Four foreign tourists dead as van slams in to turning 10 wheel truck

[geriatrickid]

13 hours ago, coulson said:

The van was unable to stop because it was trailing by about 10ft at 100kmph as usual.

 

Wake up Thailand, hub of road fatalities.

 

RIP

Not likely. Look closely at the wreckage. It's much more than that.

If your claim was correct, there would have been nothing left of the van and much of the structure  would have been sheared off as the vehicle went under the truck. Instead we have  crumple consistent with a lower speed type collision.

 

Yes, there was tailgating, yes there may have been excessive speed, but sadly the  damage you see is in large part due to the type of construction of the vehicle. That's an impact of perhaps as low as 40 kmh . That van has no reinforcement sufficient to withstand a front impact and its brakes and tires  were probably not in good shape.  In Thailand, vehicles need not be built to the same safety standards as a vehicle sold in Germany or California. What we see is consistent with tin can design common to vehicles in built for the SE Asian market.

[AGareth2]

these vans are death traps

once on fire there is no way out for the passengers if the sliding door is blocked

[KhunBENQ]

13 hours ago, apalink_thailand said:

Looks like one of those public type vans (blue writing). The kind that drive like lunatics.

I went through an article in KhaoSod (Thai).

And it seems to be a hired van. (also has black on yellow plates, like a truck).

It has two huge CNG (high pressure) gas tanks in the rear.

Now you can guess why the driver survived (stunning) and tourists had to die.

[CLW]

No it isn't.
I went through an article in KhaoSod (Thai).
It was a hired van.
It had two huge CNG (high pressure) gas tanks in the rear.
Now you can guess why the driver survived (stunning) and tourists had to die.

The construction is adventurous and highly dangerous. No way this vehicle would get approval in Europe or the US

[KhunBENQ]

Just now, CLW said:

The construction is adventurous and highly dangerous. No way this vehicle would get approval in Europe or the US

Absolutely. Must be awful botch.

In contrast to LPG vehicles it's rarely heard that proper built CNG vehicles go up in flames.

[connda]

Back to the same narrative: 

 

What you see on Thai roads is in fact totally anarchy.  This is what roads anywhere in the world would look like that are completely devoid of proactive traffic enforcement (road blocks and speeding tickets in the mail are revenue sources - not traffic enforcement). 
 
So, Thais drive however they da*m well please which is generally aggressively and dangerously.  Serious fines and possible jail time as sanctions for dangerous/negligent driving are only issued after the fact (post-carnage) and if you have the money and/or the status you can buy your way out with nothing much more than a slap on the wrist.  Why the insurance companies who are on the hook to pay out damages for this stupid behavior don't intensively lobby the government to enact Western style traffic enforcement policies is beyond me.  It's their bottom line that is impacted.  But they seem uninterested too.  Go figure.

Nothing will change unless by some amazing quirk of fortunate, Thailand somehow enters the realm of developed, first world nations.  That's a long way off in my humble opinion.  

[neeray]

34 minutes ago, moe666 said:

Read the article, it was the truck driver who survived as the truck was hit in the rear

The fight has started! I just went back and reread the article. It clearly says that the van driver survived and is in the hospital. The police are waiting to talk to him as well as the truck driver. But the article is a bit confusing "4 dead, 5 dead" !!!! ? Arguments and body count aside, this was a totally avoidable accident if the van driver had been paying attention.

[Rimmer]

Some troll posts have been removed

[kiwikeith]

14 hours ago, coulson said:

The van was unable to stop because it was trailing by about 10ft at 100kmph as usual.

 

Wake up Thailand, hub of road fatalities.

 

RIP

Probably 120 kph + the idiot mentality of these drivers is sickening.

