At Least 28 Passengers Killed When A Bus Was Caught On Fire

[hardy1943]

Very very sad horible.... But when the gouvernement go do somethings about the mini buses in Bangkok REAL KILLERS they drive they "Van" same a Sportcar,drive from right do the left all the time Horible REAL KILLERS....

It not just the buses it is the average Thai driver. Thais get a drivers license as easy as buying a

lottery tickets. I could not get one here in Chiang Rai even so I had been driving for over 40 years

accident free in the US. The lady in charge of issuing foreigner drivers licences could not speak one

word of English and told my Thai wife that my US drivers licenses was a forgery because it did not look like a Korean Sample drivers license. I am 6'2" tall with blue eyes and brown hair. So to solve the problem

my Thai wife gave her some money and they issues her one and I taught her how to drive.

I would not be surprised if the same lady is in a supervisory position now.

[aussimike]

It sems the accident was at 3pm when the bus was out of control and overturned and caught fire immediately. this followed a stop for brake problems.

With Songkran looming on the horizon, it is high time steps were taken to enforce bus speed limits especially. and to enforce all other traffic laws with top priority to motorcycles and the thousands of children let loose on them.

The madness is that children are allowed to ride motorbikes at all, perhaps the parents dont really give a damm, but you go anywhere during songkran and you see pickups full of kids and yes adults - on every road around the country - and kids everywhere - usually 2-3 on a bike - no helmet - flying along the road in their little gangs - trying to plaster talcum power on the nearest young lady - just like an accident waiting to happen and they when when songkran is all over - you start to hear the loud voices questioning how could the road toll be so high -- better to prevent this from happening in the first place with some proper parental and police control.

Such a pity also that the real meaning of songkran has been lost - now its just one giant water fight and a good reason to get drunk --- not to mention the water wastage in a country with so many declared drough areas -- TIT -Amazing Thailand -- it really is !!!!

[Berty]

It'll happen again and again and again......

[Heng]

The bus was overloaded according to this morning's news. In addition to a full complement of seated passengers were 20 standing room only passengers.

[taxexile]

until the owners of the bus companies , and those who run other public services in this country develop a sense of responsibility for their customers and staff , then poorly maintained vehicles and poorly trained , poorly paid and overworked drivers and minimal maintenance and minimal standards will be the order of the day.

add to the mix poorly enforced and ambiguous regulations , no punishment for offenders and the general selfishness and lack of any moral standards that pervades almost every business enterprise in this country and it is not too hard to see why these accidents occur.

its a typical third world thing , and sadly thailand has not taken the chances given to it to move its people or its governance forward over the past 20 years , for the benefit of its people and especially its children.

the country is morally bankrupt , and in dire need of a big shakeup.

it cant be far away , thailand is in for a very bumpy ride i believe ,

[jaloochapurr]

Saraburi _ Twenty-nine passengers burned to death and 31 others were injured when an air-conditioned bus went up in flames on the Friendship Highway in Muak Lek district yesterday afternoon. The bus, which belonged to Sa-nguan Yan Yon Co, had about 60 passengers on board heading to Bangkok from Yasothon province.

Seventeen of the injured were sent to Saraburi hospital, 10 were rushed to Muak Lek hospital and four taken to Pak Chong hospital in Nakhon Ratchasima.

It took firefighters about 10 minutes to douse the flames when they reached the scene.

The bodies of the dead were so badly burned they could not be identified.

Pol Col Nisakorn Boontanont, Muak Lek district police chief, said passengers who survived the accident reported having seen flames streaming from the rear of the bus.

The passengers had alerted the driver to the fire, but he had not stopped the bus to allow them to get off, Pol Col Nisakorn said.

Some of the passengers had decided to jump out of the bus while it was still moving.

The driver eventually lost control of the vehicle which skidded off the highway and was engulfed in flames.

Passengers said the bus had a brake problem earlier when it was in Pak Chong district in Nakhon Ratchasima. The driver stopped there to get the problem fixed.

But when the bus was in Saraburi a wheel caught fire and the blaze spread to the engine. The brakes then failed to work.

[Scott]

My condolences to the family, friends and all others affected by this tragedy.

Fixing brakes is a tricky business and it takes people who really know their stuff. I've had bad experiences with newly fixed brakes. I know they have to 'bleed' the lines or something before they are really effective. My problems, by the way, all happened in western countries.

