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The Songkran festival – Thailand's traditional New Year and also its biggest water festival of the year – is taking place in a vibrant atmosphere, but it is also rife with alarming traffic safety statistics.
According to the latest report from the Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, in just the first four days of the holiday period (April 10-13, 2026), Thailand recorded a total of 755 road accidents, claiming the lives of 154 people and injuring 705 others. Notably, although the number of accidents decreased by nearly 25% compared to the same period in 2025 (1,002 accidents), the death and injury rates increased significantly, indicating that the severity of traffic collisions this year is at an alarming level.
The leading cause of road tragedies remains speeding, accounting for 41.8% of all accidents. Second is driving under the influence of alcohol, at 27.4%. Another statistic that worries traffic safety experts is the involvement of motorcycles in the majority of collisions, accounting for an overwhelming 70.9%. The majority of these accidents (75.5%) occur on straight roads – where drivers often carelessly accelerate – with the highest percentage concentrated on roads in communes and villages (36.3%). The "deadly hour" is identified as 3 PM to 6 PM, accounting for over 20% of accidents, coinciding with the time when water-throwing activities are most active and visibility begins to decrease.
Geographically, Lampang province is a "hotspot" for traffic accidents with 33 incidents and 34 injuries, leading the country. Meanwhile, Bangkok, despite being a cultural and tourist center, recorded the highest number of fatalities with 8 cases. However, there are positive signs as 22 provinces nationwide maintained zero fatalities during the early part of the holiday period. The age group most heavily affected by these accidents is between 20 and 39 years old, which is also the main group participating in festival activities and inter-provincial travel during the 2026 Songkran festival.
Thailand expects to welcome around 500,000 foreign tourists during this year's Songkran festival, a 4% increase compared to last year.
Given the complex situation, a national traffic safety campaign with the slogan "Drive safely, reduce speed, prevent accidents" is being implemented vigorously from April 10th to 16th. The Inspector General of the Thai Ministry of Transport emphasized that authorities are tightening supervision of water-throwing activities and strictly enforcing the ban on selling alcohol to minors. To ensure the safety of both international tourists and local residents, authorities strongly advise festival participants to absolutely refrain from throwing water at people driving motorcycles, as this action can cause immediate loss of control, leading to catastrophic accidents.
Strict control of alcohol levels and speed is a top priority for authorities in an effort to reduce the 154 deaths recorded during the first four days of the festival.
Furthermore, a set of safety rules for Songkran celebrations has been widely disseminated. According to these rules, tourists and locals are not allowed to splash water in the middle of the road to avoid direct collisions with vehicles. Standing or sitting in the back of pickup trucks during parades is also warned as extremely dangerous, easily leading to accidents when the vehicle changes speed suddenly. Thai authorities hope that the self-awareness of the public will help reduce the number of casualties during the three main days of the festival, when the number of people participating in the water-splashing is expected to reach its peak.
Despite the dark spots regarding traffic safety, the 2026 Songkran festival is still a huge boost for Thailand's tourism economy. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) forecasts revenue from this year's holiday to reach an impressive 30.35 billion baht (equivalent to over 945 million USD), a 6% increase compared to the previous year. Thailand expects to welcome around 500,000 international tourists during this period, bringing in approximately 252 million USD in foreign exchange. Domestically, travel demand also increased sharply with 5.9 million visitors, contributing to total tourism revenue of around 695 million USD. These growth figures demonstrate the undeniable appeal of Thai culture, but also present a difficult challenge for the government in balancing economic benefits with ensuring the safety of festival participants.
