Motorists warned to drive carefully during New Year’s festival

Motorists were warned today to drive carefully at a speed not more than 100 km/hour on certain high-risk highways during the New Year’s festival.

Mrs Kannavee Kanitpong, manager of Accident Centre of Thailand of the Asian Institute of Technology, identified the following highways as high risk that motorists should exercise more caution and drive carefully: Wang Noi-Ayutthaya at KM 70; Rama II road; highway 41 between Prachuab Khiri Khan and Chumporn; highway 32 between Uthai Thani and Nakhon Sawan.

Citing statistics since 2008, Mrs Kannavee disclosed that road accidents tend to become more serious with 12 fatalities for every 100 accidents largely due to drivers and passengers not using safety belts and motorcyclists and pillion riders not wearing crash helmets and speeding.

The safest cruising speed is no more than 100 km/hour, she said, adding that the centre would propose high penalties against speedsters.

During the New Year’s festival this year, there were altogether 3.174 road accidents resulting to 366 deaths and 3,345 injuries. Drunk driving accounted for 41.7 percent of the accidents followed by speeding which accounted for 25.83 percent. Motorcycles accounted for 81.03 percent of the accidents.

 Thai PBS

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