Road accidents have disabled more than 5,000 people a year
Road accidents disable 5,000
BANGKOK: — Road accidents have disabled more than 5,000 people a year, killing one person every 20 minutes and injuring one every two minutes, especially during the New Year holiday break, according to a Thai Health Promotion Foundation (THPF) report released yesterday.
Around 12,000 have been killed and 100,000 disabled since official road-accident records began 20 years ago, said Supreeda Adullayanont, who was reading out the report at the Royal Plaza during a public-awareness campaign prior to the beginning of the five-day holiday break, which begins on Wednesday.
He said disabilities numbered about 5,000 a year and one-third of people who sustained injuries were below 20 years of age. The main reason for accidents is drunken driving. Despite popular belief that accidents mostly take place on curves and at intersections, records last year showed that most took place on straight road sections (54.75 per cent), with fewer on curves (19.64 per cent) and fewest at intersections (12.1 per cent).
The THPF is jointly campaigning to raise awareness of road safety during the holiday break with the Public Health Minister’s Accident Prevention Network and the Royal Thai Police.
As part of the campaign, free tuk-tuk and taxi-motorcycle rides are available between Mor Chit BTS station and bus terminal during the five-day period from Tuesday by 200 drivers with campaign stickers on their vehicles.
Free drinking water and cold towels will also be provided.
In Samut Prakan, more than 100 paramedics and 1,000 rescue workers are on stand-by around the clock throughout the week from December 30 to January 5.
They are supported by 30 rescue vehicles and 20 ambulances. Police and provincial public-safety officials said they hoped this would lessen this year’s casualties.
56 killed, 635 injured in road accidents on 1st ‘dangerous day’
BANGKOK: — A total of 596 road accidents occurred on the first of ’seven dangerous New Year holidays’ Tuesday, killing 56 people and injuring 635 others, a senior government announced Wednesday.
Surachai Tharasitpong, permanent secretary for Transport Ministry, held a press conference at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Interior Ministry, to announce the statistics of the first day of the seven-day road accident monitoring period.
He said the number of accidents was 156 higher than that of the first day of the monitoring period for New Year holidays last year. And the death toll increased by 23 while the number of injured people was 157 higher.
He said most accidents or 38.26 per cent were caused by drunk driving.
Phitsanulok had the highest death toll of 4, followed by Bnagkok, Chainat, Chaiyaphum, Amnat Charoen and Chiang Rai, each of 3 deaths.
Thai New Year road deaths toll hits 278: ministry
BANGKOK (AFP) — At least 278 Thais have died in road accidents during the New Year holiday, with drink driving causing more than 41 percent of the crashes, the interior ministry said Saturday.
The toll rose by 52 from the previous day and was up 6.1 percent from the same period last year, when millions of Thais traditionally head to see family members across the country.
The rising deaths come despite a heavy promotion of safety by the government.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said 2,996 people were also hospitalised in road accidents this New Year.
The overall number of accidents this year slightly dropped from last year’s figure by 1.1 percent, or 30 cases, to 2,793 accidents.
Drink driving caused 41.6 percent of the accidents this year while motorcycles were involved in 83.6 percent.
New Year road death toll ends at 367 in 7 days
The seven “dangerous New Year holidays” saw 367 people killed in 3,824 road accidents nationwide, the Road Safety Centre announced Tuesday.
Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul, deputy director of the centre, said 4,107 people were injured in the road accidents during the seven-day period from December 30 to January 5.
On Monday, 275 road accidents occurred, killing 32 people and injuring 297 others.