322 deaths on roads over Songkran week

[Lite Beer]

322 deaths on roads over Songkran week
Wattana Kamchoo
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- There were 322 deaths and 3,225 injuries as a result of 2,992 road accidents across country from last Friday to Thursday - the so-called seven dangerous days of Songkran, said the state road safety agency.

Interior Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan, who chaired the Road Safety Directing Centre, said on Thursday alone there were 238 road accidents which killed 43 people and injured 299.

Speeding was the major cause of accidents (25 per cent) followed by drunk driving (21 per cent).

Most accidents involved motorcycles (80 per cent) and pickup trucks (22 per cent).

Among the injuries and deaths, 8 per cent were involved in risky behaviour such as not wearing a helmet.

Most accidents occurred on highways and village roads between noon and 4pm. Most victims were aged between 20 and 40.

The Road Safety Directing Centre set up 2,275 checkpoints nationwide and deployed 67,002 staff to examine 597,820 vehicles.

More 90,000 people were arrested or fined for violating road safety regulations.

For Thursday, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, and Ratchaburi recorded the highest number of accidents (12 each) while Chiang Mai had the highest number of deaths (four) and Kanchanaburi the highest number of injuries (30).

Chiang Mai recorded the highest number of accidents since Songkran started (116) and had the highest number of injuries (144), while Nakhon Si Thammarat has the highest number of deaths (14).

The centre said five provinces recorded no deaths or injuries - Chai Nat, Phetchaburi, Angthong, Phang Nga, and Yala - while 644 districts no reported casualties.

-- The Nation 2014-04-19

[Somtamnication]

Please copy and paste this article for the next 20 years of reporting on deaths during this circus-ran 7 days of carnage. It will never change.

[edwinchester]

Not even a single injury in 5 provinces. Remarkable!

[khwaibah]

Total BS on numbers.

[cmiuc]

someone tell me this?

if you go the nation's web page where this article is at... you also see an article on South Korea Ferry wherein only 28 deaths and 268 missing... yet you see politicians and businessmen lining up with signs, "Pray for South Korea" and "Students making a banner to send to S. Korea" pictures and the word "pray, pray, pray " dominates the article... and yet their own countrymen(322 or so lost their lives and 3229 or so injured) While 1 death is a sad thing... but why say a prayer for 28 people and not for 322 people?

I have my opinion, I believe it is all based on greed of this country...

Any other different views?

Edited April 19, 2014 by cmiuc

[kimincm]

Total BS on numbers.

Recently I read 38 deaths per 100,000 pop.per year, in and around 25,000 for the year. 25,000/365=68 per day,seems to me Songkhran is the safest time of year to drive. With 322/7=46 deaths per day,what am I missing?

[bangkokheat]

there is never going to be a decline in accidents until the brains behind road safety pull their collective heads out of their <deleted> and get to the root of the problem, it will be a long and slow process

[zakk9]

Total BS on numbers.

Recently I read 38 deaths per 100,000 pop.per year, in and around 25,000 for the year. 25,000/365=68 per day,seems to me Songkhran is the safest time of year to drive. With 322/7=46 deaths per day,what am I missing?

The point is not to publish real numbers, but numbers that are lower than the year before. That looks nicer on print than the real numbers. Got it?

[harber8]

6 reported dead in Myanmar over the same celebration period.

[timber]

Not too sure how policemen standing at check points checking cars curtail speeding. 8% of 80% were not wearing helmets.

Only 8% of motorcycle drivers wear helmets. Does this mean it is more dangerous to wear a helmet?

[NelsonHubbucks]

Thailand's form of population control

[eggers]

The deaths (322) are bad enough, but the injuries (3225) are beyond belief and are raw figures,for, no doubt there will be further deaths & don’t indicate the extent of injuries, i.e.life threatening, major or minor.

The deaths & injuries are an indictment on both current & previous Gov’ts, responsible agencies & Police in Thailand.

No serious actions have or are taken to reduce the road toll, just given lip service and/or inadequate attention.

