richard_smith237

Nuff said. Indeed.... that certainly explains how a motorcyclist would ride into a stationary object (the truck)... But... how did they 'know' the motorcyclist was using his phone at the time of the accident ? Is this something the 'partner' who was re-directing traffic observed ? Unfortunately, self preservation seems very low on the priorities of many motorcyclists in Thailand and I see them taking all manner of life threatening risks or riding with complete disregard for their own safety. The complete abandonment of self preservation is a part of the Thai psyche that I have never been able to comprehend.

Its a nothing new at all.... A daily occurrence on the roads in Thailand when driving a car: 1) Having to brake hard because a motorcyclist pulls out without looking. 2) Having to brake hard because when turning left a motorcyclist under-cuts you. 3) Having to brake hard or swerve on a narrow two way soi, because the motorcyclist is overtaking traffic coming towards you and if you don't move out of their way you may well 'clip them' and that just ends up in a whole lot of inconvenience even when not your fault.

No disagreement there.... And then when a motorcyclist pulls out without looking, they swerve and the vehicle is so unstable it becomes uncontrollable and spins out.

That would be my first thought. Sand down the floor (large scale sander - no idea what its called) to flatten and smooth it an take the layer of old stained wood away... Then re-seal it. I don't like dark hard wood floors.... I was looking at a condo to move into a number of years back and the floors all had dark hardwood herringbone type flooring.... looked awful (IMO). BUT.. they showed me unit where they were removing the top layer of wood and adding a lighter seal (or whatever its called) and it opened up the room making it look much lighter). Depending on the thickness of the wooden floor - could a 1-2mm be taken off it to flatten and smooth it and then re-seal it - IMO thats better than flattening it and then covering it with some laminate.

This is true - there is a elevated risk for Autism in children fathered by an older male, even more so for an older female. The other facet of this is... 'what kind of woman' is a Male of 70 years old going to be fathering a child too - Where as a above (earlier post) I commented on not passing judgement.... I also pointed out taking the childs wellbeing into consideration - After the older father pops his cloggs, what resources are available for the remaining single parent. Additionally, there is an elevated likelihood on the child being fatherless at an earlier age.

If concerned, tests can be carried out and choices can be made early on in a pregnancy (ignoring all moral issues of course so as not to side track the Ops points). Valid comments: - Older, wealthier, have more time, can offer more mature support. - Younger, more energy, but likely to be at work more etc I don't think either idea is wrong unless wanting a child in the 70's purely for 'keeping me active' reasons, like some sort of gym membership. Ultimately, anyone considering such options should be concerned as to how well they can provide a healthy and balance up bringing. Its the same as the argument for 'gay parents' etc... There is a 'whole spectrum of situations' and I don't think being a 70 year old father is so far out of the 'spectrum of parenting' when there are other kids without parents at all, or some have a terrible up bringing. The issue here of course is choice - My Wife and I (both in our later 40's now) would love another child, but its just not practical... its too late already (from a personal perspective). But, if an older chappy has the energy and knows he'll sill have the energy when the child is deep into their teens, if he has the finances and can offer great parenting - they I don't see why not. There's already too much shyit in this world to draw judgement on someone older who wishes to be a parent again - but I would judge those who do so without consideration for the child's future and well being.

Indeed... I think this 'revelation' is not a surprise to anyone.... Systemic corruption is just a normal part of business in Thailand. Endemic corruption is just a normal part of life in Thailand. As sad as it is to mention it, until we see a cultural shift we will not see improvement. Next up - Boat capsize... Truck plows through a junction....

Imagine the bus companies spending the money on brakes, efficient diesel engines, secure chassis, seatbelts and things that matter.... .... instead of garish paint-jobs, ridiculous mirrors and overloaded speakers and karaoke systems...

I agree in principle... But in practicality... at which stage do you think things get rushed... and the wrinkles smoothed over with a back-hander ? Should 50 year old chassis be permitted at all... ? should public vehicles not have an age limit ? (will that be masked)... Ultimately - Kwilco's response below pretty much covers it... But I'd add - no CNG pubic vehicles at all - and concentrate on ensuring the diesel ones are safe. Corruption is the real enemy - to many facets of safety in Thailand, it always has been.

