Transport minister says drivers, not vans, are key threat to passenger safety

By The Nation

 

 

The safety of passengers riding in public vans must be tackled at its root problem, the bad driving behaviours of drivers, said Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob on Tuesday.

 

The newly appointed minister was responding to widespread criticism after his recent move to change a policy passed by the last government that required that public van transport operators switch to microbuses. Saksayam made the switch voluntary.

 

His about-turn on the ministry's policy was because the operators would have to import microbuses from other countries at high prices, he said, adding that this could backfire on Thai commuters as the operators would have to increase fares to compensate for the higher vehicle cost.

 

Saksayam also earlier this month assigned a feasibility study to extend the use of decade-old public transport vans to a maximum of 12 years from the current 10, after operators demanded it be raised to 15 years. He insisted that control over the allowable age of transport vehicles would be stricter. 

 

The Department of Land Transport (DLT) is currently tasked to carry out a vehicle inspection at least twice yearly or as per the vehicle’s mileage, so as to maintain a good standard and a roadworthy condition.

 

"Any vehicle that failed the vehicle inspection would be pulled off the roads, so public members should help by watching out for and reporting unwanted vans to the authority,” Saksayam said. “Complaints attached with photo evidences can be sent via various channels and we would proceed with actions until finalised accordingly," he said adding that people could also provide their input about public transport via various channels such as the DLT's Facebook page.

 

Criticism over Saksayam’s recent moves meanwhile continued as the Thailand Accident Research Centre cited that vans were more accommodating to the drivers’ wish to make more rounds or their habit of driving at high speed. That has made them more prone to road accidents, while microbuses, which are relatively slower to accelerate or overtake other vehicles, were safer, the centre noted.

 

The center's studies on various crashes involving vans found that, in the impact of a head-on collision, a van's gas tank and feeder pipe located in the vehicle’s front section would break, causing a fire that would cause harm to passengers who were trapped in the small space. In contrast, a microbus has more room to flee from flames, as well as large windows and an emergency door on the right side in addition to another door on the roof in many cases, and these combined increase the chance for a timely escape and passenger survival.

 

Although many vans were equipped with GPS, the data is not transmitted to the DLT, and so warnings could not be immediately issued to speeding vans but only after the vans reached their destinations, at best.

 

The centre urged that measures to increase passenger safety must be done simultaneously, namely improving the driving behaviour, the vehicle itself, the safety equipment, road and environmental conditions and other passenger issues. The Transport Ministry must not just focus on solving the behaviour of the drivers, said the centre.

 

Earlier this week, Sonthi Kotchawat, a lecturer on environment and public health at many universities, had criticised Saksayam’s decision as “unprofessional and made by an inexperienced leader who prioritises business entrepreneurs over the safety of public transport users” on his personal Facebook page.

 

Sonthi claimed that vans were dangerous and caused five times more accidents than buses. The vans, which have weaker body structures than vehicles designed to carry passengers, were being misused for human transport as they were built for the purpose of transporting products, he wrote.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30374672

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-08-13

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First time that I hear that. But so true. Give the drivers a driving test, and see how few will qualify. Maybe one in 20. And then no more Brake Failures.

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

The centre urged that measures to increase passenger safety must be done simultaneously, namely improving the driving behaviour, the vehicle itself, the safety equipment, road and environmental conditions and other passenger issues. The Transport Ministry must not just focus on solving the behaviour of the drivers, said the centre.

Where to focus? Its a 99% driver behaviour problem, 1% vehicle problem.

This chap will not last very long, he actually told the TRUTH ! that will never do.

drug/alcohol regular testing and speed governors could save thousands of lives.. 

He should have said "Drivers and Vans", you cannot blame one without the other.

regards worgeordie

Saksayan you should apply to be on mastermind.

If he had not come out with that bloody ridiculous comment, nobody would have been aware that it is the pathetic driving standards to blame, and not the vans.

59 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

drug/alcohol regular testing and speed governors could save thousands of lives.. 

