380 people died in New Year's 7-day festive season

[webfact]

380 people died in New Year's 7-day festive season



BANGKOK: -- The Road Accidents Prevention Centre said a total of 380 people died and 3,505 injured in 3,379 road accidents throughout the country during the seven days of the New Year's festive season, starting from December 25.

Of the total death toll, Nakhon Ratchasima had the highest deaths of 15 people.

Only on January 4, the last day of the seven dangerous days, 40 persons died and 289 injured in 287 accidents happened in a single day.

Drunk driving was blamed to be the main cause of most accidents or 20.14%, followed by speeding, 17.28%.

Chiang Mai had the highest accumulated cases of 139 accidents and injuries of 140 people.

Compared with last year’s road accidents, this year’s fatalities were higher.

Last year, 367 people died, 3,344 injured in a total 3,174 accidents during the same period.

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/380-people-died-in-new-years-7-day-festive-season


-- Thai PBS 2016-01-05

[Hawk]

Another success story for the government, more deaths than last year.

[DM07]

So 13 more dead than last year!

A cracking success somehow looks different, dear government!

[elviajero]

All these deaths are terrible but why is it news every year. On average nearly 500 people die in RTA's every week of the year.

[Gunna]

They must be using a different calendar to me

starting from December 25.

on January 4, the last day of the seven dangerous days,

I make that 11 days

I have read it starts on 29 December and in another report 30 December which would end today.

[jacky54]

Utter disgrace and every death a family tragedy, yet nothing effective is ever done. Thailand needs a real DRIVING TEST with nobody allowed to pay for one if they cannot pass it.

Edited January 5, 2016 by jacky54

[Radar501]

"......Drunk driving was blamed to be the main cause of most accidents or 20.14%......."

Correct terminology should be used here. Drunk driving doesn't cause accidents. Never ever.

Most crashes are caused by careless or reckless driving. Alcohol consumption just happens to be a contributory factor in many of these.

[AlQaholic]

All these deaths are terrible but why is it news every year. On average nearly 500 people die in RTA's every week of the year.

Yeah, so they haven't even reached the weekly target yet.......

[padped]

If alcohol is to blame as the major causes of these accidents then more diligent Random Breath Testing needs to be set up all over the country and not just on holidays. In Australia I was pulled over at 10 am on a weekday and breath tested...negative of course but it shows just how hard line the police in Australia are on drunk driving. It needs to be enforced at random times in random spots all over the country as well as the license checks and rego checks wearing of seat belts and as for little kids on bikes without helmets don't get me started. Also I see that it's not just New Year when Thailand has these terrible fatalities but Songkran and any other holiday. My condolences and deepest sympathies to the families who have lost loved ones in this latest 7 days of drunken carnage.

[ezzra]

Every year, for many years now, around this time, we get to read the same horrible news of how

many people lost their lives on those cursed 7 days,

and every year with we say the same things to our selves, feeling sorry

and hopelessness reading the numbers of the dead and injured,

and every year, promises are made for better enforcements of road and driving laws and behavior to lower the number of the dead and injured and every year they fail...., so will all can be assured that next year we will

be reading the item with similar numbers give or take....

[upena]

Last year it was 341 reported road deaths

[Tanlic]

Exactly how do these figures compare to a normal 7 days...does anyone know? How any of us who have driven through the Issan farmlands and lived to tell the tale is a miracle in itself

Edited January 5, 2016 by Tanlic

[micmichd]

"......Drunk driving was blamed to be the main cause of most accidents or 20.14%......."

Correct terminology should be used here. Drunk driving doesn't cause accidents. Never ever.

Most crashes are caused by careless or reckless driving. Alcohol consumption just happens to be a contributory factor in many of these.

Some people get t a "tunnel view"even after one beer.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

There die 26 000 people per year on Thailands roads that is 71 per day. If you take 71 x 7 days it = 499, thus the death toll over this deadly period is less than on normal deadly days.

[leeneeds]

always wondered why so many WAT s in Thailand , they get plenty of customers and now we wait for Songkran to repeat the carnage,

[lostinisaan]

After all the alcohol over New Year I still don't know if I'm one of them. Alcohol must really damage brains...

Or is something wrong with my Alzheimer?

What was it all about? Nooo, I don't have a work permit for my wife.

[SPB65]

War casualty figures as usual. Same again in April. Happy new year.

The regularity of this never ending carnage is Darwinian. To never learn from the same mistakes is absolute madness. Seriously, what is wrong with these people ? Answers on a postcard to.......

[ldiablo]

The funniest part about this whole thing is that this government still claims it was a success. Shows just how out of the realm of reality they truly are.

