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The 7 dangerous days starts today the 11th april, lets hope the figures are down this year, Too early for any reports yet but the police have been out in force at the run up to songkran, at the weekend a total of 1,740 people were arrested for drink-driving and 28 vehicles impounded at road checkpoints nationwide.

1,740 drink-drivers arrested over weekend

A total of 1,740 people were arrested for drink-driving and 28 vehicles impounded at road checkpoints nationwide over the weekend as people began returning to their home provinces to celebrate Songkran, National Council for Peace and Order deputy spokeswoman Sirichan Ngathong said on Monday.

Col Sirichan said of the 1,740 arrested for drink-driving from April 9-10, 1,540 were charged with reckless driving and 174 had their driver's licence confiscated.

Officials temporarily impounded 28 vehicles -- 25 motorcycles and three cars -- from drunk drivers.

The checkpoints -  manned by soldiers, police and civilians - have been instructed to strictly enforce the NCPO's policy to arrest drink-drivers and impound vehicles as deemed necessary to prevent and reduce road accidents during the Songkran holiday period, she said.

The Songkran Festival holiday is officially  April 13-15 this year, followed by a weekend, but many people take a few days extra leave to enjoy an extended vacation.

Bangkokpost

Songkran road fatalities nearly double 2015 after 2 days

The second day of the Songkran festival’s “seven dangerous days” saw 116 people lose their lives on the nation’s roads, nearly double last year’s two-day tally.

Despite the government's stepped-up road-safety campaign, 981 people were hurt in 907 accidents. The fatalities were a 96.6% increase over this point in 2015.

The Interior Ministry's road safety centre said 64 people were killed and 550 hurt in 520 traffic accidents on Tuesday alone.

Chiang Mai province recoreded the largest number of accidents at 45 as well as the most injuries at 48. Buri Ram saw the most fatalities with eight, according to statistics released on Wednesday by the centre.

Drink-driving and speeding remained the primary causes of accidents, with 81% of the incidents involving motorcycles.

Police arrested 20,094 people for drink-driving and 549 vehicles were impounded at checkpoints between Saturday and Tuesday, National Council for Peace and Order deputy spokeswoman Col Sirichan Ngathong said Wednesday.

Bangkokpost

259 died and 2,378 injured in four days of Songkran festival celebration

A total of 259 people have died and 2,378 others injured in four days of the Songkran festival celebration.

Only yesterday, 78 were killed and 601 injured in the road mishaps that were caused mostly by drink driving. There were a total of 555 road accidents in a single day yesterday.

Three days record released yesterday showed 181 died and over 1,770 were injured.

englishnews.thaipbs.or.th

Songkran death toll rises to 397


Three traffic lanes of a main road in Buri Ram's Nang Rong district are clogged with vehicles as Songkran revellers return to Bangkok on Sunday, the last day of the Songkran holiday. (Photo by Surachai Piragsa)

The first six days of the “seven dangerous days’’ of Songkran saw 397 people lose their lives in road crashes across the country, a 29.74% jump from last year, with drink-driving remaining the major cause of accidents.

A total of 3,104 road accidents have occurred nationwide from April 11-16, with 3,271 people suffering injuries, said Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith during a press briefing on road safety measures.

The number of accumulated road crashes, deaths and injuries this year was higher than last year. Statistics showed there were a total of 2,915 road accidents, 306 deaths and 3,070 injuries during the same period. 

On Saturday alone, there were a total of 380 road accidents which claimed 59 lives and 380 injuries.

Speeding was blamed for the major cause of Saturday’s crashes at 31.05%, followed by drink-driving at 28.16%. Most accidents involved motorcycles at 80.88%, followed by pick-up trucks at 10.08%, said Mr Akhom, citing a report by the road safety centre of the  Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Road accidents often occurred on main roads at 69.21% and peak time for crashes was between 4.01pm to 8pm at 26.58%.

full article Bangkokpost

Songkran accidents cost country 5 billion baht

The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has reported that the country might have to spend more than five billion baht on healthcare for casualties during the Songkran holiday.

According to MOPH Permanent Secretary Sopon Mekthon, road fatalities throughout the Songkran holiday rose to 504, compared to 479 last year. More than 28,000 people were injured. Around 4.6% or 195 of those hospitalized will likely suffer some form of disability. Medical expenses are estimated to be at least five billion baht.

Reports indicated that road casualties peaked at 15,184 between April 13 and 15, leading to 244 deaths. The number of accident victims during the first three days of the Songkran festival represented more than half of accident victims throughout the week-long holiday.

Dr. Sopon said relevant agencies had been applying traffic accident prevention measures since the beginning of fiscal year 2016. Accident-prone areas have been fixed and more than 500 vehicle checkpoints have been set up in different areas before the long holiday. Emergency medical services have also been improved, both in the number of personnel and life-saving equipment.

The MOPH is analyzing the root causes of accidents that occur during the Songkran festival. The study should be completed within May.

NNT