New Years road carnage BMA Expects to Decrease Number of Accidents By 5%

[StrontiumDog]

Thai-ASEAN News Network

BMA Expects to Decrease Number of Accidents By 5%

UPDATE : 27 December 2011

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, or BMA, is coordinating with the Bangkok Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office to decrease the number of traffic-related accidents during the New Year by five percent.

Bangkok Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office Director Police Lieutenant General Somkiet Nontakaew disclosed that the BMA has established a road safety center to ensure road safety and prevent the likelihood of accidents for the 2012 New Year.


The New Year road safety campaign for 2012 is scheduled to officially launch this Thursday and last until January 4, 2012.

It is expected that the number of accidents, injuries, and deaths will be reduced by more than five percent compared to the previous New Year.

The target for this year is to have fewer than 3,321 accidents, 340 deaths and 3,563 injuries respectively.

[StrontiumDog]

Thai-ASEAN News Network



Road Safety Plans for the New Year Launched in many Provinces

UPDATE : 27 December 2011

Many provinces are preparing to open a road safety center for the upcoming New Year.

Ratchaburi Deputy Governor Narong Polla-iad, acting as governor of Ratchaburi Province, chaired a conference to open a road safety center to prevent the likelihood of accidents for the 2012 New Year.


Affiliated units and officials from all districts were ordered to establish a district operation center in every district and set up 19 security checkpoints in 8 districts.

These districts will enforce legal measures against speeding, drunk driving, and riding without a helmet to reduce accidents by 5% this year.

Trang Provincial Police Commander, Police Major General Sakorn Thongmunee presided over a ceremony that had a parade of 300 officers from 10 districts to address about road safety during the New Year.

Meanwhile, Trang Governor Senee Jittakasem attended a meeting with government units and related public departments to discuss about the preparation of road safety plans.

The goal for the New Year is to have fewer than 63 accidents, 3 deaths, and 64 injuries respectively.

Elsewhere, Pattani Governor Teera Mintrasak presided over the opening of a road safety program, which will utilize vocational college students from the Pattani Vocational College at Saiburi District and Kanchanapisek Technical College to offer vehicle check-up services.

In Ubon Ratchatani Province, the Sunpasitthaiprasong Hospital is preparing measures to accommodate car accident victims for the upcoming New Year.

[The Fresh Prince]

The goal for the New Year is to have fewer than 63 accidents, 3 deaths, and 64 injuries respectively.

Feel sorry for those 3.

[StrontiumDog]

Thai-ASEAN News Network



Govt on Alert for New Year Road Safety

UPDATE : 29 December 2011

The government sets up a road safety center to oversee accident prevention activites during the New Year holiday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit today presided over the opening ceremony of the Administrative Center for Road Accident Prevention and Reduction to oversee road safety during the long New Year holiday.

Yongyuth stated that the governors of the provinces with the highest road accident rates during the New Year period will not face disciplinary action, but said that the government instead wants to emphasize their roles in carrying out preventative measures.

The minister urged the media to present as little news about road accidents during the New Year long weekend as possible given that society is discouraged enough already by flood losses.

The center will run its road safety campaign from December 29 through January 4.

He said the campaign will focus on five main areas: namely, law enforcement, traffic engineering, public relations, emergency medicine and rescue work.

In terms of surveillance measures, the minister said serious actions will be taken against drunk driving, going over the speed limit, and riding without a safety helmet.

He said warning signs will also be put up on flood-stricken roads that are still being repaired.

Yongyuth said the center aims to reduce injuries and deaths to the greatest extent possible.

-----
Thai-ASEAN News Network

Police to Ensure New Year Road Safety

UPDATE : 29 December 2011

Due to traffic congestion expected during the New Year festival, police are targeting motorists who do not obey traffic regulations.

The Transportation Office in Ubon Ratchathani Province installed surveillance cameras, and have deployed additional military police and local police officers to monitor passengers and bus station safety and to protect them from thieves.

The office plans to add at least 150 buses each day from Ubon Ratchathani Province to the northern, eastern, and central regions to serve the large number of expected passengers.

In Nakhon Ratchasima Province, police launched Police Sergeant Chaey, or the traffic police models caravan, to promote road safety during the New Year festival.

The campaign is aimed at increasing driving awareness and reducing the number of road accidents over the holidays.

The Road Accident Prevention Center is now open in Surin Province.

Each district is responsible for setting up traffic checkpoints, and providing road assistance in order to prevent car accidents during the New Year holiday.

