Songkran 2014: Water, foam, baby powder and road deaths
Ratchaprasong, Silom, Khao San: what is the similarity between these street names in Bangkok? It was busy and wet in all three places yesterday because of Songkran. Revelers sprayed each other, smeared each other with baby powder (if they did not violate the ban on using talcum powder), danced or showered in the foam that was sprayed over them.
Thailand went wild, at least that part of Thailand that celebrates Songkran exuberantly, and does not limit itself to what tradition dictates: honoring the elderly by pouring holy water over their hands. Or, as in Nong Khai, spraying holy water over Luang Phor Sai, an important Buddha statue that was carried around. Or like in Chiang Mai, where Prime Minister Yingluck took part in the bathing of the statue of Phra Buddha Sihing in the Wat Phra Sing Woramahaviharn (photo home page). And so there will have been numerous ceremonies elsewhere in the country.
Seven dangerous days or Seven days of safety?
Despite warnings, nice words and checkpoints, traffic claimed the necessary lives again. After two of the seven 'dangerous days', renamed 'seven days of safety' by the authorities – Prime Minister Yingluck even wanted to make them 'happy days' – the death toll in traffic has risen to 102 and the number of injured to 893. On Saturday, 63 people were killed and 491 people were injured.
As every year, drunk driving and speeding were the main causes. Most accidents involved motorcycles (80,75 pc) followed by pickup trucks (25,27 pc). They mainly took place between 16 and 20 pm.
[As if the devil is playing with it. Now calls Bangkok Post another number of deaths in 2013. Spectrum had gone wrong with 373 on Sunday, the newspaper corrected it in 323 and now the newspaper writes 321.]
The first day of Songkran was also rocked by a double-decker bus accident. Twenty-three passengers were injured when the double-decker overturned in Huay Yod (Trang) on its way from Bangkok to Trang in the morning. There were 49 passengers on the bus at departure; 10 passengers were lucky: they had already disembarked in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Let's do the math: 16 passengers were not injured. According to Thai PBS, one passenger was killed.
Bangkok Post does not report this, but who still trusts that newspaper after juggling with last year's accident figures? The newspaper also does not report that it was a double-decker bus, a bus that has had a deadly reputation since the accident in Tak. In that province, a bus crashed into a ravine last month, killing 24 passengers and injuring 29.
Furthermore, the newspaper forgets to report the electrocution of a teenager (14) during a foam party in Pichit, a message that is on the website. So I just take it from there. According to witnesses, the boy plus a XNUMX-year-old boy who fell into a coma stood by the foaming machine that leaked water onto an electrical cable. Panic broke out among the bystanders who fled in all directions. The party was immediately shut down.
(Source: Bangkok Post, Apr 14, 2014)
See also the post Songkran: an exuberant party with a black edge.
As an electric engineer , I know very well that water and electricity do not go together !
mix that with the fact that the device was probably not grounded, and the Thai Naivete, and you have a deadly weapon!
I'm almost embarrassed that I'm not surprised these things happen here.
I hope the victim has better luck in a next life!
What strikes and surprises me: according to the WHO in 2010, Thailand had 38.1 road deaths per 100 inhabitants, amounting to 26 deaths annually.
https://www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws/thailand-top-3-hoogste-aantal-verkeersdoden-ter-wereld/
Which means “usually” a gem. number of victims of 71 per day.
Do we add the Songkran accidents to this? Or is it “safer” during this period?
@ sawan I think this question has been answered before by Jacques Koppert. The Songkran deaths refer only to those who died on the day in question. But wounded also die later. That should explain the difference, but Jacques knows that better than I do. Explain, Jacques.
The answer is no. It is not safer on the road during the Songkran days.
The reports in the news indicate how many people died that day. These figures are for the vast majority of the police who have been on the scene and found that there was a fatal accident.
In addition, road casualties are taken to hospital as injured. A percentage of them die at a later time. If this happens within 30 days of the accident, it will also be registered as a fatality.
There is a third category: Traffic victims who initially think that everything will not be too bad and do not go to a hospital. Subsequently, it turns out that the internal injury is so serious that the person still dies. If this happens within 30 days after the accident, it also counts as a fatal traffic casualty.
The figures supplied by the WHO are correct, but they are estimated figures because the registration of accident figures in Thailand is not optimal.
In Thailand, according to the WHO, 13.365 road fatalities are reported, the total number is estimated to be 26.312. That is 38,1 per 100.000 inhabitants.
For comparison: the Netherlands reports 640 victims, which is 3,9 per 100.000.
(figures are from Global Status Report on Road Safety 2013 and refer to 2009/2010).
In short: the newspaper provides the current affairs of the day. The actual number of people who die after traffic accidents will only become clear later. For those figures you have to go to the WHO.