The accumulated death toll rose to 239 on Sunday, the fourth day of the "seven dangerous days" of New Year's holiday travel, with Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani recording the most deaths.
A total of 239 people died and 2,500 were injured in 2,308 road accidents across the country from Dec 28-31, Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said on Monday.
On Dec 31 alone, a total of 65 people were killed and 714 injured in 678 road accidents nationwide.
The most common cause of the fatalities was determined to be drink-drinking (48.67%), followed by speeding (26.40%). Most accidents involved motorcycles (80.26%), followed by pickup trucks (6.39%), he said, citing a report from the Road Safety Directing Centre.
The highest number of road accidents over the past four days - 86 - was reported in Chiang Mai.
Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani recorded the highest number of deaths at 11 each, while Buri Ram had the highest number of injuries at 89. Thirteen provinces reported no deaths or injuries, he added.
Despite the grisly body count, the statistics actually show an improvement over the same period one year ago. According to the Road Safety Directing Center, there were 14.6% fewer deaths, 11.7% fewer injuries and 11.1% fewer accidents from Dec 28-31 2017 than during the same period the previous year (see graphic below).
Police set up 2,005 checkpoints across the country during Dec 28-31 and stopped 779,130 vehicles for road-safety checks. A total of 138,176 motorists were cited for traffic law violations, including 40,788 motorcycle riders without crash helmets and 38,291 drivers without driving licences, the minister said.
