Video: Tai Yai man: I thought the light was green Truck driver: So did I.

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Video: Tai Yai man: I thought the light was green Truck driver: So did I. 

 

Image: Sanook

 

CCTV footage from Tak province in Thailand's north west showed a pick-up with 12 members of the Tai Yai community aboard slam into a ten wheel truck at a t-junction near Mae Sot. 

 

It clearly showed that the truck driver had waited on red before going through on green.

 

Truck driver Detdiaw, 44, said he had done nothing wrong. 

 

Pick-up driver Surathong, 46, claimed the light for him indicated green and he could go straight ahead. 

 

Sanook said that 12 members of the Tai Yai community from Kamphang Phet were in the cab and bed of the pick-up, although from the footage it was difficult to ascertain exactly how many people were travelling in the pick up. 

 

Seven including the driver suffered only minor injuries, Sanook said, while others were taken to hospital in a serious condition. 

 

Surathong said that members of his family were on their way to a Christian ceremony that was to be held in Chiang Mai. 

 

Source: Sanook

 

 -- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-03-28

 

[brokenbone]

theres no telling from that cctv who had the right of way,

but the typical case is the pickup thought

a few seconds of red light shouldnt force him

to wait on his turn

[kingkenny]

Actually it's possible both had the green light and the truck should have taken care with turning tight with oncoming traffic, I don't know the junction though so straight ahead on both sides could be staggered. 

[seajae]

putting the boot in instead of stopping is a common happening for many drivers in Thailand, thing is the truck definitely had the green light although no green arrow, did the pickup up also have a green light, if so the truck was at fault

 

Edited March 28, 2019 by seajae

[sammieuk1]

The other day I was watching a crash compilation there was one a level crossing the barriers were down the long express looking train was at least 6 carriages through the crossing and a pickup drove into the train. driving here is the most dangerous thing any of us will ever do and living by a road or walking on a side walk will eventually get you killed ???? 

[metisdead]

A troll post and the replies have been removed. 

 

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed. 

[KhunBENQ]

3 hours ago, brokenbone said:

theres no telling from that cctv who had the right of way,

My thought too.

3 hours ago, seajae said:

thing is the truck definitely had the green light although no green arrow, did the pickup up also have a green light, if so the truck was at fault

In Thailand they mostly have the lights separated (green arrow) so that a right turn would not come in the way of a straight driving vehicle.

"Mostly" with few exceptions.

 

Just watched the video.

At 0:19 you see a (red) arrow.

 

Edited March 28, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[Ceruhe]

3 hours ago, brokenbone said:

theres no telling from that cctv who had the right of way,

You probably assumed, as I initially did, the footage would just repeat the clip over and over again, fortunately that is not this case and we get another 2 angles to look at it.

 

Considering what I've seen so far:

- Truck driver has green arrow for his turn. This should indicate oncomming traffic having a red light by default. Although I can't verify that in the clip due to perspective and rerouting of traffic and this being Thailand, you never know...but so far I haven't encountered a traffic light which has a dangerous setup on an intersection of that size. Smaller intersections in cities of course have plenty of these setups.

- The truck driver has been having 9s of green (arrow) light before the pickup even arrives at the stopping line, so we can rule out the typical thai style of "it just turned red, I am still 1000% correct to go instead of waiting for the next green light".

 

I couldn't spot a dashcam on the pickup (viewing angles again as well as glare).

 

All things considered, looks like the pick up driver saw the wrong color and/or was distracted by something else.

[KhunBENQ]

12 minutes ago, Ceruhe said:

we get another 2 angles to look at it.

Although the video is quite blurry, the signal that the truck driver sees is green (long before it comes to view). And very likely it's a green arrow.

 

12 minutes ago, Ceruhe said:

All things considered, looks like the pick up driver saw the wrong color and/or was distracted by something else.

Maybe saw black (out) or blinded.

 

In short: another day on Thailand's roads.

Don't trust a light.

I often argue with a friend who admires lights while I favor circles where they just can't speed through.

Edited March 28, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[Paul Henry]

The pickup had 12? passengers in the back.Will he be given a ticket for this.Passengers are banned from travelling in the back of pickups.The attending cops probable forgot about this law too much else on their plate. Poor over worked guys.

[Irishrogue]

4 hours ago, brokenbone said:

theres no telling from that cctv who had the right of way,

but the typical case is the pickup thought

a few seconds of red light shouldnt force him

to wait on his turn

It is very clear that the pick up went through on a green light. The truck should have waited before turning right.

[stanleycoin]

Well someone has a bigger nose than the other. 

but who was it. 

Edited March 28, 2019 by stanleycoin

[KhunBENQ]

17 minutes ago, Irishrogue said:

It is very clear that the pick up went through on a green light. The truck should have waited before turning right. 

I see a green light (arrow or not?) for the big truck on the center.

I don't see the light for the pickup on the right.
Tell me what YOU have seen.

