‘7 Dangerous Days’ Kill 463 on Thai Roads During Holidays

A car accident on New Year’s Day in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Phimai district kills five people.

BANGKOK — Nakhon Ratchasima remained the province with the most fatalities during this year’s holiday season, while overall road deaths increased in comparison to 2018.

The Road Safety Directing Center said Thursday that 463 people died on the roads Dec. 27 through Thursday – infamously called the “Seven Dangerous Days.”

The figure shows 40 more deaths in comparison to last year’s long holiday period, which saw 423 people killed.

Nakhon Ratchasima still registered the most traffic deaths at 25 people. The major Isaan province also saw the most fatalities during last year’s “dangerous days” at 17 road deaths.

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A total of 3,892 people were injured in 3,791 accidents, the center reported. The greatest number of accidents and injuries – 118 and 137 injuries – occurred in Nakhon Si Thammarat province.

Drunk driving and speeding remain the top causes for traffic accidents at 40.4 percent and 28.3 percent, respectively.

Altogether, 15,805 people were killed on Thai roads in 2018, an increase of 352 people over 2017. It made for daily average fatalities of 43.3 people, while 66.1 died on average during New Year’s.

Still, 2017’s year-end “dangerous days” – which recorded 478 deaths – remain the deadliest in a decade.

The “Seven Dangerous Days” mark the New Year’s holidays, when many people travel countrywide to their hometowns.

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Road Deaths to Persist After Deadliest Holidays in Decade