Road Accidents Claim 831 Lives In 2021
Source: Vientiane Times
A total of 831 people died in road accidents across the country in 2021, with the cost of the damage to vehicles estimated at over 92 billion kip.
Director General of the Traffic Police Department at the Ministry of Public Security, Mr Kongsy Souvannatoum, said that 5,576 accidents occurred in 2021. However, this figure was 1,198 less than the number of accidents recorded in 2020.
In addition to the 831 fatalities, 8,388 people were injured and 9,910 vehicles were damaged in road accidents last year.
Police say most accidents were caused by dangerous and negligent driving.
Many of those involved in accidents were under the legal driving age, did not have a driver’s licence, were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, were driving too fast, or made unsafe turns.
Mr Kongsy said traffic police had worked efficiently and their efforts had reduced the number of accidents.
In addition, police are building their capacity with a view to employing working methods and modern systems that are internationally accepted. Police will continue to direct rush hour traffic at points of entry to Vientiane and at busy intersections, handle accidents promptly and correctly, and attempt to tackle traffic congestion on main roads, in local communities, and around markets, bus stations, schools, roadsides and offices.
They will work with the relevant authorities to address the problem of drivers violating the traffic regulations, including failure to wear a helmet when riding a motorbike.
Police will also carry out more patrols using unmarked vehicles, as well as questioning the drivers of vehicles without licence plates or the correct documents. Over the New Year weekend, traffic police across the country set up round-the-clock emergency patrols as well as checkpoints at two locations on Road 13 North and South.
These focused on speeding and alcohol level checks, overloaded vehicles, and the inspection of driver’s and vehicle documents.
The police urge all road users to cooperate with traffic police and other authorities by adhering to the traffic regulations in order to minimise the loss of life, injuries, and property damage.
In Thailand, 876,391 people were injured and 13,654 people died in road traffic accidents in 2021, according to the country’s Accident Data Centre.
Laos continues to record an unacceptably high number of injuries and deaths from road traffic accidents each year, with the figures per capita being much higher than those of neighbouring countries.
