After the carnage that killed six: "negligent" driver fined 5,000 baht, dead get 30K each

[Vacuum]

5 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Then why did the police fine him

The news report says that he was fined by the DLT.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

The main problem here though is that the bus company does not seem to have adequate insurance to cover payouts to injured passengers.

 

Somehow, I don't think 30K baht per fatality is the limit of the kind of liability insurance that public transit providers in Thailand are SUPPOSED to be required to have.

 

Now, whether the insurance carried by this particular bus company met or did not meet the supposed DLT regulations is something that, of course, the OP article never even addresses.

 

[worgeordie]

2 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

The news report says that he was fined by the DLT.

"However, police have charged driver Pratchaya Wangliangklang, 24, with negligence causing death and detained him. "

OK ,but the Police have charged him ,innocent* until proven guilty. but he has a charge to answer.

*still think he is innocent,like lots of stories on here I suppose we will never find out.

regards Worgeordie

[DM07]

I guess, this immense sum is part of the fantastic campaign, to get the number of road -deaths down!?

I mean...5k and 38k...that must have hurt sooooo much!

And that will teach everybody a lesson!

[Kasset Tak]

My friend was fined 50,000 and had his car confiscated for drunk driving... He was on his small private road on his own land connecting his fields to his house when this happened!? Then this driver who is the cause of the death of 6 people on a public road can only be fined 5,000... the legal system in Thailand is really, REALLY f-ed up!

[Vacuum]

13 minutes ago, Kasset Tak said:

My friend was fined 50,000 and had his car confiscated for drunk driving... He was on his small private road on his own land connecting his fields to his house when this happened!?

If true, a very strange place for the police to have an 'alcohol checkpoint'.

[tingtong]

2 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

life is cheap-apparently 30,000 baht is the going rate in Shangri-La.

only if officially appraised. ????

 

just sent father-in-law to "Shangri-La" 2 weeks ago, with a rather simple custom Issan ceremony type way, nothing real fancy....approx 50.000thb.

 

what i dont understand that a 3rd or 2nd class car insurance has approx 50-100.000 thb for death, and 100k-1 million for medicals.

(no mention about the injured, but hospital can very easily run up huge bills, even for Thai).

 

while the driver can be innocent, sometimes it is just unavoidable an accident,

what i dont get is how/why on earth a bus tour company can operate a bus ( and this could apply to any public transport, and taxis too) without a proper insurance that similar/equal to a 1st class car insurance in its coverage.

[Just Weird]

3 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

That puts into perspective exactly what a life is worth here.

Absolutely pathetic, and shameful.

No, it doesn't do that at all, what it does is indicate the level of insurance that the bus operator had.  

 

What is "shameful and pathetic", to use your own words, is that you should try to suggest what you did.

[Just Weird]

3 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

So that's about 833 baht a life. That's why there is no end insight in the fight to reduce the regularity of these tragedies. 

 

Come on Thailand!!! Its time to wake up!!

No, it's not.  You need to read the OP properly.

[elgenon]

2 hours ago, bheard said:

I wonder how many people in the bus had their seat belts fastened, and fastened correctly, ie, tight.

Sent from my G8441 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Upon leaving CM Airport in an Airport Taxi I buckled up and the driver turned around to me and laughed and shook his head "no". My middle class friends buckle up in front because it is the law, but not in the back seat. That is where Thai society is at.

[kannot]

1 hour ago, Vacuum said:

Are you sure about that? If the quote below is true, I find him innocent.

 

 

nope he was  too  close to stop safely, you should be prepared for ANYTHING  to  happen in front....sadly Thai drivers dont allow you the space to do this so i find  all Thai drivers "Guilty".

Leave  a  safe  gap and  its  immediately  filled

[Wiggy]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

However, police have charged driver Pratchaya Wangliangklang, 24, with negligence causing death and detained him.

Hopefully not for long......the bus company need him to drive the return leg.

[Deli]

If you take a bus, you should know the risks.

[puukao]

Everyone here who is living in Thailand......if here, your life is now worth about 30,000.  If you continue to stay, you have agreed to this value on your life.  The same goes for me.  Ask yourself very seriously.....really?  now go look at the thing we call a globe and do some deep thinking.......  30,000 is your life!!!!   an iPhone holds more value than YOUR LIFE!!!!  LOL

 

OK, time for a beer!!!!   

[hansnl]

3 hours ago, Lungstib said:

I understand there will be a lot of anger and blame throwing but as an ex-coach driver I am also looking to see if he really was to blame. If its true he was avoiding a collision he may not be guilty of much at all. The huge problem here is the lack of proper crash barriers and the stupid 'design' of Thai highways where deep ditches are positioned to the right of the fast lane to ensure buses overturn and roll once they leave the road. Its a common feature of many bus accidents and it can be seen on highways all over the country. Add in the fact that many roads have been elevated by 1m of red dirt and the drop off the road becomes a major reason for deaths after collisions that maybe wouldn't have caused serious injury. And that still leaves out the fact that buses are not built to withstand a roll and seatbelts are not mandatory.

