First responders carry out the bodies of two people who died in a car crash in Ayutthaya province on Dec. 28, 2019.
First responders carry out the bodies of two people who died in a car crash in Ayutthaya province on Dec. 28, 2019.

BANGKOK — More than 150 people have died on Thai roads in the lead up to 2020, road safety officials said Monday.

From Friday through Sunday, or during the first three Dangerous Days, the government-run Road Safety Directing Center reported a total of 1,504 accidents which resulted in 159 dead and 1,549 injured.

The “Seven Dangerous Days,” which mark the New Year’s holidays when many people travel countrywide for vacations or to their hometowns, started on Dec. 27 and will end on Jan. 2.

The deadliest province proved to be Bangkok, with 10 dead in three days, but the province with the most injured was Nakhon Pathom, where 56 people had been wounded.

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Almost a third (31.83 percent) of accidents were caused by DUI and speeding (30.89 percent), the report said. A third of the accidents also happened from 4pm to 8pm.

Despite the official designation and media attention, death tolls during the seven-day period do not differ significantly from other times of year. About 20,000 people died in road traffics in 2018, or an average of approximately 55 victims a day.

As of Monday morning, traffic still chokes the main arterial roads from Bangkok to the north and Isaan as the capital empties of cars.

Police have advised motorists to expect heavy traffic on Asia Road, or Route 32 which runs from Ayutthaya through Ang Thong, Sing Buri, and Chai Nat to the northern provinces as well as Mittraphap Road, which leads into Nakhon Ratchasima and the rest of Isaan.

During 2019’s so-called Seven Dangerous Days, 463 people died.

A bus and truck crash in Ayutthaya province which killed two on Dec. 28, 2019.
A bus and truck crash in Ayutthaya province which killed two on Dec. 28, 2019.
Cars entering Nakhon Ratchasima via Mitraphap Road on Dec. 28, 2019.
Cars entering Nakhon Ratchasima via Mitraphap Road on Dec. 28, 2019.
Cars entering Nakhon Ratchasima via Mitraphap Road on Dec. 28, 2019.
Cars entering Nakhon Ratchasima via Mitraphap Road on Dec. 28, 2019.
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‘7 Dangerous Days’ Kill 463 on Thai Roads During Holidays