BANGKOK: Thailand has officially begun its annual “seven dangerous days” road safety campaign for Songkran 2026, with authorities tightening accident prevention measures as millions prepare to travel during the long holiday period.
The intensive control period will run from Saturday (April 11) to Friday (April 17) under the campaign slogan: “Drive safely, slow down, reduce accidents.”
Theerapat Katchamat, Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), said Songkran is one of the busiest travel periods of the year, as people return to their home provinces and join festivities in different parts of the country. As a result, the number of risk factors linked to road accidents is higher than during normal periods.
To address this, the Road Accident Prevention and Reduction Centre for Songkran 2026 has designated the seven-day period from April 11-17 as a time of intensified enforcement and coordinated safety operations.
The official opening ceremony for the centre is scheduled for April 10, 2026. Daily meetings of the centre’s special subcommittee and daily press briefings on operations will be held from April 11 to 16, with a final summary of the campaign to be announced on April 17.
Authorities have instructed all agencies to work together in driving five main measures to prevent and reduce road accidents during the festival period. These cover:
- management and administration,
- reducing road and environmental risk factors,
- reducing vehicle-related risk factors,
- promoting safer behaviour among road users, and
- post-accident assistance and emergency support.
The government has also set broad performance targets to assess the effectiveness of this year’s campaign.
First, the number of accidents, fatalities and hospital admissions from road crashes must fall by at least 5% compared with the three-year average for Songkran.
Second, the number of major accidents must also decline by at least 5% against the three-year Songkran average.
Third, the number of people killed at the scene of accidents must be reduced by no less than 5% from the average of the previous three Songkran festivals.
Fourth, authorities will closely monitor deaths linked to major risky behaviours, including drink-driving, speeding, cutting in at close range, driving against traffic, failing to wear a crash helmet and not using a seatbelt.
The campaign forms part of Thailand’s annual push to limit road casualties during Songkran, a festival period that traditionally brings a sharp rise in traffic volume and accident risks nationwide. - The Nation/ANN
[Source: Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM)]
