Songkran travel claims 278 road deaths
THERE WERE 1,917 traffic accidents, which claimed 278 lives and injured 1,869 people, during the seven days of the government’s national road safety campaign for the Songkran festival, Nirat Pongsitthithaworn, deputy interior permanent secretary,
said on Monday (Apr 18). Chiang Rai province had
the most accidents at 66. Chiang Mai had the highest number of injured people at 63 and Bangkok logged the bigget death toll at 13. Six provinces – Nakhon Phanom,
Pattani, Yala, Ranong, Samut
Sakhon and Sing Buri – were
free of road fatalities, Mr Nirat said.
On Sunday, the final day
of the campaign, there were 188 traffic accidents, injuring
171 people and killing 31.
Boontham Lertsukkheekasem, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said the number of accidents and injured people had declined but road
deaths rose from the same
period last year.
It was also confirmed that
a total of 7,925 drivers were arrested for driving under the
influence or reckless driving during the seven-day period
and placed on probation by the courts.
Department of Probation
director-general Witthawal Sunthornkachit said 7,141 were charged with drinkdriving, 765 with driving under the influence of illicit drugs and 19 with reckless driving.
Of the 7,141 on drinkdriving charges, 13 were also
ordered by the court to wear
an electronic monitoring device and prohibited from leaving their homes for seven
days from 7pm-5am – 10 of them in Ubon Ratchathani and three in Sukhothai.
Mr Witthawal said the number of drivers charged with drink-driving was up by 1,080 from 6,061 in 2021 during the same period.
He said all of those found
guilty of drink-driving would
undergo evaluation. Those found to be at risk of becoming addicted to alcohol would
be sent to a medical facility run by the Public Health Ministry for treatment.
Those found to be at risk of repeating the offence would
be put in a camp for rehabilitation and behavioural adjust
ment for three consecutive days. They would also have to
report regularly to probation officials and perform public services for a set period, Mr Bangkok Post Witthawal said.