(have you read the OP and followed the thread?)

Wish I could find the exact location to show clear pictures.

Edited March 28, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[Boycie]

9 minutes ago, Irishrogue said:

It is very clear that the pick up went through on a green light. The truck should have waited before turning right.

We can't see what colour traffic light the pick-up driver had from the CCTV.

 

The lane that the truck was in, had a red arrow which then turned to a green circle. All the traffic behind the truck were queued waiting to turn right and when the lights turned to a green circle they all starting moving. 

 

If the traffic lights were all working correctly, the pick up driver went through on a red light.

 

 

[KhunBENQ]

20 minutes ago, Paul Henry said:

The pickup had 12? passengers in the back.Will he be given a ticket for this.

And for driving on the right lane without a reason (except speeding)

[natway09]

Inattentiveness from the pick up driver as well. He must have seen the truck turning & no attempt to slow down. not much good being in the right but dead. 

[Boycie]

Found these images on Google maps of the intersection.

This is the position where the truck was waiting to turn right.

At least he waited for a green light!

 

[Ceruhe]

Looks like the traffic light in those 2 screenshots just turned red ;)

[phantomfiddler]

Surely the pickup driver must have known the basic Thai law of driving ? "Might is right" ! aka Mightier is rightier ????

[Denim]

Could have been me. Went through that junction on Tuesday coming back from Mae Sot.

[moe666]

3 hours ago, Irishrogue said:

It is very clear that the pick up went through on a green light. The truck should have waited before turning right.

You cannot see the light the pickup has. Just driven from Kan. to CM and they always stop traffic and allow only one lane or direction at a time. The truck had green that doesn't mean the pickup had green

[hotchilli]

100 meters from where I live is a 3-way junction controlled by lights.

For the last 3 months more than half the lights have stopped working, one set is actually facing the ground the other the turn-right arrow light has stopped working, now it's a complete mystery as to has the right of way! The rule now is everybody ignores the lights and just drives through slowly, but it's interesting when a large truck or 10 wheeler with a trailer tries to pick it's way across!

I've seen police many times going through with the traffic, not even bothering to notify the local authorities?

[Sonhia]

Only six persons on the back of a flat bed pick up. 

 

Law broken yet again!

 

Hopeles! 

 

Same old same old in the so called land of paradise... 

[ocddave]

After my last visit to renew my license, I can only imagine what the issue is here. There was a Thai motorcycle driver trying to renew his license that day, he couldn't tell the difference between green/red/yellow, obviously color blind, so the officer giving the eye test tells him to go clean his glasses, then he returns with a friend, and she gives him another test, where you can clearly hear the other guy coaching him....she stops the test and warns the man, then tells him to rest his eyes, where he must have done another test after I left, not sure where that went. The guy did state to her that he just got his car license renewed earlier in the month, as if that was going to sway her......scarey!!!!

[ocddave]

2 hours ago, Boycie said:

Found these images on Google maps of the intersection.

This is the position where the truck was waiting to turn right.

At least he waited for a green light!

 

CLASSIC!!!! LMAO!!!

[KhunBENQ]

3 hours ago, Boycie said:

Found these images on Google maps of the intersection.

You found it! Is it highway 12?

The first image shows that the pickup not only had a light on the pole to the left but also a light over the center of the road.

To me this looks like fully intentional ignoring the light, probably "forgot" to think that the truck would turn right.

A criminal at the wheel who would go to jail in countries with rule of law.

Edited March 28, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[connda]

Years back in Korat I entered an intersection where the lights were green in all directions.  So, I can believe both of them personally.

[cardinalblue]

Here is my dumb ass guess...the PU hits the gas when he sees the red light....

 

i have observed this many times where I instantly hit the break when red appears and b/f arriving at the intersection, others drivers hit the gas increasing their speed not to make the signal but to get they the red light...

 

This pu was increasing its speed and had no intention to drive to road conditions

 

he was barreling thru that intersection w/o thought to driving conditions....

 

sorry, but I see this type of driving every day here...

  

[Boycie]

2 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

You found it! Is it highway 12?

The first image shows that the pickup not only had a light on the pole to the left but also a light over the center of the road.

To me this looks like fully intentional ignoring the light, probably "forgot" to think that the truck would turn right.

A criminal at the wheel who would go to jail in countries with rule of law.

 

https://goo.gl/maps/cLqtddgKA2H2

 

Road position that the pick-up was driving towards. 

 

This image is from google maps,  not the accident that happened in the OP.

 

 

[Tomtomtom69]

8 hours ago, Paul Henry said:

The pickup had 12? passengers in the back.Will he be given a ticket for this.Passengers are banned from travelling in the back of pickups.The attending cops probable forgot about this law too much else on their plate. Poor over worked guys.

not true. There was a rumor to this effect but I don't think any law ever got passed. If it did then it's similar to the Thai helmet law.