BANGKOK, Thailand – The second day of the New Year’s holiday period saw a grim surge in traffic fatalities, with speeding and drunk driving continuing as the primary causes of road carnage across the kingdom. According to the Road Safety Command Centre, 53 people were killed and 262 injured in road accidents on Friday, bringing the two-day totals to 86 dead and 452 injured from 469 incidents.

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Speed was cited as the leading cause, responsible for 40.96 percent of all accidents, followed closely by drunk driving at 27.31 percent. The data reveals a stark pattern, with motorcycles involved in nearly three-quarters of all crashes. The vast majority of incidents, 82.29 percent, occurred on straight stretches of road, primarily between the hours of 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Individuals aged 40 to 49 represented the highest proportion of casualties.

Fifty-three people lost their lives and 262 others were injured on Thailand’s roads on the second day of the “Seven Dangerous Days” of New Year holiday travel, bringing the totals to 86 killed and 452 injured in 469 accidents nationwide.

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Provincial statistics highlighted localized crises. Phetchaburi recorded the highest number of accidents on the second day with 12 incidents, while Nakhon Ratchasima and Suphan Buri provinces each suffered four fatalities. The highest injury tolls for the day were reported in Phayao and Surat Thani, with 12 injuries each.

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Cumulatively over the first 48 hours of the so-called “Seven Dangerous Days” campaign, the capital Bangkok and the provinces of Nakhon Ratchasima, Pathum Thani, and Suphan Buri have each recorded five deaths, marking them as the areas with the highest fatality tolls so far. The figures underscore the persistent challenge of road safety during major holidays despite repeated public warnings and heightened police enforcement.

-Thailand News (TN)