Songkran crackdown to battle road accidents, harsher penalties promised

By Jitraporn Senawong, 
Prasit Tangprasert, 
Chompit Pinmuang 
The Nation

 

 

STRICTER MEASURES will be enforced to boost road safety during the coming Songkran holidays, including a requirement for an alcohol test after every road accident that causes serious injury and death.

 

Police and the Transport Ministry have also proposed harsher punishments for motorists driving without a licence, Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Khongcheep Tantrawanich said yesterday.Khongcheep, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, attended yesterday’s meeting of the Road Safety Policy Committee in Bangkok to consider a master plan for road safety for 2017-20 and discuss measures for the Songkran holidays.

 

To address public concerns following a major accident involving a double-decker coach, Prawit confirmed that starting 2015 licences for giant buses were not being renewed. The DLT was also tasked with ensuring double-decker coaches already on the road met adequate safety standards, he added.

 

The latest case involving a double-decker coach occurred on Wednesday night in Nakhon Ratchasima province, killing 18 people and injuring 32 others.

 

The coach driver, Krissana Juthacheun, 44, has been charged with three serious offences: reckless driving causing death and injuries, failing to stop to provide aid to injured passengers and having narcotic substances in his body while driving. 

 

 

He tested positive for drug use and confessed to having taken yaba pills during the 50-strong tour group’s trip to Chanthaburi province, said Provincial Police Region 3 chief Pol Lt-General Damrongsak Kittiprapat. 

 

The group was returning to Kalasin at the time of Wednesday’s crash.

 

Krissana, who sustained slight wounds on his right arm, was spotted the following day in the area seven kilometres from the scene and was taken into custody. 

 

Krissana said he drove the coach downhill at a “moderately high speed” and had a brake malfunction resulting in the crash, after which he fled for fear of being punished for so many deaths. 

 

After inspection, Damrongsak said police suspected the driver did not use a low gear during the six-kilometre-long downhill road section but kept tapping on the air brake pedal for control until the system was out of air. 

 

The driver also was speeding as GPS data showed the bus was moving at 83kph in an area limited to 60kph, Damrongsak added.

Police also found Krissana had been arrested for drug abuse five times in the past since 2011 – with the latest arrest in October 2013.

 

Police will proceed with legal action against Kan Eng Tour Co for failing to submit the coach for inspection for over a year – the law requires it be inspected twice a year – and for allowing a drug abuser to drive the vehicle.

 

Meanwhile, Kalasin Governor Kraisorn Kongchalard urged South East Insurance Co to pay Bt650,000 compensation to the families of the 18 who had died. He said trained officials would provide mental health rehabilitation/grief counselling to the affected people for two months. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30341612

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-24

 

1 minute ago, rooster59 said:

 

STRICTER MEASURES will be enforced to boost road safety during the coming Songkran holidays, including a requirement for an alcohol test after every road accident that causes serious injury and death.

Why do these measures come up only for Songkran? Yes, Thai roads are worse during the holidays, but they suck year-round; why not work to reduce the carnage year-round?

 

Why not test for alcohol on every serious accident, all the time?

 

This has all the usual noise of being a "crackdown" which is essentially meaningless noise that passes in a day or two. Like a fart.

 

Thailand- are you proud to have the most dangerous roads in the world? Do something!

 

Still in the 1st phase here.

On 3/18/2018 at 8:59 PM, webfact said:

The campaign will be carried out in three phases

1. Photo-op & press release

2. Half-hearted implementation of half-baked

    measures

3. Body count, denial (optional), & self-praise

Another brain dead official spouting nonsense, every year we here about crackdowns at songkran.

Yet every year there is carnage on the roads.

Mandatory  drink/ drug test for every driver involved in any accident is needed.

18 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

After inspection, Damrongsak said police suspected the driver did not use a low gear during the six-kilometre-long downhill road section but kept tapping on the air brake pedal for control until the system was out of air. 

then the guy didn't know how to drive a bus

8 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Songkran crackdown to battle road accidents, harsher penalties promised

Harsher penalties promised! This is just another government Pinocchio promise. 

All that will change is the size of the envelope will increase ( to police or the judiciary) to maintain the penalty status quo.

21 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

urged South East Insurance Co to pay Bt650,000 compensation to the families of the 18 who had died.

Makes me want to go out and have a crash with them offering "so much", urge away, 36k each "wow"

Edited March 24, 20188 yr by kannot

 

23 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

He said trained officials would provide mental health rehabilitation/grief counselling to the affected people for two months. 