[kiwikeith]

Speeding and drunken driving, for Gods sake lower the speed limit, 120 km per hour some roads is to fast for these clowns.

Nz lowers the limit on holidays from 100kmp down to 90 kmp with zero or sometime a 5kmp tolerance and in suburbs from 50 down to 40 kmp, this combined with cops everywhere with speed cameras and high fines plus random alcohol testing all over the country has dramatically reduced the holiday Rd Toll.

Random testing all year + vehicle confiscation is common practice as well.

[Cute Koala]

This will news will never change for the better unless the police start some proactive traffic policing instead of the continual reactive. Perhaps one day.......

[Kabula]

Utter disgrace and every death a family tragedy, yet nothing effective is ever done. Thailand needs a real DRIVING TEST with nobody allowed to pay for one if they cannot pass it.

At age 68 I just finished a Thai driving school and passed the written and driving test on the first try. At the time of the testing there were about 200 applicants and only 10 of us passed. The new driving written exam is very hard to pass and the driving course looks easy, but different and tricky for drivers use to driving from the left side of the vehicle.

Many of my Thai friends recently gave up on the 3rd try trying to get a license.

I've been licensed in the U.S., Costa Rica and here. The Thai drivers license course preparation was the hardest I ever encountered. The problems I see are over crowded roads, alcohol and drug abuse, combined with a lack of commen sense! My opinion...

[Transporter]

The only reason there were only 380 deaths instead of the usual weekly 499 is because there were less people on the roads due to holiday time. I would like to see the real stats of how many were motorbikes and how many minivans.

Every morning school run I see stupidity on the roads and nothing changes because you cannot educate a person who already believes they know everything.

[canuckamuck]

Speeding and drunken driving, for Gods sake lower the speed limit, 120 km per hour some roads is to fast for these clowns.

Nz lowers the limit on holidays from 100kmp down to 90 kmp with zero or sometime a 5kmp tolerance and in suburbs from 50 down to 40 kmp, this combined with cops everywhere with speed cameras and high fines plus random alcohol testing all over the country has dramatically reduced the holiday Rd Toll.

Random testing all year + vehicle confiscation is common practice as well.

There's a speed limit?

[bangon04]

There die 26 000 people per year on Thailands roads that is 71 per day. If you take 71 x 7 days it = 499, thus the death toll over this deadly period is less than on normal deadly days.

so in fact the government is to be congratulated for a resounding success in reducing the number of accidents and deaths during a period of vastly increased traffic movement.

[kiwikeith]

Speeding and drunken driving, for Gods sake lower the speed limit, 120 km per hour some roads is to fast for these clowns.

Nz lowers the limit on holidays from 100kmp down to 90 kmp with zero or sometime a 5kmp tolerance and in suburbs from 50 down to 40 kmp, this combined with cops everywhere with speed cameras and high fines plus random alcohol testing all over the country has dramatically reduced the holiday Rd Toll.

Random testing all year + vehicle confiscation is common practice as well.

There's a speed limit?

Yeh, right, needs a speed limit that is enforced most thais take no notice of speed limits and you don't see police enforcing speed limits either.

[Dmaxdan]

Maybe it time for the government to stop messing around an implement huge fines for people who fail a breathalyser test. I'm talking about perhaps a100,000 plus Baht fine with no exceptions, and if they cannot pay with in let's say a week, then jail time. You have to really frighten people. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

[canuckamuck]

Here's a novel idea. Give out tickets and fines for moving violations.

Edited January 5, 2016 by canuckamuck

[silent]

The funniest part about this whole thing is that this government still claims it was a success. Shows just how out of the realm of reality they truly are.

No that's just funny. The funniest is thinking if there was nothing done to claim a success over.

[simtemple]

I used to work for the New Zealand Road Tansport Agency. The reduction of road fatalities was achieved by a strategy developed by Tony Bliss. Tony's strategy was internationally recognised as best practice and he went on to promote this strategy through his employment at the World Bank.

The stThe Government Transport Agency just sits on its balls and does nothing but congratulate itself for achieving wonderous new targets

This strategy works on the princials of safe engineering - Cars and Roads. Education - hard hiting TV commercials etc and Strict Enforcement by the Police.

This is undepinned by an understanding of the economic cost of a life and government willingness to establish and fund a road safety organisation mandated to reduce road trauma.

I don't see Thailand ever being able to adopt this strategy. New Zealand was able to cut its road fatality toll by half in a very short time.

New Zealand also has the benefit of an educated population which demonstrates high levels of road courtesy. I don't see any level of road courtesy in Thailand from the Thai. I don't think they know what courtesy means.

[apetley]

Just think, this carnage will be repeated in only three months time.