The People's Safety Foundation has called on the government to tighten safety measures to curb road accidents during the New Year holiday.
Nikorn Chamnong, the foundation's chairman and a list MP of the Chartthaipattana Party, said the number of holidaymakers during the New Year festival is expected to increase sharply now the Covid-19 pandemic has eased.
"This poses a great concern. People are expected to travel in large numbers with great enthusiasm nationwide after a period of Covid-19 restrictions. The government also has a policy to promote domestic travel," he said.
He said people have now been travelling to the provinces early, since Christmas Day, and a total of 56 deaths caused by road accidents were reported on Monday and 53 deaths on Tuesday. During the long holiday period, family members will also travel together in groups using rental cars or pickups, Mr Nikorn said.
The cabinet approved a four-day New Year holiday from today until Jan 1. Jan 2 was originally planned as an extra holiday to compensate for Dec 31, which falls on Sunday. But the government decided to shift the extra day off from Jan 2 to Dec 29, instead.
In light of this, Mr Nikorn said many New Year revellers will have to rush back to work on Jan 2 without enough rest. They may be fatigued while driving for long distances and could be at risk of accidents, he said.
A total of 91 deaths caused by road accidents was recorded on Jan 1, 2019. "Holidaymakers should be careful this coming Jan 1 as there could be similar accidents,'' Mr Nikorn said.
He also expressed concern about the new rule that allows nightlife venues to open until 4am. The regulation is targeted at certain night entertainment venues in Bangkok, Phuket, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui in Surat Thani, and bars registered in hotels nationwide. However, he said some venues which are outside these zones are likely to refuse to comply with the usual earlier closing and will open until 4am as well.
"This year, the government seems to loosen [restrictions]. It needs to tighten measures. We may receive more income from tourism but what we will lose is not worth it.
"More security checkpoints should be set up and rest areas arranged along the roads for exhausted drivers and travellers," he said.
During the "seven dangerous days" between Dec 29, 2022 and Jan 4 this year, a total of 2,440 road accidents were reported, with 317 dead and 2,437 injured. Drunk driving was the second biggest cause of road accidents, accounting for 25.49%, according to the Public Health Ministry.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Thursday said he was concerned about potential road accidents during the seven-dangerous day period this year, and asked motorists to avoid drunk driving. He was inspecting the Traffic and Accident Management Centre at the Department of Highways, where he was briefed on traffic management measures during the New Year festival.
"The department has put in place safety measures and people should avoid drunk driving during their journey so they can spend their time with their families during the long holiday and return home safely," the prime minister said.
On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul presided over the opening of the road safety operation centre at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, with a road safety campaign rolled out to curb road accidents during the New Year holiday. Mr Anutin said it will be the first time people will be able to travel freely during New Year since the pandemic eased.