On Friday alone, 696 accidents killed 68 people and maimed 760 others, Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen, who serves as the centre's deputy director, told a daily press conference to update the traffic toll.

Motorcycles were involved in 86.4 per cent of the accidents, while drunk driving and speeding were the major factors at 36.64 and 20.98 per cent respectively. Accidents were concentrated between 4pm-8pm and on straight stretches of secondary roads.

Nakhon Pathom saw the most deaths at six and the most accidents, tied with Si Sa Ket, at 29.

The two-day count was nine deaths and 62 injuries less than in the same number of days last year. Songkhla and Nakhon Pathom had the highest cumulative deaths, at six each, followed by Chon Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Ayutthaya with five each.

Most road accidents so far have come from a combination of motorcyclists not wearing helmets, drunk driving and speeding, Theera said, adding that police were instructed to crack down on these violators. He advised motorists to make frequent rest stops during a long journey to avoid dozing off behind the wheel.

A representative from the Attorney-General's Office said the law now requires public prosecutors to seek compensation for road accident victims. Police investigators would apply the Child Protection Act in cases of death or injury caused by minors by arresting their parents too.

Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla urged pranksters not to call the 1669 nationwide hotline of the Narenthorn Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Centre, because might prevent those really ill or hurt in accidents from being saved in time.

He said 1,159 crank calls were made in the first two days of the long holiday.

EMS units in the first two days treated 2,932 patients, of whom 54 per cent were road accident victims, said Prat Boonyawongvirot, permanent secretary for the Public Health Ministry. Of these, 2,265 patients - 70 per cent of them aged 10-39 - were critically injured and remain hospitalised.

From Friday night to yesterday morning, a steady stream of vehicles heading towards the Northeast on Mitraparp Highway created heavy traffic jams and caused minor accidents at spots between Sara Buri and Nakhon Ratchasima, doubling the travel time.

Some buses were caught transferring their passengers to other vehicles in Nakhon Ratchasima - the gateway to 19 other Isaan provinces - so that they could rush back to terminals to take on more passengers.

As people preferred leaving yesterday and the main arteries to the Northeast were backed up, nearly 2,000 travellers were stranded at Bangkok's Mor Chit 2 Bus Terminal due to the shortage of coaches.