Traffic | Road Accidents

[Xerxes]

7 Dangerous Days beigns with 39 deaths, 362 accidents on Thai Roads



13.389 Deaths
864.814 Hospitalized

On the first day of the yearly Seven Dangerous Days, where the Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation tracks traffic accidents and deaths, 39 people were killed on the roads plus 362 people were injured and as many accidents on Wednesday.

The department tracks the statistics for 7 days from December 29 each year, as holiday travel create a sharp increase in traffic incidents.

On the first day, 81.3% of the recorded 362 road accidents involves at least one motorbike. Speeding made up the largest percentage of accident causes, with 34.6% of all road accidents involving at least one vehicle driving too fast for safety.












Out of the 362 road accidents that took place on Wednesday, 23.8% of them involved driving while intoxicated. With the large number of drunk driving incidents, one might think that most accidents happened in the evening or late at night, but the most accident-prone time for the roads of Thailand was actually between the hours of 3 pm and 6 pm.

The type of roads where accidents took place is also recorded in the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation’s daily reports. On Wednesday, accidents were distributed fairly evenly, with 36.8% of incidents happening on roads managed by the Highways Department and a similar 34.6% of accidents taking place on smaller roads and local villages. The vast majority of accidents, 83.9%, happened on straight roads.

The report also tracks which provinces have the most accidents and the most fatalities. Ratchaburi had 13 accidents on Wednesday, the most of any single province, while Nakhon Ratchasima was the province with the most deaths, a total of 5 that day.

Traffic police during the Seven Dangerous Days also step up road inspections, examining over 360,000 vehicles at 1,875 checkpoints along Thailand’s roads. Over 5,700 officers are deployed throughout the country, and they found a total of nearly 63,000 drivers in violation of Thai traffic laws. 18,000 of those were people who drove their motorbikes without a helmet and another nearly 8,000 violations were car drivers who did not wear their seatbelts.

[Sundance2020]

555 traffic accidents and 65 road deaths on New Year’s Eve



New Year’s Eve was the third day of the yearly Seven Dangerous Days, where the Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation tracks traffic accidents and deaths, as holiday travel create a sharp increase in traffic incidents. And yesterday saw 555 traffic accidents that resulted in 535 injuries and 65 road deaths.

The Road Accidents Prevention and Reduction Centre reported a total of 1,339 accidents with 1,322 injured people and 153 deaths in the first 3 days of the holiday period.

Like Day 2, Chiang Mai was the province with the most accidents and the most injuries reported on New Year’s Eve. In the Northern province that saw a flood of holiday camper traffic, 23 people were injured as the result of 26 road accidents. Udon Thani in the Northeast of Thailand had the most deaths of any province in the country with 5 fatalities.

As usual, speeding was the main cause of accidents with 36.4% of incidents involving driving too fast, followed closely by alcohol with 34.77% of crashes attributed to drunk driving. On Thursday, poor visibility was blamed as the third most common cause of accidents but, on Friday, 16.4% of accidents were attributed to vehicles that cut off other vehicles by swerving in front of them, making it the third most common reason for an accident.

85.41% of accidents involved at least one motorbike rider, slightly higher than the last 2 days’ totals. An equal amount of road accidents – 36.04% – took place on national highways and local village roads in provincial sub-districts, while 12.61% of accidents were on city roads.

Officials are once again stepping up checkpoints to stop drivers in violation of Thai traffic laws, focusing on the evening hours when most accidents have taken place, with 21.44% of crashes occurring between 6 and 9 pm.

[Sundance2020]

Day 2 of 7 Dangerous Days sees 44 deaths, 426 road injuries



On Day 2 of the Seven Dangerous Days road safety campaign, there have been a total of 85 deaths in 784 accidents. The first day saw 41 deaths and 360 injuries, and Thursday recorded 44 deaths and 426 injuries. While the numbers are higher than other periods throughout the year, accidents and injuries are down 21.5% over the same dates last year, and deaths are down 33.6%, according to the Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

46 of Thailand’s 77 provinces have not had any road accident deaths so far in the 7 day period the government tracks due to the high number of holiday travellers and increased number of injuries and death each year. In the first 2 days, Nakhon Ratchasima is the province with the most deaths, with 7 fatalities reported on the road. Loei had the most injuries with 32 people hurt. Chiang Mai had 31 accidents, the most in any province.

As usual, excessive speeding was responsible for a third of all accidents, the highest percentage at 33.7% in total, and drunk driving was the second most common cause with a quarter of all accidents, 26.3% attributed to alcohol. Poor visibility was the third most common cause, with 17.8% of crashes due to not being able to see roads or other vehicles clearly. 83.1% of all accidents involved motorbikes over the last 2 days.

