Drink-driving cases during Songkran pass 8,000

Drink-driving cases during Songkran pass 8,000

Breathalyser tests are administered at a road checkpoint in Samrong Nuea, Samut Prakan province on April 12, the second of the so-called '7-dangerous days' of the Songkran holiday period. (File photo)
Breathalyser tests are administered at a road checkpoint in Samrong Nuea, Samut Prakan province on April 12, the second of the so-called '7-dangerous days' of the Songkran holiday period. (File photo)

Drink-driving cases accounted for 98% of traffic offences during the past five days of the Songkran holidays, with 8,222 cases sent to courts.

On April 15 alone, there were 4,264 traffic offence cases sent to the courts, and 99.95% of them -- all but two -- were drink-driving cases, The other two were reckless driving cases, Department of Probation chief Prasarn Mahaleetrakul said on Tuesday.

The courts ordered use of electronic monitoring (EM) devices for 203 drunk drivers placed on probation. Those drivers would have the devices attached to their ankles and be barred from leaving their homes between 10pm and 4am for a period of 7-15 days, said Mr Prasarn.

The drunk drivers must report to probation officials four times and perform community service for 24 hours during the one-year probation period.

The accumulated number of offenders ordered to have monitoring devices attached to their ankles was 389 -- 387 for drink-driving, and two for driving under the influence of drugs. 

The department director-general said the accumulated number of traffic offence cases sent to the courts over the past five days, April 11 to 15, stood at 8,383 cases. The vast majority -- 8,222, or 98.08% -- were drink-driving cases. The others were driving under the influence of drugs (150 cases, or 1.79%) and reckless driving (11 cases, or 0.13%), said Mr Prasarn.  

Maha Sarakham province had the highest number of drink-driving cases over the five-day period (596) followed by Bangkok (480) and Nakhon Phanom (440), he said.

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