ROAD DEATHS THRO SONGKRAN 2016

[nookiebear]

With the number of deaths already surpassing last years total ( and a days total to come in yet) what is going to ever be done with these pissed up morons on m/c's & behind the wheels of vehicles.Thank fcuk its over

[Freddy]

It's a crazy situation. Over the holiday period, various members of my wife's family visited and with the exception of 1, all of the drivers departed having drunk beer and whiskey. In all cases there were wives and children in the car with them. No one commented (except me) and I am damn sure that what I said was not passed on. As said many times before, life is considered very cheap here.
I stayed off the roads all last week, will venture out today.

[urleft]

Very Smart Freddy, yesterday was not a good driving day.  Extra traffic with people headed back, and a lot of aimless drivers just seem to be out wondering.  Unfortunately our store ran out of many high demand items so ventured out to replace them, but once I got back home I told the TW I was wasn't going back out. 

[Freddy]

I did go into town yesterday and I guess it wasn't to bad. Bit busier on the roads than normal but OK. I had to buy some stuff at Pichais place and was told that they were short staffed as some employees had still not returned following Sonkran, I guess some are still partying or nursing sore heads.

[fishy]

Does anyone know the official figure this year? I heard about 360 deaths and the same number injured this year...Seems a bit low?

[gotlost]

Does anyone know the official figure this year? I heard about 360 deaths and the same number injured this year...Seems a bit low?

442 Killed.
Sasiwan Mokkhasen
18 April 2016, Last update at 12:28:00 GMT

Songkran Death Toll Highest in a Decade

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Two people were killed and three injured – including an 8-month-old baby – when a driver fell asleep early Sunday morning in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. He was driving back to Bangkok.
By Sasiwan Mokkhasen
Staff Reporter

BANGKOK — The number of people killed in road accidents during the long holiday soared to its highest level since 2006 this year, with 442 people killed during seven-day span.

From April 11 to 17, a period colloquially known as the “seven dangerous days,” there were 3,447 road accidents, and for every person killed, more than eight were injured, according to the Road Safety Directing Center.

Those killed and the 3,656 people injured were significantly higher than increased from last year. Fatalities rose by 20 percent, with Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima together proving the deadliest with 19 killed in each province.

That was the most people to die on the road during the holiday since 2006, when 485 people were killed.

For 2016, the No. 1 cause of accidents remained drunk driving followed by driving over the speed limit. Eight out of 10 injuries were sustained by those riding motorcycles.



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Heavy traffic heading back toward Bangkok on Sunday in Nakhon Sawan



Keeping score of those killed on the road during the Thai New Year holiday has become a fixture of media reports in recent years, with flashy infographics and accounts published daily. However even during non-festival periods, Thailand’s roads are considered some of the most dangerous in the world.

In 2015, from April 9 to 15, 364 people died and 3,559 were injured.



Related stories:

Songkran Road Deaths Tied to Bangkok's Primacy



Sasiwan Mokkhasen can be reached at sasiwan@khaosodenglish.com and @amsasiwan.

Follow Khaosod English on Facebook and Twitter for news, politics and more from Thailand. To reach Khaosod English about this article or another matter, please contact us by e-mail at ks.english@khaosod.co.th.

[davureborn]

28 000 a year = 76 a day. 7 x 76 = 532. There's really no point in commenting on this stuff, the police and the road safety council are running around in ever decreasing circles every year on this.

[nookiebear]

Actually saw 3 stiffs on the way home today ,2 right outside the Kabinburi hospital,m/c well mangled.........& yet another M/c wrapped around something that resembled a big dustbin near Wat Nam Kiew,one body lying covered in the traditional white sheet

[smoooth2]

Nookie .... Lizzie will be shocked and horrified that you've forsaken the Queen's English and "gone over to the Dark Side"

THRO  ??           

On a more serious note .... it is disturbing that in the entire world, Thailand continues to be the 2nd most likely country to die in a traffic accident. (per 100,000 residents)

Libya is number 1

This Songkran, 80% of deaths were motorcyclists, 10% pickups, 4% sedans.

There are so many obvious ways to improve the situation, but it will take a monumental change of cultural thinking towards driving habits for anything to improve.

As an example .... 3.30am this morning. Got a taxi from the Buriram Bus Station to my place near BigC. He needed to turn right at the Jira Rd T junction traffic lights, and head towards Jimmy's Bar.

He barely slowed down and took the corner at 40kmph straight through the lights that were RED facing us !!

WTF       A complete and utter brain fade, and incredibly dangerous.

Anything could've been coming either direction along Jira Rd, with or without headlights .... and WHACK

Having successfully survived running the red light, it was then a VERY quick 110kmph journey past Jimmy's, Home Pro and BigC.

A complete moron .... Bachelors Degree first class.

Oh well .... I survived to tell the tale.