On Thursday, Day 2, Chiang Mai had the most accidents and the most injuries of any province with 21 accidents and 19 people hurt. 3 road deaths each were reported in Roi Et, Nonthaburi and Bangkok, more than any other province.

1,911 checkpoints were operating Thursday, 36 more than Wednesday, but 46,796 people were found violating Thai traffic laws, far less than the nearly 63,000 on Day 1. On Day 2, 14,484 were cited for not wearing a motorbike helmet – down from 18,000 on the first day, and 11,866 were fined for operating a vehicle without a driving license.

[Steve]

2 people per hour were killed in road accidents in Thailand in 2020

A Thai health foundation has found that two people were killed in road accidents every hour in Thailand in 2020. The total number of people killed in road accidents throughout that year was 17,831. The foundation, Thai Health Promotion Foundation, said motorcycle drivers and riders made up the 74% of fatalities.

The International Health Policy Program said in its report last year that, if all pillion riders wear crash helmets, the death toll will likely drop by 36%. A chairman of the Accident Prevention Support Plan said the alarming numbers should make authorities rethink and develop measures to reduce road accidents involving elderly people. He said law enforcement is too relaxed in enforcing laws, and consequences for traffic violators vary between provinces.

Even though 70% of accidents involved people 16-60 years old, the number of accidents involving elderly people is rising. Part of this is because Thailand is becoming an ageing society. In January, one road death made headlines across Thailand when a motorcycle hit and killed an eye doctor at a zebra crossing in Bangkok. After the incident, a health organisation and a road safety organisation teamed up to study how many cars, motorbikes, and public vehicles stop for pedestrians at 12 zebra crossings in Bangkok. They found that altogether, 89% wouldn’t stop. For motorcycles, the rate was 92% of 6,449 motorcycles that wouldn’t stop. For cars, the rate was 86% of 7,619. For public vehicles it was 80% of 285.

Bangkok officials then planned to install traffic lights and surveillance cameras at 100 zebra crossings. In Tak province, there were 5,521 stops per 100,000 of the population for driving under the influence. 47,830 per 100,000 were stopped in Tak for not wearing a crash helmet.

[Sundance2020]

301 injured and 47 deaths on Day 2 of Songkran – Seven Deadly Days



On Tuesday, the second day of the “Seven Deadly Days” of the Songkran break, there were 301 road accidents, resulting in 47 deaths and 292 injuries. Accidents are still caused by drink driving and speeding.

84% of the accidents occurred on straight roads. Motorcycles and pick-up trucks were involved in the majority of the accidents, 80%, and 10% respectively, about average for the breakdown of road trauma data.

The Highway Department is responsible for collating information for 40% of the accidents on their main highways, while tambon administration organisation areas are responsible for 35% of the accidents.

Nearly 2,000 “safety” checkpoints are set up around Thailand with 56,300 officials on duty over the extended break.

Over 400,000 cars were stopped at the checkpoints on Tuesday for random checks, with nearly 73,000 drivers facing charges, including 20,700 for not having a driver’s license and 20,100 for not having a motorcycle helmet.

Khon Kaen, northeastern Thailand, had the most accidents at 14, and it tied with Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand, for the most injuries at 12. Nakhon Ratchasima, northeastern Thailand, had the most traffic deaths at 4.

The total number of accidents on April 11 and April 12 was 538, with 73 people dead and 530 injured.

The numbers were collected using daily updates from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and other relevant agencies, according to Interior Ministry deputy permanent secretary Nirat Pongsithithavorn.

And before you make some comparisons about “more people are killed on Thailand’s roads than with Covid” etc, etc, in the past 24 hours there were 106 people dying from Covid-related disease. The death toll from the coronavirus has been above 100 for the past 4 days.

[Barfly]

Thailand’s daily Covid death toll breaches 100 for fifth straight day

As people in Thailand celebrate Songkran, the nation’s daily death toll from Covid-19 has breached the 100 mark for 5 consecutive days from Sunday to today. This morning, the Public Health Ministry reported 115 new Covid-related fatalities and more than 24,100 new infections nationwide.

Yesterday, 106 deaths and more than 23,000 cases were reported. The ministry reported 108, 105 and 101 deaths on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, respectively. But the daily deaths are still way below the peak of the Delta variant in Thailand last year when the Covid-related death toll reached 312 on August 18.

Sunday marked the first time the nation recorded a hundred daily deaths from the virus this year, with the Public Health Ministry reporting more than 25,000 new infections, on par with the approximately 25,000 patients who had recovered were discharged from hospitals. Yesterday, more than 28,050 patients who had recovered were were discharged from hospitals.

After the Songkran holiday, the daily infection rate has been predicted to shoot up to between 50,000-100,000 cases, according to the Head of Siriraj Hospital Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Prasit Watanapa. His prediction has not been repeated by either the CCSA or the Thai government.

