Songkran proves deadly on Chonburi roads

[Rimmer]

Songkran proves deadly on Chonburi roads

CHONBURI:--Songkran traffic fatalities soared in Chonburi province, with at least 10 people killed and 19 injured during the “seven dangerous days” of the Thai New Year holiday.

Chonburi, which has seen two or fewer road deaths a year for the past five years, suffered only 19 accidents during the April 9-15 period, but they were deadly.

Phanat Nikhom and Ban Bung each saw three fatalities from road wrecks, with seven and three accidents, respectively. Two people were killed in two accidents in Muang Chonburi. The other fatality was recorded in Bo Thong, which had just the one accident.

The 7 days of danger in Pattaya resulted in 97 total accidents, 123 injured and 1 dead. The majority of accidents involved motorbike collisions while people were drinking and driving.

The increase in deaths matches that of Thailand as a whole, which saw increases in Songkran accidents, fatalities and injuries, compared with last year.

Overall, 364 people were killed, up 42 from 2014; 3,559 hurt, up from 3,225 last year; and there were 3,373 accidents, up from 2,992 the previous Songkran. National transport officials claimed the increases were a result in a large increase in the number of domestic travelers across the country.

Our own Dr. Iain Corness points out that these casualty figures tabulate only victims who die on the spot, not those who succumb to injuries later. So the death toll could well be higher over time.

- See more at: http://www.pattayamail.com/localnews/songkran-proves-deadly-on-chonburi-roads-46418#sthash.Og5YN8Z3.dpuf

-- Pattaya Mail 2015-04-24