Van collision with truck leaves 11 dead

[thaibeachlovers]

20 hours ago, Handsome Gardener said:

When thai police set up road blocks/checks they are condemned on here as pointless

 

What would be your strategy ? 

? The van driver was obviously going too fast, as they always seem to do. Certainly did in any van I was a passenger in.

So what would a check point do to stop that?

 

I didn't go to Pai as there are only vans on that route from Chiang Mai, and I wasn't going to trust my safety to those maniacs. Just read the reviews on line.

[thaibeachlovers]

3 minutes ago, khomlong1 said:

Said it before. As there is no money to be made from road safety, the government doesn't care.

? There is potentially millions to be made from speeding tickets.

[Globe Trotter]

21 hours ago, Con Peoples Fund said:

Its not gonna happen mate we all know but we can hope for a miracle.

Also if the vans are restricted, they will derestrict them, and there will be a black market for it, corruption pay offs etc etc. 

[bkkgriz]

Maybe car companies need to stop selling vans to Thailand. Bring back the cart and buffalo. 

[digger70]

RIP,,,, What can we say. No one cares,It's all about money. no health and safety or any respect for life and laws.

[Percy P]

Its not the van.it's the driver of the van. 

[Percy P]

21 hours ago, seajae said:

and still the govt does nothing to stop this carnage, the vans are death machines and the drivers need to be properly tested and licensed. The vans need to be speed limited to 100k at most and driving times need to be adhered to, maximum time behind the wheel needs to be made mandatory with random testing for drugs & alcohol. The amount of accidents and deaths vans cause is beyond a joke

 

It's the driver or rider of the vehicles . Yes there should be a mad time the person is driving or riding. 

[Bangkok Barry]

 

What is it with Thai drivers falling asleep all the time. We read of it every day here, but I've rarely if ever heard of it happening in other countries. Just shows how hard they (don't) concentrate on their driving I suppose.

[The Theory]

There are 2 important things in most van driver’s daily life, party and drinking then drive. Asleep is not part of daily schedule, but could be done while working.

 

 

[Redline]

Come on-nothing is the enforced here, unless it interferes with someone “important”

[Percy P]

19 minutes ago, bkkgriz said:

Maybe car companies need to stop selling vans to Thailand. Bring back the cart and buffalo. 

 

45 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

? There is potentially millions to be made from speeding tickets.

I read recent my that they wanted to up the speed to 120k/hr.

[Seldomseen]

The Thai police set up road blocks ok  but how many times do you see blatant traffic infringements and police do NOTHING 

where we live Buriram we pass the time at the traffic lights counting the amount off laws broken I.e. no helmets utes with people in them running red lights 

one off these lights I’m talking about has a manned 

police box and they do squat 

[Surasak]

22 hours ago, Filipplenoir said:

Visa renewal

Yes, a visa renewal. They have to do it every month. Makes our 90 day like walk in the park.

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, saminoz said:

...unless the AI for the driverless cars is written by Thais.........!

 

They'd over-ride the system anyway because Thais always know best.

[Percy P]

3 minutes ago, The Theory said:

There are 2 important things in most van driver’s daily life, party and drinking then drive. Asleep is not part of daily schedule, but could be done while working.

 

 

Well the driver has a long sleep now. Poor innocent passenger's . Hope the van insurance covered the amount of passengers in the van

[toofarnorth]

1 hour ago, outsider said:

 

So true. And since 'only' two Thais and 11 foreigners are involved, the newsprint today will be fish-wrap tomorrow.

 

Then it'll be forgotten.

 

But, if one - even just ONE - of them involved is a celebrity, a superstar, an elite, or someone who knows-someone-connected-to-someone, all hell will break lose. Blames will be rolled out, heads will roll, anyone in uniform will say something stupid to the media, there will be knee-jerk reactions, new laws enacted, followed by crackdowns that go nowhere.

 

Then it'll be forgotten.

 

Until it happens again.

 

Repeat.

I agree with para 3 but celebs , movie stars and high connected folk don't travel by mini bus. I do my 90 day run and visa and drive myself . Ok I am only about 30 k from the northern border but I make it a shopping / day trip. When years ago I lived in Hua Hin I had a private car and driver for visa runs , expensive but that was 70B - quid. Only used a minibus once .....................never been on one since.

[TPUBON]

3 hours ago, thailand49 said:

It isn't pointless, anything that help the problem is good the problem having checks is like 1% addressing the problem. Enforcement and education is 24/7 then the rules and laws must be applied throughout Thailand.

The government is the first in line to blame it starts at the top, the current system doesn't work when everyone is doing their own thing. In this case the problem is the Van company who put making money first instead of making sure standards are met by the drivers!