The silver lining, he says, is that the daily death toll likely will not not exceed 200 (even though that is approx. twice the current daily toll from Covid-related deaths). If it does, the amount of severe cases would be enough to overwhelm existing treatment facilities in one locations.

Meanwhile, the amount of severe case rose to more than 2,000 over the weekend, according to Dr. Nitipat Jiarakul, director of the Thoracic Society of Thailand, who said the trend is likely to continue before leveling off and eventually declining.

Thailand is one of the few countries in Asia with an increasing daily infection and death rate due to Covid-19.

Starting last Friday evening, Thais began leaving Bangkok and other major cities for domestic vacation destinations or their home provinces. The official Songkran public holiday begins on Wednesday, April 13, and ends on Friday, April 15, though celebrations will begin today and last through the weekend.

[Sundance2020]

40 dead, 323 injured on Day 3 of Songkran’s ‘7 Deadly Days’



Thailand saw 331 road accidents, resulting in 40 deaths and 323 injuries on Wednesday, Day 3 of the “Seven Deadly Days” of the Songkran holiday. The main causes of road accidents yesterday were the same as the previous two days, namely speeding and drink driving, according to data provided by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.

Since the start of Songkran, there have been a total of 869 accidents, resulting in 113 deaths and 835 injuries, according to the Ministry of Transportation. From Monday to Wednesday, Samut Sakhon had the most deaths with 6. The southern province of Nakon Si Thammarat had the most injuries, with 36, and tied with Khon Kaen for the most accidents, with 33 each.

As most travellers have already arrived at their destinations for the holiday, the main focus now has moved to reducing traffic accidents on secondary roads, according to Boontham Lertsukheekasem, director general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department. He predicted that there would be more accidents on smaller routes until people travel back to their normal lives at the end of Songkran later this weekend.

[Sundance2020]

41 dead, 332 injured on Day 4 of Songkran ‘7 Deadly Days’



Thailand recorded 324 accidents on Thursday, resulting in 332 injuries and 41 deaths across the country on Day 4 of the “Seven Deadly Days” of the Songkran holiday. The update from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.

From Monday to Thursday, Thailand has reported 1,195 accidents. Speeding is still the main factor in accidents, with motorcyclists playing a major role. Second most common reason for the incidents is drink driving.

Chiang Mai had the most accidents and injuries, with 14 and 16 respectively. Lampang, in northern Thailand, and Sa Kaeo, a town near the Cambodian border, had the most deaths with 3.

Since the start of Songkran, Chiang Mai had the most number of accidents at 44, Nakhon Si Thammarat had the highest combined injuries at 43, and Lampang has had the most deaths at 7. There were no fatalities in other provinces.

As most Thais continued to celebrate Songkran in areas closer to their home, the focus remained on roads in districts and villages. Thais will be heading back to their work over the coming weekend, especially on Sunday when all roads back to Bangkok are expected to be very busy.

[Sundance2020]

Drink drivers put on probation, 278 dead during ‘seven deadly days’ in Thailand



During the “seven deadly days” of the Songkran Holiday, between April 11 to 17, there were nearly 8,000 drivers who were arrested for drink driving or driving with speed of carelessly. The courts have already sentenced them to probation, according to director-general Witthawal Sunthornkachit of the Department of Probation.

Drink driving has increased by over 1,000 cases this year compared to over 6,000 arrests in 2021 during Songkran (albeit there were greater freedoms for travel this year, compared with last year).

Drink drivers would be questioned, and those who are assessed to be in danger of relapse and the possibility of committing the offence in the future will be placed in a three-day rehabilitation and behavioural modification program. They would be required to report to probation officers on a regular basis and complete community service for a set period of time.

The Songkran holiday is now over, and so is the “seven deadly days”, which sadly saw 278 people lose their lives on Thailand’s roads, 1,869 people injured and a total of 1,917 accidents.

Bangkok had the highest death toll with 13. Chiang Rai had the most accidents, with 66. Chiang Mai had 63 injuries.

[Barfly]

Thailand second most dangerous place in the world to drive

Thailand has been ranked as the second most dangerous country to drive in according to a driver’s educational platform. Only South Africa is deemed to be a more dangerous place to drive than the Kingdom of Thailand with the US coming in third place. The Transport Ministry reported that there were 32,190 road accidents in 2020 and 2021 and that most of the casualties involved pickup trucks. There were 21,052 accidents in 2020, and 11,138 accidents in 2021.

The US-based Zutobi, a driver’s educational website that annually measures road accidents throughout the globe, revealed that Thailand scores badly in five different categories. The categories include estimated road death rates, maximum motorway speed limits, seat-belt wearing rates, alcohol-related deaths, and blood alcohol concentration limits. Zutobi ranked Thailand in second place with 4.35 points, behind South Africa on 3.41 points, and the US was third with 5.03 points.