A friend here had his brakes fixed and drove away only to run into the rear of another vehicle when the brakes failed. He took them to a 'reputable' business and they fixed them again. Again, he ran into the rear end of a vehicle! They failed to tell him, he needed to be careful for a while and drive slowly. The reputable business did pay for the damages (which were quite minor, by the way--it wasn't that the brakes totally failed).

In the end, they need to hold the companies responsible. Yes, the drivers are poor, but they have very little decision making power. If they decided a bus was unroadworthy, they would quickly be replaced.

This is truly sad all the way around. Unfortunately, I doubt that there will be any lessons learned.

[0Mix1up]

Condolences to the families.

Probably easily (in a western sense ie RWC buses, skilled/safer drivers) avoidable and a total waste of human life, tragic.

Is it true that with their Buddist beliefs that Thais think no matter if they die they will/may be reincarnated in a better life?

This might be a reason why things like this just get a passing glance by authorities? Mai paen rai?

IMO and experience buses are very DANGEROUS in Thailand.

[thaigene2]

I bet that the company ducks responsibility and the driver will get the blame.

I bet your right. In China and some other countries when there is a disaster caused by shoddy maintenance the company owner flees for his life...because he knows when they catch him, he will serve 20 or 30 years in prison - at best - and quite often would receive the death sentence.

Could you ever imagine that happening in Thailand? Never - the elites will always side with business owners over the masses. Sickening.

Edited March 21, 2007 by thaigene2

[andook]

It sems the accident was at 3pm when the bus was out of control and overturned and caught fire immediately. this followed a stop for brake problems.

With Songkran looming on the horizon, it is high time steps were taken to enforce bus speed limits especially. and to enforce all other traffic laws with top priority to motorcycles and the thousands of children let loose on them.

The madness is that children are allowed to ride motorbikes at all, perhaps the parents dont really give a damm, but you go anywhere during songkran and you see pickups full of kids and yes adults - on every road around the country - and kids everywhere - usually 2-3 on a bike - no helmet - flying along the road in their little gangs - trying to plaster talcum power on the nearest young lady - just like an accident waiting to happen and they when when songkran is all over - you start to hear the loud voices questioning how could the road toll be so high -- better to prevent this from happening in the first place with some proper parental and police control.

Such a pity also that the real meaning of songkran has been lost - now its just one giant water fight and a good reason to get drunk --- not to mention the water wastage in a country with so many declared drough areas -- TIT -Amazing Thailand -- it really is !!!!

I've come to the conclusion that Songkran / New Year is an over-population solution. Maybe like Lemmings, or something? Sorry to be cynical, but the road carnage here gets proportionately worse with the amount of cars on the roads. There is no real comprehensive driver training programme. Some ineffective knee-jerk reaction to statistics after some typically horrendous post-public holiday death toll, is always the solution.

[Heng]

until the owners of the bus companies , and those who run other public services in this country develop a sense of responsibility for their customers and staff , then poorly maintained vehicles and poorly trained , poorly paid and overworked drivers and minimal maintenance and minimal standards will be the order of the day.

add to the mix poorly enforced and ambiguous regulations , no punishment for offenders and the general selfishness and lack of any moral standards that pervades almost every business enterprise in this country and it is not too hard to see why these accidents occur.

its a typical third world thing , and sadly thailand has not taken the chances given to it to move its people or its governance forward over the past 20 years , for the benefit of its people and especially its children.

the country is morally bankrupt , and in dire need of a big shakeup.

it cant be far away , thailand is in for a very bumpy ride i believe ,

And let's not forget the people themselves who should know better than to travel standing room only on moving transport. Buses, song taews, klong boats, all the same. Being in hurry or not wanting to wait for the next bus or boat is no excuse either.

[john b good]

Maybe it's me BUT where in this thread does it say that there was any impact ???

It doesn't say that there was an accident resulting in a fire.

Great powers of deduction

SARABURI: -- At least 28 people were killed and 14 seriously injured on Tuesday when a Bangkok-bound bus caught fire and careened down a hillside in Saraburi. The bus from Yasothorn caught fire on a major four lane highway in Saraburi.

After the fire broke out, the bus veered off the road and crashed down a hillside, police added.

Right there genius

Maybe improve your basic reading skills before making remarks about others' deductive powers that just wind up making you look silly.

