318 accidents at start of ‘ 10 harmful days ‘ New Year holiday travel time
PUBLISHED: 28 Dec 2024 at 14: 57
Fifty-two people were killed and 318 injured in road accidents across Thailand on Friday, the first of the” 10 harmful time” of the New Year vacations. Speeding was the main cause.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation’s Road Safety Directing Center reported on Saturday that 322 road accidents occurred across the country on December 27.
Authorities this time expanded the New Year’s Road Safety Campaign from seven to ten days in order to raise public awareness and encourage more responsible driving. The plan runs through January 5 from December 27 through January 5.
Speeding was the primary factor in 39.4 % of the crashes reported 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 scooters, at 85.2 %.
The highest number of accidents, 47.8 %, happened on Department of Highways roads, and 28 % on village roads. The day of incidents was between 6 and 7 p.m. The 50 to 59 age group had the highest proportion of injuries or fatalities among all age groups.
Nakhon Si Thammarat recorded 17 injuries and the most injuries, along with 17 accidents. The southeastern province and Bangkok each had 4 deaths, with the highest rate in each.
A year ago, a total of 284 people were killed and 2, 307 injured in 2, 288 traffic fatalities during the” seven dangerous time” of the New Year vacation.
Thai streets have long been ranked among the world’s most dangerous. According to the most current data collected by the World Health Organization to 2021, Thailand ranked 16th out of 175 locations in most highway fatalities per 100, 000 people, at 25.4. That same year, the WHO recorded 18, 218 road traffic fatalities in the country, an average of 50 per day.