Police will ease restrictions on people riding in the rear space of pickup trucks during the Songkran festival, according to national deputy police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul.
He said passengers will be allowed to sit in the beds of pickup trucks during the Songkran festival on April 13-16.
Curbs on revellers sitting on truck beds proved unpopular during last year's festival.
He was speaking after a meeting with provincial police offices and the Metropolitan Police Bureau via a video conference to lay down policies to ensure road safety during the Songkran festival.
He said police have been instructed to raise public awareness about drink-driving and warn motorists whose blood contains 50 milligrammes or more of alcohol per 100 millilitres that they will be subject to a court order for them to wear electronic monitoring bracelets.
He said he also told police to strictly enforce traffic laws and not to be lenient on drink-driving offenders who cause road accidents. Police reports should describe how their reckless behaviour contributed to the accident.
He added that road checkpoints will also be increased this year to encourage motorists to respect the laws, including speed limits.