Poor young girl... the loss of so many friends at any age is a heartbreak no one should have to endure... but at such a tender and vulnerable stage of life the loss, the emotional weight, the tragedy is extreme beyond imagination and certainly beyond words. She'll have the unbearable burden of a lifetime of nightmares to contend with, and it’s heartbreaking to think of the lasting impact this will have on her. I wish that she receives the guidance she will most certainly need to find the hope, the strength and comfort to navigate an incredibly difficult journey ahead.

I'm not so sure the choice to use Apple or others relates to IQ... That said, I do object to being 'chained' to apples walled garden. I just didn't get to grips with Android.... but with the prices of apple, my next phone may well be a Xiaomi - but thats a few years away before I need a new phone. That said - I like my Macbook... I like my Apple Watch, my Air-pods are amazing... and the iPad is awesome.... oh shyite - I'm a fan-boy.... but really, I don't care, I just prefer which is least hassle... and I use high end PC's a lot at work and IMO they are a right pain in the backside (the specialist software is not available on a Mac). In fact - I want to change my next phone to an Android (probably Xiaomi's latest incarnation at the time) as I really want to get to grips with Andriod again and see whether it makes my life easier... I bought a crappy basic Samsung (for the Covid tracer Apps to run on) - when working all over and every country I'd been visiting enforced me to install track and trace apps.. and the thing was terrible, but it wasn't a fair comparison - still, it put me of 'going back'...

A bit of a flawed argument because its binary... there are plenty of companies out there that strictly adhere to safety regulations.... ... The knee jerk reaction to shut them all down because of the lowest common denominator is outrageously lazy. Example at hand: and I've mentioned this in numerous threads on this subject already. When my son has been on field trips - I email the school and request detail of their safety measures, the transport options and their safety measures.... (my son has attended good schools and the the outsourcing of transport has been with good companies). For example: Montri (bus company) - who responded directly to my requests for information and highlighted that their buses are diesel and have 3 point seat-belts (along with lots of other information)... The only negative was their approach to DUI - when they said they breathalyse their drivers every morning before work and if they are over the limit the driver is suspended for the day (this shocked me, but is also a perfect example of 'Thainess in one neat repeatable bundle' !!!)... So... there is no need to stop ALL busses - but a way must be found to allow for rapid inspection of buses or make schools also accountable - I think the major international schools have their own QAQC teams for such circumstances anyway. Of course, not all schools have the resources and its always the 'poorer' who face the consequences - nevertheless... A ban immediate ban on busses using CNG is a no-brainer... and the rest should be given MOT equivalent checks each year... (how they'll circumnavigate systemic corruption is a different ball game - which is why making schools accountable for their own QAQC is perhaps the way forwards)..... ... make the school directors accountable - I'm sure they ensure transport is safe.... but the concern would naturally be they become scared of their own shadow and prevent all field trips - its somewhat of a vicious circle - but a binary approach would be lazy and flawed IMO.

Au contraire..... I can effortlessly rack up 10,000 steps in the blink of an eye while trailing behind my wife in a shopping mall - like a bewildered pack mule in a never-ending quest on what should become an Olympic-level endurance event. And... then there is this issue... half the streets are barely navigable by foot... https://aseannow.com/topic/1339848-bangkok-streets-to-undergo-significant-improvements/#comment-19282053

I agree... But I also remember a deadly school bus incident in the UK in 1993 when a mini-van struck a motorway service vehicle on the hard shoulder of the M40 motorway (14 deaths) - it was huge news at the time. An inquest's most significant findings were that the minibus was not fitted with seatbelts, as legislation did not require minibuses or coaches to be at the time. The law was changed in 1997 to make seatbelts standard equipment on all minibuses and coaches as well as outlawing bench seating. It took 4 years for the law to be enacted which IMO is a ridiculous amount of time considering the risks. My point in discussing the above is that tragic incidents happen - its the legislative response and enforcement that becomes the measure of a development. I hope Thailand moves faster than the UK did and bans all CNG in public transport vehicles and also legislates that seatbelts wearing in all vehicles becomes law.

I'm not sure really...... there are many hazardous crossings in Thailand. Being 'stuck' in the middle is definitely a 'no-no' for me... waiting for the whole road to be clear is the obvious answer and I've had to do that in the past. It does surprise me how many people cross the road (without a crossing island) in two goes... i.e. cross to half way, then stop and wait for a gap in the traffic comming from the other direction... it just seems so lethal... With regards to being cautious - I'm not sure she was, being 'stuck' in the centre like that her eyes 'should' have been on stalks but it would appear that once she was half way across she was only interested in the traffic coming towards her from the direction she wanted to cross. Of course, the black pickup is 100% at fault - the driver should never be hitting a 'stationary anything'.... the driver had clearly drifted out of their lane... But - I think this is a perfect example of 'what not to do when crossing a wide road in Thailand'.... I hope they find the driver and his insurance compensates the lady for her loss of income while she recovers.