The ditches are there to cope with heavy rain, I presume.

Twin steering front axles on double deckers seem to greatly reduce overturning, at least that is what they think in Brasil.

[donim]

53 minutes ago, Kasset Tak said:

My friend was fined 50,000 and had his car confiscated for drunk driving... He was on his small private road on his own land connecting his fields to his house when this happened!? Then this driver who is the cause of the death of 6 people on a public road can only be fined 5,000... the legal system in Thailand is really, REALLY f-ed up!

Maybe your friend told the cops he just came back from Tesco, with more Samsongs, driving over the public roads.. In vino veritas. ????

[BobBKK]

The compensation is pathetic but can we wait to see if what the driver say's is true?  that there was a bike accident in front and the pick-up swerved and he did too before we hang him?

[Snow Leopard]

It might come down to some eyewitnesses on this one. None the less I think the bus company needs better liability cover. 

[cardinalblue]

Is it really that important that he faces a large fine that he wouldn’t be able to pay? do you really believe Thais would comply if the fine was 50k and not 5k? Thais have respect for regulations and no incentive to comply...

 

more important is to be charged with a crime and taken off the street or at least inconvenienced...

 

just b/c of an accident doesn’t make guilt....what needs to be determined is what should be the proper speed for the present road conditions....bottom line was he speeding for the current conditions?

[outsider]

Life is cheap. Then Thailand makes it worthless. And they wonder why road fatalities are so high. Useless idiots.

[DM07]

17 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

The compensation is pathetic but can we wait to see if what the driver say's is true?  that there was a bike accident in front and the pick-up swerved and he did too before we hang him?

Oh...i thought, you were a long time residence.

Interesting to see, you just arrived yesterday!

[jesimps]

Five year olds in adult bodies driving buses. Hardly surprising.

 

[lemonjelly]

This country needs public information programs on tv advising the public how to drive safely (no tailgating etc), this government could have done so many positive things concerning the welfare of the Thai people, but has done so little.

[ocddave]

4 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

That puts into perspective exactly what a life is worth here.

Absolutely pathetic, and shameful.

As farang, do we even have a value? The fact that someone can get away with negligent homicide for 30,000 baht per person is insane!

[ocddave]

5 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

This country needs public information programs on tv advising the public how to drive safely (no tailgating etc), this government could have done so many positive things concerning the welfare of the Thai people, but has done so little.

If the dummy running the country had spent his time in office wanting to make a real difference in this backwards country, this would have been a good item to address, instead he chose to spend his twilight years trying to become a big-shot dictator. So instead of being remembered for something positive towards his countrymen, he will be vilified for eternity as an evil dictator, hated by everyone but his closest allies.....too dumb to realize he missed his chance at sainthood.

[atyclb]

4 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

life is cheap-apparently 30,000 baht is the going rate in Shangri-La.

 

 

using that criteria, no "sinsod" should be more than 30,000 baht.

[Borzandy]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

driver fined 5,000 baht

800 Baht each, it's fairly paid. Tomorrow once again and so on .....

[British Bulldog]

4 hours ago, Lungstib said:

I understand there will be a lot of anger and blame throwing but as an ex-coach driver I am also looking to see if he really was to blame. If its true he was avoiding a collision he may not be guilty of much at all. The huge problem here is the lack of proper crash barriers and the stupid 'design' of Thai highways where deep ditches are positioned to the right of the fast lane to ensure buses overturn and roll once they leave the road. Its a common feature of many bus accidents and it can be seen on highways all over the country. Add in the fact that many roads have been elevated by 1m of red dirt and the drop off the road becomes a major reason for deaths after collisions that maybe wouldn't have caused serious injury. And that still leaves out the fact that buses are not built to withstand a roll and seatbelts are not mandatory.

I agree, I'm not overly sure that the driver was necessarily at fault on this one, the bad design of massive ditches and lack of good barriers certainly contribute towards a simple accident becoming worse, no matter who was driving

[jerojero]

While the fine is perhaps pathetic, one has to acknowledge the potential and reality of other idiot drivers od auto cars cutting in abruptly in front of large vehicles like buses. Trucks and buses simply cannot stop easily and many auto drivers are clueless to this fact.

[TheMacMan]

...and again I will ask....

WHY is KILLING 6 people only worth a fine of 5,000 but and yet the local powers put signs up saying they will fine everyone (by that, read foreigners) up to 100,000 baht for smoking on the beaches...???

(ps. i don't smoke, but the laws and Fines are crazy stupid here!)

 

SERIOUSLY???  What does the driver get paid a month? Surely 6 deaths are worth more than 1 to 2 weeks salary??  Where is the punishment!?

 

Thailand PRIORITIES....!!!

What a Big Joke (no, I don't mean the Poster-boy!)

With no real punishment there will be NO real change.