Twenty-eight people were killed and 246 injured in 241 road accidents throughout the country on Saturday, the sixth of the so-called “seven dangerous days” which runs from April 11-17 during the Songkran Festival, the government said.
However, the death toll is likely understated since according to the World Health Organization, more than 50 people die on Thailand’s roads every day of the year on average
Nirat Pongsithithavorn, an Interior Ministry’s deputy permanent secretary in charge of the centre for prevention and reduction of road accidents during the Songkran Festival of 2022, said the figures were provided by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and concerned agencies.
On Saturday, the figures showed 28 people were killed and 246 injured in 241 road accidents nationwide.
Speeding was still the main cause of accidents, at 41.49%, followed by drink-driving (25.31%).
Motorcycles accounted for most accidents (84.34%), followed by pick-ups (6.43%).
Most of the accidents (38.59%) happened on Highway Department roads and 38.17% on village roads administered by tambon administration organisations. A majority – 80.91% – of the accidents occurrred on straight roads.
The most dangerous time was 6.01pm-7.00pm, accounting for 10.37% of accidents.
Chiang Rai was the province with most accidents (11).
Lampang registered the highest number of injuries (11) and Chiang Rai the highest number of deaths (3).
There were 1,900 safety checkpoints in operation nationwide, manned by 56,324 officials.
A total of 410,818 vehicles were pulled over for safety checks and 70,180 drivers were charged – 18,388 for not carrying a driver’s licence and 19,264 motorcyclists for not wearing a safety helmet.
The accumulated six-day (April 11-16) toll was 1,720 accidents with 237 killed and 1,696 injuried.
