The annual Songkran festival, usually associated with vibrant, week-long revelry, has taken a grim turn this year, as evidenced by a disturbing rise in fatalities.
While celebrated worldwide as the “biggest water fight on the planet,” the reality during the Thai holiday is marred by a tragic pattern of road mishaps, intoxicated driving, and hazardous conduct.
In just the initial three days of this year’s Songkran, there have been over 191 fatalities, alongside 951 accidents and 911 injuries reported.
Despite the government’s efforts to enhance road safety through stricter drunk driving regulations and more police checkpoints, the devastation persists.
As the Thai New Year approaches, the holiday spurs a massive migration from bustling cities like Bangkok, with millions heading to their hometowns for family reunions and celebrations.
On the very first day of festivities, road accidents claimed 51 lives. The primary culprit was speeding, responsible for nearly 42% of these fatalities, closely followed by drunk driving, which accounted for 27.4%.
According to the Road Accident Victims Protection Company, an average of 38 road deaths per day occur throughout the calendar year, indicating a large increase over the Songkran festival.
Nicknamed the âseven dangerous days,â the death toll is also driven by âspeeding and risky behaviors such as not wearing helmets.â
âThe highest number of accidents occurred between 3:01pm and 6:00pm,â the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported.
According to the World Health Organization, Thailand already ranks as the ninth most-deadly nation for road crashes among member countries.
The tragic irony is that the festival is organized to mark renewal and new beginnings.
Playful water fights continue to take over the streets of the nation as people join with family and friends to spiritually âcleanseâ themselves.
The national holiday is expected to attract around 500,000 international visitors and 30.4 billion baht in revenue ($940 million).
As a part of stricter restrictions during the festival, seven French tourists were arrested over their disruptive Songkran water play, according to The Nation.
On April 12, the foreigners were allegedly blocking traffic and were charged with causing a public nuisance.