I'm not gonna get into a head to head on this BUT what I said stands (insofar as what was written on the thread at the time of my comment) There was nothing to say that there had been anything other than a fire resulting in 28 deaths.

If others are listening to / watching / reading the news in Thailand so be it.

I will refrain (with an effort) from commenting on "any ones" sic., basic reading skills.

[taxexile]

And let's not forget the people themselves who should know better than to travel standing room only on moving transport. Buses, song taews, klong boats, all the same. Being in hurry or not wanting to wait for the next bus or boat is no excuse either.

true , but the driver should have prohibited those passengers from getting on.

or is it just that thai people have nom sense of danger or fear of injury?

are bus drivers on a commission related to the fares collected ?

[Tony Clifton]

final point, and the reason i am posting, has to do with the widespread blame of the government. while it would great if the govt had the ability to be everywhere enforcing all it's laws, it just doesn't. Individual responsibility, like the fellow who carries a window breaker, is what is also needed IMO. if the thai people as a culture copy the irresponsible driving behavior of those around them, the government CANNOT stop them. there is a tipping point, beyond which, the lawless and bad overwhelm the law abiding and good. nonetheless, living defensively and calling for positive change is reasonable, so keep up the good work my TV friends. suksonguan songkran...hahaha

Individual responsibility my a55!

All previous and present government have so far badly neglected road safety, the result is what you can observe now, the "Me, me, me" approach of most Thai drivers whose "sabainess" or jai yen yen vanishes when turning on the ignition.

Thai drivers make up their own laws because they know there's no danger of getting pulled over, period. No paranoia whatsoever of seeing a police cruiser with flashing lights in the rear view mirror.

Expressway, elevated highway, motorway, tollways, 4 lane wide highways, 2 airports, Siam Paragon, Emporium, Mercedes and BMWs everywhere but still, no homogenous and coordinated ambulance system, no patrol cars or motorcycles pulling cars over. Road safety can not be managed from a street corner, sidewalk, toll booth or emergency lane off the highway, those are tea money collecting zones. Ever noticed how fast cars even approach toll booths, fighting their way in, cutting across 8 lanes to save 5 seconds to make it to one of the 16 booths and then take off like a rocket when cars have to merge back into 2 lanes?

The few patrol cars that can be seen are rarely used, usually parked at police stations, if they are actually moving, they are used to transport top brass.

The traffic police themselves have no idea about road safety, are dangerous when using a 4 lane highway for a roadblock, creating jams. I saw a near miss again yesterday at one of those.

What's wrong in these pictures?

Edited March 21, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[Zoltan]

Terrible

[ColPyat]

Thai drivers make up their own laws because they know there's no danger of getting pulled over, period. No paranoia whatsoever of seeing a police cruiser with flashing lights in the rear view mirror.

Expressway, elevated highway, motorway, tollways, 4 lane wide highways, 2 airports, Siam Paragon, Emporium, Mercedes and BMWs everywhere but still, no homogenous and coordinated ambulance system, no patrol cars or motorcycles pulling cars over.

Welcome to a developing country.

If you expect those things to be like in the west, than maybe you would be better off there. Realistically seen, if you compare Thailand with similar countries in the region, these problems you mentioned are better than in most.

Ambulance may not be "homogenous" (in many western countries they are not either), but they definitively are coordinated, with areas of responsibility, radios, etc.

Edited March 21, 2007 by ColPyat

[Heng]

And let's not forget the people themselves who should know better than to travel standing room only on moving transport. Buses, song taews, klong boats, all the same. Being in hurry or not wanting to wait for the next bus or boat is no excuse either.

true , but the driver should have prohibited those passengers from getting on.

or is it just that thai people have nom sense of danger or fear of injury?

are bus drivers on a commission related to the fares collected ?

I don't think they are, but in the social hierarchy, it's likely that they would be equal to or lower than most of the passengers, even on a 2nd class air con or non air con bus. Unlikely that he/she would be able to enforce anything.

I've been on more than a few flights where flight attendants can't/won't make first class passengers sit down during the "to gate" taxi after landing. Same type of situation. If the passenger gets injured because the pilot has to suddenly stop or accelerate, I wouldn't be too quick to blame the airline, pilot, or stewardess. "You need to return to your seat, sir." The response is often along the lines of "You need to know your place."

