Minivan, bus and road accidents

[Dannie Boy]

And after tha sickening school bus accident we now have 5 fatalities plus elephants involved. OK - it's maybe a bit more understandable for a driver to hit animals which stray across a road - and I do say ''maybe' - bearing in mind the size and usual speed of an elephant.
But what sticks out for me in the report I read on another site about this accident is the way the emphasis was on the care of an injured elephant rather than the care of injured passengers. So as long as the elephants are taken care of nothing else really matters.
We are never going to change the Thai mentality.

I guess they look at it that with only about 3,000 elephants in the wild, compared to 67,000,000 humans in Thailand, they need a lot more looking after.

[richard]

I wonder what sort of training Thai bus, coach and minivan drivers are put through before becoming operational?

Years ago whilst working with LRT I was treated to a ride on a London double decker bus being put through it's tests on a skid pan and tilt course in Chiswick bus depot. The objective was to test both bus and driver. As a strapped in passenger on the upper deck I very nearly needed a clean set of underpants

[PeteC]

At least 27 dead in north Thailand bus accident

Bangkok (AFP) - At least 27 people died and more than 20 others were injured late Monday when a bus careered off a hillside road and into a ravine in northern Thailand, police told AFP.......

http://news.yahoo.com/least-25-dead-nor ... 56534.html

[Gérard]

Just read this news on a thai newspaper, now 30 people died, and once more the official reason is "เบรกแตก" = faulty braking system... in a 4 km downhil road.
Seems to be a recent double-deck tour bus.

[hhfarang]

Another horrible bus accident:

http://news.yahoo.com/least-25-dead-nor ... 56534.html

[Gérard]

A few details about this last bus accident and insurance compensation :

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/double ... lly-roads/

[buksida]

12 killed as 10-wheeler overturns in Loei
Twelve workers were killed and 19 others injured when a 10-wheel truck carrying them to work in Nakhon Phanom lost control at what is considered "a dangerous curve" in the road in Loei's Phu Ruea district early Monday

After receiving a report about the accident at 2am, police rushed to the scene at the 23-24 kilometre marker on Wang Saphung-Phu Ruea Road and found that the truck had overturned and smashed into the road rail.

Nine of the victims diedinstantly from the impact and three others succumbed to injuries later.

The driver, Lert Mankong, who was slightly injured, said he was driving 26 sugarcane-cutters plus truck owner Sampao Poungkaew from Sukhothai to Nakhon Phanom's Phon Sawan district in a modified double-decker truck. The passengers were in the lower deck, while the upper deck was used to carry a motorcycle and luggage.

The driver said he realised the brake was malfunctioning when he stepped on it while going downhill, which is when he lost control of the vehicle and slammed into the road rail.

He said he chose to purposely slam into the rail because if he hadn't, the truck would have fallen into an abyss and nobody would have survived.

Source: Nation

[Nereus]

I just drove back from the north via some secondary roads, although some of them were 4 lane highways. Right smack in the middle of a small village on a 2 lane road a pickup truck had hit Christ only knows what, as I did not see another vehicle. The cab on the drivers side was completely flattened back against the bed, so I doubt anybody survived.

About 2 kms further on from the village here comes a bus up behind me, across the double lines, on a bend and forced his was past me and a couple of cars in front of me. While there are imbeciles like this driving ANYTHING, the road toll is never going to reduce.

[PeteC]

Thai bus safety and infrastructure the incompatible match

http://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/in ... ible-match

[barrys]

The carnage continues:

From today's Bangkok Post:

Van crashes in Chanthaburi, 8 dead Published: 11 Apr 2014 at 10.14 Online news: A van ran off the road on a curve in Tha Mai district of Chathaburi province, killing eight Cambodian passengers...

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

So a minivan was carrying 19 passengers!!!!!

[Gérard]

The motorcyclist wears a helmet, stops at the traffic lights and :

http://www.khaosod.co.th/view_newsonlin ... sectionid=

[usual suspect]

Oh dear, oh dear..that poor m/cyclist..his only crime was being sat to far forward of the line.
Last night traffic was queued back towards the rail-station from Petkasem lights..when they went to green they did stay like this for a good while..thus allowing the backed-up traffic to get thru' onto the main road.
Having told you all this, I have to say that as I neared the lights they went to red..ho-hum
BUT..as I slowed & stopped at the line THAT'S when I nearly s*** myself..!!
2 Vigos, with passengers in the bed were coming up behind me so fast to beat the lights I quickly thought I was dead!!
They each swerved around the left & right of me & gunned their trucks thru' the lights on red nearly throwing the poor passengers out from behind as they passed the police hut & barrelled up Petkasem towards MV ..
I just sat feeling more than a bit fortunate..(even more-so after seeing the vid in the post above).
Will these drivers have been caught on video & arrested..?? Fat chance!
And now it really does bring home the fact of how Thailand reaches it's dreadful road-fatality figures annually over Songkran..
(So sorry for folk who will lose their lives due to others driving like twats out there).

[Gérard]

Oh dear, oh dear..that poor m/cyclist..his only crime was being sat to far forward of the line.

Thai motorcyclists always stop far forward of the line, before the cars, and the last ones coming will stop before the others...

[PeteC]

When a light turns green I inch forward, rapidly rotating my head right and left to see if anyone is about to run the light. It's a worthwhile exercise and seldom upsets the drivers behind me. It only takes a few seconds. Pete

[TingTongJohn]

One horror story I had was a minibus from Hua Hin to victory and I had the back seat center with the transmission hub at my feet poking up so no real foot space and my knees raised(uck) As we drove the hub got hot and I could feel the heat through my sandels and I really had no place to put my feet at the van was full(uckX2) The driver also worked the indy 500 on the side or so it would appear but half way to Bangkok they changed drivers(rest break or what I do not know) And the new driver drove even faster. Next time a taxi I tell you. Wonky AC did not help as all it did was blow warm air.