Phuket marks 24 injured, one death in New Year road accidents
AT THE TIME OF GOING to press, Phuket officials had reported 25 accidents resulting in 24 people admitted to hospital for their injuries, and one death, during the Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign for New Year 2022.
The news was announced by Rear Admiral Kanokpol Pimthong, Deputy Director of the Phuket Provincial branch of ISOC (Internal Security Operations Command), the political branch of the military in Thailand, on Tuesday (Jan 4).
Rear Admiral Kanokpol chaired the daily briefing for the Seven Days campaign at the meeting room of the Phuket Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office (DDPMPhuket) on the third floor of the new Phuket Provincial Hall.
Also present was DDPM-Phuket Chief Udomporn Kan.
Rear Admiral Kanokpol reported just four accidents across the island on Monday (Jan 3), the sixth day of the campaign for the New Year.
The four injured were two males and two females. There were no fatalities from road accidents during the 24-hour period, he said.
No further details of the four accidents were provided.
Most of the accidents were caused by motorcyclists and risky behaviour, such as driving over the speed limit, Rear Admiral Kanokpol noted.
“From analysis of the causes of daily accidents in Phuket, it was found that one of the main factors causing accidents came from negligence and traffic disciplinary violations, such as driving over the
speed limit or driving a motorcycle down a tunnel underpass, which is considered a risk of causing an accident,” he said.
“Although the accident rate has been reduced, it should not be underestimated in the part of the road that is being constructed. There may be sand or oil stains on the road with traffic, so I want people to be careful driving and have informed the relevant agencies to take action to fix the problem for the safety of the people,” he added.
“Phuket Province [provincial officials] also asks for cooperation of all road users to strictly respect traffic rules in parallel with the implementation of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to reduce the spread of infections in the area,” Rear Admiral Kanokpol concluded.