Hundreds of New Year Holiday Deaths in Thailand by Phairath Khampha 8 January 2001 New Year's celebrations in Thailand left a death toll of 481 people, the Public Health Ministry said on January 3, 2000. Car crashes accounted for 351 of those deaths during the five-day holiday period. A further 35,000-odd people were also injured, over half of whom on the road. Road accidents are said to be a leading cause of death in Thailand, with thousands dying every year - figures from 1993 showed an average of nearly 50 people dying daily on the roads. Speeding drivers The Public Health ministry said 80 percent of those killed were men and most incidents occurred in the rural north-east. Most men take a very offensive, macho approach to driving even though most really have no idea of what they are doing because the licensing process for drivers is extremely corrupt and everyone just buys their license from corrupt transport officials. The local media blamed the high accident rate on recklessness, poor safety measures on roads and the practise of obtaining driving licenses through bribes. Drivers using amphetamines - commonly used by long-distance truck drivers to stay awake - were also blamed. Millions of people leave Bangkok during the New Year holiday of five days to return home or holiday in outlying provinces. December 28 was also declared a holiday by the government, to encourage people to return home to cast advance ballots ahead of the January 6 general elections.