The above number of casualties was recorded in 322 traffic accidents nationwide on December 27, according to Bangkok Post citing a report from the Traffic Safety Steering Center of the Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation of Thailand.
Scene of an accident in Thailand
This year, Thai authorities have extended the New Year traffic safety campaign to 10 days, from seven days in previous years, as they want to raise public awareness and promote more responsible driving. . This campaign takes place from December 27, 2024 to January 5, 2025.
Speed was the main cause, accounting for 39.4% of accidents recorded on December 27, followed by cutting in front of other vehicles with 20.5%.
As in previous years, most vehicles involved in accidents were motorbikes, with 85.2%, according to Bangkok Post.
The highest number of accidents, accounting for 47.8%, occurred on Road Department roads and 28% on village roads. The peak time for accidents is from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. People between the ages of 50 and 59 accounted for the highest number of injuries or deaths by age group.
About a year ago, a total of 284 people were killed and 2,307 injured in 2,288 traffic accidents during the “7 dangerous days” of the New Year holiday, according to Bangkok Post.
Thailand’s roads have long been ranked as some of the most dangerous in the world, according to Bangkok Post.
According to the latest data collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2021, Thailand ranks 16th out of 175 countries in terms of traffic deaths per 100,000 people, at 25.4. Also in 2021, WHO recorded 18,218 deaths due to road traffic accidents in Thailand, an average of 50 cases/day, according to Bangkok Post.
