issue with more of the idots being taken out.

[allan michaud]

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Is the increase in numbers down to more dying at the scene rather than the next day which I believe takes them off the statistics?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

That's the shocking thing, that the actual numbers of dead must be far higher than the already horrific 20,000 per year that is officially reported. I am sure the 1st car policy has helped too, putting lots more drunken idiots on the road for the first time.

[Dap]

Its actually not a bad weeding out mechanism.

More holidays I say.

Are you sure that is what you really wanted to say?

There are way too many innocents involved in those

accidents.

Edit: Just read your clarification on Post #23 and I agree

with you about the idiots as long as it's them vs telephone

pole/bridge abutment/building and not another innocent.

Edited April 15, 2014 by Dap

[ThaiTrav]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Its actually not a bad weeding out mechanism.

More holidays I say.

Very nice attitude, full of compassion. I hope you are never a victim, well, I'm sure you know what I really mean anyway.

Obviously it never crossed your feeble mind that many of those victims whose deaths you celebrate would not have been at fault, just unfortunate people in the wrong place at the wrong time.

No .....The police are at the wrong place at the wrong time!

[Melyn]

What does the transport minister expect when you add a million more cars onto an overloaded road infrastructure?

What does he expect when no steps are taken to enforce road safety?

What does he expect when getting drunk and driving a pickup with a bunch of people including kids in the back throwing water at other vehicles whilst standing up and travelling at speed?

What does he expect when nothing is done to make accident black spots safer?

What does he expect when the use of traffic control devices such as roundabouts and traffic lights is spurned in favour of u-turns?

What does he expect when getting a driving license is marginally more difficult than buying a box of donuts?

What does he expect when the police do absolutely nothing to enforce the law?

What does he expect when taxi drivers, minibus drivers and bus drivers are so poorly trained?

What does he expect when the drivers working hours an unregulated.

I would expect the sack for him

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[phuketandsee]

Disease Control Department? The disease must be DWT

[belg]

dont drive when you drink/smoke/yaba/tired/medicated...

that is what they say and try to enforce in 1st world countries...

overhere : MAI PEN RAI

[apetley]

Its actually not a bad weeding out mechanism.

More holidays I say.

I'll pass that on to the Thai inlaws shall I? Their teenage son was killed by a drunk driver. He clung on to life for a week in ICU before losing the battle.

[Jonmarleesco]

'Dr Nopporn Chuenklin said driving behavior that poses high risk of accident is drunk during and speeding while vehicles involving most serious accidents are motorcycles and pick up trucks.'

Nothing new, then.