Thailand Songkran updates – The seven dangerous days have already begun as more road accidents and fatalities are reported. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported the tally. Thailand had 324 accidents leading to 332 injuries and 41 deaths on Thursday.
Chiang Mai leads the most accidents at 14 resulting in 16 injuries while Lampang and Sa Keo provinces lead the fatalities at 3 each.
The current tally for the country since the seven dangerous days began is 1,195 road accidents, with 157 killed and 1,185 injuries. Chiang Mai leads with the most accidents at 44 while Nakhon Si Thammarat reported the most injuries at 43. Lampang had the most fatalities standing at 7. Only sixteen provinces remain accident-free.
Speeding was the most common issue in accidents. Department director-general Boontham Lertsukheekasem said that they are focusing on areas that people tend to visit a lot. These are areas where checkpoints are in the place where police check the alcohol level of drivers.
This is significantly lower than the peak of Songkran back when the pandemic haven not spread. After two years of hiatus from the pandemic, this is the first year people could travel back to their provinces to visit their loved ones.
The authorities are expecting the number of accidents to rise by Sunday when people will be traveling back to their homes. They expect the accidents to peak on this day and in preparation, they will tighten the measures to ensure road safety.
The seven dangerous days is a tally of accidents that occur in the country during the Songkran festival. This is due to the large number of people going back home to their provinces to celebrate.