Rural road safety push could slash death toll, says ministerEight vehicles were involved in this fatal pile-up at an intersection on the city bypass in Muang district, Prachin Buri, on Jan 30. (Photo by Manit Sanubboon)The Interior Ministry has asked local administrators to come up with more effective measures to prevent road accidents during the annual Songkran festival. Mr Niphon said the high death and injury toll is mostly caused by drunk driving and lack of safety precautions. “Thailand has 500,000 kilometres of roads, but 400,000km are located in rural areas. So I want more cooperation from local administrations in overseeing local roads and barring users who violate traffic laws, as this could help cut the death toll significantly, especially during festivals like Songkran when people celebrate by drinking,” he said.

Source: Bangkok Post February 11, 2020 13:41 UTC