Double-decker bus driver hit with three serious charges including drug use

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, sawadeeken said:

I am in total agreement with your contribution and want to back you up with a little of my own experience............

I am a 'Retired' Greyhound Bus driver from the US and have had 'much training' in this and other safety issues......... It was always impressed on us drivers to "USE BRAKES SPARINGLY ON LONG DOWNGRADES"..... "USE LOWER GEARS INSTEAD"...... The fact is that 'brake pads are made of a fibrous material and rubs the inside of the steel brake drums to develop the stopping effect AND causing much 'Heat' to build up from the 'friction'.........The result of that is that the contact surface of the fibrous pad will 'crystallize' to something similar to 'glass'....... Now the 'glass' brake pads will have very little drag on the brake drum and result in very little stopping ability........

I believe that when the wheels are removed from that wrecked bus they will find that the brake pads are totally 'crystallized'.......... (This 'crystallizing' can build up thru the life of the 'Pads' and more rapidly as the pads get thinner)..... If they check the records they could find that the bus company hasn't replaced them for 'Too long'......

I am totally for a program of routine roadblock test sites with urn tests for commercial drivers.......... However I will add that this same thing 'could' happen to a driver who 'was not' on drugs (and likely has happened in the past)........ Because the drivers have not been trained sufficiently to "SAVE their BRAKES"

Certainly the drugs are dangerous for drivers..... but .... ALSO...so is 'Lack' of experience and training.....

The story mentions a 6 KM downhill stretch before the curve......... Lets hope this bad example (the accident) helps some other drivers to learn about this.......... 

Edited...... for 1 spelling error

Yes, but this is Thailand and it's different to the rest of the world - farangs don't understand.

[farcanell]

40 minutes ago, TGIR said:

.....he’s an adult with a brain and no apparent mitigating circumstances.    The Company's owners and/or managers should also face some kind of negligence charges.

 

Very debatable.

[transam]

18 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I would be interested to know what punishment he is actually likely to receive. In Europe reckless driving causing that many deaths whilst under the influence would be very heavy. Anything less than a long prison sentence will obviously be sending the wrong signal to the rest of the speeding, drug taking drivers out there.

Folk in LOS don't care about what happens to another regarding punishment, that stuff will never sink in....I am sure of that...

[Just Weird]

11 hours ago, BigBadGeordie said:

High on ya bah!

 

So what is it?

 

Diminished responsibilty due the mental impairment!

 

He knowingly got in the drvers seat of a bus under the influence of drugs, 

 

It's reckless driving causing death etc.

[transam]

The UK cops now have a roadside test for driving under the influence of drugs..Treated the same as drunk driving...

[Just Weird]

4 hours ago, tompelli said:

Aren't the charges similar to the hiso red bull guy's? One law for all...yeah right.

You're right, one of the charges is the same but you're obviously wrong when you contradict yourself and say sarcastically, "one law for all...yeah right".  They've both been charged with the same offence, no difference except that the bus driver allegedly caused the death of 18 people so he's getting off lightly! 

 

If this driver wants to get his lawyer to postpone any meetings with the police because of illness and business commitments he can request that also.

[sawadeeken]

15 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Yes, but this is Thailand and it's different to the rest of the world - farangs don't understand.

Not sure which part of my post this was regarding but this farang has had a 35 year lesson on learning 'Thais' and I am in agreement.......... But I still 'live in hope' for somethin good for the poor Thai's......... They (many) cant help that their Gov't won't educate them.....

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, TGIR said:

Second degree murder in my book..........how do you kill 18+ people without facing  life or the death penalty?  He's an adult with a brain and no apparent mitigating circumstances.    The Company's owners and/or managers should also face some kind of negligence charges.

Thankfully "TGIR's book" does not count in Thai law.

[Thian]

1 hour ago, Artisi said:

Yes, but this is Thailand and it's different to the rest of the world - farangs don't understand.

Yes and new brakepads from a good brand are expensive, better use old ones or cheapo ones from china....

 

Also the brakedrums have to be cleared of grooves every time, more costs....

 

And the brakefluids also have to be replaced every 3 years...more costs

 

As you falang understand the thai buscompanies don't give a duck about all that, why would they? Even when 18 people get killed nothing will happen to them.

 

 

[Artisi]

13 minutes ago, Thian said:

Yes and new brakepads from a good brand are expensive, better use old ones or cheapo ones from china....

 

Also the brakedrums have to be cleared of grooves every time, more costs....

 

And the brakefluids also have to be replaced every 3 years...more costs

 

As you falang understand the thai buscompanies don't give a duck about all that, why would they? Even when 18 people get killed nothing will happen to them.

 

 

New brake pads, the old ones are only a couple of years old and were OK when we looked last year.

 

[Basil B]

Wounder how sentencing will compare with the UK???

 

Two lorry drivers sentenced yesterday over a motorway accident that killed 8, one driver gets 14 years...

 

Quote

Two lorry drivers have been sentenced after a fatal motorway crash that killed eight people.

Ryszard Masierak, from Evesham in Worcestershire, is one of two HGV drivers who was involved in the M1 pile-up on August 26 last year.

