According to provincial police, 16 traffic accidents involving foreign nationals have been recorded since the beginning of the year, resulting in three deaths and 16 injuries. Investigations concluded that foreign nationals were directly at fault in six of the cases.
The number of traffic accidents during the first five days of the Songkran festival’s road safety campaign week fell 10.4% year-on-year to 1,564, Thai authorities said on April 16.
The Thai Government is making plans to curb drink-driving during the Songkran festival which will be extended to 21 days this year after the festival was formally recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Nearly 400 people died in road accidents across Thailand during the country’s seven-day New Year road safety campaign from December 29, 2020 to January 5, 2021.
Hanoi has set a target of cutting the number of road and rail accidents next year, especially those caused by drink-driving, by between 5 and 10 percent.
The Malaysian Parliament recently passed the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2020, which provides a heftier penalty for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Traffic accidents claimed 239 lives in the first four days of the 2018 New Year holiday (December 28 - 31) in Thailand, according to the country’s Road Safety Directing Centre.
