The number of drink driving cases over the New Year holiday was down 14.5% on the previous year, according to the Probation Department.
Director-general Narat Sawetanant said his department handled 3,740 cases during the seven dangerous days this New Year, Dec 29-Jan 4, down 14.5% from the 4,059 cases the year before.
The department believed the big reduction was the result of the enforcement of tough measures against drink-driving and court orders on probation and fines.
A total of 4,672 vehicles (3,413 motorcycles and 1,259 cars) were impounded from drunk drivers during the 11-day road safety campaign starting on Dec 25.
There were 380 road deaths and 3,505 people injured, most of them motorcyclists, in 3,379 traffic accidents during the seven dangerous days.
Mr Narat said the court placed a total of 3,737 traffic offenders on probation, of which 3,471 cases were for drink driving, 266 for dangerous driving and driving under the influence of drugs, and 44 cases for reckless driving.
Nakhon Phanom probation centre had the largest number of drink driving cases with 221, followed by Bangkok (212), Pathum Thani (205), Mahasarakham (176) and Chon Buri (142).
He said people entering the probation programme had to report to the authorities and undergo a training to make them understand the dangers of drink driving and the impact on the victims of such accidents. They must also spend time working with social services, such as helping care for accident victims
The laws against drink driving will be also be strongly enforced on other long holidays such as the Songkran festival in April.