The 31-year-old was sentenced to 14 years after being found guilty of eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving and four counts of causing injury by dangerous driving.

http://www.itv.com/news/central/2018-03-23/two-lorry-drivers-sentenced-after-m1-crash-which-killed-eight-people/

Edited March 24, 2018 by Basil B

[connda]

19 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I would be interested to know what punishment he is actually likely to receive. In Europe reckless driving causing that many deaths whilst under the influence would be very heavy. Anything less than a long prison sentence will obviously be sending the wrong signal to the rest of the speeding, drug taking drivers out there.

Unfortunately the news cycle stops shortly after arrests and seldom gets picked back up to report on how the judicial system rules on cases.  'Justice' in the form of stiff sentences and fines can't have much 'deterrence' effect if it not reported.  Or perhaps it's not reported because their are seldom 'stiff sentences and fines' for negligent driver that results in deaths.  How many times are these type of cases settled out-of-court for blood money as opposed to criminal charges?

[tifino]

 

but still...after all the talk - he cops 3 Charges, yet there were 51 other Real reasons for more Charges to be laid!

 

 

or does the 'system' simply consolidate:

 -  all the 'vehicle related ones together as One?

 - all the Deaths as One?

 - all the injuries as One?

 

if so, then he's getting off in much the same way that a Speeder, a DUI etc etc can all get caught multiple times through the same day,

for repeating the same offences again and again,

yet able to cop only the one Fine

 

no different to how an Illegally parked car, even though left un-moved for long periods, will only cop the One Fine

Edited March 24, 2018 by tifino

[Basil B]

5 minutes ago, connda said:

Unfortunately the news cycle stops shortly after arrests and seldom gets picked back up to report on how the judicial system rules on cases.  'Justice' in the form of stiff sentences and fines can't have much 'deterrence' effect if it not reported.  Or perhaps it's not reported because their are seldom 'stiff sentences and fines' for negligent driver that results in deaths.  How many times are these type of cases settled out-of-court for blood money as opposed to criminal charges?

Well the Thais believe in reincarnation...

 

But who wants to come back as a new washing machine for Mama (or whatever 10K  blood money will buy)???

[Ramdas]

What a mess he’s  made out of the bus causing so many loss of lives and injuries ??‍♂️

Every times I take one of these long journey bus I’m literally scared to fall asleep on it ?

They’re absolutely reckless, they probably believe they’re riding a motorbike  swapping and changing lanes all the time, I see this all the time whilst riding my scooter in town. Whether is a bus a truck, car drivers are extremely dangerous!  They simply can’t stay on the left hand side of the road and in the lane long enough for that matter,  it’s a disaster waiting to happen any moment !

I hope he gets sent to prison for a long time but you know being Thai he might probably get away with a murder, unlike  if it was a westerner driving ?

Careful and maximum alertness when you’re in the wilderness gents.

Have a safe weekend.

[tompelli]

2 hours ago, Just Weird said:

You're right, one of the charges is the same but you're obviously wrong when you contradict yourself and say sarcastically, "one law for all...yeah right".  They've both been charged with the same offence, no difference except that the bus driver allegedly caused the death of 18 people so he's getting off lightly! 

 

If this driver wants to get his lawyer to postpone any meetings with the police because of illness and business commitments he can request that also.

So he will be out on bail?

[Borzandy]

On 23/03/2018 at 5:37 PM, snoop1130 said:

Double-decker bus driver hit with three serious charges including drug use

200 Baht x 3 = 600 Baht, not so bad.

[Thian]

5 hours ago, Artisi said:

New brake pads, the old ones are only a couple of years old and were OK when we looked last year.

 

And the brakefluid also looks good, don't need to replace...(my father also had brake-faillure when we drove downhill in austria, that's what you get from old brakefluid which gets too hot, it starts boiling and gets airbubbles inside)..we didn't crash though but it was very scary.

 

 

 

 

[dudopode]

The should check if he had a dump in the woods and if he didn't borrow the bus from a dead relative ...

Just in case he could get away with it

Edited March 24, 2018 by dudopode

[seminomadic]

On 3/23/2018 at 6:24 PM, darksidedog said:

I would be interested to know what punishment he is actually likely to receive. In Europe reckless driving causing that many deaths whilst under the influence would be very heavy. Anything less than a long prison sentence will obviously be sending the wrong signal to the rest of the speeding, drug taking drivers out there.

 

The value of "signal sending" is as old as prostitution. Seems intuitive. Saw a youtube vid the other day of this character Shon Hopwood, ex-bank robber turned Georgetown Law prof, whose conviction is that the threat of strong/stronger punishment isn't what inhibits crime, it's the threat of getting caught rather....which, if true, would warrant lots more random drug tests of drivers, cameras, remote speedometers, oversight and not least of all the willingness to actually fire drivers who cross the line.

[Just Weird]

21 hours ago, tompelli said:

So he will be out on bail?

I don't have a crystal ball but I imagine so if he can meet bail requirements, why wouldn't he be allowed bail?

[Artisi]

52 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

I don't have a crystal ball but I imagine so if he can meet bail requirements, why wouldn't he be allowed bail?

If given bail that will be the last we see of him, he will disappear like a puff of smoke  along with the hundreds of others bailed for various charges.