Fireworks explode during the New Year celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand, 2025. Photo by Reuters
The Thai Ministry of Interior and partner agencies on Dec. 29 opened the New Year 2026 Road Safety Accident Prevention and Reduction Command Center, stepping up road-safety measures under an “area-first” approach to support safer journeys during the long holiday period, as reported by the Bangkok-based English-language daily online newspaper The Nation.
Deputy Permanent Secretary for Interior Chaiwat Chuenkosum chaired the opening ceremony at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), saying the government led by PM Anutin Charnvirakul had ordered stricter controls for the holiday period, known as the “seven dangerous days”, from Dec. 30, 2025 to Jan. 5, 2026, under the campaign themed “Drive safely, slow down, reduce accidents.”
Partner agencies outlined coordinated steps, with the local Transport Ministry waiving fees on all expressways and motorways, adding extra train and coach services, and operating 66 additional flights, while tightening checks on drivers’ readiness and coach conditions.
The Royal Thai Police is set to ramp up enforcement of 10 key traffic offenses with a focus on speed and alcohol checks on all routes, while the Public Health Ministry run 24-hour emergency medical operations, linking hospitals at every level to speed up responses after accidents.
Air travel across Thailand has surged ahead of the 2026 New Year holiday, with passenger numbers climbing steadily throughout December, prompting the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and the Ministry of Transport to expand seat capacity and lower fares to support public travel.
Thailand received 31.76 million foreign visitors so far this year, down 7.25% from the same period a year earlier.
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