Sure, one can whinge about the system, but in the end, an individual control a good portion of the spectrum when one's own personal safety is concerned.

[racefan]

My girlfriend returned to Jomtien this morning from Khon Kaen.

10.5 hours on the bus and when she boarded she was told that the only seat she could have was a plastic 60baht stool which they filled the centre aisle with.

Obviously not fixed to the floor and about 20 people sitting on them!

Imagine the scene when the bus brakes sharply, let alone in the event of an accident.

Some things go beyond belief!

[bob6023]

I drive on the highways in Thailand a lot. When I see a bus approaching me from the front or rear I begin to think of evasive actions I can take to stay away from them. They are like the untouchables of the roads in Thailand. they have complete disregard for the safety and lives of those they share the roads with.

Absolutely shameful that they are permitted to continue with out any law enforcement Anybody who drives a vehicle knows that buses have immunity here.

[sriracha john]

The driver was arrested but I feel it would be wrong to make him the scapegoat. He already knew there was a brake problem so he was wrong to go on. But let's face it - that's probably normal working conditions for a lot of these bus drivers, something that's not out of the ordinary. As someone has already pointed out, he would probably have lost his job if he'd refused to go on. And maybe the passengers wouldn't have thanked him at the time.

The only way this tragedy will lead to changes is if company executives do serious time. They should take responsibility for the maintenance of their vehicles and the conditions the drivers work under.

But I expect the company willl cough up 10,000 baht / victim, the driver will do heavy time and nothing will change.

Thailand is truly amazing, but I don't think even Thailand would arrest a dead person nor send him to prison:

"Rescuers found 28 dead and burnt bodies including that of the bus driver, and another died in a nearby hospital."

Bangkok Post

[markokang]

I just got back from picking up all the bodies and taking them all to Sirirat Hospital.

There are exactly 29 dead and about 30 injured. Most died from fire causes.

The bodies will be worked on tonight and tomorrow and so names should be available from tomorrow. Most families have called in and have listed names of family or friends so it shouldn't be long to wait.

My condolences to all involved and their families/friends.

You can call information at Sirirat on 024197000

But dont expect them to speak English (Im really not sure sorry)

Marko Cunningham

Marko, do you know or does anyone know if there were any westerners among the dead or injured? If you were there helping good for you, it is not a enviable job a very important one on this sad night.

Sorry I didnt see any farang names on the ones already identified and really most of the bodies were unidentifiable except for gender. I thought one was a farang man but Im REALLY not sure@! Sorry.

[markokang]

final point, and the reason i am posting, has to do with the widespread blame of the government. while it would great if the govt had the ability to be everywhere enforcing all it's laws, it just doesn't. Individual responsibility, like the fellow who carries a window breaker, is what is also needed IMO. if the thai people as a culture copy the irresponsible driving behavior of those around them, the government CANNOT stop them. there is a tipping point, beyond which, the lawless and bad overwhelm the law abiding and good. nonetheless, living defensively and calling for positive change is reasonable, so keep up the good work my TV friends. suksonguan songkran...hahaha

Individual responsibility my a55!

All previous and present government have so far badly neglected road safety, the result is what you can observe now, the "Me, me, me" approach of most Thai drivers whose "sabainess" or jai yen yen vanishes when turning on the ignition.

Thai drivers make up their own laws because they know there's no danger of getting pulled over, period. No paranoia whatsoever of seeing a police cruiser with flashing lights in the rear view mirror.

Expressway, elevated highway, motorway, tollways, 4 lane wide highways, 2 airports, Siam Paragon, Emporium, Mercedes and BMWs everywhere but still, no homogenous and coordinated ambulance system, no patrol cars or motorcycles pulling cars over. Road safety can not be managed from a street corner, sidewalk, toll booth or emergency lane off the highway, those are tea money collecting zones. Ever noticed how fast cars even approach toll booths, fighting their way in, cutting across 8 lanes to save 5 seconds to make it to one of the 16 booths and then take off like a rocket when cars have to merge back into 2 lanes?

The few patrol cars that can be seen are rarely used, usually parked at police stations, if they are actually moving, they are used to transport top brass.

The traffic police themselves have no idea about road safety, are dangerous when using a 4 lane highway for a roadblock, creating jams. I saw a near miss again yesterday at one of those.

What's wrong in these pictures?

