Fifty-two people were killed and 318 injured in road accidents across Thailand on Friday, the first of the “10 dangerous days” of the New Year holidays. Speeding was the major cause.
The casualties were recorded in 322 road crashes nationwide on Dec 27, the Road Safety Directing Centre of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported on Saturday.
Authorities this year extended the New Year road safety campaign to 10 days, from seven in previous years, as they sought to raise public awareness and promote more responsible driving. The campaign period runs from Dec 27 to Jan 5.
Speeding was the major cause, accounting for 39.4% of the crashes recorded on Friday, followed by cutting in front of other vehicles at 20.5%.
As in previous years, most of the vehicles involved in accidents were motorcycles, at 85.2%.
The highest number of accidents, 47.8%, happened on Department of Highways roads, and 28% on village roads. The peak time for accidents was between 6pm and 7pm. Those aged 50 to 59 accounted for the highest number of injuries or deaths by age group.
Nakhon Si Thammarat recorded the highest number of accidents with 17, and also the highest number of injuries at 17. The southern province and Bangkok had the highest number of deaths, at 4 each.
A year ago, a total of 284 people were killed and 2,307 injured in 2,288 traffic accidents during the “seven dangerous days” of the New Year holiday.
Thai roads have long been ranked among the world’s most dangerous. According to the most recent data collected by the World Health Organization to 2021, Thailand ranked 16th out of 175 countries in most road fatalities per 100,000 population, at 25.4. That same year, the WHO recorded 18,218 road traffic deaths in the country, an average of 50 per day.
