95 killed, 992 injured so far in Songkran road accidents

The Ministry of Transport' s deputy permanent secretary, Tawanrath Onnsiri, said the Interior Ministry's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, announced figures from the first days of the sevenday road accident monitoring period.

Drink driving and excessive speeding were the main causes of road accidents, he said.    

The road accident on Saturday was 205 less than last year, with 272 fewer injuries, but the number of deaths was equal with 59. 

The accidents were most frequent between 4pm and 8pm during the first two days of the holiday, taking place mainly on direct roads, especially in villages.

Nakhon Si Thammarat and Buriram had the highest accident toll at 27 each and the highest injuries toll at 26 each. Nakhon Ratchisima hadd the highest death toll at five.

The 3,028 checkpoints on main roads and highways stopped 716,317 vehicles and arrested 218,276 people, 18,232 for driving without a licence and 17,638 for not wearing a helmet, he said.

Tawanrath said however, he has ordered police and excise officials to strictly control the sale of alcohol from 11am to 2pm and 5pm to midnight. The sale of alcohol is prohibited for young people under the age of  20. Violators will face a fine of Bt 20,000 and imprisonment for one year.