Please explain why ? I'm on macOS sonoma 14.0.... Just curious, why not to go straight to 15.0.1 ? And why is someone a 'dummy' if they went to 15.0 ???

When its safer to carry a 1 year old in your arms in a taxi than it is push them down a semi-existent footpath, we know there is something very '3rd world' about the attitudes here...

Solution - well lit speed bumps before the crossing...

Was she suicidal ??? I know thats a pedestrian crossing and cars 'should' stop... but she seemed to make no effort whatsoever to cross the road with any degree of common sense or safety whatsoever... Also, the design of the crossing is awful... on a road that wide there surely has to be a 'central island' which protects the pedestrian...

Its something that definitely needs to be done... Every official needs to be put in a wheel-chair and told to 'get around'.... then the would truly understand the scale of the issue... Its impossible to go half the places with a kid in push-chair. We'd have to drive 500m down the road, just to avoid using the push chair in the road (because there was no useable pavement / sidewalk) - so this is definitely needed. Then when the pavements / sidewalks are in good condition - the motorcycles use them, so that needs to be addressed too. Bangkok is already doing a decent job of burying the cables... I hope they keep it up.

- Must have Neon lit interior - Must have garish illustrations / paint on the exterior - Must have an extremely loud sound system - Must have loads of lights at the front If after a journey people can exit the bus and still hear and see and not feel nauseous - the vehicles fail the certification for not being 'sanook' enough....

The latest rumours are that she's changing her surname from Shinawatra to Canute...

Following this incident I agree, but if I am to be totally honest it is not something I have ever given any thought to previously . The same probably goes for most people. I do however remember a year or two ago when a minibus exploded during an accident killing an extraordinary amount of passengers. I think the issue raised then was overloading of passengers, I don't remember any calls for gas to be banned I agree.... Its CNG in public transport has never been banned... It was actively pushed by none other than Thaksin back in the day. I also agree that 'most people' would not be aware of the risks and not know to show concern about CNG in a public vehicle, but enough on this forum have raised such concern. Back in 2017, I raised concerns to my Son's school regarding 'school bus transport' before a field trip - I make this point only to highlight that the concern (e-mail) was forwarded directly to the bus company (Montri) who in their response also highlighted that their vehicles are diesel only. Thus, companies which could be considered more professional at the time, seemed aware of the risks associated with CNG.

Another with the same weird fixation. Would the course of action you are suggesting, have any effect on incidents like this ? No it would not , so give it a rest for gods sake I saw a car the other day with a sticker on it saying " my other car is a porsche" should the owner be fully investigated and prosecuted if his other car is not actually a Porsche ? If I'm not mistaken, companies such as Mercedes, Volvo sell the chassis... So the chassis and engine are Mercedes and everything else in 'added on'... The simple reality is that no public transport should be permitted to use CNG. Busses, Vans or Taxis. It was Thaksin Shinawatra who instigated the use of CNG in public transport vehicles and taxis... if you look into why, it can be found that at the time he had his fingers in.... you guessed it... --------- My son has been on field trips.. and each time I have checked the school and 'bus company policy' regarding safety.... .... The don't use diesel busses only (I still have the email responses from the school and bus companies themselves).

No he didnt... This is a screen shot of the video showing the driver run to get a Fire extinguisher after trying and failing to open the rear doors... By then it was probably all tragically too late. There are two specific videos doing the rounds. 1) Screen shot below is from one of the videos. 2) Another video taken from the opposite side showing the driver franticly trying to get access to the bus from the other side. The driver did flee though - but only after all attempts to rescue the kids failed. He probably feared for his life.... not a correct action at all by the way, but the manner in which the 'some-media' and people on forum are spreading this misinformation is poor form. One video here (though the ack of urgency is heartbreaking - the driver already seems to know all souls have been lost). https://www.tiktok.com/@kiepertot.28/video/7421123731168251154 The bus driver 'escaping the scene' seems like a narrative everyone is keen on to direct their anger... Finally, as this thread shows, it is the owners who need to be targeted.