Road accidents claimed 79 lives in Thailand's first two of the deadly days of New Year's driving, officials said Friday. On Wednesday and Thursday, 1,012 road accidents occurred on Thailand's highways, killing 79 people and injuring 1,095, according to government figures.
Wibul Sanguanpong, director general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said the major causes of accidents were drunk driving (39.42 per cent) and speeding (22.13 per cent), the Bangkok Post newspaper reported on its website. The Thai government has vowed to keep the road death toll this New Year's season, which runs through Tuesday, to less than 300, compared with 446 crash victims last year.