PUBLISHED: 6 Jan 2025 at 14:22
Recent data reveals a troubling trend in traffic safety across Thailand during the recent high-risk New Year holiday travel period, which ran from December 27 to January 5. Over this ten-day span, Thailand experienced 2,467 traffic accidents, resulting in 436 fatalities and 2,376 injuries.
Deputy Interior Minister Songsak Thongsri indicated that while the number of accidents and injuries decreased compared to the previous year, the rise in fatalities is concerning. Surat Thani reported the highest number of incidents with 89 accidents and 100 injuries, while Bangkok had the largest number of deaths at 26. Interestingly, provinces such as Samut Songkhram, Trat, and Yala recorded no road fatalities during this period.
On just the final day of this holiday stretch, there were 139 accidents, leading to 128 injuries and 29 deaths on Thai roads. Speeding emerged as the primary cause of these incidents, with motorcycles accounting for a staggering 83% of the accidents.
Suriya Singhakamol, Director-General of the Probation Department, noted that during the holiday, courts dealt with 7,306 cases related to drink-driving. This included 342 instances involving drug-using drivers, alongside four cases of reckless driving, and two for speeding—all resulting in probation for the offenders.
Bangkok led in drink-driving offenses with 605 cases, followed by Chiang Mai with 441 and Nonthaburi with 395. In an effort to enforce safety, electronic monitoring devices were utilized for 41 individuals charged with drink-driving and three charged with drug-related offenses.
