Passenger van safety scrutinised after five killed in accident

[webfact]

Passenger van safety scrutinised after five killed in accident

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION

 

File photo

 

ACADEMICS HAVE said a more intensive monitoring system is needed for private hired passenger vans to prevent further tragic road accidents.

 

Meanwhile, the Department of Land Transport (DLT) reported that stricter rules had already been implemented to regulate private vans, requiring them to be equipped with GPS by the end of the year.

 

Despite tighter regulations, the safety issue was highlighted again after a private van was involved in a fatal accident in Ayutthaya last week, which killed five people including four Japanese tourists.

 

 

Road Safety Manager Thanapong Chinwong said private vans were not as strictly monitored as public buses despite the stricter regulations.

 

“There are many things concerned with safety standards for private hired passenger vans, for instance the speed, driver condition and van condition, which require that all stakeholders monitor the situation, as the recent accident showed that our monitoring system still was not good enough,” Thanapong said.

 

He added that not only should all vans be equipped with GPS and monitored by DLT centres, van companies and passengers also had to take an active role to make sure that the vans and drivers are ready to travel.

 

“Normally, when the van is equipped with GPS, it is automatically monitored by the DLT centre in each province regarding its speed and the limit on working hours for the driver, but the companies should have their own regulations to make sure that the vans are in good condition and drivers are well rested and ready to drive,” he said.

 

“Passengers also have to be aware about their safety by warning the driver if he [or she] drives dangerously, and also familiarise themselves with the safety equipment.”

 

Thanapong suggested that the DLT create a blacklist for van operators that often violate safety regulations to make sure that everyone follows the rules, while authorities should establish a special investigation system to clearly determine the cause of road accidents.

 

He added that in the long run, transport operators should also consider changing to safer vehicles, because vans were originally designed to transport goods, not people.

 

DLT director-general Sanith Phromwong said the department had already enforced many safety regulations for private vans including the GPS installations and compulsory vehicle check-ups twice a year.

 

“There are many new regulations for the hired vans, which started to be enforced this year, such as requiring that all vans must be equipped with ABS [anti-lock braking system] brakes and made from fire-proof material, while every van will be equipped with GPS within this year,” Sanith said.

 

He added that authorities would employ very strict enforcement and monitoring regulations, while any operator found to violate the rules would face the maximum penalties, including revocation of licences and possible imprisonment.

 

“From the strict regulations that we have already enforced for public vans this year, we have seen that the number of the accidents involving public vans has plummeted and we also noticed that passenger vans, which usually drive very fast, have reduced their speed because of GPS monitoring,” he said.

 

“I am sure that tighter regulations and stricter law enforcement can prevent accidents in the future.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30331606

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-15

[ezzra]

You can equip all vans and passenger vehicles with the most sophisticated

and advanced  safety features and gizmos, but if the humans that drive them

are not up to standards, lacking skills, sleep or other deprivations

deadly accidents will continue to occur.... 

[worgeordie]

It's the drivers, stupid.

regards Worgeordie

[observer90210]

Well at least they are trying to do something....the point is ,will it be really done and for how long will it be enforced and maintained !!?

[DoctorG]

They tinker around the edges without doing what needs to be done. I know it is a massive undertaking but the whole road safety issue needs addressing, from education to enforcement. Cannot see it ever happening.

[Orton Rd]

Vans have all got signs warning about no seat belt fines, so they all have them. Trouble is I have never seen any of them workable, mostly the drivers tie them up so they cannot be used anyway and if you untie them they are useless and do not tighten up. They seem to think they are like an amulet, just having them hanging about will save lives!

[petedk]

This article seems to have been published (with a few changes in numbers and locations) every few months for the past twenty years.

 

Isn't there an update yet?

No progress?

[ChrisY1]

After a spate of incidents early in the year, enforcement of laws regarding van drivers, was quite good...B5000 fines, licence suspension and etc.

However, as with all campaigns in Thailand, they usually get forgotten and the usual bad habits return.

This "safety campaign" will likely go the same way...and of course, the LTD is focusing on the vans....it's so very obvious that they have little idea!

[petedk]

The three biggest problems with these vans are:

1. lack of maintenance - often brake failure

2. Lack of driver skills - they drive like crazy with no respect for others.

3. Lack of rest for the drivers - many of them fall asleep at the wheel, or struggle to stay awake. I have seen that many many times.

 

Of course there are other problems too, as some other posters already point out.

 

 

[Thian]

Van-drivers are above the law and can do as they like. Even occupy 3 lanes infront of the malls in BKK causing huge congestion.

 

The police is thailands biggest problem for not doing their job.

