Bangkok Post - Traffic accidents during the first five days of the Songkran road safety campaign week killed 206 people and injured 1,593 others, according to data released on Tuesday. Thailand’s roads are the deadliest in Southeast Asia, with the ninth-highest rate of road fatalities in the world at 32.7 per 100,000 people each year, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report in 2018. About 20,000 people, or 56 per day, die in traffic accidents each year.

Songkran road death toll reaches 206

A road is covered with water, talcum and garbage in Muang district of Phitsanulok on Tuesday morning after Songkran celebrations on Monday night. (Photo: Chinnawat Singha) 

Traffic accidents during the first five days of the Songkran road safety campaign week killed 206 people and injured 1,593 others, according to data released on Tuesday.

The 1,564 traffic accidents reported from April 11-15 represented a decrease of 10.4% from the 1,745 reported in the same five-day period a year ago. The number of deaths was up from 200 last year but injuries were down by 8.3% from 1,737.

Out of 77 provinces, 17 were free of fatal traffic accidents so far, Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew said on Tuesday.

The northernmost province of Chiang Rai had the most traffic accidents with 61. Nan, also in the North, had the most injured people at 60. Bangkok and Chiang Rai had the most fatalities, at 13 each.

On Monday alone there were 301 traffic accidents, 39 fatalities and 314 injured people, the health minister said. The most common cause was speeding which caused 43.2% of accidents, followed by drink-driving (23.9%) and cutting-in (15.3%). Motorcycles were involved in 83.8% of all accidents.

Chaiwat Chuntirapong, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said traffic was heavy on roads heading for Bangkok on Tuesday, and drivers should guarantee they are fit to drive.

Ruangsak Suwaree, director-general of the Probation Department, said that from April 11 to 15 there were 4,132 traffic violations, 96% of which involved drink-driving.

Bangkok had the highest number of drink-driving cases at 446, followed by Nonthaburi with 238 and Samut Prakan with 214, he said.

Thailand's roads are the deadliest in Southeast Asia, with the ninth-highest rate of road fatalities in the world at 32.7 per 100,000 people each year, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report in 2018. About 20,000 people, or 56 per day, die in traffic accidents each year.