"The number of road accident-related deaths during the New Year holiday has been reduced due to a stringent anti-drink driving campaign.

Fatalities are down 14% on last year, the National Road Safety Centre said yesterday. It said 179 people had been killed and 2,131 injured between Dec 28 and 30.

Those figures were down from 208 deaths and 2,353 injured in the same period last year.

The death toll for Dec 30 alone stood at 70, with 831 people injured. A total of 725 road accidents was reported on Dec 30, the third day of the so-called "seven dangerous days" for New Year travel, said Interior Ministry permanent secretary Pongpayom Wasaphut.

Prachuap Khiri Khan province has the highest number of deaths, with nine.

Drink driving was said to be the cause of 47.17% of road accidents, followed by speeding (24.28%) and careless motorcycle riding (11.31%).

Motorcycles account for over 85% of accidents, followed by pick-up trucks at 6.06% and private cars at 4%.

Drunk and asleep
Police and rescue volunteers try to wake up a drunk man who fell asleep in his vehicle at the entrance of Hua Hin Soi 26 yesterday. They had to break into the car, which was obstructing the soi on Petchakasem road in Prachuap Khiri Khan. The man suffered breathing difficulties and was taken to hospital. he was not charged.

Most accidents were reported on provincial roads. The majority of accidents occurred between 4pm and 8pm.

On Dec 30, four deaths each were reported in Chumphon, Nakhon Sawan, Pathum Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Lampang and Bangkok. There were three deaths each on the same day in Chon Buri, Buri Ram and Udon Thani. Only 18 provinces were free of road accidents, Mr Pongpayom said.

Si Sa Ket saw the highest number of road accidents with 64, followed by Surin with 61, Chiang Rai with 58, and Khon Kaen and Nakhon Ratchasima with 54 each. Traffic police stopped more than two million vehicles at checkpoints and 37,222 drivers were found to have violated traffic rules.

The Nation"

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