Annual New Year Weekend Carnage - Up 37% from Last Year

[Gaybutton]

Despite the efforts of the police to reduce road deaths over the New Year weekend, the death toll is reported to be 37% higher than it was last year. It was widely reported that the police would be out there enforcing traffic rules, setting up road checks for drunk drivers, cracking down hard on helmetless motorcyclists, etc.

 

In Pattaya where was it? Throughout the entire weekend I actually saw less police presence on the roads than I see most other days. Within the city limits I saw no road checks at all. On New Year's Eve, I saw two spots where police were lurking. That's fewer spots than I normally see police officers lying in wait to stop people and fine them.

 

I have not seen any reports yet as to how many deaths and injuries occurred in and around Pattaya.

 

The following appears in THE NATION:

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New Year's Day Road Deaths 37% Higher than Last Year

January 3, 2010

 

New Year's Day saw 686 road accidents killing 70 people and injuring 737, bringing the cumulative casualty count for the long holiday to 238 deaths and 2,725 injuries from 2,510 accidents.

 

Uthairat Chaiprasert, assistant to the justice minister, said yesterday that Friday's road casualties had surpassed the carnage for the first day of last year by 37 per cent for deaths and 50 per cent for injuries.

 

Half of the traffic accidents on the fourth of the "seven dangerous days" were blamed on drunk driving, followed by speeding at 20.7 per cent, he said.

 

Most accidents involved motorcycles at 84.9 per cent and occurred between 4pm-8pm. Checkpoints stopped 715,516 vehicles and arrested 69,515 motorists, with the main offence being not carrying a driver's licence at 23,006 cases, followed by bikers not wearing a helmet at 21,195 cases.

 

Cumulative casualties had reached 238 deaths, 2,725 injured in 2,510 accidents, Uthairat said.

 

While Yasothon was the only province still to report no accidents, Nakhon Si Thammarat had the most at 83 followed by Phetchabun at 82 and Chiang Mai at 80.

 

Chanthaburi and Ayutthaya were the most deadly at 10 deaths each, while Phetchabun had the most injuries at 99 followed by Nakhon Si Thammarat at 98.

 

The government began the seven-day safe driving campaign on Tuesday to reduce road casualties by 5 per cent from the last New Year break, which had logged 367 deaths and 4,107 injuries in road accidents nationwide.

 

Uthairat also said the Excise Department had arrested 277 roadside shops for selling alcoholic drinks without permission and had revoked 26 liquor licenses for selling booze during times and at venues that were prohibited.

[Guest fountainhall]

I cannot speak for Pattaya, but to be fair to the police, I noticed several breathalyser check-points in Bangkok. Indeed, one of my friends was breathalysed for the first time ever.

 

Banning alcohol sales in certain places and restricting hours of purchase in others is a complete waste of time. It never works - just look at Russia and the old Soviet Union where ban after ban only resulted in greater alcohol consumption. If the government wants to reduce driving under the influence, they have to increase penalties far higher than at present - and include prison time. Plus they have to get rid of corrupution. My friend should have been taken to a police station and fined Bt. 5,000 as he was just over the limit. A little sweet-talking and a few Bt.100 bills did the trick, and off he drove.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

I did see a number of police along Sukhumvit Rd in Pattaya.

[Gaybutton]

A little sweet-talking and a few Bt.100 bills did the trick, and off he drove.

That's the problem, right there.

 

I'm glad at least some of you saw a police presence. I saw virtually zilch.

[Guest Oogleman]

offer free public transport over the holiday period to reduce drunk driving?

[bkkguy]

The latest figures from the Bangkok Post (6 Jan) are 347 deaths for the period down from 367 and 3,638 motorists convicted of drink driving offenses over the seven-day stretch

 

Death toll hits 347 from 3,534 road accidents

 

bkkguy