Most of these cumulative accidents resulted from drunk driving (45.26 per cent) and most crashes involved motorcycles (78.96 per cent).

The death toll was down by almost 17 per cent while the number of injuries and crashes rose compared to the same period during previous Songkran when 338 deaths and 2,891 injuries were reported in 2,724 road accidents.

Highway Police Division chief Maj-General Somchai Kaosamran said that Nakhon Ratchasima was the province with the highest death toll, with 17 people kiilled during the five-day period, while Chiang Mai had both the highest accidents and injuries at 140 cases and 145 people respectively.

After five days of the road accident monitoring period, nine provinces (Krabi, Narathiwat, Bung Kan, Phang Nga, Phuket, Mae Hong Son, Yala, Samut Songkhram and Amnat Charoen) reported no road deaths while Chaiyaphum was the only province without injuries related to road accidents.

Somchai also said that 600 accidents (including 269 drunk driving incidents, 149 speeding cases and 88 crashes because a vehicle suddenly cutting in front of another) happened on Saturday alone, killing 53 people – 29 of whom died at the scene– and injuring 634 others.

Most accidents on Saturday stemmed from drunk driving at 44.83 per cent followed by speeding at 24.83 per cent. The Saturday road carnage mostly involved motorcycles (83.95 per cent), while 61.83 percent occurred at a straight section of road, and 33 per cent took place between 4pm and 8pm, Somchai said.

Some 64,000 state officials manning 2,041 checkpoints on Saturday cited 149,758 motorists for traffic violations – mostly for failing to wear a helmet (43,783 cases) and failing to present a driver’s licence (38,540 cases), he said. In addition, 21,708 other checkpoints were set up and manned by 170,752 community officials.

Somchai also reported that the public transport use as of Saturday was at 8.25 million passengers – a 2.8 per cent increase from the same period in the previous Songkran.

It was also reported at the event that officers, enforcing the National Council for Peace and Order head’s order number 46/2558 to seize vehicles from drunk drivers, had taken legal action against 301,425 people for drunk driving during the first five days of the Sonkran holidays.

They also impounded 3,969 motorcycles and 1,243 cars and public transport vehicles as well as seizing the licence of 14,170 drivers under the influence of alcohol.