230 Dead in Water Gun Fight... Tragic Songkran Festival, Thailand's Biggest Holiday

During the Songkran holiday period, Thailand's largest holiday and festival, over 230 people died in traffic accidents. The Songkran Festival, also known as the "Water Festival," is held to drive away all the misfortunes of the past year and pray for blessings in the new year. However, this year, many lives were lost due to safety negligence such as drunk driving and not wearing seat belts.

On the 13th (local time), people are enjoying water gun play at the Songkran Festival held in Bangkok, Thailand. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

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According to the Bangkok Post on the 17th (local time), the Thai Ministry of Public Health reported that from the 11th to the 16th of this month, there were 17,775 injuries caused by traffic accidents over six days, an increase of 19.3% compared to the same period last year.

Among them, 3,814 were seriously injured and hospitalized, a sharp increase of 81.8%, and although the number of deaths decreased by 26.8% compared to last year, it still reached 232. The causes of accidents included ▲not wearing seat belts ▲not wearing motorcycle helmets ▲drunk driving.

This year, the official Songkran holidays were from the 13th to the 17th, a period when large-scale travel usually occurs and the festive atmosphere adds to the frequency of traffic accidents in Thailand.

Moreover, this year, water gun fights, which had been banned for four years due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19, were allowed again. Citizens enjoyed the festival, but as the festival excitement overheated, accidents occurred frequently in various places. The police prohibited water fights while driving, but despite this, many engaged in water fights from vehicles, leading to various accidents.

The problem is that the number of accident victims is expected to increase further. This is because the procession of vehicles returning home after visiting their hometowns or traveling continues.

On the 12th (local time), during the Songkran water festival held on Khaosan Road in Bangkok to celebrate the Thai New Year Songkran, people are having a water gun fight. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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Also, violations of traffic laws by vehicles continue. The Thai police announced that from the 11th to the 15th, during intensive traffic crackdowns, 362,102 people were caught. Speeding was the most common with 133,639 cases (37%), followed by unlicensed driving with 80,251 cases (22%), not wearing motorcycle helmets with 71,299 cases (20%), and drunk driving with 18,205 cases (5%).

Meanwhile, Thailand is known as "traffic hell" due to severe traffic congestion and frequent traffic accidents. The World Health Organization (WHO) also pointed out in a 2018 report that among 175 countries worldwide, Thailand has the highest rate of traffic accident fatalities. The causes cited include drunk driving, speeding, and weak law enforcement.

Earlier, on New Year's Eve, December 31st last year, 555 traffic accidents occurred nationwide in Thailand in one day, resulting in 65 deaths and 535 injuries.

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