In the meantime, Sawanpracharak Hospital in Nakhon Sawan Province has arranged for physicians and medical teams to be on duty around the clock.

The number of accidents normally increases during the holidays.

Nakhon Sawan is considered the gateway to the northern region.

Surat Thani highway police have assigned officers and volunteers to work on the Asia 41 route which is the main highway that goes from Bangkok to the southern region.

Police will arrest motorists who do not obey the traffic laws under the project “ Arrest to Prevent Car Accidents”.

The officers will focus on drunk driving and speeding.

Motorcyclists who do not wear helmets will be arrested as well.

At the highway police stations and other rest areas, officers will also provide roadside assistance to motorists who use inbound and outbound routes.

[StrontiumDog]

Mass Bangkok exodus for upcountry New Year celebrations

Mass Bangkok exodus for upcountry New Year celebrations

วันพฤหัสบดี ที่ 29 ธ.ค. 2554



BANGKOK, Dec 29 - Bangkok's Mo Chit 2 bus terminal was crowded on Thursday morning with passengers returning home for the 2012 New Year, while the Transport Company prepared buses sufficient for 5,000 trips per day, or 25,000 trips for the five-day holiday period.

Wuttichart Kalayanamitr, Transport Company president, said he expected the number of passengers would peak Thursday and be crowded through Friday.

He said normal routes can operate as usual except that some parts of roads in the central provinces of Ayutthaya and Saraburi where damages from the recent flood have not yet been repaired.

However, the number of passengers using bus services since Dec 25 has dropped compared to the same period last year.

Mr Wuttichart said only some 2 million passengers are expected to return home during the New Year festival, down from about 3 million last year. This is due to some of them still staying in their hometowns repairing flood-damaged homes. (MCOT online news)

[Khun Custard]

Yep, just returned from a road trip Pattaya> Sarburi> Pretchabun>Takhi (Nakon Sawan) and back home visa the Asia Road =1,000 km
Songkran style Police rest stations were being being set up and today we drove thru 4 police chicanes - mostly stopping overloaded trucks and utes.

No toll fees on the Chonburi Expressway until the 3rd!!!

[StrontiumDog]

34 killed in road accidents on first day - The Nation

34 killed in road accidents on first day

The Nation December 30, 2011 2:29 pm


The first of the so-called seven dangerous New Year holidays saw 34 people killed and 501 others injured in road accidents around the country.

Deputy Interior Minister Thanis Thienthong told a press conference Friday that 427 road accidents occurred on Thursday, which is counted as the first of seven-day New Year holiday period.

The authorities monitor road accidents during the long New Year holidays to try to minimise the toll. This year, the authorities are monitoring road accidents from December 29 to January 4, the dates on which people leave Bangkok and return to the capital after the long holidays.

Thanis said the first day of this year's holiday had seen 34 more accidents than the same period last year, an increase of 8.65 per cent, while the death toll increased by ten or 41.67 per cent. The number of injured people increased by 76 or 17.88 per cent

Thanis said the Road Safety Centre found that drunk driving, riding bikes without helmets and violation of speed limits were the common causes of the road accidents this year.

He said many people were expected to leave Bangkok for their home provinces on Friday so the authorities had been instructed to check motorists and motorcyclists regularly to prevent them from breaking traffic laws.

Wibul Sanguanpong, director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, who is the secretary of the Road Safety Centre, warned motorists to be careful when driving in northern provinces because of fog and poor visibility.

[StrontiumDog]

Bangkok Post : Family of four killed in road crash

Family of four killed in road crash

• Published: 31/12/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

A family of four, including a pregnant woman, was killed in Lampang's Sop Prap district when their car slammed into a tree on the Tak-Lampang road and caught fire yesterday.



The victims were identified as Phanomchai Kijwanich, 37, Sirilak Kijwanich, 34, Suwanna Kijwanich, 60, and Somboon Saetae, 35. Sirilak was about five months' pregnant.

All of them were found dead in the burned-out car by rescue workers.

On Thursday, the first day of the government's "Seven Dangerous Days" road safety campaign covering the New Year holiday, 34 people died as a result of accidents, Deputy Interior Minister Thanit Thienthong said yesterday.

There were only 10 casualties on the first day of the safety campaign last year. The main cause of the 427 accidents reported on Thursday was drink-driving.

Wibul Sanguanphong, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, warned festive revellers and roadside vendors to be particularly cautious.

