Urgent coach safety warning

[drgoon]

and the remaining 5,500 operating as private for-hire vehicles, which were more problematic, because most of those vehicles did not meet current safety standards, 

 

 

Pretty much says it all.... 

 

Shouldn't be allowed on the road unless they comply with safety regulations.

 

Same as the drivers...  shouldn't be allowed on the road unless tested before each shift. But that wouldn't stop them popping pills en route.

[Sir Swagman]

Interesting- how many times does the bleating about ‘safety concerns’ over these busses happen before something actually is done about it? 

More ‘ignore it long enough and it goes away’ I guess.

[Ossy]

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

When driving on mountain roads drivers need to use the gears, not the brakes.

Over use of the brakes causes first a serious burning smell, then brakes have faded and nothing left to stop the vehicle with.

The 'burning' question is, what proportion of Thai coach drivers - and maybe truck drivers, too - will know how to use gears to slow down? They are just for going faster . . . and being first at the next food stop

[superal]

Lets face it there is no safe mode of transport in Thailand because even if you are a highly skilled  driver or rider it is impossible to defend against some of the irresponsible , selfish , non considerate and dangerous actions of the majority of Thai road users .

[Chiang Mai Bill]

The figures for fatalities and accidents in this country are appalling! They will not get any better due to the lack of police control, an unwillingness to enforce police control, and the low intelligence of many of the population!

[digger70]

What's wrong? the government is wrong and should get blamed,,,,Buses that don't  meet  the safety standard shouldn't be on the road No Matter how old or new the buses are,,, Then  there must be service history for the buses and brakes checked & adjusted before going on a trip.We use to have to do that in Aus on the Trucks we use to drive,,,especially when driving in hilly country,,,, Never hear that Bullshit story  ,,Brake Failure"     Brake failure maybe  1 in 10 thousand,, Not 10 out of 10 like here"

[darksidedog]

A post mentioning the Royal family has been removed. Please remember the following.

1) You will not express disrespect of the King of Thailand or any one member of the Thai royal family, whether living or deceased, nor to criticize the monarchy as an institution.

By law, the Thai Royal Family are above politics. Speculation, comments and discussion of either a political or personal nature are not allowed when discussing HM The King or the Royal family.

To breach these rules may result in immediate ban.

[AL]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

because most of those vehicles did not meet current safety standards, he said.

There are roughly 50 millions motorbikes, cars, vans and bus drivers who do not meet safety standards in the country. Addressing this issue is the priority.

[jsgatse]

The urgent warning should be that people here drive like $hit and if they survive the crash, they will run....

No road safety, no proper driver education, no traffic enforcement, no penalties....a perfect storm 

[bluesofa]

1 minute ago, digger70 said:

What's wrong? the government is wrong and should get blamed,,,,Buses that don't  meet  the safety standard shouldn't be on the road No Matter how old or new the buses are,,, Then  there must be service history for the buses and brakes checked & adjusted before going on a trip.We use to have to do that in Aus on the Trucks we use to drive,,,especially when driving in hilly country,,,, Never hear that Bullshit story  ,,Brake Failure"     Brake failure maybe  1 in 10 thousand,, Not 10 out of 10 like here"

 

How can they meet the safety standards, they probably haven't made them up yet.

I'm sure the policy must be: wait until there's a problem then act - reactive, not proactive.

 

[bluesofa]

7 minutes ago, Chiang Mai Bill said:

The figures for fatalities and accidents in this country are appalling! They will not get any better due to the lack of police control, an unwillingness to enforce police control, and the low intelligence of many of the population!

 

Hmm, another graduate from the Khon Kaen deputy governor's school of diplomacy.

 

[PEE TEE]

Interesting  to find out if the brakes were faulty . or the Driver was off his head . I worry when i go on a long distance bus journey. hoping the driver does not fall asleep . Have no idea how many hours they drive in a day or night .  

[Black arab]

3 hours ago, nausea said:

My guess is he was on Yaba to keep him awake, either because of his work schedule or too much  carousing, so driver error is highly probable. 

 

Most likely just an excuse but more stringent and frequent MOT testing would put some burden on the operators involved in these accidents to prove they were operating a safe vehicle; if that can't be established then they should be prosecuted accordingly.