Recently, I sent emails to Adthaporn Singhawichai of AIP Foundation & Ratanawadee H. Winter, Dept of Disaster Prevention & Mitigation suggesting some positive actions that were successful in reducing the road toll within Australia from 27/ 100,000 in 1975 to 5/100,000 in 2013 ; no response!

Until steps are taken through safety legislation, safety programs & proper enforcement without graft; the country will continue to have an unacceptable level of road tolls.

There are plenty of countries worldwide from which to draw on & emulate their successful road safety programs; only needs the Gov’t of the day, responsible agencies & Police to get serious & take action!!

The Gov’t won’t act until it is pushed & prodded; those of influence in the community and the media need to lobby the Gov’t to act & stop the carnage on the roads!

[fredbasset]

Please copy and paste this article for the next 20 years of reporting on deaths during this circus-ran 7 days of carnage. It will never change.

(Dont get me wrong I am appalled at the tragic loss of life and how no one seems to care here in Thailand - but your statement is just untrue as the facts show) Yours is a common thought - I had it myself in the past. But makes no sense.

The annual road toll in Thailand. (approx 25,000 depending on your source)

divide by 365 to get the number of deather per day (about 65)

multiply by 7

and you realise Songkram IS NOT a bad week for road deaths.

Nor is Xmas and NY

They have pretty decent campaigns and a big police presnce on the streets with their little campsites. But it works - same as it does in the UK. More poeple are charge with DUI in July than December. big show of policing around Xmas so every one gets cab, no such fuss in July more drink drivers.

[jackcorbett]

What about today, April 19th, the biggest Songkran day in Pattaya? I notice it's not part of the database from which the statistics are compiled. Also....going from memory, but in years past I seem to recall a much higher Songkran number.

And as far as the injury totals, I have a very good friend who was injured at 2 a.m. on April 13th. Our small group was hitting the go go bars on Pattaya's Walking Street on the night of the 12th. Just before midnight I went down to Drinking Street to have a few drinks at a bar I oftentimes frequent. Inside this bar I got drenched twice. Meanwhile my friend Tom left Walking Street on his motorbike. Around 2 a.m. while driving 30 kph up 2nd road towards the Dolphin roundabout he got nailed by a Russian who drenched him with water just outside the Lisa Bar. Tom and the bike went down. The Russian didn't even as much as apologise and denied all culpability. Meanwhile the bar girls observing the accident kept saying, "So what, this is Songkran." There were other witnesses nearby. Had the police been called in it would have all been Tom's fault. Had Tom been killed, the newspapers would have reported, "Drunken falang loses control of his motorbike and dies." The reality is that assault and battery is condoned during Songkran and any days before and after Songkran that a group of half wits choose to declare a Mai Pen Rai day. Be sure that this accident did not make the database but the next morning my friend did go to the hospital for treatment and that he had to pay out of his own pocket 4000 baht to have the rental motorbike repaired.

[lostmebike]

Total BS on numbers.

Recently I read 38 deaths per 100,000 pop.per year, in and around 25,000 for the year. 25,000/365=68 per day,seems to me Songkhran is the safest time of year to drive. With 322/7=46 deaths per day,what am I missing?

I also read these numbers in another thread.

However, I would far rather drive on a 'normal' day. The roads just before and just after Songkran are horrendous! And trying to negotiate my way round town during Songkran ... don't even go there.

[Thaiisnotrequired]

Not too sure how policemen standing at check points checking cars curtail speeding. 8% of 80% were not wearing helmets.

Only 8% of motorcycle drivers wear helmets. Does this mean it is more dangerous to wear a helmet?

I was about to point out exactly the same... no way was such a very small percentage of bike riders not wearing helmets.

Unless, of course, during Songkran bike riders put on helmets to protect from blocks of ice hitting said head!...

Bizarre figures.

[upena]

Never, ever believe any numbers from the Thai Government.

[KimoMax]

Road Safety and Thailand =

Thai Drivers =

Especially if they drive a Pick Up or SUV that they think is invincible, or a Motorbike Rider.

