Safety drive doesn't deliver

As Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year, approaches, the government is again launching its road safety campaign “Ten Danger-ous Days,” vowing to reinforce measures to reduce traffic accidents and casualties.

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Over the past years, accidents have turned the festive time into a tragedy for many families who have had family members killed or badly injured. The accident victims are mainly young and people of working age who are their family’s breadwinners.

It is fair yet sad to admit that the annual campaign does little to reduce road accidents during the festival, especially when considering accident records.

Last year, despite the safety week campaign, there were 2,044 accidents, resulting in 287 deaths and 2,050 injuries.

The previous year, there were 264 deaths and 2,208 injuries. In 2022, there were 278 deaths and 1,869 injuries from 1,917 accidents.

Like in past years, alcohol-related reckless driving remains the primary cause of accidents, while most of the fatal accidents involve motorcycles.

It’s a sad truth that statistics don’t lie.