The Ministry of Transport revealed motorbikes did not cause the most accidents and that most collisions that happened in 2020 and 2021 involved pickup trucks (37%), followed by a category of private and public vehicles (27%.

Types of vehicles in accidents:
– Pickups (37%)
– Private and public vehicles (27%)
– Motorcycles (20%)
– Trucks with at least 10 wheels (8%)
– Six-wheel trucks (6%)
– Vans (2%)
Types of roads where most accidents happened:
– Straight-ahead roads without slope (70%)
– Curves without slope (13%)
– Curves with slope (8%)
– Bridges to commercial venues (3%)
– Intersections (1%)
Types of accidents:
– Overturning on or skidding off straight-ahead roads (43%)
– Rear crash (31%)
– Overturning or skidding off curved roads (13%)
– Head-on crashes (5%)
– Crashing into traffic barriers (4%)
– Crashing at intersections (2%)
– Hitting pedestrians (2%)
Causes of accidents:
– Violation of speed limit (78%)
– Being cut in front by pedestrians, vehicles, or animals (8%)
– Falling asleep behind wheel (4%)
– Drunk driving (3%)
– Violations of traffic lights or signs or vehicles malfunctioning (2%)
– Unlawfully overtaking other vehicles, not allowing vehicles on the main road to pass first, or not familiar with roads (1%).

[Xerxes]

218 killed and 1,647 injured over 4-day New Year Holiday 2022/23

According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), 218 people were killed and 1,647 were injured in road accidents during the four-day new year holiday from December 29 to January 1.2023

The Director of the DDPM, Boontham Lertsukheekasam, reported yesterday, December 2, that there were 1,664 road accidents across the country during the holiday break, causing 218 deaths and 1,647 injuries. Most of the victims were aged 20 to 29 years old.

The primary causes of the accident were speeding (37.03%) and drunk driving (33.26%) while motorcycles featured in most of the accidents. Most of the road accidents happened between 12:00 am to 1:00 am.

Only 10 of Thailand’s 77 provinces reported no deaths. The southern province of Surat Thani recorded the most accidents, 56, the Isaan province of Sakon Nakhon had the most injured victims, 57 people, while the northern province of Chiang Rai had the most deaths, 12.

Boontham added that this was not the conclusion of the report as many people were still returning to Bangkok on Monday, January 2 and Tuesday, January 3 to start work again tomorrow, Wednesday, January 4.2023 Boontham urged the nation’s drivers to follow the traffic rules, take a break every one or two hours and take a nap if feeling sleepy.

The traffic police reported that Mittraphap Highway, or Friendship Highway, which connects Isaan to the central region, is crowded today. Some of the roads in Bangkok, like Asok Montri Road, are also more crowded than usual.

This report is a part of the road safety campaign, “Seven-day Dangerous,” which will last until tomorrow, January 4. 2023 The DDPM will update the accident record daily, and the campaign report is expected to be concluded on January 5.2023

[Sundance2020]

Phuket focuses on foreigners causing motorbike accidents



As Thailand sees the tail end of the dreaded “Seven Days of Danger” where road accidents and death tend to spike over the new year holiday, officials in Phuket are focusing on the number of accidents involving foreigners on their roads. At this morning’s daily briefing at the Phuket Provincial Hall, officials said that foreigners on holiday renting motorbikes and driving poorly or dangerously is a common denominator in the number of accidents reported on the island.

The briefing was delivered by the Chief of the Phuket Provincial Office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation who went over the daily figures and discussed the issue with foreign motorbike drivers. The Deputy Director of the Phuket branch of the Internal Security Operations Command led the meeting to keep road safety officials updated on the latest updates for the Seven Days of Danger.

They proposed creating new rules or measures to control foreigners renting motorbikes to prevent them from driving recklessly on the road. Details were not reported on whether they are considering stricter road laws for foreigners or perhaps some laws regulating who is allowed to rent a bike – like verifying a license or ability and experience driving a motorbike before being allowed to rent.

Yesterday, six accidents were officially reported on the roads of Phuket. Four men and two women were admitted to the hospital and treated for injuries. There were no casualties though. Since the Seven Days of Danger campaign began on December 29 until day 5 yesterday, there were 24 road accidents with 24 injuries and just one death in Phuket. Of those hospitalised for injuries, 14 were men and 11 were women.

Motorbikes are involved in more accidents than any other type of vehicle. And the causes behind most accidents were risky driving, drunk driving, and speeding. Interestingly in light of the push towards limiting foreigners as a danger on the road, the nationalities of the people involved in road accidents in the report were not mentioned.