[Mr22Tim]

The key to survival when driving in Thailand is basic Physics. If you are doing 100 kph down the highway you must expect that the 10 wheel truck waiting to turn onto the highway, will not think twice about turning onto the highway 50 meters in front of you doing 10 kph.  He knows he's 5 times bigger than your car, and weighs many times more so who is going to be more motivated to avoid a collision. ?  Besides , if you hit him from behind it's your fault for not being in control of your vehicle. Right of way can generally be determined by tire size. [if 2 vehicles tires are pretty much the same] refer to the status of the brand names of the 2 vehicles involved in determining fault. if you're a farang who can't communicate in Thai and the other guy is a local, the important thing is that you are still breathing. Overt anger will not serve you well under any circumstances. Assume you will be found at fault , regardless of the actual circumstances. the fact that you are in Thailand and driving your own vehicle ''proves' you have deep pockets. And just as you can't get blood out of a stone, there is no money in it for the police to find some lowly paid truck driver, farmer, student, teacher, candle stick maker at fault. Expect to do some bargaining if you are in any way unable to establish your complete innocence.

the process will start at what your assessed at being able to be milked for. The longer you have been in Thailand, the better you should be  able to deal with being ''worked over'' For mediating, the officer will get a cut of whatever it is determined you owe in damages.

    Now, depending how far south your situation has gone and the severity of your alleged faux pas. You may need to consider how much justice you can afford. This must be done in a diplomatic, polite and discreet manner as you do not want to give the impression you are doing exactly what you are doing.

Remember THE GOLDEN RULE OF DEALING WITH POLICE. SETTLE THE DISPUTE AT THE LOWEST POSSIBLE LEVEL. AVOID GOING TO THE POLICE STATION WHERE JUSTICE WILL HAVE MORE IMPORTANT HANDS, THAT WILL HAVE TO BE SATISFIED BEFORE THE MISINTERPRETATION OF YOUR GUILT CAN BE REALIZED, CORRECTED AND YOU WILL BE FREE TO BE ON YOUR WAY.

[LomSak27]

13 hours ago, balo said:

You would think Japanese tourists could afford a private driver , or just take the VIP bus. Those van drivers are the worst , avoid at all costs. 

I am shocked it took more than 10 posts (11 in fact) before the tourists themselves were blamed for their untimely and horrific deaths..

 

The standard of our resident Troll Team continues to slip. Where will it end?

 

[KKr]

13 hours ago, balo said:

You would think Japanese tourists could afford a private driver , or just take the VIP bus. Those van drivers are the worst , avoid at all costs. 

with 5 passengers, it was likely a private hire.
may they RIP,
and may Thai drivers learn to keep their distance so I do not so often have to flash my breaking lights
:-(

 

[anon789561]

those vans truly are coffins. avoid them at all costs

[FitnessHealthTravel]

Was this the crash that was posted here yesterday?  If so I am sorry for my comment about "oh just another day on Thai roads'  RIP to the Tourists.

[FitnessHealthTravel]

1 minute ago, FitnessHealthTravel said:

Was this the crash that was posted here yesterday?  If so I am sorry for my comment about "oh just another day on Thai roads'  RIP to the Tourists.

No I can see this was yet another truck van crash. Shocking!

[gestreo]

 

15 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

The carnage is unbelievable, but it continues daily !

R.I.P. to any family and friends of the bereaved.

the family and friends are the bereaved

[TKDfella]

My condolences to the families. Trapped inside, what a horrible and tragic way to die.

[pumpjack]

flying coffins

i did not even bat an eyelid at this news,  its a weekly if not daily occurance with these lunatics.

RIP to all 

[travelman6]

If Thais would learn how to drive and learn the traffic laws and  the police would enforce the laws, there would be a LOT less traffic fatalities in Thailand.  For eight years, I have seen so many Thais, who do not know how to drive, still on the road and the police ignore them. I have even seen MANY police who are terrible drivers.  I have concluded that, the reason they do not enforce the laws, is because it is Thailand population control system. And last year over 60,000 died from traffic fatalities.  

