Minivan, bus and road accidents

[buksida]

And the carnage continues ...

Six dead in van crash
Six people in a passenger van were killed when it crashed into a road sign in Chon Buri province on Saturday morning.

Police said the passenger van, with the licence plate 10-3101 Rayong, was running between Bangkok and Map Ta Phut.

The accident occurred at about 8:20am in Bang Lamung district.

Witnesses told police that the vehicle travelled at high speed, lost control and ran into the road sign.

The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)-fuelled van quickly caught fire, and the six bodies in the vehicle could not yet be identified.

Police suspected that the driver dozed off while driving.

Source: Bangkok Post

[Nereus]

Witnesses told police that the vehicle travelled at high speed, lost control and ran into the road sign.

This always gets to me! It was nothing to do with the imbecile behind the wheel, the car took off of it`s own accord. Disgusting!

[usual suspect]

Another little thing the Thais do (minivan drivers or any other fast idiots)..you're in the right lane, only doing 60/70/80kph..why? cos there's a slow truck passing another slow truck..so in theory the door/gate in front of us all is well & truly closed. But wait, here comes our 'hero'..steaming up towards myself & the 3/4/6 cars behind me..without any hesitation he dives to his left & undertakes us all (still doing a quite high speed)..THEN realises there's two trucks side by side & slams on the brakes..THEN muscles his way back into the R/H lane (to try save face maybe?) TWAT!..At what point in the Thai education System should all Thais be taught having even a small amount of foresight will help them live longer..?

[Lung Per]

Another little thing the Thais do (minivan drivers or any other fast idiots)..you're in the right lane, only doing 60/70/80kph..why? cos there's a slow truck passing another slow truck..so in theory the door/gate in front of us all is well & truly closed. But wait, here comes our 'hero'..steaming up towards myself & the 3/4/6 cars behind me..without any hesitation he dives to his left & undertakes us all (still doing a quite high speed)..THEN realises there's two trucks side by side & slams on the brakes..THEN muscles his way back into the R/H lane (to try save face maybe?) TWAT!..At what point in the Thai education System should all Thais be taught having even a small amount of foresight will help them live longer..?

That's the main problem with the Thais: They cannot think ahead. They are unable to consider the consequences of their actions. Sorry to say so but I have experienced this so many times - not only with driving but in many more apects of life. Full speed ahead whatever. The word "consequence" totally unknown and probably not even in the Thai vocabulary.

[PeteC]

I'll copy this one from News last week to here to keep our accounting accurate. We should rename the thread "Death Watch" Pete

Woman killed in tourist van-train crash

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews ... rain-crash

Published: 25 Feb 2013 at 15.55
Online news:

KANCHANABURI - A woman was killed and 10 other people injured when a train hit a tourist van on a railway crossing in Sai Yok district on Monday afternoon.

The van, driven by Tossapon Kongprasoot, 28, crossed the track at a spot where there is no barrier or warning lights, in front of Yoko River Kwai Resort in tambon Soom Soom, just as a train carrying about 70 local and foreign passengers was approaching.

The van, carrying 10 passengers, failed to cross the track in time and the train hit the middle of the vehicle, police said.

All on board sustained immediate injuries, two of them serious. Some passengers' seats were ejected through the van's rear door by the force of the impact.

A 40-year-old Thai woman identified as Boonpa Sutthirak, one of the two badly injured passengers, was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

They van was carrying people on a trip from Bangkok to Sai Yok district, home to several popular attractions including the Tiger Temple at Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua and the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum.

The train was en route from Bangkok to Nam Tok Station in Sai Yok district.

[margaretcarnes]

There we go again Pete - it was the van - not the driver! If that was reported in the UK it would be 'the driver of such and such...'