I can just imagine!!!  If  they offered 6.5  million each they probably wouldnt need any "counselling"

Edited March 24, 20188 yr by kannot

7 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

then the guy didn't know how to drive a bus

 

D'ya think :)

He's not the only one out there !!!

several levels are at fault here but ,throwing the tour company ''under the bus''is the obvious choice ....deflecting blame is one thailands fortes

Edited March 24, 20188 yr by mok199
speliing

Again with the seven dangerous Songkran days!  Instead of paying thousands of police overtime to stare at their phones all day; why don't they send hundreds out on motor bikes arresting violators? Why don't Thai police work at night when the daily carnage is at its peak?

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

STRICTER MEASURES will be enforced to boost road safety during the coming Songkran holidays

Yes, about time we had a fresh new approach instead of the stricter measures of previous years

Same same, but Same same!

 

 

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Songkran crackdown to battle road accidents, harsher penalties promised

 

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

Another brain dead official spouting nonsense, every year we here about crackdowns at songkran.

Yet every year there is carnage on the roads.

Mandatory  drink/ drug test for every driver involved in any accident is needed.

in the uk.we used to sing this song after anouncements like this.

it starts something like this,"TELL ME THE OLD OLD STORY" AGAIN,AGAIN AND AGAIN.

So the 500 baht fine is now raised to a 1,000 baht fine straight into the cops pocket ?

They should announce that people have to wear seat belts and cannot sit in the back of pick ups like they did last year. Then they can say they changed their minds and put off the change till later in the year, then forget about it completely.

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Again with the seven dangerous Songkran days!  Instead of paying thousands of police overtime to stare at their phones all day; why don't they send hundreds out on motor bikes arresting violators? Why don't Thai police work at night when the daily carnage is at its peak?

That is not fair to the police. In Pattaya they are very busy fining people for smoking on the beach.

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A baiting post has been removed

So testing for alcohol and drugs AFTER the carnage ! As ever Failed State Thailand


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2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Police also found Krissana had been arrested for drug abuse five times in the past since 2011 – with the latest arrest in October 2013.

How the fark did he get to drive the bus,  he should not have had a license to drive a vehicle, ooops, I forgot this is Thailand, you don't need one, its all about the money, money, money, now the cops gloat that they got him and take the focus off themselves of course for not being out on the roads to enforce law and order, checking on drivers, e.g. road checks, licence, registration, drug and alcohol testing, speeding, and they are going to get tougher now during Songkran, yeh right, how about every day of the week, 52 weeks a year, ooops, I forgot again, a life in Thailand is isn't worth anything, because its all about the money, money, money 

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

After inspection, Damrongsak said police suspected the driver did not use a low gear during the six-kilometre-long downhill road section but kept tapping on the air brake pedal for control until the system was out of air. 

Like he said, the brakes failed 

I am really, REALLY tired of hearing the same BS again and again and again and again...

3 minutes ago, DM07 said:

I am really, REALLY tired of hearing the same BS again and again and again and again...

 

agree. just wish they'd stop talking and actually do something. people are dying. literally.

Crackdown time again.....Happy days....

An post containing offensive comments has been removed.

Now come on people; would i lie to you  ?

More hot air.

"including a requirement for an alcohol test after every road accident"

AFTER???

 

Why not before?

 

The fact is that the authorities in Thailand have allowed a deadly road safety environment to develop over the last 3 or 4 decades - and now they are trying to fine or punish Thai people for entering the very environment they created.

It was successive Thai governments that have allowed the private motor to be king in a totally unplanned and unregulated transport system...so now they reap the rewards - human error is a constant in all countries it is the duty of governments to create systems where human error is mitigated and others are protected - they have patently failed in this.

 

Edited March 24, 20188 yr by Airbagwill

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

STRICTER MEASURES will be enforced to boost road safety during the coming Songkran holidays, including a requirement for an alcohol test after every road accident that causes serious injury and death.

They still don't get it do they? Boosting road safety during public long holidays is akin to putting an elastoplast on a trauma wound. At first it will stem the flow of blood until it becomes saturated and stops being an aid, returning to the condition before being applied. Same as applying stricter measures for a given period of time and then reverting to 'normal'.

 

These measures need to be applied all year round if Thailand is going to change the figures for accidents, injuries & deaths on it's roads.

3 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

How the fark did he get to drive the bus,  he should not have had a license to drive a vehicle, ooops, I forgot this is Thailand, you don't need one, its all about the money, money, money, now the cops gloat that they got him and take the focus off themselves of course for not being out on the roads to enforce law and order, checking on drivers, e.g. road checks, licence, registration, drug and alcohol testing, speeding, and they are going to get tougher now during Songkran, yeh right, how about every day of the week, 52 weeks a year, ooops, I forgot again, a life in Thailand is isn't worth anything, because its all about the money, money, money 

Like he said, the brakes failed 

if the system was out of air, the brakes would have locked on.