Video: Road carnage - coach driver says "but for me people would have died"

 

Picture: TNA

 

CCTV footage from an intersection in Khon Kaen showed a tour bus from Nakorn Panom collide with a cement mixer.

 

The driver of the tour bus praised himself saying that but for his swift actions his passengers could have been killed.

 

The footage showed some cars then the cement mixer cross the path of the bus at an intersection in the Ban Phai area on Mitraphap Road where there are no lights.

 

The 20 passengers on the bus were in a state of shock but suffered only minor injuries. One woman said she heard the driver shout there was going to be a collision but she didn't believe it would happen. She said the other driver had a head injury.

 

The driver of the cement mixer was taken to Ban Phai Hospital.

 

Somsak Janpho, 44, the bus driver from Sakon Nakhon told the media that only his actions in swerving to the right saved his passengers from injury or even death.

 

The tour bus ended up on the other side of the road in the high speed incident.

 

Source: TNA

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-06-05

 

The bus was going way to fast for a busy intersection !

 Both drivers were to blame, bus was traveling far too fast.

Concrete truck driver, not allowing traffic to pass before pulling out.

 

30 minutes ago, tracker1 said:

The bus was going way to fast for a busy intersection !

 

19 minutes ago, colinneil said:

 Both drivers were to blame, bus was traveling far too fast.

Concrete truck driver, not allowing traffic to pass before pulling out.

How fast was the bus going, then, was it exceeding the speed limit?

Somsak Janpho, 44, the bus driver from Sakon Nakhon told the media that only his actions in swerving to the right saved his passengers from injury or even death.

 

Rubbish. It was a natural reaction to swerve in that direction. In fact it might have made it worse as the cement truck could've hit the side of the bus where the passengers were sitting.

47 minutes ago, webfact said:

The driver of the tour bus praised himself saying that but for his swift actions his passengers could have been killed

Had the bus driver been paying a little more attention to the road, he would have seen multiple vehicles crossing ahead of him, and would have been travelling at a more sensible and cautious speed. Regardless of who has right of way, when you see your way is not clear, you slow to avoid any chance of an accident. This guy just ploughed through, assuming things would get out of his way. Bus driver totally responsible for this crash. Lucky no one was seriously hurt.

It looks like both the bus and the truck were subject to flashing yellow caution lights, neither had a red.

A clear case of engaging brain after crashing by the bus driving Pratt. 

Yip, in a "different country", a bus driver would be fully aware of what is going on well in advance, and take an appropriate defensive action.  You, know...if you saw a cement truck moving towards crossing your lane, one might take their foot off the accelerator, or one might apply the brake.  A cement truck isn't a top fuel dragster....one could see it slowly lurch forward attempting to cross your path

some more "lucky lottery" numbers

cement lorry 83/2124  bus  12/3344

 

14 minutes ago, Wiggy said:

Somsak Janpho, 44, the bus driver from Sakon Nakhon told the media that only his actions in swerving to the right saved his passengers from injury or even death.

 

Rubbish. It was a natural reaction to swerve in that direction. 

Rubbish.

The Bus had right of way. But, it is clear that the Bus driver chose to impose his right of way and continue on at speed towards the traffic pulling out in front of him (more than likely flashing his lights). 

The driver of the cement truck clearly assumed he could follow the other traffic entering the main road.

The bus driver assumed the drive of the cement truck would stop and give way.

 

The Bus driver took at chance with the lives and safety of all of his passengers because he failed to drive defensively. 

 

IMO both the driver of the cement truck and the bus driver place the lives of others at risk in assuming the other would give way - a dangerous game often played on Thai roads by small minds. 

The bus driver was obviously not paying attention, or more likely, was paying attention to the 20m in front of his bus...

Same with the cement truck, just not paying attention to the situation as a whole. Blindly following the cars in front without being aware of the incoming missile bus !!!

Basically, just another day on Thai roads, nothing unusual apart from no-one died....

41 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

 

 

How fast was the bus going, then, was it exceeding the speed limit?

Doesnt matter, more important was he actually  looking at the road ahead?? This IS a major  issue  here, watch the locals on bikes , only about 35% of the time are they actually   looking at the road, deserve  all they get as far as Im concerned, pity about the innocent people involved though.

As for the "saving people" hes clearly a  total f...kwit!

 

Morning Colin?

Thai law says the vehicle to your left has right-a-way.

but for me there wouldn't have been a collision at all

if I am not mistaken there is a stop sign facing the cement trucks road but as we know here in Thailand no one actually stops and gives way at them. As it is a "T" intersection the bus did have right of way too but there is also a flashing light facing the bus' direction to warn of caution being used but the driver has no attempted to slow down, probably too occupied with his mind elsewhere(tired/phone) so didnt see the truck till it was too late. Would have to be 50/50 and the bus driver was a an idiot driver, he did nothing to change that fact

2 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Thai law says the vehicle to your left has right-a-way.

If that's true ( don't believe it myself) it would certainly explain the  just turn out of a side road left onto a main road without looking...and why roundabouts don't work, but in this case common sense would tell me that the  straight road had priority over the  vehicles turning right onto it and in doing so cutting across  on coming traffic.

