281 persons killed on first five of ‘Seven Dangerous Days’

BANGKOK, Jan 3 – The death toll from road accidents nationwide during the New Year’s celebration period has risen to 281, with more than 3,000 injured reported on the first five days of the ‘Seven Dangerous Days’, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation announced Monday.

Disaster response Director-General Wiboon Sanguanpong reported that on the fifth day of the so-called “Seven Dangerous Days”, 47 people were killed in 408 road accidents.

He noted that 35.9 per cent of the accidents involved drunken driving, followed by 22.8 per cent of speeding above the legal limit. Eight-six per cent of the accident involved motorcycles and occurred between 4 and 8pm.

From Dec 29 through Jan 2, Mr Wiboon said 2,881 accidents were reported with 281 people confirmed dead and 3,091 injured. The central province of Lop Buri recorded the highest death toll with 12 deaths, while the highest number of injuries, 110 people, was in the northern province of Chiang Rai.

The director-general added he has instructed concerned officials to strictly search and arrest drivers violating traffic rules as today is the last day of the celebrations, and many people are going back to work.

He urged the public to respect traffic rules and regulations and take sufficient rest before driving, in order to have a safe trip. (MCOT online news)