People have started travelling upcountry ahead of the Songkran holiday amid concerns from road safety advocates over increases in road accidents outside of the so-called "seven dangerous days" of travelling.
The "seven dangerous days" of travelling on the road for this year's holiday begin today and finish on April 17.
Pol Lt Gen Kornchai Klayklueng, an assistant national police chief, said that the Royal Thai Police (RTP) had set a target of reducing road accidents by 5% during the seven dangerous days this year.
The RTP expects a 3.1% increase in people on the roads than last year's holiday, with the highest number of people travelling during the holiday expected to be on Friday and on Saturday for those leaving Bangkok and April 16-17 for those people returning.
Pol Lt Gen Kornchai said that the RTP had opened an Accident Control Operation Centre for this year's Songkran to boost law enforcement and safety measures among motorists.
Due to delays caused by traffic congestion, he also advised those using electric vehicles to find a charging station before their battery is nearly completely used up.
The Highway Police has compiled routes for electric vehicle charging stations to facilitate those who use EVs, he said.
Nikorn Jamnong, director of Chartthaipattana Party and president of the People's Safety Foundation, said he was concerned about an increase in accidents before and after the "seven dangerous days" accident period.
Mr Nikorn said 60 deaths were reported on Wednesday, up from 30 deaths reported in the same period of last year. Of those, 50 were reported to be motorcycle deaths, with four of them being expats.
With 4,207 road deaths being reported in the first quarter of this year, Mr Nikorn said the authorities need to look beyond just the Songkran holiday dates when considering road safety.
Prommin Kantiya, director of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation's Accident Prevention Network, voiced similar concerns.
Mr Prommin said some people have extended their holiday by taking leave until April 21, leading to an increased period of heavy road use in the country.