The Royal Thai Police and relevant agencies will jointly launch the regular “don’t drink and drive” campaign during the New Year festival, from December 27th until January 2nd, with the emphasis on strict enforcement of traffic laws.
Deputy government spokesperson Sasikarn Watthanachan said today that police and other law enforcement officials will target drunk drivers as the top priority. They could face up to a year in prison and/or a fine of up to 20,000 baht on their first conviction. If they are a repeat offender, the penalty will be increased to two years in prison and/or a fine of up to 100,000 baht, and the offender’s license will be suspended for ten years or revoked.
These are the road accident statistics over the New Year periods since 2022:
2022: 2,707 accidents, 333 killed and 2,672 injured.
2023: 2,440 accidents, 317 killed and 2,437 injured.
2024: 2,288 accidents, 284 killed and 2,307 injured.
Of these:
• 40.6% were caused by speeding
• 23.32% by motorists or motorcyclists cutting in front of each other
• 14.29% involved drunk driving
• 87.01% involved motorcycles
• 19.67% of the casualties were motorcyclists
Sasikarn said that, if the offenders are under age, police will also take legal action against those who sold alcohol to them and against their parents for negligence.