Vendors were advised against standing on roads to attract potential customers into their shops.

The warning came after four vendors were killed and two injured when a car swerved into a line of fruit stalls on the Saraburi-Lom Sak road in Phetchabun's Muang district on Thursday.

Meanwhile in Chiang Mai, Pol Col Anu Noenhad said more tourists were arriving, clogging the province's roads.

Chiang Mai police have also imposed temporary traffic calming measures to and from Doi Suthep, one of the province's main tourist attractions.

During the New Year festival, vehicles are only allowed to travel up between noon and 3pm and to leave between 3pm and 6pm. Buses are banned.

[StrontiumDog]

TAN_Network TAN Network

BKK-Si Sa Ket bus hits pick up truck in Nangrong, Buri Ram, 10 dead, 2 in critical condition

[StrontiumDog]

TAN_Network TAN Network

2nd day of 7 danger days for road accidents sees 94 deaths and 1,051 injuries from road accidents

[phunphin]

How do they define speeding, ? here in phuket on the bypass road there are no speed limits posted , only signs saying if you get caught going slow? in the fast? lane you'll cop a 1000 bt fine.
Should there not be one speed limit regardless of what lane you are in.??
What is the "legal" speed limit.?

[StrontiumDog]

More on the above..........

Death toll reaches 94 on second of seven New Year's dangerous days

Death toll reaches 94 on second of seven New Year's dangerous days

วันเสาร์ ที่ 31 ธ.ค. 2554



BANGKOK, Dec 31 -- Ninety-four people were killed in road accidents throughout Thailand during the first two days of the "seven high-risk days of the New Year’s holidays" from December 29 - January 4, according to the Road Safety Centre.

There were a total of 955 road accidents with 1,051 injuries reported on December 29 and 30. Drunken driving was identified as the main cause of the accidents, according to Land Transport Department Director General Somchai Siriwattanachok.

On Dec 30 alone, there were 547 road accidents, killing 58 people and injuring 548 others.

Cumulative road accidents from December 29-30 reached 955, a 5 percent drop compared to the same period last year.

Overall, the most deaths were reported in Bangkok with five casualties, while the highest number of the injured was seen in Prachinburi at 24.

Nakhon Pathom and Ayutthaya recorded the highest number of accidents during the first two days at 6 each, while no accidents were reported at all in Chaiyaphum, Nong Khai, Kamphaeng Phet and Trat.

A major cause of road accidents involved drunken driving at 34 percent. Motorcycles are the vehicle type with the highest number of accidents at 82 percent.

Mr Somchai said the Road Safety Centre has cooperated with police and authorities to set up checkpoints on minor roads in subdistricts to strictly monitor drunken motorists and motorcyclists, riding with no safety helmets, and speeding. (MCOT online news)

[StrontiumDog]

TAN_Network TAN Network

3rd day of 7 danger days for road accidents see 164 deaths and 1,818 injuries

[StrontiumDog]

^ Slightly different numbers in this report...

New Year road toll rises to 165 - The Nation

New Year road toll rises to 165

January 1, 2012 12:05 pm

The first three days of the so-called seven dangerous New Year holidays saw 165 people killed and 1,782 others injured in 1,605 road accidents, the Road Safety Centre announced Sunday.

The accidents were counted from Thursday to Saturday. So far, only 20 provinces saw no one killed in road accidents during the three-day period.

The Nation

[StrontiumDog]

Thai-ASEAN News Network

New Year Death Toll Hits 241 over 4 Days

UPDATE : 2 January 2012

The Road Safety Operation Center reported 562 road accidents with 76 people killed and about 600 others injured on the first day of 2012. The number of accidents fell as opposed to the number of casualties compared to last year during the four-day period from December 29 to January 1.


Public Health Minister Wittaya Buranasiri as deputy chairman of the National Road Safety Policy Board said the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation's Road Safety Operation Center reported 562 road accidents, accounting for 76 deaths and about 600 injuries on the New Year's day, which is the fourth day of its New Year Road Safety campaign.

Chiang Rai was recorded to have the most accidents, 24 total, while Chiang Rai was reported to have the most injuries, 26 total, and Nakhon Sawan had the most deaths with 6 people killed. The major cause of these accidents is drunk-driving.

The number of road accidents between December 29 and January 1 fell from 2,473 last year to 2,167 this year with a death toll reaching 241. The number of injuries over the period also went down from 2,656 last year to 2,382 this year.

