Convicted drink-drivers were brought to a Bangkok morgue Monday to see a corpse and reflect on the gory consequences of their actions as part of a programme aimed at combatting the carnage on Thailand's roads.
Thailand has the world's second-worst record for traffic fatalities, according to the World Health Organization, just behind Libya. Most of the road accidents are caused by driving while drunk.
The morgue campaign was first introduced in April during Songkran. Tens of thousands were on the road, returning to their home villages for reunions and celebrations, typically fuelled by alcohol. The government has dubbed the seven-day holiday - during which an estimated 2.3 people die and 160 are injured in road accidents every hour - "The Seven Dangerous Days."
The Department of Probation, which set up the programme, said that since April, more than 1,700 drink-drivers have been taken to dozens of morgues nationwide.
"In the past, we have tried campaigns, but the statistics were not going down. So why not try other activities? What kind of activity would create more shock and worry?" said Prasarn Mahaleetrakul, deputy director of the Department of Probation. "So we came up with this project. Drunken driving - you get sent to the morgue."
Media were invited to a photo-op on Monday, when the programme came to Bangkok for the first time.
Inside the morgue at Taksin Hospital, four convicted drink-drivers were handed rags to first wipe down the stainless steel gurneys where corpses are laid and then gathered around a body, covered by a white sheet with feet and hands hanging out.
With TV cameras pointed at them, the four men stood somberly as they stared at the body.
"We see the dead body and it makes us afraid," said one of the men, whose name could not be used for privacy reasons. He said it made him feel sorry for the person and also fearful for his own safety.
"If an accident happens, I could be lying there," he said.
As part of the programme, those convicted of driving while drunk are put on probation and have to complete from 12 to 48 hours of community service, including attending lectures and working at a hospital morgue or hospital emergency room to avoid serving jail time.
Mr Prasarn said he believes that the morgue shock treatment plan could be more effective than past community service activities, where convicted drink-drivers were made to paint traffic signs and help the elderly.
The government says 11,370 people died in road accidents in 2015, but that number is based only on accidents reported to insurance companies. The WHO estimated 24,237 people died in road accidents in 2013.
Most accidents in Thailand are caused by motorcyclists, and many people drive without insurance.