Police on a fb video were talking the dvr had taken yaba, you were dead right.

[Wiggy]

Whilst corruption remains rampant, even at low levels, nothing will change. It doesn't matter what rules are in place as a bribe is paid and a head is turned the other way. It's almost an impossible situation and if nobody in power wants it fixed then it won't be. 

[Jonathan Swift]

4 hours ago, Blackheart1916 said:

Thanks for stating the bleeding obvious, General whatever your name is. I think we (westerners) that come here are looking at things in the wrong context. As Thailand has a veneer of a modern society eg. some high standard hospitals, a (struggling to be sustainable) tourism industry, communications systems, reasonably good main highways and other infrastructure, we tend to think of it as a progressive country. It's not. Scratch that veneer and behind it, you have a third world country, with corresponding levels of corruption, buck passing, no accountability, and no regard whatsover for the citizens of this country. So if we regard it as the 3rd world country it is, on par with some African and other SEA nations, it makes more sense. It makes no difference how many 1st word expats live here, it won't make it a 1st world country.

Well said, friend. We should all take heed and exercise due diligence as best we can

[Krataiboy]

the bus involved in the accident in Nakhon Ratchasima was equipped with GPS and it had been travelling at only 80 kilometres per hour.

 

Going into a bend, according to the story. In Europe, this would almost certainly amount to reckless, careless and/or dangerous driving. 

[ianwheldale]

I am a former London bus driver and have driven both single and double-decker buses. They both drive very similarly and one is no more dangerous than the other. A fully loaded double-decker is basically 50% heavier compared with an empty one so you need to consider that when driving and you need to be aware of the height for overhanging branches, etc. Other than that the required skills are identical.

Edited March 23, 2018 by ianwheldale

[aussienam]

6 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

This brake failure, or malfunction, seems to be used by most drivers who cause carnage on the roads, and we never seem to hear of any severity in punishments meted out.

If, which seems highly probable, his substance abuse is proved to be the cause of this horrendous tragedy, he should be given the absolute maximum time of incarceration. Any severe punishment should also be massively publicised for the whole nation to see, to, hopefully, act as a deterrent to other drivers with the same mentality as this <deleted>.  

Agreed, if they have a half decent crash investigation team then the bus would be forensically analysed for the alleged brake failure, length, direction and patterns of skid marks will determine also brake capacity and type of reaction by the driver, and a myriad of other factors all should come into play. 

Positive tests for substance abuse - whether he was affected at the time of the incident will be more problematic.  The proof will be to determine if the drugs found in his system were there before the crash or if he claims he took them after.  Due to the time elapsed since he was arrested he has obviously got a partial defence for 'post substance ingestion' that a laboratory analyst specialised in that field will have to determine from blood - hair strand samples will be able to show if the driver has a history of drug use over a month or more but not the level of drug inducement at the time of the crash because drug intoxication varies.  I am not sure what the laws allow in respect to conducting forensic procedures on people here.  So I am cautious to agree that it will be highly probable the substance abuse will be proven unless he makes admissions. 

Like the defence of a drunk driver who runs to a pub/bottle shop right after a crash to drink to 'calm his nerves' can use that as a defence for his subsequent intoxication (although in Oz they have an offence 'Wilfully Alter Alcohol content' - but it still has to be proven to be 'wilful' and not an innocent act). 

UPDATE: Having read subsequent news story on this - the driver was arrested soon after and had traces of Yaba found in his system as well as admissions he made that he took it prior to commencing the journey.  So with that evidence on hand it is potentially a 'slam dunk' case of culpable manslaughter as well as the string of other offences.

 

Edited March 23, 2018 by aussienam
Updated due to recent facts that were published in news

[Just1Voice]

I could be wrong about this, but it was, and has been, my understanding that these double decker buses did not come from the manufacturer as "double deckers", but were single deck buses that the Thai then "modified" with plywood and fiberglass, with absolutely NO regard for safety, only the desire to cram more people into a single bus. Most of the Thai that I know, including my wife and most of her friends, absolutely refuse to ride in one, calling them death traps. 

[spidermike007]

The driver of the coach was arrested yesterday in the northeastern province and tested positive for substance use, provincial police chief Pol Maj-General Watcharin Boonkhong said yesterday.