I agree with everything except the ambulance system. In BKK the 2 rescue groups who attend 95% of the accidents are very coordinated, quite efficient and all ambualnce staff are trained to an international EMT1 level or more.

[Couthy]

final point, and the reason i am posting, has to do with the widespread blame of the government. while it would great if the govt had the ability to be everywhere enforcing all it's laws, it just doesn't. Individual responsibility, like the fellow who carries a window breaker, is what is also needed IMO. if the thai people as a culture copy the irresponsible driving behavior of those around them, the government CANNOT stop them. there is a tipping point, beyond which, the lawless and bad overwhelm the law abiding and good. nonetheless, living defensively and calling for positive change is reasonable, so keep up the good work my TV friends. suksonguan songkran...hahaha

Individual responsibility my a55!

All previous and present government have so far badly neglected road safety, the result is what you can observe now, the "Me, me, me" approach of most Thai drivers whose "sabainess" or jai yen yen vanishes when turning on the ignition.

Thai drivers make up their own laws because they know there's no danger of getting pulled over, period. No paranoia whatsoever of seeing a police cruiser with flashing lights in the rear view mirror.

Expressway, elevated highway, motorway, tollways, 4 lane wide highways, 2 airports, Siam Paragon, Emporium, Mercedes and BMWs everywhere but still, no homogenous and coordinated ambulance system, no patrol cars or motorcycles pulling cars over. Road safety can not be managed from a street corner, sidewalk, toll booth or emergency lane off the highway, those are tea money collecting zones. Ever noticed how fast cars even approach toll booths, fighting their way in, cutting across 8 lanes to save 5 seconds to make it to one of the 16 booths and then take off like a rocket when cars have to merge back into 2 lanes?

The few patrol cars that can be seen are rarely used, usually parked at police stations, if they are actually moving, they are used to transport top brass.

The traffic police themselves have no idea about road safety, are dangerous when using a 4 lane highway for a roadblock, creating jams. I saw a near miss again yesterday at one of those.

What's wrong in these pictures?

Hang on a mo' and correct me if I'm wrong, but these pics of yours are taken from the front right of a vehicle and portray incidents of dangerous driving?.

Isn't using a camera whilst driving somewhat unsafe?.

Pots.........kettles.........black?.

[cdnvic]

Hang on a mo' and correct me if I'm wrong, but these pics of yours are taken from the front right of a vehicle and portray incidents of dangerous driving?.

Isn't using a camera whilst driving somewhat unsafe?.

Pots.........kettles.........black?.

Ok, you're wrong.

In no way is sticking a p/s camera out the window and clicking the shutter as dangerous as the actions depicted in the photos. Sorry to interrupt your nitpicking.

[Artisan]

5am? Killed by fire, or asphyxiated by smoke while they slept?

Why do you think that this is important? It's of no relevance. These poor people died because of the fire.

See the topic title. At Least 28 Passengers Killed When A Bus Was Caught On Fire, NAKHORN RATCHASIMA (KORAT)

It would help explain how that many people died when fire should not spread fast enough through a bus that the majority of people could escape from it. A flash fire from diesel is not common, so there had to be extenuating circumstances as to how that many succumbed to the flames. Did smoke or carbon monoxide contribute? If the occupants were asleep at the time they would have stayed unconscious and been unable to rouse themselves when the fire broke out. It could also explain why the bus crashed if the driver was also affected by by it.

The fire may or may not have caused the deaths of these people. Neither you, I, or anyone but a coroner can determine that. One thing for certain, there was more than one factor that led to these deaths, and I'm sorry if I'm breaking your unfailing faith in what gets reported by the Thai news, but I prefer to ask questions and not simply accept initial reports in the news.

You misunderstood completely. As the old saying goes "there is no smoke without fire". At least 28 people died ....that's the only true and tragic fact.

[cdnvic]

You misunderstood completely. As the old saying goes "there is no smoke without fire". At least 28 people died ....that's the only true and tragic fact.

So forget finding out why and just mourn the victims?

That's part of the reason these accidents happen in the first place.

[mitrapaap]

I bet that the company ducks responsibility and the driver will get the blame. It is a real shame. Just avoid taking a bus, just any bus. They drive like mad men and the buses are seldom well maintaned. What a way to die.

Sure, never take a bus. Nobody ever should take a bus. What a great idea. Have everybody buy cars, or take airplanes, or go by feet.

