BMA to launch '7 danger days' accident prevention campaign

BANGKOK, 8 April 2015 (NNT) – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is set to launch the accident prevention campaign during the 7 days of Songkran holidays to reduce the number of accidents, injuries, and fatalities in Bangkok, says a BMA official.

The BMA’s Traffic and Transportation Department Director Thaweesak Lertpraphan has revealed that the BMA has completed the preparations for the accident prevention and reduction strategy for the 2015 Songkran holidays during 9-15 April 2015. The motto for this year's strategy is ‘Conscious, Discipline, Thoughtful: Safe Songkran while pass on the tradition’.

The aim this year is to raise public awareness on safe road usage, with the main goal to reduce the number of accidents, injuries, and fatalities in Bangkok area.

He has said that the number of fatalities during the Songkran holidays in 2010-2014 is high. Most accidents occurred to motorcycle riders on the straight section of the road, with major causes including speed violation, drunk driving, and close passing in front of other vehicles.

The Traffic and Transportation Department Director has said that the BMA has prepared the CCTV cameras and an emergency medical management including staff and equipment preparations. He confirmed that the department's staff had completed rehearsing the rescue drills for accidents, as well as publicizing the measures of this campaign and the self-defense guidelines to the public.

The BMA’s Traffic and Transportation Department Director has said that during the ‘7 danger days’ on 9-15 April 2015, the BMA will set up the joint operation center for accident prevention and reduction at the BMA’s Traffic Engineering Department and Traffic and Transportation Department, and as well as at 50 districts in Bangkok to provide a 24 hour service.

The BMA will also place checkpoints on the main and local roads, and provide fast response mobile units and public assistance teams to help assist the public in cases such as vehicle inspection or vehicle towing.


-- NNT 2015-04-08

360+ ... 5/1 on. Place your bets.

Can't believe we are here again so quickly. Must be my medication.

Songkran 2007: 361 deaths, 4,805 injuries and 4,274 accidents
Songkran 2008: 368 deaths, 4,801 injuries and 4,243 accidents
Songkran 2009: 373 deaths, 4,332 injuries and 3,977 accidents
Songkran 2010: 361 deaths, 3,802 injuries and 3,516 accidents
Songkran 2011: 271 deaths, 3,476 injuries and 3,215 accidents
Songkran 2012: 320 deaths, 3,320 injuries and 3,129 accidents
Songkran 2013: 321 deaths, 3,040 injuries and 2,828 accidents
Songkran 2014: 322 deaths, 3,225 injuries and 2,992 accidents

I'm taking bets for the 2015 results and they can carry on with their prevention campaigns that always appear a week before the holiday.

Teach them how to drive properly all year round, put hefty fines and jail sentences for drunk driving and may be the numbers will come down.

Songkran 2007: 361 deaths, 4,805 injuries and 4,274 accidents

Songkran 2008: 368 deaths, 4,801 injuries and 4,243 accidents

Songkran 2009: 373 deaths, 4,332 injuries and 3,977 accidents

Songkran 2010: 361 deaths, 3,802 injuries and 3,516 accidents

Songkran 2011: 271 deaths, 3,476 injuries and 3,215 accidents

Songkran 2012: 320 deaths, 3,320 injuries and 3,129 accidents

Songkran 2013: 321 deaths, 3,040 injuries and 2,828 accidents

Songkran 2014: 322 deaths, 3,225 injuries and 2,992 accidents

I'm taking bets for the 2015 results and they can carry on with their prevention campaigns that always appear a week before the holiday.

Teach them how to drive properly all year round, put hefty fines and jail sentences for drunk driving and may be the numbers will come down.

Looks like the figures are trending down. Congratulations seem in order... but could it be faster emergency response times, with more dying in / on the way to hospital vs at the accident scene?

They should be enforcing these laws 24/7 not just on Songkran and New Year... The stats that they come up with every year are a joke...

unfortunately the numbers are not accurate, if you look at the number of people killed in an average year on the highways in Thailand(over 26,000) and divide that by 365 days you get over 71 people dead per day on average. 71 x 7 = 497 people killed in accidents in the week in Thailand. So suddenly everyone is drunk and driving like crazy and the numbers drop by 25%??? Not likely!!!

If these numbers were accurate then it would be a good case to legalize drunk driving, but it's not.

LOS or LOBS??

The motto for this year’s strategy is ‘Conscious, Discipline, Thoughtful: Safe Songkran while pass on the tradition’.

More like: Unconscious, undisciplined and no thought whatsoever. I am expecting another unsafe Songkran.

So Brits you have been warned

Same bullshit every year; result...falsified figures that do not reflect the true amount of deaths and injuries. Fast forward ten years, result...same, same.

The Authorities here couldn't 'kin manage a piss up in a brewery....and things are not about to change.

Maybe something got lost in translation, but this is not a "accident prevention and reduction campaign", it's an "Accident REACTION" campaign which unfortunately is something completely different.

