40 years of Heavy Goods Vehicle driving in the UK, Europe and the Middle East, my experience was the vast majority of the public have no appreciation of how they get goods, either food or retail goods, let me say this, if you buy anything it will at some point have been on a truck.
All European trucking comes under EU rules, all very Health and Safety orientated, these rules over time have evolved to what we have today.
Back when my Father started HGV driving in the 1950's is what I think Thailand is like now, i.e. if it goes on the truck it ships.
The wages then were very low and it was imho considered a job you did if you had no other skills, it took say 30 years after loads of legalisation for wages to improve to decent levels and it was considered a skilled occupation.
I see the industry here in Thailand and feel sad for the drivers here, very low pay, terms and conditions, so until the accident rates are felt by the majority to be unacceptable they'll carry on regardless and you'll see incidents like this all the time.