 

The driver, identified as Krissana Juthacheun, was still insisting that he had lost control of the vehicle resulting in the crash because of a brake malfunction, Watcharin said. Krissana, who fled the scene after the crash, will undergo further testing to determine what narcotics he had ingested.

 

I suggest that they work very hard, to find a tough judge, who can try this case. And we can only hope he gets charged with 18 counts of manslaughter, and imprisoned for decades. He deserves that. 

[Itay]

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

When driving on mountain roads drivers need to use the gears, not the brakes.

Over use of the brakes causes first a serious burning smell, then brakes have faded and nothing left to stop the vehicle with.

Spot on! nothing more to add. Thank you

[aussienam]

13 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The driver of the coach was arrested yesterday in the northeastern province and tested positive for substance use, provincial police chief Pol Maj-General Watcharin Boonkhong said yesterday.

 

The driver, identified as Krissana Juthacheun, was still insisting that he had lost control of the vehicle resulting in the crash because of a brake malfunction, Watcharin said. Krissana, who fled the scene after the crash, will undergo further testing to determine what narcotics he had ingested.

 

I suggest that they work very hard, to find a tough judge, who can try this case. And we can only hope he gets charged with 18 counts of manslaughter, and imprisoned for decades. He deserves that. 

Hopefully a flimsy defence that crash investigators will debunk.  Shouldn't be too hard to do if they are properly trained.  Driver should have been driving low gear as per heavy vehicle operation requirements on steep windy hills - hopefully can reveal what gear it was in at time of crash and condition of the complete braking system, steering, etc.  

Edited March 23, 2018 by aussienam
grammar

[superal]

26 minutes ago, AL said:

There are roughly 50 millions motorbikes, cars, vans and bus drivers who do not meet safety standards in the country. Addressing this issue is the priority.

And in the land of " Money number one " you would think that there is a huge money making opportunity by enforcing mechanical standards of all vehicles plus the creation of driving schools and rigid driving tests . 

There are many things I like about Thailand and its laid back attitude but when it comes to Thai driving standards and the lack of law enforcement plus the appalling fatality rate it is very concerning as there is never any mitigating action by the powers that be .  

[MaiDong]

Just googling 'Bus crash Thailand' is a shocker! Sadly, and in all probability, nothing will change.

 

[The Teacher]

6 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

This brake failure, or malfunction, seems to be used by most drivers who cause carnage on the roads, and we never seem to hear of any severity in punishments meted out.

If, which seems highly probable, his substance abuse is proved to be the cause of this horrendous tragedy, he should be given the absolute maximum time of incarceration. Any severe punishment should also be massively publicised for the whole nation to see, to, hopefully, act as a deterrent to other drivers with the same mentality as this <deleted>.  

Yes lets all hope that the sentence fits the crime..

[meatboy]

24 minutes ago, aussienam said:

Hopefully a flimsy defence that crash investigators will debunk.  Shouldn't be too hard to do if they are properly trained.  Driver should have been driving low gear as per heavy vehicle operation requirements on steep windy hills - hopefully can reveal what gear it was in at time of crash and condition of the complete braking system, steering, etc.  

I wonder what qualifications if any that the driver HAD,

[CGW]

Seems like this has been completely forgotten? 

 

[spidermike007]

19 minutes ago, MaiDong said:

Just googling 'Bus crash Thailand' is a shocker! Sadly, and in all probability, nothing will change.

 

Horrific stuff. Wonder what is safer, statistically. Minivans or buses? I am traveling tomorrow, and decided to hire a private car, rather than take a mini van. Alot safer! 

[ttl]

Problem is no Certificates of Fitness required in Thailand/

Big job to set up Nation Wide Testing Stations with STRICT SPECIFICATIONS  required for ALL VEHICLES ON THE ROAD

 

NO WARRANT OR CERTIFICATE  on vehicles, Usage banned until compliances met

 

Onus on the owner firstly and secondly on the Driver who should know the rules

Worth reading up NZ Transport Regulations available on line

[marko kok prong]

The Uk has many double deckers,accidents are rare,why,because the drivers are properly trained,and know the road rules,and most have a sense of responsibility for the passengers,all things lacking here.