PHUKET: Phuket suffered only seven road accidents that resulted in seven people injured but no deaths during the 24 hours of Songkran Day, Apr 13, marking Day 3 of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road and water safety campaign, according to the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket).
The official report for the 24-hour period was presented at a meeting of the Joint Operations Center for Road and Marine Accident Prevention and Reduction during the Songkran Festival 2023 at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning (Apr 14), led by Phuket Vice Governor Arnupap Rodkwan Yodrabam.
The seven people injured comprised five males and two females, the meeting was told.
No other details of the accidents were reported.
Of note, national road accident agency Thai Road Safety Committee (ThaiRSC) reported no deaths but 110 people injured in road accidents in Phuket yesterday (Apr 13).
The accidents yesterday brought the tally for the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ campaign, which began on Tuesday (Apr 11), to 25 accidents resulting in 25 people injured and one death, according to the report by Phuket officials this morning.
Of the action taken by police against traffic law offenders, the top three infractions were, respectively, driving without a driver’s licence, not wearing a helmet while riding a motorbike and drunk driving, said an official report of the meeting.
Details of the fines levied or arrests made were reported.
The most common driving behaviours that led to accidents were drunk drinking, speeding and cutting across other vehicles, the report said.
Vice Governor Anupap called for all agencies to target stores selling alcohol to ensure they comply with the law, the report noted.
Officials are to ensure that alcohol is not sold to minors (under 20 years of age), not sold as a promotion with discounts, and only sold by shops during the hours of 11am to 2pm and 5pm to midnight.
“Use positive community measures, increase the potential of community checkpoints to screen drivers who are intoxicated. In the event of an injury or death, the alcohol content of every person must be measured. If [the person is] unable to give a breath test, send [him/her] to the hospital for blood testing and enforce strict laws on offenders,” the report marked Vice Governor Anupap as saying.
The ‘Seven Days’ campaign for the Songkran Thai new Year holidays will continue until midnight Monday (Apr 17).
