'seven dangerous days': New Year’s road fatalities worse than last year

[webfact]

New Year’s road fatalities worse than last year
Wattana Khamchu
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- THE NEW YEAR holiday’s so-called “seven dangerous days” saw 3,379 road accidents, which killed 380 people and wounded 3,505 others, the Road Safety Centre said yesterday.

Nakhon Ratchasima suffered the worst death toll with 15, while Chiang Mai reported the most injuries at 140 cases and the most accidents at 139.

The figures were all higher than the previous New Year, which saw 2,997 road accidents, leading to 341 deaths and 3,117 injuries.

On Monday alone, there were 287 road accidents claiming 40 lives and injuring 289 others, Permanent Secretary of the Interior Krissada Boonrat said.

The 2,102 checkpoints manned by 65,506 officials nationwide arrested 89,473 motorists for violating the law - mostly for failing to wear helmets (25,622 cases) and failing to present a driver's licence (25,541 cases).

The most-cited causes of accidents in the seven-day period were drink driving, at 24.03 per cent, and speeding, at 17.28 per cent. Most accidents - 83.51 per cent - involved motorcycles and over a third (36.02 per cent) took place on highways.

About 52 per cent of the victims were of working age.

Trang, Phrae, Ranong and Sukhothai provinces did not report any road-accident deaths.

Officials from the Road Safety Centre will coordinate with provincial authorities to analyse accident figures, with the goal of promoting road safety in line with the government's "Safety Thailand" policy. The policy emphasises social and community-building measures, while promoting public awareness and improving effective post-accident response.

In the long term, the centre plans to establish a 20-year strategy for road-accident prevention, Krissada said.

The plan will stress the development of traffic laws, the intensification of law enforcement and the application of technology to ensure cars meet engineering safety standards.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/New-Years-road-fatalities-worse-than-last-year-30276218.html

-- The Nation 2016-01-06

[EyesWideOpen]

Sigh..........The average daily highway death toll in Thailand is 70 per day.

So for seven days, the average carnage is 490 people. So the holidays

have in fact saved 110 people. In the land of deception, I guess statistics

are not really understood here... :-)

[NongKhaiKid]

The usual post holiday BS about analysing the statistics and the implementation of a 20 YEAR PLAN !

The PM said everyone worked hard to minimise road accidents and thanked them for their efforts, nothing wrong with thanking people but not one word of regret or disappointment starting with the the word ' unfortunately '. It reminds me of the old British TV comedy ' Are You Being Served ? " where the aged and doddery ' Young " Mr. Grace tells the staff " You're all doing very well. "

Other officials praised the drink driving campaign saying lots of illegal weapons had been seized !

Officials can only do so much so the public must play their part and if they won't then they must be made to which brings it back to officialdom with proper enforcement and realistic punishments not just headline grabbing grabbing, shallow measures.

[phitsanulokjohn]

3505 people injured and 380 lives lost in the space of a week.Not to mention all the grief being suffered by the poor victims families,and all for the sake of a drink.Awful news.

[SABloke]

Pulled over and/or fined does not equal ARRESTED

[nursebob]

an increase on last year, and I think the year before. so what are the odds that next year's figures will be even higher. more loss of life and injuries. the government should make tougher laws and implement them.

[Caveat Emptor]

Officials all the way to the top have patted themselves on the back despite the increase in deaths and clutched at straws as they try to claim success.

I think now they will happily want to forget the issue until March when the pantomime will start again in preparation for Songkran.

[LannaGuy]

I thought the government said their campaign was a 'great success'?

[Cpkt8]

Land of smiles should be changed to Land of spirits[emoji51]

[northernphil]

With all those cars impounded this year how many more deaths if the drivers continued on the drunken way ?

[eliotness]

3505 people injured and 380 lives lost in the space of a week.Not to mention all the grief being suffered by the poor victims families,and all for the sake of a drink.Awful news.

Please read the article again. It states 24% attributed to drunken drivers, so 76% were sober. So not all for the sake of a drink sadly.

[phoenixdoglover]

Planning to create 20 year plan.

I would like to offer constructive criticism.

But first I need to vent.

Get off your #^&&$^/## butts! There are people dying every day while you attempt world records at procrastination and inaction. Or just quit and give somebody else a chance. Gimme a #$//&&* break!

Mutters...tosses phone on sofa....pets dog.

[Doc46]

So all this crap about clamping down and confiscating vehicles from drunk drivers means F,,All ,,,,, The BIG Problem is the Don't care & I can't do wrong & I am always right, even when I am wrong Attitude that courses all the Carnage/Deaths in Thailand.

