Number of deaths up by 8 in first 4 days

Fewer accidents compared with last year, but more of them were fatal

Though the first four days of Songkran saw fewer accidents than the same period last year, the number of deaths is higher, with the major causes remaining drunk driving and speeding.

According to the Road Safety Centre, 218 people were killed and 2,020 injured in 1,897 accidents during the first four of the seven dangerous days of Songkran. The same period last year saw 210 deaths and 2,288 injuries in 2,134 accidents, Deputy Education Minister Sermsak Pongpanich said on Monday.

The highest death tolls were recorded in Prachuap Khiri Khan and Kanchanaburi provinces at 11 each, while Nakhon Si Thammarat had the most accidents at 71 and injuries at 73. On Sunday alone, there were 451 accidents, 45 deaths and 494 injuries across the nation.

Most of the crashes involved motorcycles at 74 pr cent, followed by pickup trucks at 15 per cent. Of the motorcycle crashes, 21 per cent of the deaths were blamed on the failure to wear a helmet.

Police stopped 716,161 vehicles at checkpoints across the country and arrested 120,856 for traffic violations. Most of the arrests, at 37,073, were for failing to wear a helmet, while 34,593 were nabbed for not having a valid licence.

In a bid to control drink-related problems, relevant agencies punished 142 law violators after inspecting 272 vendors in different provinces, Pornthep Siriwana-rangsan, director general of the Disease Control Department, said today.

Pornthep added that drunk teenagers attacked officials cracking down on an illegal alcohol vendor in Chiang Mai and that the municipality's mayor was pushing for legal action to be taken against the attackers.

Dr Saman Futrakul, director of the Disease Control Department's Office of Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco Consumption Control, expressed concern about students openly selling alcohol in Bangkok's Silom Road without a licence.

Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong instructed hospitals near highways to be on standby for emergencies as thousands would be heading back to the capital yesterday and today.

The ministry has also warned people not to drive if they are too tired, in case they fall asleep behind the wheel.

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/04/15/number-of-deaths-up-by-8-in-first-4-days/