Songkran 254 die on roads, 4 days to go

[wowpow]

"The Songkran road death toll climbed to 254 on Wednesday, the sixth day of the long holiday danger period, with 3,038 injured, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said yesterday. The counting began on April 7, the first of the ''10 dangerous days'', and will continue until April 16.

There were 2,722 accidents reported over the six-day period. On Wednesday, 694 accidents were reported with 60 people killed and 764 injured. The total death toll (254) was lower than in the same period last year (323).

Nakhon Ratchasima again recorded the highest number of deaths, with 15 people killed, and Chiang Rai saw the greatest number of injuries, at 119. Other provinces with high death tolls were Chiang Mai and Rayong (nine each), Phitsanulok (eight), and Chon Buri (seven). No deaths have been reported yet in eight provinces _Trat, Nakhon Nayok, Mukdahan, Pattani, Phrae, Ranong, Samut Songkhram and Amnat Charoen.

Risky behaviour was blamed for most accidents _ drunk driving (37.32%), speeding (15.99%), and cutting in front of other vehicles (9.51%). Most of the accidents (62.52%) occurred on straight roads out of highways, including village and municipal roads. Peak accident hours were between 4 and 8 pm, according to the department. Of the 4,184,693 vehicles stopped for inspections over the past six days, 181,925 were found to be violating traffic laws.

Caretaker Interior Minister Kongsak Wantana said he had ordered all provincial governors to keep a close watch on motorists between yesterday and tomorrow, the most dangerous days of the holiday period, as a large number of people are expected to depart on journeys home"

Bangkok Post

It is good to see the numbers of fatalities falling. I have been reading up a bit and Thailand publishes a total number of road deaths a year as 14,500 (2003) but does not include those who die subsequently in hospital. The estimated true total is over 20,000 which is shocking. The UK has a similar population and land area but only has 3221 (2004) fatalities a year. The is pretty static over 10 years but falling very slowly.

Even at 14,500 that's an average of 40 a day or 240 in the 6 days of Songkran counted. Songkran "dangerous days" don't seem much more dangerous than everyday.

People still ask me why I don't own a car in Thailand.

apologies to homintern who posted, brief, similar material as I was posting this message.

apologies to homintern who posted, brief, similar material as I was posting this message.Never apologise, never explain

343 - http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakin ... d=30001739 (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30001739)

I 100% agree with BOYGEORGE. I did the same tour twice in 2005 (BKK-CMai-Mae Sai and return, and BKK - Khonkaen - CM - BKK) and due to the fact that I am a defensive driver, and as a foreigner in LOS even more defensive than defensive, I never had any dangerous situation on my entire journeys.
Even in BKK its ok for me to ride my car.
I much more prefer to drive in Thailand than in my home country Germany, though the death toll in Germany is on a similar low level as it is in the UK.
But most of the drivers here on my home country's AUTOBAHN are a bunch off aggressive jerks and morons.... I did experience this just few days ago..... I am more than happy to return to the "lovely traffic of Krungthep" in a few days....

Songkran road death toll totals five тАУ or six


PHUKET: Road accidents claimed the lives of five people in the province during Songkran. Or six, depending on how one counts.

Officially, five people died on the roads between April 7 and April 16, officers from the Phuket Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM) said at a press conference this morning.

This was two higher than last yearтАЩs figure and one more than the governmentтАЩs тАЬtargetтАЭ of no more than four fatalities.

This yearтАЩs dead were listed as: Ulai Netrapakdee, 33; Mhad Manabutra, 67; Korchem Naoyiem, 57; Somyot Choochart, 28; and Angkarn Chanthong, 28. All were male and were either driving a motorcycle or riding one as a passenger.

However, as reported in the Gazette Online on April 11, K. Ulai had a woman riding on the back of his motorbike when it was hit by a pickup truck. Both he and his passenger died.

The identity of the dead woman, registered as an employee of the My Friend bar in Pa Khlok under the name Wannipa Siri-ariya-osot, could not be confirmed. Officials think she may have been Burmese. Because she could not be identified, her death was not included in the official toll, an ODPM staffer explained.

In contrast to the higher death toll, there was a huge decrease in the number of road accidents reported, from 397 in 2005 to just 99 this year.

However, these reported accidents resulted in 96 people requiring in-patient hospital treatment for their injuries, also greatly in excess of the government target of no more than 53. Last year 90 people required in-patient treatment.

There were no accidents associated with the Phuket Bike Week activities this year, officials added.

http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=4945

[wowpow]

COUNTING THE COST OF SONGKRAN
Festival lives up to its grim reputation for road carnage

The road toll during the 10-day Songkran holiday was 476 deaths and 5,985 injuries, with Phitsanulok seeing the highest number of deaths at 20, caretaker Interior Minister ACM Kongsak Wantana said yesterday.

On Sunday alone, the last day of the April 7-16 holiday, 386 accidents killed 35 people and hurt 452, Kongsak said, with drunk driving being the number one cause, followed by speeding. Most accidents involved motorcycles, occurred on straight stretches of highway and took place between 4pm and 8pm, he said.

The overall death toll of 476 was down 46 from last year's Songkran. Total injuries, at 5,985, were down 153, Kongsak said. There were 5,327 accidents, down 325, he said.

Full article The Nation (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/04/18/national/national_30001894.php)

And the Thais will demand payment from the foreigners.