 

there is another strange law that says if your on the main road and wanting to turn left into a side road and at the same time  a vehicle on the opposite carriageway want to turn right into that same side road

the person turning left should yield to the person turning right....normally the person wanting to cross the dividing line has to yield.

26 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Thai law says the vehicle to your left has right-a-way.

Correct.

But clearly the bus is on Mitraphap (highway 2) which is a "principal roadway".

But still this bus driver is far from a hero.

As others wrote, it was clearly to be seen that the right turning vehicles seemed little interested to obey the rules but push their way in.

So time to break, flash the light, honk the horn.

Always flash the lights if you approach such a situation.

 

1 minute ago, KhunBENQ said:

Correct.

But to me it looks like the bus is on Mitraphap (highway 2) which is a "principal roadway".

But still this bus driver is far from a hero.

As others wrote, it was clearly to be seen that the right turning vehicles seemed little interested to obey the rules but push their way in.

So time to break, flash the light, honk the horn.

Always flash the lights if you approach such a situation.

 

there seems to be a cautionary flashing light in the medium of the bus direction. major intersection. who knows how the will decide in this one.

8 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Thai law says the vehicle to your left has right-a-way.

Road Traffic Act 1979 (2522)  - Part III, Section 51, 2 [In the case of turning right]

 

(e) at a junction, the driver shall let the oncoming conveyance in the same road pass the junction first, then upon considering that it is safe he or she may turn right'

 

 

Road Traffic Act 1979 (2522)  - Part VI, Section 71 [driving past a junction or roundabout]

 

(1) if there is another conveyance at the junction, the driver shall let the conveyance at the junction pass first;

(2) if two conveyances reach the junction at the same time and there is no other conveyance at the junction, the driver shall let the conveyance driving on his or her left side pass first; provided that at any junction where a main road intersects a secondary road, the conveyance driving on the main road has the right to pass first;

 

In this case one road terminates and joins another (at a T-Junction) which defines a minor road entering a major road. 

But, there are no road markings denoting such - Thus, it is possible that the 'give way to the left law' holds in this case. 

 

Thus the blame is actually dependent on whether or not this junction involves a 'Minor Road Entering the Major Road' (T-Junction) or whether it is classified as the meeting of 3 roads.

 

In reality - as with many accidents in Thailand, the contributing factor is the poor and unclear road design, absence of road markings. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just had a look on Google streetview.

It might be the T-junction with HW 23.

What stuns me: I don't see any signs about way of right, no warning signs whatever on 23.

But to me it is common sense that I would not expect way of right at a T-junction with a 6 lane highway of a higher class.

And from own experience on this road: never would anyone stop on Mitraphap for an incoming T-junction.

 

During times of very heavy traffic (Songkran and the like) right turn (and crossing) at such junctions is completely blocked (also from own experience).

Here it was only directed to the inner lane by the plastic barriers.

Those junctions are bloody dangerous.

 

39 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Thai law says the vehicle to your left has right-a-way.

What the English version of the Law says is that " ... if two vehicles enter a junction from different directions at the same time, the vehicle on the left side has RoW, except when there's a designation of "principle roadway", in which case the vehicle on the principle roadway has RoW".

 

This is the junction of Highway 2 - the road on which the bus is running - and Highway 23 to Mahasarakham. Presumably, the road numbering and layout would suggest that the bus has RoW. Doesn't remove his duty to drive with care and attention though - even if that's a rare commodity here in Thailand. Is the numbering of roads sufficient to designate "principle roadway" in cases like this? No idea but how can anybody expect most Thai drivers to know which number road they're on?

 

EDIT; what KhunBENQ says is correct - there are no signs at this junction indicating priorities or "Yield/Stop" signs. I often go through this junction and it's always struck me as an accident waiting to happen.

 

 

Last Saturday a muppet in a cement mixer joined a main road by doing a sharp left at dusk with no lights & by encroaching almost 2 meters into oncoming traffic while 'invisible'. Said muppet even had the audacity to return the horn-blast as I (plus wife and kids!) managed to get through what was left of our lane without hitting the usual clutter on the left...

 

I no longer bother uploading the clips despite having dashcams front and rear.

29 minutes ago, seajae said:

Would have to be 50/50 and the bus driver was a an idiot driver, he did nothing to change that fact 

Fully agree. However much he had right of way, in a western country he would get his fair share.

 

2 hours ago, Just Weird said:

 

 

How fast was the bus going, then, was it exceeding the speed limit?

 

It is not expected that all drivers drive according to immediate road / traffic condition?

 

Does the law not indicate 'shared responsibility'?

3 hours ago, Just Weird said:

 

 

How fast was the bus going, then, was it exceeding the speed limit?

what speed limit ? the official one or the unofficial one ? but your right both in the wrong, but again legally if it was a normal country the truck driver would be in the wrong for failing to give way to his right

4 hours ago, tracker1 said:

The bus was going way to fast for a busy intersection !

Never too fast for Thais

Thai style driving implies the biggest (or most expensive) vehicle rules the road.

The mixer driver just met his match.

 

On the video is looking like the bus was a little bit too fast....