Songkran is a happy time for tourists visiting Thailand and locals alike. The Happy New Year in Thailand was not so happy for almost 1000 people in the land of smiles. 102 were killed, and 893 injured in the first two days of Songkran, the Thai New Year.
Every year a large number of people die in traffic accidents, mostly caused by reckless driving like speeding and drunk driving.
Most of the accidents involved motorcycles (80.75%) and pickup trucks (9.73%) and occurred during 4pm-8pm.
The Songkran Festival, Thailandโs traditional New Year celebrated every April, is popularly associated with water events, family reunions, and various festivities across the country. But it is also the period when road accidents shoot up that it is referred to by the police as the โSeven Dangerous Daysโ of the New Year.
The government often campaigns for a โZero Death Songkranโ but it has never succeeded. This year, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is hoping that the holiday period would be โSeven Happy Daysโ with minimal road tragedies.