[Happyman58]

Sad story  I ask again when they did all this publicity stunts on how they were going to make these Mini vans more accountable It was just another big joke right? I see these Mini vans They are still speeding Tailgating Looks like it in this case  speeding and Tailgating Yeah i hope the driver survives  so they can throw him in Jail  But they wont He prob get a new Van out of it More deaths more sadness Oh did anybody see The Thailand tourist Minister on Tv last night She was on a junket trip to London promoting Amazing Thailand  

 

Was thinking Truly Amazing alright Showing clean Beaches saying how Thailand really accepts all its tourists and makes them feel at home. I just was sitting there in awe of what she said

[spidermike007]

I am not a rocket scientist. So, I do not have all of the answers. But, it does appear that the van was driven by just another Kamikaze zombie. One has to surmise he was either going to fast to avoid the turning truck, or was not paying enough attention. Talking on his phone, perhaps? Or dozing? Either way this is an incredible tragedy for all involved. And another boil on the face of Little P. and the terribly incompetent police, who just do not patrol the highways, do not issue enough speeding tickets, and refuse to ever pull anyone over for reckless driving. Do you job men. Man up. Do what you are expected to do.

[mercman24]

post 28 yes i know that, he says tailgating at 100 k.s so the lorry was turning, how could the van be tailgating him at at 100 ks, duh . !!  think about it once again

[thaibeachlovers]

15 hours ago, balo said:

You would think Japanese tourists could afford a private driver , or just take the VIP bus. Those van drivers are the worst , avoid at all costs. 

Why would they know the van drivers are maniacs? They probably booked the tour through a travel agent, just like I did to go to Doi Inthanon, and a van took us. The travel agent told me there are only vans for local tours, so I reluctantly used it and survived.

However, every time I travel on Thai roads it's a gamble, but the vast majority do get to their destinations and return without incident.

 

PS. How did the driver survive? The front of the van looks completely destroyed, but I guess he had an airbag. I also guess the four that died didn't put their seat belts on.

RIP.

Edited November 9, 2017 by thaibeachlovers

[anon537687643]

“but the vast majority do get to their destinations and return without incident”

 

 

The vast majority “in the world “get to and from destinations,it just so happens that the 2nd highest percentage in the world who don’t happen to be on the roads in .... guess where ?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[kaorop]

2 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

Not likely. Look closely at the wreckage. It's much more than that.

If your claim was correct, there would have been nothing left of the van and much of the structure  would have been sheared off as the vehicle went under the truck. Instead we have  crumple consistent with a lower speed type collision.

 

Yes, there was tailgating, yes there may have been excessive speed, but sadly the  damage you see is in large part due to the type of construction of the vehicle. That's an impact of perhaps as low as 40 kmh . That van has no reinforcement sufficient to withstand a front impact and its brakes and tires  were probably not in good shape.  In Thailand, vehicles need not be built to the same safety standards as a vehicle sold in Germany or California. What we see is consistent with tin can design common to vehicles in built for the SE Asian market.

Yes lots of the mandated impact protections etc. in the west are not on the otherwise same/similar local product.

[joecoolfrog]

These vans terrify me , trapped and burnt alive is an awful way to go. 

[nabbie]

Terrible tourist quality.

[natway09]

The Ministry of Transport & the Police have failed in their bid to educate & enforce traffic safety.

It is now time to start again, similar to the cabinet reshuffle.

But I doubt the boss is strong enough to interfere in the Police corruption scheme

[webfact]

Ayutthaya police say truck driver is not intoxicated

By Thai PBS

 

 

Ayutthaya police said they have employed alcohol test on the driver of the 10-wheel truck which engaged in a tragic crash but found he was not intoxicated.

 

The crash on Highway 347 from Pathumthani province to Bang Pahan district in Ayutthaya province yesterday afternoon left five dead – four Japanese tourists and a Thai female guide from Tiger Tourist Co.

 

Ayutthaya police commander Pol Col Sanga Thirasaranyanont said alcohol test was employed on the truck driver Virachai Ruangsri, 22, but the result showed he did not drive under in alcohol influence.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/ayutthaya-police-say-truck-driver-not-intoxicated/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-11-09

[Foozool]

"Suicide vans" 

Van drivers just think to make another trip as soon as possible. 

Mad soon as the driver is out of hospital, he will do just same as before. 

Never learn, never care