7 dangerous days: Second day 99 dead, 1,085 injured

WITH more road accidents piling up on the second day of Songkran yesterday (April 12), this took the 2-day total to 1,026 accidents, 99 fatalities and 1,085 injuries with road deaths occurring in 29 provinces, INN News reported today (April 13).

Minister of Transport Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, who revealed the statistics this morning, said yesterday there were 579 accidents, 60 fatalities and 624 injuries.

The biggest cause of accident was drunk driving, accounting for 42.83% of the cases, with speeding coming next at 24.35%. Motorcycles were involved in most of the accidents, totaling 78.84% of the cases so far.

Yesterday northeastern Buriram province had the highest number of accidents , totaling 21 times. Meanwhile Nakhon Ratchasima and Sakon Nakhon provinces, also in the Northeast, recorded the highest death toll at 4 each. Northern Chiang Rai province had the highest number of injuries at 23.

The 2-day total sees Chiang Rai recording highest number of accidents at 38 times while Nakhon Ratchasima, Buriram and central Phetchaburi province had the highest death toll at 5 each.

Chiang Rai again had the highest number of injuries at 41.

Meanwhile Thai News Agency quoted Dr Sirichan Ngathong, a deputy spokesperson of the National Council of Peace and Order, as saying that over first 2 days of Songkran, April 11 and 12, there were 59,390 random cases of risky driving, with 38,546 facing legal action for violating traffic regulations.

A total of 1,475 vehicles were seized for drunk driving.

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Top: Soldiers offer drinking water and tissue paper to Songkran travelers. Photo: Thai News Agency

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