They, governers, could be an answer but they would have to be spanner proof.

 

Edited August 13, 20196 yr by overherebc

If the vans where fitted with GPS system that where sealed from tampering then the recording of the info could determine speeds between any 2 points,if any van is found to have been speeding actions can be taken against the offending companies and drivers.

No way

 

It is

 

a) faulty breaks

b) faulty steering

c) too much rain

d) someone else's fault

e) not charged amulet with good luck

13 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Sorry. For some reason the short movie won't load.

Sent a pm.

He's right! That is actually accurate and logical! 

 

Wow! 

what an utterly stupid thing to say, we all know its the vans fault every single time, wet road, bad, van slow down, brakes fail, bad van why your brakes not work, driver asleep, bad van, why you not toot horn wake me up, and the list goes on, i would like to know after all these years they came to this conclusion, oh i know, they had a meeting, they very good at holding meetings here, now form a committee.and next year they will be wringing their collective hands ,saying, what went wrong.

I once caught a mini van from Klong Muang to Krabi, at the end of the journey the driver asked for a tip, so I told him that when he goes around corners he should do it on four wheels, not two. He still had his hand held out when I walked away

 

A real driver training, much higher fees for them if they drive bad/too fast (by example if he drives too fast and usually has to pay 500 Baht, he has to pay 500 Baht for every person on board) and regular checks of the vans. And with checks I mean real ones including the brakes, lights and so on, not the simple checks they make right now and they are finishes after one minute.

He Will end up sharing big jokes desk

A brilliant well considered observation, trust he is given a meaningful opportunity such as 5 free trips in an over-crowded van in peak-hour Bangkok traffic plus another 5 inter-city trips to confirm his theory beyond all doubt. 

Edited August 13, 20196 yr by Artisi

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

that audio sounds like one of the sex toys i have around the house.

Careful those are illegal here lol ????

Quote

Transport minister says drivers, not vans, are key threat to passenger safety

10 hours ago, worgeordie said:

He should have said "Drivers and Vans", you cannot blame one without the other.

regards worgeordie

And owners.  The ones who employ the drivers and save money with poor maintenance checks and aged vehicles and overworking said drivers.

Bottom line though, will just end up with older, less maintained vans,.. with no change in drivers training, ability, sobriety, safety.

The longer you are in Thailand the more cynical you get.

 

If I had ฿100 for every time I've read one of these mind numbingly obvious observations form a Government official I've be living on my own private island in the Caribbean by now.

 

Stand by for the soon to be announced 'crackdown' that will last for all of 24 hours before life continues serenely as before.

 

Nothing will change, those mysterious brake failures will continue, driver licensing will continue as the farce it is today, and the carnage will continue 

OMG thy found a spokesperson with a brain that can use it!

It is a start although the guy doesn't to sincere since he is reversing course.  Now is he going to put words into action since nothing ever seem to be done thereafter. The biggest question for me is like before who in Thailand is going to put forth what really need to be done to retrain these drivers and the new ones who will come along with how to inspect the vehicles last what is really going to be done when the above don't as they have been doing for years decades.

15 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

If the vans where fitted with GPS system that where sealed from tampering then the recording of the info could determine speeds between any 2 points,if any van is found to have been speeding actions can be taken against the offending companies and drivers.

Given there are approx 4-6000 (?) public mini vans....monitoring all of them with the current level of GPS Trackers installed, is an impossible task. A bit like the land office trying to get 11 million people to pay their fines.....now I hear the speed cameras are off!

 

ghost

Wasn't there a major crash last year - van and pick up truck, 25 dead??? Following that didn't they say that inter-provincial vans would be banned? I see no evidence of that.

 

Mind you, riding in the back of a pick up truck was also supposed to be outlawed but I believe that also went out the window.

Edited August 14, 20196 yr by KhaoYai

Has nobody heard of tachometers here?


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In spite of all the dangerous driving I have seen here (and its not just minibuses) I have never seen a police vehicle stop any of them.