Forty-three people lost their lives and 200 were injured in road accidents throughout Thailand on Thursday, during the seventh of the “10 dangerous days” of the New Year holidays.
The Road Safety Directing Centre of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported on Friday that these casualties resulted from 196 road crashes.
Between December 27, 2024, and January 2, 2025, there were 321 reported fatalities and 1,894 injuries from 1,938 traffic incidents across the country.
This year’s fatality rate is 13% higher than that of the same period last year.
During the “seven dangerous days” of the 2023-2024 New Year holiday, 284 people were killed and 2,307 were injured in 2,288 traffic accidents.
To increase public awareness and promote safer driving, authorities extended the New Year road safety campaign this year to 10 days, from the previous seven. The campaign spans December 27 to January 5.
Speeding was identified as the primary cause of the accidents recorded on Thursday, contributing to 40.3% of the crashes, followed by cutting in front of other vehicles at 26% and drink-driving at 15.8%.
Motorcycles remained the most common vehicle type involved in these accidents.
Surat Thani, a southern province, saw the highest number of accidents, injuries, and fatalities during the first seven days of the campaign.
Chettha Mosikarat, director of the centre, noted a decrease in highway traffic as most travelers had reached Bangkok and other major cities after the holidays. He suggested that some motorists might be driving at high speeds, which contributes to accidents.