 

[chopin2]

I always watch out for the vans when we are driving in Bangkok, they are the ones that do the most aggressive driving, unexpected moves, crazy takovers etc

[dinsdale]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

 

“Passengers also have to be aware about their safety by warning the driver if he [or she] drives dangerously, and also familiarise themselves with the safety equipment.”

 

Only to use in case of police. This particular piece of safety equipment does not save your life. 

Lots of these will protect you.....

 

Edited November 15, 2017 by dinsdale

[observer90210]

8 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

 

Only to use in case of police. This particular piece of safety equipment does not save your life. 

Lots of these will protect you.....

 

 

 

 

 

...and a few of these will also protect you...from the boys at the roadblocks !!

Edited November 15, 2017 by observer90210

[wgdanson]

It's OK the DLT monitoring the GPS on ALL vans & buses, but what will they do if they see one's data showing reckless or dangerous driving? Call the driver on his mobile and tell him to stop doing it.....then you have a driver using mobile while driving.

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

You can equip all vans and passenger vehicles with the most sophisticated

and advanced  safety features and gizmos, but if the humans that drive them

are not up to standards, lacking skills, sleep or other deprivations

deadly accidents will continue to occur.... 

True, it is not  about putting more features into the vans, they would be safer if things were taken out. Like the crazy drivers or the engines.

Edited November 15, 2017 by jacko45k

[RichardColeman]

This sums it up nicely !

 

[madmitch]

I really can't be bothered to look at the archives but I wonder how many times this same old story has been regurgitated?

[Blackheart1916]

This reminds me so much of the gun control debate in the US. Step one have a massacre, step two send thoughts and prayers, step three wring hands and promise various sorts of actions, step four story dies down and nothing happens, step five wait for the inevitable next one. Rinse, repeat.

[NanLaew]

There's nothing quite like a kneejerk reaction from the DLT to get a kneejerk reaction out of TV.

 

But first I need to see if these magical GPS units that not only track vans but can also tell the drivers hours are available on lazada.

[electric]

Quote from Road Safety Manager Thanapong Chinwong

 

"... transport operators should also consider changing to safer vehicles, because vans were originally designed to carry goods, not people "

 

Originally 40 years ago maybe yes ... but Toyota have sold millions of these vans as mini busses all around the world.

 

In Thailand the following organisations find this Toyota van a very nice, and perfectly acceptable people carrier.

 

- every Govt Dept, including PM's office

- almost certainly the Road Transport Authority themselves

- every Provincial Thesabaan, Amphur, Obertur

- Royal Thai Police, Army, Navy, Air Force

- every school, uni, college

- Royal Household

- and so on

 

I would respectfully suggest that there's nothing wrong with the vans. It's the woefully poor skills of many drivers that cause the accidents.

 

 

 

[moonseeker]

Lack of education, respect, brains... Reckless and criminal behavior... Horrific... MS>

[spiroinusa1]

Never ride in a van in Thailand,Period.

[epicstuff]

Yes all vans should be equiped with an amulet and some chalk finger marks on the roof. Then everything should be fine.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Oziex1]

55 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

It's OK the DLT monitoring the GPS on ALL vans & buses, but what will they do if they see one's data showing reckless or dangerous driving? Call the driver on his mobile and tell him to stop doing it.....then you have a driver using mobile while driving.

When he completes the job you then discipline him and continue until the culture changes. 

[mikebell]

Having a police force might help?

[owenm]

I remember reading this time last year about banning all long distance provincial minibuses and replacing with micro 20 seater buses because of improved safety, and the constant reporting that these cargo carrying minibuses were killing traps for passengers. Now on the backburner?? The minibuses contrbute  to the carnage, but the ultimate problem are the crazy kamikaze drivers behind the wheel. 

[anon537687643]

Van-drivers are above the law and can do as they like. Even occupy 3 lanes infront of the malls in BKK causing huge congestion.
 
The police is thailands biggest problem for not doing their job.
 

But now the country want the police to be “nice and liked by the public “ . So enforcing the law which affects the hundreds of thousands of drivers will not Make them “liked by the public “ . The whole place is mad!


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[whaleboneman]

The way they drive these vans, I'm sure they're paid by the kilometre. Time to start paying them by the hour instead.

[Damrongsak]

31 minutes ago, spiroinusa1 said:

never ride in a van i

My first 4-wheeled vehicle in the USA was a 1967 VW microbus.  Aside from a wimpy bumper up front, there was only a layer of about 1 mm steel and a piece of cardboard inches in front of my feet. 

[Rally123]

1 hour ago, Orton Rd said:

Vans have all got signs warning about no seat belt fines, so they all have them.

Just after that law was brought in the local school run minibuses were equipped according to the law with one belt per seat per person. It didn't last long until Somchai realised that that reduced the number of fare paying kids. So out came the seat-belts and in came the seats that he'd removed to accommodate the law.