The death toll from 2,449 road accidents in the past four days during April 11-14 rose to 248 and 2,557 injured, with 57 deaths and 626 injured in 603 accidents on April 14 alone, according to the statistics of the Centre for the Protection and Reduction of Road Accidents during Songkran festival.
Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, deputy permanent secretary of public health in his capacity as the chairman of the centre, said on Sunday that drink driving accounted for the 43.62 percent of the road accidents which was the highest, followed by speeding, 25.70 percent.
Motorcycles accounted for the highest number of road accidents at 79.58 percent of all the road accidents and 65.17 percent of the accidents occurred on straight roads; 43.62 percent of the accidents on secondary roads in villages and areas under the jurisdiction of tambon organization organizations; and 32.84 percent on roads under the jurisdiction of the Highways Department.
30.68 percent of the road accidents occurred during 4 pm-8 pm and adults aged over 50 accounted for the highest number of casualties at 22.11 percent.
For the past for days, Chiang Mai ranks top with the highest number of road accidents at 99 and the highest number of injured at 109 while Nakhon Ratchasima ranks top with the highest death toll at 17.
There are eight provinces which do not have a single death toll from road accidents. They are Yala, Ranong, Lop Buri, Satun, Samut Songkram, Nong Khai, Nong Bua Lamphu and Ang Thong.
Altogether 65,491 officials of different units were mobilized on main and secondary roads across the country to check vehicles. For the past four days, they have checked 858,520 cars and motorcycles and, of these, 181,692 people were arrested and charged, including 50,603 cases of not wearing crash helmets and 48,061 cases of driving or riding without driver’s licenses.
Dr Opas pointed out that from road accidents on April 13-14, it was discovered that secondary roads and roads linking one district with another claimed the highest number of accidents as people engaged in water splashing and several of them drank alcohol.
Most of the accidents involving motorcycles were caused by speeding and drink driving, he said, adding that he had instructed officials concerned to tighten up measures against drink driving and riding without crash helmets.
Interior deputy permanent secretary Mr Supachai Iamsuwan said several Songkran revelers have started to return to Bangkok today with many more expected to return tomorrow. He added that instructed officials to adjust their road checkpoints to check on vehicles heading back to Bangkok.
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