Throughout the four days, Chaing Rai was the province with the most road accidents, 85 total, and the most injuries, 88 total, while the most deaths occurred in Buri Ram. Chaiyaphum and Trat were the only provinces without road accidents during the four-day span.

[StrontiumDog]

Bangkok Post : Accidents drop 27% from 2011

Accidents drop 27% from 2011

• Published: 3/01/2012 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Chaiyaphum and Trat are champions of the government's road safety campaign with no accidents in either province from Dec 29, 2011 to Jan 1, 2012.


Bangkok-bound traffic flows slowly on Mittraphap Highway in Nakhon Ratchasima last evening as people return to Bangkok. PRASIT TANGPRASERT

The key factors that prevented road accidents in the two provinces were police checkpoints on main roads and secondary roads, according to Wiboon Sanguanpong, secretary-general of the Road Safety Centre.

Mr Wiboon, who is also director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said the police had also stringently enforced traffic laws on drunk driving, mandatory helmets for motorcyclists, safe driving, seat belts, speeding and carrying a driver licence.

During the four-day New Year road safety campaign, there were 562 accidents around the country. That's 27% fewer than the 777 road accidents during the 2011 New Year holidays, he said.

During the four-day holiday period this year, 76 people were killed and 600 injured. Last year over the same period, 83 people were killed and 845 people injured. The northeastern province of Buri Ram had the most deaths this year with 16 people, followed by Nakhon Sawan with 13 people.

Chiang Rai had the most injured with 88, followed by Nakhon Sawan with 81 cases.

Mr Wiboon said no accidents took place in Chachoengsao, Chaiyaphum, Trat, Yasothon, Nong Khai and Nong Bua Lam Phu provinces on New Year's day.

Nevertheless, he said most accidents between Dec 29, 2011 and Jan 1, 2012 were much more violent than accidents during the previous New Year holidays.

Contributing factors, he said, were speeding, sleepy drivers, motorcyclists with no helmets, riding in the back of pickups and failure to wear seat belts.

To address this problem, Mr Wiboon said his department had asked provincial authorities and the Metropolitan Police Bureau to set up checkpoints on main roads and stringently enforce road safety traffic laws yesterday and today when holiday-makers are travelling back home.

The Public Health Ministry also yesterday jump-started its road safety campaign, for people returning to Bangkok today and tomorrow.

Public Health Minister Wittaya Buranasiri said drivers should get enough sleep and abstain from alcoholic beverages for their own and other motorists' safety.

Mr Wittaya said motorists driving long distances should stop every two hours or every 150km to rest.

The ministry is working with the Royal Thai Police Headquarters and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to strictly enforce the drink-driving laws to reduce the number of road accidents caused by drunk-driving, he said.

[StrontiumDog]

TAN_Network TAN Network

5th day of 7 danger days for New Year road accidents see 282 deaths and 2,786 people injured, Buri Ram still sees highest deaths at 16

[oevna]

Is there a way to look up missing people by name on some police website? I have a friend who was on a road trip, whom I have not been able to contact since about December 27th.

Thanks and regards.

[StrontiumDog]

^ I think you'd have to contact the police directly...only way as far as I know....sorry

[StrontiumDog]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingn...oll-314-deaths

6-day NY road toll: 314 deaths

• Published: 4/01/2012 at 01:19 PM
• Online news:

A total of 314 people were killed and 3,116 injured in road accidents during the first six of the seven dangerous days over the New Year, the Disaster Relief and Mitigation Department announced on Wednesday.

The department said there were altogether 2,856 road accidents throughout the country from Dec 29 to Jan 3, killing 314 people and injuring 3,116.

Compared to the same period last year, there were 371 fewer accidents, 11 fewer deaths (3.38 per cent), and 337 fewer injuries (9.76 per cent).

Provinces with most accidents are Nakhon Sawan (104), Chiang Rai (103), and Chiang Mai (87).

Provinces with most fatalities are Buri Ram (18), Nakhon Sawan (17), and Chiang Rai, Nakhon Ratchasima and Bangkok (11 each).

Ten provinces with no deaths from road accidents are Satun, Nonthaburi, Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Si Sa Ket, Yala, Trat, Sukhothai, Tak and Pattani.

[StrontiumDog]

TAN_Network TAN Network

7 danger days for road accidents during the New Year saw 335 deaths and 3,375 people injured; no. of deaths declined from last year by 23