NEW YEAR TOLLAccidents drop 27% from 2011Chaiyaphum and Trat are champions of the government's road safety campaign with no accidents in either province from Dec 29, 2011 to Jan 1, 2012.
Bangkok-bound traffic flows slowly on Mittraphap Highway in Nakhon Ratchasima last evening as people return to Bangkok. The key factors that prevented road accidents in the two provinces were police checkpoints on main roads and secondary roads, according to Wiboon Sanguanpong, secretary-general of the Road Safety Centre.
Mr Wiboon, who is also director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said the police had also stringently enforced traffic laws on drunk driving, mandatory helmets for motorcyclists, safe driving, seat belts, speeding and carrying a driver licence.
During the four-day New Year road safety campaign, there were 562 accidents around the country. That's 27% fewer than the 777 road accidents during the 2011 New Year holidays, he said.
During the four-day holiday period this year, 76 people were killed and 600 injured. Last year over the same period, 83 people were killed and 845 people injured. The northeastern province of Buri Ram had the most deaths this year with 16 people, followed by Nakhon Sawan with 13 people.
Chiang Rai had the most injured with 88, followed by Nakhon Sawan with 81 cases.
Mr Wiboon said no accidents took place in Chachoengsao, Chaiyaphum, Trat, Yasothon, Nong Khai and Nong Bua Lam Phu provinces on New Year's day.
Nevertheless, he said most accidents between Dec 29, 2011 and Jan 1, 2012 were much more violent than accidents during the previous New Year holidays.
Contributing factors, he said, were speeding, sleepy drivers, motorcyclists with no helmets, riding in the back of pickups and failure to wear seat belts.
To address this problem, Mr Wiboon said his department had asked provincial authorities and the Metropolitan Police Bureau to set up checkpoints on main roads and stringently enforce road safety traffic laws yesterday and today when holiday-makers are travelling back home.
The Public Health Ministry also yesterday jump-started its road safety campaign, for people returning to Bangkok today and tomorrow.
Public Health Minister Wittaya Buranasiri said drivers should get enough sleep and abstain from alcoholic beverages for their own and other motorists' safety.
Mr Wittaya said motorists driving long distances should stop every two hours or every 150km to rest.
The ministry is working with the Royal Thai Police Headquarters and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to strictly enforce the drink-driving laws to reduce the number of road accidents caused by drunk-driving, he said.
Bangkok Post
