Over 250 killed road accidents during the New Year festive season

According to the police at least 266 people were killed in 2,355 road accidents over the five day New Year holiday season.

Over 2,500 people were injured the accidents since the 27^th of December according to police statistics that are now being recorded as part of the campaign for road safety.

The roads connecting the northern provinces of Thailand with Bangkok are always heavily congested during the holiday period and notorious accident black spots.

On December 31^st alone 537 accidents occurred over seventy seven provinces. 47% of the total accidents over the New Year period were caused by drunk driving and 84% involved motorbikes.

Chiang Mai saw the greatest number of accidents and on the 31^st of December 28 accidents injured 31 people.

In Suphanburi and Burriram three people were reported dead in each province on New Year’s Eve, the highest in the country.

The authorities set up 2,254 checkpoints that were operated by 64,942 police officers and other officials and who inspected over 685,000 vehicles. 30,664 were charged with driving without a licence and 29,520 were charged with not wearing a motorbike helmet.

Pol.Lt.Gen. Rueangsak Jaritek, Deputy Chief of the Royal Thai Police, praised 12 provinces that had not seen any deadly road accident at all, including Phayao, Mae Hong Son, Buengkan, Yasothon, Chanthaburi, Chainat, Trad, Nakhon Nayok, Samut Songkhram, Sing Buri, Pattani, Phang-nga.

 

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