Passenger van safety scrutinised after five killed in accident

[Cranky]

2 minutes ago, masuk said:

Yes, you're so right.

A group of us did a 4 hour tour around Phuket a few months ago, and the driver was a total idiot!

The final straw was when he tried to overtake a slow truck, on a winding road.  He crossed the double lines when he tried to overtake.    

The Aussie truck driver sitting behind me with his family gave the van driver a real blast.   It was well and truly deserved, and the rest of us voiced our opinion as well.

I wish we were allowed to 'name and shame' such companies, as they don't deserve to be operating.

What is stopping you 'naming and shaming' ?   This is the first thing we all should do at the top of our voices anywhere it can be heard or seen - take video, pictures of the van, post it everywhere - If just one of these morons gets taken off the road lives will be saved.

[Khun Paul]

The biggest problem is the STUPIDITY of successive GOVERNMENTS , that assume that it is the VANS., It is the HUMAN element that is at fault , from the TOP down including the Government agencies who are supposed to deal with this. !!!!!!!!!!!!

[hotchilli]

"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".

 

Coming your way soon !!!

 

Edited November 15, 2017 by hotchilli

[stanleycoin]

17 minutes ago, Cranky said:

Making the place even more of a police state is hardly the answer.

 

Unfortunately, the vehicle is already totally destroyed and full of dead people shorty after the offense.

 

Prevention better than cure is an alien concept here or the schools would be teaching road sense, litter control, birth control, temper control, gun control etc. etc. etc.

No,  you don't understand the thais do you.

Money Number One.   it's the only cure.

[Evolare]

RIP.

I think this van was one of those chinese copies of the toyota vans. I saw a crashtest comparison of the 2 the toyota handled the crash "fairly well" the copy looked like a coke can after you step on it...

 

Highspeed, weak chassis, no seatbelts, no ABS breaks Reckless drivers.

 

The five dead in this one accident is probably the same amount as of total dead in sweden all year.

 

I think a speedlimiter set at 70 or 90 km/h for these vans would be a good start. A van passed me on tollway yesterday i was doing about 120.

[Formaleins]

So, nothing has changed my view of Academics then.

[Cranky]

22 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

No,  you don't understand the thais do you.

Money Number One.   it's the only cure.

Unfortunately I do understand Thais, actually self is number 1. 2. & 3.

 

Money is nothing to do with policing idiot van drivers, it's simply an extension of the disease here known as I don't give a rat's arse about anything that doesn't directly benefit me.

[greenchair]

5 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

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!

What's the use of seat belts when they can't get out of the burning vehicle because the driver has automatically locked the one exit door. In almost all the van accidents the people have burned alive because they can't get out. 

[marquis22]

5 hours 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.....

 

Maybe the problem is too many flower amulets dangling from the rearview mirror distracting the driver??

Ohhh no, they are there to protect the van from accidents (silly me) 

[CLW]

RIP.
I think this van was one of those chinese copies of the toyota vans. I saw a crashtest comparison of the 2 the toyota handled the crash "fairly well" the copy looked like a coke can after you step on it...
 
Highspeed, weak chassis, no seatbelts, no ABS breaks Reckless drivers.
 
The five dead in this one accident is probably the same amount as of total dead in sweden all year.
 
I think a speedlimiter set at 70 or 90 km/h for these vans would be a good start. A van passed me on tollway yesterday i was doing about 120.

You are great example. Speeding with your own car and not obeying traffic rules and then complain about the van drivers...

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, CLW said:

36 minutes ago, Evolare said:

RIP.
I think this van was one of those chinese copies of the toyota vans. I saw a crashtest comparison of the 2 the toyota handled the crash "fairly well" the copy looked like a coke can after you step on it...
 
Highspeed, weak chassis, no seatbelts, no ABS breaks Reckless drivers.
 
The five dead in this one accident is probably the same amount as of total dead in sweden all year.
 
I think a speedlimiter set at 70 or 90 km/h for these vans would be a good start. A van passed me on tollway yesterday i was doing about 120.

You are great example. Speeding with your own car and not obeying traffic rules and then complain about the van drivers...

 

Your criticism is unfair: 120 kmh is not exceeding the speed limit on the Tollway / Motorway - the majority of vehicles on the toll way travel at 120 kmh and in dry condition with moderate traffic such speeds are perfectly safe. 

 

It is the half blind idiot in the middle lane driving at 60 kmh who would cause problems. 

 

---------

 

On a mud-road to a work site we had a speed limit of 20kmh... I was overtaken by a van (with laborers), kicking up dirt and sliding. On the same stretch of road a pickup managed to skid off the road and roll. 

 

'Excessive' speed with is a factor, but what makes things go wrong in the first place is the idiotic, moronic and galactical stupidity of some who sit behind a wheel......

 

---------

 

Ultimately comments such as this thread headline are simply lip service... something for the press to report, do any of these 'crack down' and 'scrutiny' messages ever even reach the idiots who are driving so dangerously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brucegoniners]

Scrutinized? The carnage has been going on for years. They're just looking at it NOW?

 

These passenger vans drive unsafely all the time. I'm surprised more haven't been killed.

 

You see it all the time on the roads.

[wvavin]

Nothing would work because all these accidents are caused by the stupid & brainless drivers! 

[lvr181]

7 hours ago, worgeordie said:

It's the drivers, stupid.

regards Worgeordie

Yup. Nothing transcends driver stupidity.

 

All the devices and regulations in the world (as suggested by some dimwit) cannot replace the lack of driver training and strict enforcement of regulations with draconian punishment for those who choose to ignore the rules. It seems that 'authorities' just need to blame inanimate objects for accidents. Drivers kill, not vehicles although the vehicle may contribute to the severity of a crash.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2017 by lvr181
Correction

[maximillian]

3 hours ago, rickb said:

If passenger vans are so unsafe, especially at high speeds, and if van drivers won't slow down, why can't all vans be equipped with governers to control and limit the top speed?  

