Sathien Sathientham, chief executive of Carabao Group, the SET-listed company of Carabao Dang drink, said revenue of alcoholic drinks in April are expected to increase compared with other weeks except December.
According to Nuttapong Boontob, a plank participant and assistant director of the ThaiRoads Foundation, a non-profit and road safety advocacy organization,” Road safety community companions are concerned that the death toll from road accidents will rise as people return to their normal regular.”
According to him, road accidents always rise during the New Year’s and Songkran festivals.
During Songkran’s infamous” seven dangerous days” ( April 11 to 17 ), the authorities will be keeping an eye on road accidents.
There were 2,203 road accidents, causing 264 deaths and 2,208 injuries, during the Songkran festival from April 11-17, 2023, down by 38 % compared to 2019, but up by 15 % compared to 2020, according to the Interior Ministry’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
The main causes of accidents were speeding ( 38 % ), drink-driving ( 24 % ) and reckless driving behaviour ( 18 % ), according to a report by the ThaiRoads Foundation.
However, before the pandemic in 2019, drink-driving was the major cause of road accidents ( 37 % ) followed by speeding ( 28 % ).
” During 2023’s Songkran, drink-related accidents increased while the pandemic eased,” according to the report.
According to Mr. Nuttapong, as the government plans to extend the Songkran festival this year to promote tourism and boost the economy, road accidents attributed to drunk driving are expected to rise this year.
Moreover, in December last year the government extended the opening hours of pubs and bars in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Chon Buri and Koh Samui until 4am.
” I know the government wants to boost the economy, but they should also take into account the fact that the loss from road accidents, which is also regarded as a loss to the economy, comes with the growth of the economy,” Mr. Nuttapong said.
According to a study by the Thailand Development Research Institute in 2021, the loss of economic value as a result of road accidents was estimated at more than 642 billion baht in 2019. There were 19,904 fatalities.
According to Mr. Nuttapong, many Thais are still unaware of the effects of alcohol, particularly the inability to make decisions while driving.
Some people still think it is okay to be drunk while driving, he added.
” We always stress in our campaigns that drink-driving affects the driver’s decision while driving. However, Thais still do n’t buy that. Therefore, Mr. Nuttapong said that a second way to solve this issue is to strictly enforce the law.
He also demanded more security checkpoints be set up to prevent unfavorable events at the festival.
According to Mr. Nuttapong, the government, civil society, and the private sector all have a responsibility to reduce fatalities and injuries.