Songkran road accidents have killed 99

BANGKOK, April 13 (TNA) - Ninety-nine people were killed in road accidents in the first two days of a road safety campaign week for the Songkran festival. Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said that there were 579 road accidents yesterday (April 12) when 60 people were killed and 624 others injured. Drunk driving was the most common cause and the accidents mostly resulted from motorcycles. Buri Ram province posted the highest accident amount of 21. The highest provincial death toll, 4, was reported in Nakhon Ratchasima and Sakon Nakhon. No death tolls were reported in 29 provinces. Officials at checkpoints took legal action on 154,773 traffic violators. Of them 43,464 did not wear crash helmets and 42,609 had no driver’s licenses. On the first two days of the road safety campaign week (April 11-12), there were 1,026 road accidents which killed 99 people and injured 1,085 others. The highest accident figure was in Chiang Rai and the highest accumulated death toll per province, 5, was in Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram and Phetchabun. Minister Arkhom ordered officials to set up more checkpoints for passenger buses as officials found drug-abusing bus drivers in Chon Buri province yesterday. The National Council for Peace and Order reported that on April 11-12, 59,390 motorists were arrested for reckless driving. Of them, 38,546 faced legal action and 4,628 had their driver’s licenses seized. Authorities impounded 1,475 vehicles from drunk drivers consisting of 940 motorcycles and 535 other vehicles. (TNA)