I do think there are several reasons why these horrific accidents continue. Not least the Thai attitude to life - which I think we all understand and can try to relate to their religious beliefs. But that doesn't excuse recklessness and putting other people at risk.
Until laws are enforced (where they exist) the carnage will continue. Adequate driver training, vehicle maintainance, seat belts, drug and alcohol spot checks, speed limits, and maybe most importantly tachographs, all need to be priority.
The reality is this will never happen. It's fine having speed limits 'enforced' on expressways etc - but how are the drivers caught? Please don't tell me there are speed cameras all along the routes, or that even if there are they are working.
There are some good Thai drivers - and at risk of advertising, Tom at the Boat is one of the best IMO. So it can be done, but maybe that's another valid pont - if they own the vehicle the driver might be more careful.

[PeteC]

Stay tuned for some very disturbing photos from the accident yesterday that Buks references above. Up to 7 dead now, and I understand the driver is leg cuffed to his hospital bed. Seems he was out and simply stood there and watched the others burn up. If the photos to follow in a few minutes don't wake everyone up about these companies, nothing will. They're from a FB account from the Rayong rescue service. They may not even be published in the Thai press, too gruesome. When oh when will the owners of these companies be held responsible! They don't train, they don't preach safety, what they do is give the ex-farmer drivers incentive to make more money based upon the amount of trips they can make in 24 hours. Appreciate if when I post the photos, others can re-post on every Thailand tourism website you can find! Pete

[PeteC]

[poosmate]

The professional and social position of many of the minibus company owners excludes them from major investigation and prosecution and speed cameras although present are not being used against all

[PeteC]

Somewhere this morning I also read that 5 or 6 of the 7 were female. Seems 2 survived, the driver and one other. Pete

EDIT: "...In the compartment, three bodies were found, including a woman holding the body of a female infant aged around nine to 10 months....." You can see the infant in the photos.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/3 ... -in-flames

[Bristolian]

These are truly horrific pictures and so sad for all the families that will be changed forever. Life is cheap, here in Thailand. Two children also killed. When will the current laws be enforced to stop this carnage and when will the operators be made responsible?

[PeteC]

Driving us all crazy

Published: 3 Mar 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Yesterday morning seven people were killed on the highway from Chon Buri to Rayong when their minivan ran off the road and exploded in a fireball.

I was driving from Rayong to Pattaya and passed the scene of the accident within minutes of it happening.

Why am I writing this letter? Because even before I saw the carnage across the highway, I was in a state of sheer terror.

I have never seen such madness on the road.

Big trucks and petrol tankers hogging the right hand lane. Impatient drivers trying to overtake by crossing into the verge lane and pulling back in without indicator lights. A pickup truck that tailgated me at about three metres, all the time flashing headlights for me to cross over to let him pass, when that was impossible because all the lanes were full.

Later, drivers who wanted to change lanes who sped up to get in front of me, rather than pull in behind me. Drivers who jumped red lights. Big truck drivers who obviously think that might is right and showed no regard for smaller vehicles. On the open highway I was doing 120kph and cars and trucks were racing past me at speeds up to 160kph. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

When are drivers in this country going to learn some respect for their fellow drivers, and more importantly respect for human life? How many more accidents like this does it take to drive the message home? There's no pun intended there, but I was thankful to eventually make it home safely.

David Brown
Rayong

[Dannie Boy]

What annoys me is that the police have zero interest in enforcing the laws and you almost never ever see any patrol cars (or bikes) on the main roads looking for dangerous/speeding drivers - all they can do is wait around corners waiting to pull over motor cyclists for not wearing a helmet or whatever, and building up their tea fund.

[Dr Mike]

You ask--When will the current laws be enforced to stop this carnage and when will the operators be made responsible?

The answer--NEVER, NEVER, NEVER

[Bristolian]

You ask--When will the current laws be enforced to stop this carnage and when will the operators be made responsible?

The answer--NEVER, NEVER, NEVER

Although I posed the question, I sadly agree
It is doubtful that any government body would challenge these companies (if they are even incorporated), they are to large extent untouchable. It is no coincidence that many of the owners of these van routes are persons of influence in government or other areas of supposed public service.