Patrolling the roads. Maybe if some policeman was out on the roads using radar he might have clocked him speeding or seen him weaving from getting sleepy. He than could pull him over and kept this from happening. Like most other countries do.

[Surasak]

21 hours ago, Vacuum said:

This has nothing to do with the accidents. It's almost always the drivers fault.  Had they checked the brakes, tires, if the steering wheel was fastened properly, and not falling asleep, there wouldn't so much accidents. But these are Thai drivers and you can't expect too much. Maybe after 100 years or so, one can expect some kind of improvement.

Has it changed over the last hundred years? Very doubtful.

[nickmondo]

21 hours ago, Handsome Gardener said:

When thai police set up road blocks/checks they are condemned on here as pointless

 

What would be your strategy ? 

Teach Thais how to drive correctly, as we have all been taught.

Restrict the vans to a max speed of 80kph

must have tachos, same as lorry drivers in the UK

that would do for a start

[nickmondo]

21 hours ago, Pilotman said:

and expats still use their services to do border runs to renew visas; utter madness.  

yes they do.

because a lot of expats leave their brains and common sense at the airport when they arrive.

that is clear, judging by the amount of idiots i see on motorbikes without crash helmets.

Just because someone lives in Thailand now, does not mean they have to behave like a moron.

 

[Benmart]

22 hours ago, seajae said:

and still the govt does nothing to stop this carnage, the vans are death machines and the drivers need to be properly tested and licensed. The vans need to be speed limited to 100k at most and driving times need to be adhered to, maximum time behind the wheel needs to be made mandatory with random testing for drugs & alcohol. The amount of accidents and deaths vans cause is beyond a joke

 

An impotent authority basks in the carnage and does nothing but engage in photo ops, edicts, threats, appeals, appeasements and the like. Pathetic.

[Benmart]

6 minutes ago, TPUBON said:

Patrolling the roads. Maybe if some policeman was out on the roads using radar he might have clocked him speeding or seen him weaving from getting sleepy. He than could pull him over and kept this from happening. Like most other countries do.

Mobile patrols do not exist here.

[Surasak]

19 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Back in 2017 someone said he was going to reduce accident by 80%, How's it going?

It got up and went!

[dallen52]

And these are the type of flying coffins that have now been given a 15 years life usage, because the micro buses are not available to replace them. (Plus costs).

As long as they are inspected 2 times a year.

(I think we all know what happens when you take a vehicle for inspection here...)

 

The larger micro buses (up to 20 seaters) are significantly slower in the grunt department, but significantly more sturdy in the event of a terrible accident like this one. 

And obviously take more skill to drive them. 

 

When will they ever learn,  when will they stop cutting corners and make life have a value, instead of just saying that its Karma.

 

[grumpy 4680]

       I think one of the major problems here in Thailand with van and lorry drivers are the bosses, they never seem to have any regard for mandatory driving hours or rest periods, or even a long off duty period between working days, it's more like if you want your job, do as your told.       But again, there is a major problem with the standard of driving here, speed and overtaking at the wrong place or time, is a common factor, and not being alert to possible hazards ahead.    

      All the talking and seminars never seem to have any effect, until they seriously address these problems.   

[PatOngo]

15 minutes ago, Percy P said:

Well the driver has a long sleep now. Poor innocent passenger's . Hope the van insurance covered the amount of passengers in the van

It can take up to nine years for mini van accident victims......or their beneficiaries to be compensated.

[Sonhia]

Typical Thai lawless, I'm so perfect mind set. More people die because of Thai immature mentality. Life means nothing here. Only greed for a baht is important. Sad...

 

Those fxxing van drivers do not follow the law, as is the case with most Thai. The police do jack! Lazy mothers.

 

And people call this place Paradise . Get real!

[The Theory]

21 minutes ago, Percy P said:

Well the driver has a long sleep now. Poor innocent passenger's . Hope the van insurance covered the amount of passengers in the van

Insurance cover those who are still alive for hospital bills? Maybe couple of k. Because they just “covered” the dead by white sheets. That’s what insurances do, try to pay 0. 

[Fred white]

35 minutes ago, Seldomseen said:

The Thai police set up road blocks ok  but how many times do you see blatant traffic infringements and police do NOTHING 

where we live Buriram we pass the time at the traffic lights counting the amount off laws broken I.e. no helmets utes with people in them running red lights 

one off these lights I’m talking about has a manned 

police box and they do squat 

There is one intersection close to me the van drivers don't have enough room to run the lights so they just cut the corner and go around them never slow down

[Expat Tom]

Check out the Crime, traffic and quality of life ratings for Thailand on www.numbeo.com web site as well as cost of living comparisons for Thailand and some of its neighbors and, coupled with what I read daily about visa confusion, and ask me why I'm making my plans to leave after many years here.