Songkran road accidents killed 243 people
Source:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2777465/songkran-road-accidents-killed-243-people?
"Ruangsak Suwaree, director-general of the Probation Department, said that from April 11-16 there were 5,786 traffic violation cases, 96.6% of which involved drink-driving. Bangkok had the most drink-driving cases (493), followed by Samut Prakan (313) and Chiang Mai (302)."
I witnessed a rather unusual but preventable accident on Tuesday morning as I headed to meet a few friends for breakfast.
Stopped at traffic lights at a crossroad, the traffic facing was on green.
To the left, a large wagon had stopped at the red lights, the type that has large outstretched multiple wing mirrors.
A young lad on his motorcycle, riding one-handed whilst trying to text on his phone, comes down the right-hand side of the truck.
Before he came to a stop at the red lights, head down observing his phone, he hits one of the extended wing mirrors with his head, which flips him off the motorcycle which carries on for a couple of metres before it falls over with a crash.
A carrier bag on the handle bars full of groceries just spill across the road.
The lights change to green.
The wagon driver looks, adjusts his wing mirror and drives on.
A couple of pedestrians rush to the lad's aid who was more shocked than hurt, and as they attempt to pick up the spilled groceries, the traffic behind just continues, going around them and his motorcycle, whilst driving over some of the groceries.
Maybe he learnt a valuable lesson to watch the road rather than his mobile, but I doubt it.
Once a dumbo, always a dumbo.
