Traffic check boost as break ends

Authorities are ramping up measures to prevent road accidents this weekend as the Songkran holiday draws to an end and holidaymakers return home, says Boontham Lertsukekasem, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) director-general.

Mr Boontham, also secretary-general of the Road Safety Directing Centre (RSDC) said more road accidents are anticipated.

To manage the situation, the DDPM has coordinated with each of the provinces to set up more checkpoints at inbound locations around Bangkok and other major provinces.

The checkpoints will be ramped up especially in accident-prone areas, on straight roads and locations where accidents happen frequently.

Officials were also instructed to check whether drivers are fit to be behind the wheel.

Motorists can expect to be challenged if they appear intoxicated, he said. Officials and road safety volunteers would be required to wear face masks, observe social distancing and wash their hands frequently.

On the sixth day of the seven-day Songkran road safety campaign, 29 people died and 310 were injured in 313 road accidents as of Thursday, the last day of Songkran.

The road accidents during these six days raised the cumulative deaths to 238, while 2,116 were injured.

Road accidents mostly occurred in Nakhon Si Thammarat (91) and the highest cumulative death toll was in Chiang Mai (9).

The road accidents mostly involved drink-driving at 31.3%.