But <W<>T<>F>

[Skeptic7]

Planning to create 20 year plan.

I would like to offer constructive criticism.

But first I need to vent.

Get off your #^&&$^/## butts! There are people dying every day while you attempt world records at procrastination and inaction. Or just quit and give somebody else a chance. Gimme a #$//&&* break!

Mutters...tosses phone on sofa....pets dog.

555...beautiful finish!

Typical government blabber and inaction. BIB and Militia too busy with bar closing times and sex non-crimes.

[Artisi]

Sigh..........The average daily highway death toll in Thailand is 70 per day.

So for seven days, the average carnage is 490 people. So the holidays

have in fact saved 110 people. In the land of deception, I guess statistics

are not really understood here... :-)

Plus the deaths away from the accident scene aren't included - so what is the true road kill each and everyday?.................

[Soupdragon]

Planning to create 20 year plan.

I would like to offer constructive criticism.

But first I need to vent.

Get off your #^&&$^/## butts! There are people dying every day while you attempt world records at procrastination and inaction. Or just quit and give somebody else a chance. Gimme a #$//&&* break!

Mutters...tosses phone on sofa....pets dog.

555...beautiful finish!

Typical government blabber and inaction. BIB and Militia too busy with bar closing times and sex non-crimes.

How can the Government or BIB act when the public are so apathetic.

I have always said that a country where the population believes in reincarnation should not issue driving licenses.

[anon444]

Only on special days are they checking use og helmet, driver license etc, but on average days they ignore all this. In fact at schools the police gard so the kids with no license and no helmet can drive safely out of school. How can they ever believe that control in 1 of 52 weeks can make a difference? Well, I'm not thai, so may be that is why I don't understand.

[outsider]

"...stress the development of traffic laws..."??? Really? It needs to developed? So there is no law now? Then again, why should I be surprised.

[hutchings1963]

Officials from the Road Safety Centre will coordinate with provincial authorities to analyse accident figures, with the goal of promoting road safety in line with the government's "Safety Thailand" policy. The policy emphasises social and community-building measures, while promoting public awareness and improving effective post-accident response.blah blah ,the answer is so easy wear helmets, this is where most accidents happens on bikes no helmet,off course its the thai way of thinking WELL IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO ME. WHEN COMING OUT OF A ROAD THEY NEVER LOOK RIGHT JUST COME STRAIGHT OUT NOT EVEN LOOKING, NO NEED TO WEAR A HELMET I AM ONLY GOING DOWN THE ROAD . YOU JUST HAVE TO LOOK AND SEE HOW MANY KNOW HOW TO DRIVE A MOTORCAR NEXT TO NONE.

[Ceruhe]

Guys guys, keep calm, you misunderstand the entire thing.

Think back around a week when it was "First day road safety campaign claims 39 deaths"

Meaning, they were out to claim deaths in the first place, and they did better than last year, so obviously this was a success alright

Well, nothing to add anymore to this myself, we all know where the issues are and won't be addressed whatsoever anytime soon aside from another headline without actions.

[crazygreg44]

Sigh..........The average daily highway death toll in Thailand is 70 per day.

So for seven days, the average carnage is 490 people. So the holidays

have in fact saved 110 people. In the land of deception, I guess statistics

are not really understood here... :-)

. . .and I wish to add, during the New Year holidays, there is a lot more traffic on the roads than usual, and there is all the commotion from the industry locations Ayyuthaya, Rayong, Bangkok, Laem Chabang to the Eesaan, and retour !

. .plus nearly half a million of new cars added to the already congested roads.

That said, the number is actually VERY LOW. Lower than the average. If you look at the 28,000 dead per year, it means an average of 538 dead EVERY OTHER WEEK

You can't make it a mess, stats are tricky. You must read between the lines. The government should have called it a Success.

[stickylies]

Useless. Perhaps an extra amulet or ornament will help...

[manhood]

The whole campaign to reduce accidents and the death of hundreds of people was UNSUCESSFUL as most of the campaigns in Thailand

Before you can see any success there have the people to be brainwashed in their mind !

I ever thought the Thai society is a peaceful and respectful one but i learned my lesson after some years in this country! Its far from that.

[stickylies]

I ever thought the Thai society is a peaceful and respectful one but i learned my lesson after some years in this country! Its far from that.

Sorry to hear that U ever thought that. I didn't as people = people. U can find as many decent people here as in the west and as many @$$h0les here as in the west. You are right about the brainwashing though, which keeps this society under control.