They all drive with their Blinders On

No wonder Thailand is the Second Worst Country for Traffic Fatalities in the World

[nookiebear]

The traffic heading back to BKK ON Friday WAS 5O% heavier than on Thursday........be interesting to know any figures for yesterday which would make an 8th day!

[Fullstop]

322 deaths and 3,225 injuries......... the so-called seven dangerous days of Songkran

Songkran is only 4 days ... how many more days will it be extended for the sake of "news headlines"?

[Keesters]

What about today, April 19th, the biggest Songkran day in Pattaya? I notice it's not part of the database from which the statistics are compiled. Also....going from memory, but in years past I seem to recall a much higher Songkran number.

And as far as the injury totals, I have a very good friend who was injured at 2 a.m. on April 13th. Our small group was hitting the go go bars on Pattaya's Walking Street on the night of the 12th. Just before midnight I went down to Drinking Street to have a few drinks at a bar I oftentimes frequent. Inside this bar I got drenched twice. Meanwhile my friend Tom left Walking Street on his motorbike. Around 2 a.m. while driving 30 kph up 2nd road towards the Dolphin roundabout he got nailed by a Russian who drenched him with water just outside the Lisa Bar. Tom and the bike went down. The Russian didn't even as much as apologise and denied all culpability. Meanwhile the bar girls observing the accident kept saying, "So what, this is Songkran." There were other witnesses nearby. Had the police been called in it would have all been Tom's fault. Had Tom been killed, the newspapers would have reported, "Drunken falang loses control of his motorbike and dies." The reality is that assault and battery is condoned during Songkran and any days before and after Songkran that a group of half wits choose to declare a Mai Pen Rai day. Be sure that this accident did not make the database but the next morning my friend did go to the hospital for treatment and that he had to pay out of his own pocket 4000 baht to have the rental motorbike repaired.

He should have called police and had offender charged with assault.

His not doing so tantamount to saying it's OK to throw water at moving motorcyclists and injury them.

[madmitch]

80% of accident involving motorcycles yet only 8% involving "risky behaviour such as not wearing a helmet"?

Absolute rubbish, and thereby casting doubt on all the quoted figures.

[legend23]

Songkran is an average week on Thai roads but actually a better week statistically because of the number of kilometres people are driving compared to normal.

When "someone" realises what needs to be really done to combat road fatalities then there may be change. Until then, the baht will get you out of any problem.

Drunk drivers should get an automatic night in Thailand's finest jails. Then second offense a week in lockup. This is on top of current fines and suspensions.

And simply should setup breath testing at the ends of local drinking streets. E.G. Nimman, Tha Charng and Loy Kroh in Chiang Mai. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel. It might even raise more revenue than the bars are paying to keep the police away.

This may seem simple but will never happen. This is Thailand and no one really wants to save lives despite all the talk and horrible photos they post everywhere.

[rhinoboy]

If you look on Wikipedia, Thailand is not that bad for Fatalties per 100,000km, at 118 (countries with nutty drivers mind you) with UAE about the same, most African countries way higher, and even Indonesia is much higher. But I suppose these are difficlut figures to believe. My favorite is Liberia and Ethipia with 11,000per 100,000km. And I have driven Ehtiopia before, but actually it didnt seem as dangerous as here, maybe getting old.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

[Donk]

Thailand must be one of the world's most dangerous countries to stay out of traffic.

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed as well as a reply.

[cheekychops]

It isnt a lot of deaths considering how many drivers use the wrong side of the road

[FAlanL1275]

Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong,

""""It is Thailand's Deadly Drivers""""

[Winniej]

Maybe something like this should happen . I am aware this is not Christian country before anyone jumps on me . At least it may get someone to think if that's possible .

[iang]

I've been told by Thais that the fatalities recorded & reported on are based on fatalities that occur at the site of the accident. People that subsequently die as a result of their injuries later on in hospital or even on the way to th hospital are EXCLUDED from the road fatalities figures / statistics! I have no way of substantiating this, but would certainly not be surprised should this be the case, in an effort to manipulate the figures!