The first five of the "seven dangerous days" of the New Year break saw 336 people killed and 3,984 injured. The figures were announced yesterday by the Road Safety Centre (RSC), which reported a total of 3,627 road accidents nation-wide.

The number of accidents was 58 more than the same period last year while the death toll-336-was 15 less. Injuries were down by 14 from last year.

Khon Kaen had the highest accumulated toll at 18 deaths, while Chiang Rai had the most accidents at 123. The far northern province also had the highest number of injuries at 132, said permanent secretary for the Education, Jaruayporn Thoranin, in her capacity as an RSC committee member.

Only five of the 76 provinces- Mae Hong Son, Mukdahan, Satun, Pattani and Narathiwat-were free of road fatalities.

On Tuesday alone, there were 804 accidents nationwide in which 74 people died and 903 others were injured. Over a third were caused by drunk driving whild most took place on secondary roads between 6 pm and 8pm, she said. More than 1.7 million vehicles were stopped at check points nation wide.