Best suggestion so far.

[stanleycoin]

2 hours ago, Cranky said:

Unfortunately I do understand Thais, actually self is number 1. 2. & 3.

 

Money is nothing to do with policing idiot van drivers, it's simply an extension of the disease here known as I don't give a rat's arse about anything that doesn't directly benefit me.

Your getting there,  but i will help you and many others,  on this subject.

All the stuff that people are banging on about, fines, points on License

take License away,  better tests,   better training, and on,  and on,    Bla,  Bla, Bla. Its all a wast of time,   at present.

You see Thailand,   is not in the ball park for that, or even in the stadium.

They are 20k down the road.

You first,  need to take a very,  very, big stick to them,   then after a few years of 

pain and suffering,  of not having a vehicle and the huge loss of money because it was destroyed buy the government, because of  there behavior on the roads.

Then,   and only then,  we will start to see them coming back to the ball park.

and all the nice suggestions that are so forthcoming on Tv,   of how people should act on the roads,  can start to be implemented.

Big stick  first, talk latter. not the other way round,  it just don't work here.

 

SPARE THE ROD AND YOU SPOIL THE DRIVER  IN THAILAND  

 

Get them Army Tanks out now,    crushing them vehicles now. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2017 by stanleycoin

[lvr181]

3 hours ago, rickb said:

If passenger vans are so unsafe, especially at high speeds, and if van drivers won't slow down, why can't all vans be equipped with governers to control and limit the top speed?  

 

9 minutes ago, maximillian said:

Best suggestion so far.

Unfortunately they are not "tamper proof". But it could be a start.

[NeoDinosaw]

8 hours ago, observer90210 said:

 

Is the Euro legal tenger in Thailand now ?

 

 

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

 

[wgdanson]

6 hours ago, mike324 said:

I think all public transportation vans / buses should have a speedometer limit of 100 km/hr. That would be an easy first step. Yearly checks for all passenger vans / buses, and heavy fines for abuses.

The speed limit on most roads is 90kph. Limit the buses to that, but however, you die just as quickly at 80 as at 100.

[observer90210]

15 minutes ago, NeoDinosaw said:

Quote : Is the Euro legal tender in Thailand now ?

 

 

Well the €uro is worth what it is worth. 

 

However, out of respect to Thai currency, being a sensitive issue, I did not wish to use photos of the THB in my initially silly post !!.

 

But some humble advice, if you are new to Thailand, do show top most respect of the Baht in public. I'll let you figure it out my friend.

 

On a more easy going note, I have noticed a very wide knowledge of international currency value and fluctuations at roadblocks

Edited November 15, 2017 by observer90210

[Skeptic7]

9 hours ago, Gunnar Horpestad said:

A never ending story in Thailand
Now Thailand is ranked as the MOST DANGEROUS  country in the world related to driving  

Yep...clawed it's way to #1 all the way from #2 ! WE'RE #1 !!! 

[zoza]

I am not sure about the idea for passenger's to tell the driver if he is driving dangerously ? apart from the ''normal'' crazy van drivers and the odd ya-ba

sucking taxi driver I have gained a few more white hairs while traveling on

the rare occasion I have used a public bus.

my first time I used the airport bus the driver did not use his hands to steer

he steered with his elbows ? and looked like he wanted to get to Bangkok

without his hands touching the wheel......and he drove at speed  on the motorway.

my next journey was a fly drive with A. A. and another crazy  bus driver

who seemed suicidal and had two near head on in the first ten mins as he was

on the other side of the road whether double center lines blind bends or what

ever, he was that bad that several Thais shouted at him, but his ''wife'' the conductor started shouting back at the passenger's...... on the very rare occasion

i have to use the bus i sit three quarter's down the bus, so i cannot see the driver

or the road....saves me having to dye my hair     

[bbbbooboo]

hmmm......another day in paradise..... this sort of senseless slaughter has been going on for 10 yrs that I know of.

[trainman34014]

This calls for several more Committee's and Sub-Committee's to be set up paying numerous members of Government Officials Families copious amounts of money and providing first class wine with expensive lunches.   Could also mean large entourage of people visiting somewhere like US or Europe for a month or so on full expenses to 'probe' how things are done there !

[lvr181]

13 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

This calls for several more Committee's and Sub-Committee's to be set up paying numerous members of Government Officials Families copious amounts of money and providing first class wine with expensive lunches.   Could also mean large entourage of people visiting somewhere like US or Europe for a month or so on full expenses to 'probe' how things are done there !

Scepticism is alive and well.  

 

(me too)

[bheard]

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!

Correct. The belts are tied so tight it's often not possible to untie them. So much for the six month safety checks!

Sent from my F3116 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[leeedwards]

 “van companies and passengers also had to take an active role to make sure that the vans and drivers are ready to travel.”

So does this mean a passenger has to carry out a drug,alcohol and psychological test on a van driver, while also giving the van an mot??

Can you imagine someone advising this with any other occupation?? 

[Jim walker]

Another one week crusade by the Junta once again 

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

Checking maintenance of vehicles is extremely important and I hope it is done without impunity or bribery now.

However drivers remain the weak link as "the loose nut behind the wheel" is most often the cause.

Training and driver competency is being neglected in favour of the usual "blame something else" Thai usual excuse..

 

 

 

 

[craigt3365]

I see them passing on the left on the shoulder all the time.  Cutting in front to get off the line first, etc.  Doing 80km on the shoulder is extremely dangerous.  Nary a cop in sight.