Songkran 2007: 361 deaths, 4,805 injuries and 4,274 accidents

Songkran 2008: 368 deaths, 4,801 injuries and 4,243 accidents

Songkran 2009: 373 deaths, 4,332 injuries and 3,977 accidents

Songkran 2010: 361 deaths, 3,802 injuries and 3,516 accidents

Songkran 2011: 271 deaths, 3,476 injuries and 3,215 accidents

Songkran 2012: 320 deaths, 3,320 injuries and 3,129 accidents

Songkran 2013: 321 deaths, 3,040 injuries and 2,828 accidents

Songkran 2014: 322 deaths, 3,225 injuries and 2,992 accidents

I'm taking bets for the 2015 results and they can carry on with their prevention campaigns that always appear a week before the holiday.

Teach them how to drive properly all year round, put hefty fines and jail sentences for drunk driving and may be the numbers will come down.

How many were traveling by:

- car ?

- motorcycle ?

- bicycle ?

- pick up truck ?

- mini van ?

- bus ?

- train ?

- airplane ?

Does someone has these numbers ?

Songkran 2007: 361 deaths, 4,805 injuries and 4,274 accidents

Songkran 2008: 368 deaths, 4,801 injuries and 4,243 accidents

Songkran 2009: 373 deaths, 4,332 injuries and 3,977 accidents

Songkran 2010: 361 deaths, 3,802 injuries and 3,516 accidents

Songkran 2011: 271 deaths, 3,476 injuries and 3,215 accidents

Songkran 2012: 320 deaths, 3,320 injuries and 3,129 accidents

Songkran 2013: 321 deaths, 3,040 injuries and 2,828 accidents

Songkran 2014: 322 deaths, 3,225 injuries and 2,992 accidents

I'm taking bets for the 2015 results and they can carry on with their prevention campaigns that always appear a week before the holiday.

Teach them how to drive properly all year round, put hefty fines and jail sentences for drunk driving and may be the numbers will come down.

How many were traveling by:

- car ?

- motorcycle ?

- bicycle ?

- pick up truck ?

- mini van ?

- bus ?

- train ?

- airplane ?

Does someone has these numbers ?

As we all know......most are motorcycle fatalities....but does it matter really.........322 deaths on the road at the scene.....possibly 200+ in hospital......and are these figures correct....probably very doubtful!

The numbers are pure BS since they only count those who died at the scene. Real numbers would be 4-5 time higher than the 400+ every year.

Songkran 2007: 361 deaths, 4,805 injuries and 4,274 accidents

Songkran 2008: 368 deaths, 4,801 injuries and 4,243 accidents

Songkran 2009: 373 deaths, 4,332 injuries and 3,977 accidents

Songkran 2010: 361 deaths, 3,802 injuries and 3,516 accidents

Songkran 2011: 271 deaths, 3,476 injuries and 3,215 accidents

Songkran 2012: 320 deaths, 3,320 injuries and 3,129 accidents

Songkran 2013: 321 deaths, 3,040 injuries and 2,828 accidents

Songkran 2014: 322 deaths, 3,225 injuries and 2,992 accidents

I'm taking bets for the 2015 results and they can carry on with their prevention campaigns that always appear a week before the holiday.

Teach them how to drive properly all year round, put hefty fines and jail sentences for drunk driving and may be the numbers will come down.

Looks like the figures are trending down. Congratulations seem in order... but could it be faster emergency response times, with more dying in / on the way to hospital vs at the accident scene?

In the 90s it was around 1000 deaths every Songkhran (over 15-16K total deaths in the years 95 & 96).

Even in the early 00s it was around 500-600 for 6 days (2001: 530, 2002: 567, 2003: 559).

Source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0386111214601229

Actually, it used to be measured as a 10 day period and the numbers were closer to 800 in the early 00s.

The decrease in the last 20 years, is very significant. When one considers that vehicle numbers have doubled in the last 20 years (they increased by 10% in BKK in 2012/3 alone) AND that average km driven have exploded in the last 10 years, then the statistics are somewhat impressive as proportionally the fact that the deaths have stabilized is actually a decrease.

Motorcycles make up around 70-75% of all accidents for obvious reasons.

Patently, there is still much room for improvement but the long term trend is positive.........

Let her rip the other 358 days of the year?? What a joke.

The reality is that these campaigns are just a smokescreen. The Songkran death toll is not so different to what happens week in week out on the roads in Thailand. It is nothing short of a national disgrace. Every attempt to do something is akin to sticking a plaster on a gaping wound. To avoid becoming one of the statistics stay home and watch the Masters for the first few days then switch to playing Candy Crush or something. Whatever you do, do not go out.

And just in time for Songkran. What a coincidence.

My local municipality has prepared all the equipment needed for the ' safety campaign ' officials to have comfort while they sit at the roadside doing nothing except earning all that lovely O/T.

Sorry, they do eat, drink, chat and sleep.

'... ‘Conscious, Discipline, Thoughtful ...' Are we are talking Thai drivers?

unfortunately the numbers are not accurate, if you look at the number of people killed in an average year on the highways in Thailand(over 26,000) and divide that by 365 days you get over 71 people dead per day on average. 71 x 7 = 497 people killed in accidents in the week in Thailand. So suddenly everyone is drunk and driving like crazy and the numbers drop by 25%??? Not likely!!!

If these numbers were accurate then it would be a good case to legalize drunk driving, but it's not.

LOS or LOBS??

I suspect the numbers are dead at the scene of the accident and do not reflect the deaths that occur through the injuries at a later date.

I have pondered on this question for some time ( years ) anybody have a better idea .?