Thai police on Monday began distributing 140,000 sweets blessed by a Buddhist abbot in the hopes of reducing road accidents this Songkran season by keeping motorists awake with the candies. On Saturday, 2,999 monks gathered at a temple to bless the confectionery, known as "super sours." "The major cause of the accidents is that people get very tired from driving after days of celebration," said regional highway police chief Colonel Panya Pinsuk. "The taste is very sour, which can keep you awake. The candy was also blessed by the monks, which makes people more comfortable and confident when driving." The government hopes to cut the number of road deaths by 15 percent from the nearly 500 who were killed last year.AFP