Forty-three people were killed and 200 injured in road accidents across Thailand on Thursday, the seventh of the "10 dangerous days" of the New Year holidays.
The casualties were recorded in 196 road crashes, the Road Safety Directing Centre of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported on Friday.
From Dec 27 to Jan 2, a total of 321 people were reported killed and 1,894 injured in 1,938 traffic accidents across the country.
The number of fatalities is 13% higher than in the same period 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 2023-24 New Year holiday.
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.
So far this year, speeding has been the major cause, accounting for 40.3% of the crashes recorded on Thursday, followed by cutting in front of other vehicles at 26% and drink-driving at 15.8%.
Motorcycles were the most common type of vehicle involved in the accidents.
The southern province of Surat Thani recorded the highest number of accidents, injuries and deaths in the first seven days of the New Year road safety campaign.
Chettha Mosikarat, head of the centre, said there were fewer vehicles travelling on highways since most had already arrived in Bangkok and other major cities after their holidays. Some motorists might drive at high speeds, leading to accidents, he said.
