Road accidents claimed the lives of 114 people across Laos in January, an increase from the previous month.
According to statistics from the Traffic Police Department, a total of 770 road accidents took place in January, killing 114 people.
Police say 182 accidents were recorded in the first month of the year, with 18 more deaths than during the previous month. The majority of accidents were caused by driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, sudden changes in direction, and exiting side streets without looking.
Some 535 accidents were recorded between 5 pm and 12 am, occurring most frequently on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings.
The majority of these accidents involved drivers between the ages of 16 and 30. Their occupations were listed as farmers, laborers, and secondary school or university students.
Meanwhile, police said a rising number of foreign nationals had been involved in road accidents, with Chinese nationals involved in the most incidents, followed by Thais and Vietnamese.
Throughout the entirety of 2022, road accidents took the lives of 934 people in Laos.
