There were 4,121 road accidents from December 28 to January 2, killing 369 people and injuring 4,514 others, the Road Safety Centre announced yesterday.

Deputy Interior Minister Banyat Jansena, in his capacity as RSC deputy director, said that on Wednesday alone there were 494 accidents in which 33 died and 530 were injuried. Drunk driving was the main cause of accidents (35 percent) followed by speeding (20 percent). Most accidents (87 percent) involved motorcycles. About half took place on highways and a third occured from 4pm to 8pm, Banyat said.

Six days into the so-called "seven dangerous days" of the New Year break, Chiang Rai had the most accidents at 144 and the most injuries at 156, while Bangkok had the highest toll at 20, followed by Khon Kaen with 18 and Nakhon Pathom with 16. Mae Hong Son, Pattani, Narathiwat and Satun had yet to report any deaths from road accidents.