A total of 59 people were killed and more than 15,366 injured in road accidents across Phuket in the first six months of this year, DDPM Phuket Chief Wichit Sutthaso confirmed.
According to national road safety agency ThaiRSC, 96 people had died in road accidents during the same period last year.
“Although lower than those reported for the same period in 2024, the current death toll still raises serious concerns for authorities,” DDPM Phuket Chief Mr Wichit told The Phuket News.
The latest statistics were presented during a road safety evaluation meeting held at Phuket Provincial Hall on Wednesday (July 16).
The meeting, chaired by Mr Wichit, aimed to draw lessons from the operations carried out to reduce road and marine accidents during the Songkran Festival as part of the national campaign ‘Driving Safely, Thailand Without Accidents’.
Also in attendance were Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Pol Col Phatsakorn Sonthikun Santhikun and representatives from relevant agencies.
Mr Wichit confirmed that during this year’s Songkran festival, Phuket officials recorded no fatalities during the core ‘seven days of danger’ (Apr 11–17). A total of 45 accidents and 45 injuries were recognised by Phuket officials, four fewer accidents than the 49 recorded during the same period last year.
In the lead-up to that period (Apr 4-10), there were 29 accidents, resulting in 28 injuries and two deaths before Songkran day. After the main period of seven dangerous days (Apr 18-24), 25 accidents occurred, with 26 injuries and one death, Mr Wichit added.
“This year during Songkran, we managed to go through the strict control period without any deaths. That’s a notable improvement from last year,” Mr Wichit said.
The meeting was part of a broader effort by the Phuket Road Accident Prevention and Reduction Center, which was set up to lead coordinated action among agencies, gather operational data, and develop better safety measures for future festivals and regular periods.
However, Mr Wichit noted that the “lessons learned” are not yet finalised and failed to provide specific details about the suggestions or recommendations made during the meeting with officials regarding road safety improvements.
Instead, he said, “We’re still waiting on additional reports from each unit.”
“Once we collect everything, a full summary will be submitted to the central government. We have already assigned each agency to assess their work and highlight what can be improved,” Mr Wichit said.
Key areas under review include human behaviour, road and environmental conditions, vehicle factors, law enforcement effectiveness, post-accident response and inter-agency co-ordination.
“The goal is to use the lessons from Songkran 2025 to improve year-round road safety and enhance legal enforcement where necessary,” Mr Wichit noted, but would not comment any further.