3,600 drunk drivers are punished
By Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai
The Nation
Published on January 6, 2010
More than 3,600 drunk drivers were caught and punished during this New Year's seven dangerous days as stricter
policing succeeded in reducing accident fatalities by 5.45 per cent.
Probation Department director-general Charnchao Chaiyanukit said yesterday that 3,638 drunk drivers were put on probation and required to serve 10-40 hours of community service, such as looking after those injured or disabled by drunk driving accidents.
Bangkok had the most drunk drivers at 483 cases.
The offenders would also be ordered to attend temple sermons on the dangers of drinking and asked to donate blood to help accident victims.
Arrests of drunk drivers had increased over last year because more checkpoints were set up and traffic laws were strictly reinforced, he said.
The decrease in road carnage over the New Year break proves that strict law reinforcement leads to effective prevention of road accidents, he said.
Authorities would continue the get-tough approach for the six-day Songkran festival in April, he said.
Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul said road casualties throughout the New Year holidays were down from last year. According to running statistics kept by the Road Safety Centre, deaths dropped by 5.45 per cent or 20 cases to 347, injuries by 6.82 per cent or 280 cases to 3,827, and accidents by 7.58 per cent or 290 cases to 3,534 from December 29-January 4.
The figures beat the government's goal to lower the holidays' road casualties by at least 5 per cent.
The southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat had the most accidents at 125 cases and the most injuries at 146 persons, while Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima had the most deaths at 12 each.
On Monday alone, 38 people were killed and 264 injured in 245 road accidents throughout Thailand, Chaovarat said.
The northeastern province of Yasothon, which had held the record of zero road accidents and casualties, unfortunately saw three accidents on the campaign's last day, in which one person was killed and two injured.
Most road accidents throughout the seven-day period resulted from drunk driving at 40.5 per cent, followed by speeding at 20.1 per cent and reckless driving at 14.15 per cent.
About 83 per cent of the accidents involved motorcycles and 67.5 per cent took place at night. A total of 4,587,332 vehicles were stopped at checkpoints and 449,673 motorists were arrested for breaking traffic laws.
About 33 per cent failed to carry a driver's licence and 31 per cent failed to wear a helmet while driving motorcycles.
Chaovarat said he was satisfied with the campaign results and vowed that the ministry would continue promoting road safety.
Some academics have argued that the real road casualty figures might be higher, but they could be checked, he said, adding that he believes they were 90 per cent accurate, leaving a 10-per-cent margin for error.
-- The Nation 2010-01-06
By Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai
The Nation
Published on January 6, 2010
More than 3,600 drunk drivers were caught and punished during this New Year's seven dangerous days as stricter
policing succeeded in reducing accident fatalities by 5.45 per cent.
Probation Department director-general Charnchao Chaiyanukit said yesterday that 3,638 drunk drivers were put on probation and required to serve 10-40 hours of community service, such as looking after those injured or disabled by drunk driving accidents.
Bangkok had the most drunk drivers at 483 cases.
The offenders would also be ordered to attend temple sermons on the dangers of drinking and asked to donate blood to help accident victims.
Arrests of drunk drivers had increased over last year because more checkpoints were set up and traffic laws were strictly reinforced, he said.
The decrease in road carnage over the New Year break proves that strict law reinforcement leads to effective prevention of road accidents, he said.
Authorities would continue the get-tough approach for the six-day Songkran festival in April, he said.
Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul said road casualties throughout the New Year holidays were down from last year. According to running statistics kept by the Road Safety Centre, deaths dropped by 5.45 per cent or 20 cases to 347, injuries by 6.82 per cent or 280 cases to 3,827, and accidents by 7.58 per cent or 290 cases to 3,534 from December 29-January 4.
The figures beat the government's goal to lower the holidays' road casualties by at least 5 per cent.
The southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat had the most accidents at 125 cases and the most injuries at 146 persons, while Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima had the most deaths at 12 each.
On Monday alone, 38 people were killed and 264 injured in 245 road accidents throughout Thailand, Chaovarat said.
The northeastern province of Yasothon, which had held the record of zero road accidents and casualties, unfortunately saw three accidents on the campaign's last day, in which one person was killed and two injured.
Most road accidents throughout the seven-day period resulted from drunk driving at 40.5 per cent, followed by speeding at 20.1 per cent and reckless driving at 14.15 per cent.
About 83 per cent of the accidents involved motorcycles and 67.5 per cent took place at night. A total of 4,587,332 vehicles were stopped at checkpoints and 449,673 motorists were arrested for breaking traffic laws.
About 33 per cent failed to carry a driver's licence and 31 per cent failed to wear a helmet while driving motorcycles.
Chaovarat said he was satisfied with the campaign results and vowed that the ministry would continue promoting road safety.
Some academics have argued that the real road casualty figures might be higher, but they could be checked, he said, adding that he believes they were 90 per cent accurate, leaving a 10-per-cent margin for error.
-- The Nation 2010-01-06
