Speeding Linked to Nearly 40% of Traffic Accidents in Thailand
PUBLISHED: 2 Jan 2025 at 15:49
A staggering fifty individuals lost their lives, and 346 more sustained injuries in road accidents across Thailand on Wednesday. This grim tally has brought the total casualties during the first six days of the New Year holiday period, known as the “10 dangerous days,” to 272.
According to the Road Safety Directing Centre of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, 339 road incidents were reported on January 1 alone.
This year, authorities have extended the New Year road safety campaign from seven to ten days, running from December 27 to January 5, in an effort to enhance public awareness and encourage safer driving behaviors.
Tracking the causes of these incidents, speeding emerges as the leading factor, accounting for 38.9% of accidents. Other contributing causes include drunk driving at 31.6% and poor visibility at 16.8%.
Similar to prior years, motorcycles dominated the statistics, involved in 86.4% of the accidents recorded.
From December 27 to January 1, a staggering 1,739 road accidents resulted in 272 fatalities and 1,694 injuries nationwide.
Surat Thani province was hit hardest, recording the highest figures with 63 accidents, 73 injuries, and 12 deaths, which included five individuals who tragically died when a tour bus plunged into a ditch in Chaiya district on Wednesday night.
In comparison, last year’s New Year holiday period saw 284 fatalities and 2,307 injuries from 2,288 traffic accidents during the “seven dangerous days.”
Thailand continues to grapple with its reputation as one of the most perilous countries for road travel. According to data from the World Health Organization, Thailand ranked 16th globally out of 175 countries in road fatalities per 100,000 population, with 25.4 deaths per 100,000 reported in 2021. That same year, Thailand recorded 18,218 road traffic deaths, averaging about 50 fatalities daily.
