As New Year holiday-makers return to Bangkok, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin expressed concern that road accidents may increase, because many may have celebrated the arrival of the New Year until after midnight and lack sufficient rest.
As such, he said the ‘Directorate to Prevent and Reduce Road Accidents’ has instructed officials to tighten enforcement of traffic regulations, especially regarding drunk driving, drinking while driving, not wearing seat belts, or not wearing crash helmets in case of motorcyclists.
Officials are setting up road blocks to check motorists and motorcyclists.
Meanwhile, Atthawit Rakchamroon, acting general manager of the Transport Company, said today that the company has arranged sufficient buses and personnel to cope with the 70,000-90,000 holiday makers who are expected to return each day to Bangkok by public transport today, tomorrow and Friday.
He assured that no passengers will be left behind for lack of buses, adding that all vehicles bound for Bangkok will stop at the Mor Chit 2 bus terminal and at Bang Sue central railway station, so passengers can continue their journeys on the MRT, in taxies or on city buses.
Veeris Ammarapala, governor of the State Railways of Thailand, said that they have arranged for five additional trains for southern and north-eastern routes to cope with increased passenger loads.