Why do we have to read this kind of nonsense?

[CTM]

I bet that the company ducks responsibility and the driver will get the blame. It is a real shame. Just avoid taking a bus, just any bus. They drive like mad men and the buses are seldom well maintaned. What a way to die.

Yes, and songtaws. Add taxis, cars, trucks, motorcycles too. Those people drive crazy. Skip the airplanes as they don't have a good safety record in Thailand plus the new airport is a firetrap and the runways are cracked. Train is out. Some kid was killed just last week riding the train. Bicycle? No, still on the dangerous roads with the madmen. Not to mention most are too fat and lazy and it is too hot for them. Sky train and subway are going to be attacked by terrorist so can't take them. Guess that leaves walking. No wait, one of the madmen motorists might hit you. And again too hot, too lazy, and too much pollution. <deleted>.

[Tony Clifton]

final point, and the reason i am posting, has to do with the widespread blame of the government. while it would great if the govt had the ability to be everywhere enforcing all it's laws, it just doesn't. Individual responsibility, like the fellow who carries a window breaker, is what is also needed IMO. if the thai people as a culture copy the irresponsible driving behavior of those around them, the government CANNOT stop them. there is a tipping point, beyond which, the lawless and bad overwhelm the law abiding and good. nonetheless, living defensively and calling for positive change is reasonable, so keep up the good work my TV friends. suksonguan songkran...hahaha

Individual responsibility my a55!

All previous and present government have so far badly neglected road safety, the result is what you can observe now, the "Me, me, me" approach of most Thai drivers whose "sabainess" or jai yen yen vanishes when turning on the ignition.

Thai drivers make up their own laws because they know there's no danger of getting pulled over, period. No paranoia whatsoever of seeing a police cruiser with flashing lights in the rear view mirror.

Expressway, elevated highway, motorway, tollways, 4 lane wide highways, 2 airports, Siam Paragon, Emporium, Mercedes and BMWs everywhere but still, no homogenous and coordinated ambulance system, no patrol cars or motorcycles pulling cars over. Road safety can not be managed from a street corner, sidewalk, toll booth or emergency lane off the highway, those are tea money collecting zones. Ever noticed how fast cars even approach toll booths, fighting their way in, cutting across 8 lanes to save 5 seconds to make it to one of the 16 booths and then take off like a rocket when cars have to merge back into 2 lanes?

The few patrol cars that can be seen are rarely used, usually parked at police stations, if they are actually moving, they are used to transport top brass.

The traffic police themselves have no idea about road safety, are dangerous when using a 4 lane highway for a roadblock, creating jams. I saw a near miss again yesterday at one of those.

What's wrong in these pictures?

Hang on a mo' and correct me if I'm wrong, but these pics of yours are taken from the front right of a vehicle and portray incidents of dangerous driving?.

Isn't using a camera whilst driving somewhat unsafe?.

Pots.........kettles.........black?.

These 4 pictures are the only 4 good ones out of a series of about 30 that were shot with the camera resting on the dashboard without aiming or looking at the camera. About an hour long trip on that road, doing about50km an hour. The tire pics were taken while stopped. I ain't that suicidal.

Edited March 21, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[mitrapaap]

I am a really bad flyer. Absolutely hate it. Tolerate it for work and getting to Thailand but absolutely sure that a plane is the way I will go in the end....however, given the choice of flying or taking a 6/10 seat minibuses or 'official' coach I fly internally whenever possible in Thailand.

Only in December, myself, my wife, my 15 year old daughter and 4 year old son were taking an overnight minibus ride from Sisaket to Chiang Mai. Twice during the night I had to insist that the driver stopped as I watched him fall asleep at the wheel and start leaving the road. I ended up with my eyes fixed on him all night waiting to just grab the wheel. With the night traffic of these over-tired idiots in their minibuses, coaches and huge lorries it is an enormously dangerous way to travel. I fly not for convenience but purely to keep my family safe.

Despite all the things I dislike about living here in the UK, road safety has got to be one of the few things that the gov. have got right.

As a matter of fact, responsibility starts with intelligence and intelligence needs education (something like that). As far as I know, in any country of this planet, one does not need to have a very high IQ to get a driving licence. No matter how many tests you have to undergo, as long as you can read and write you will get your licence earlier or later. Truck drivers, bus drivers, taxi drivers, tuck tuck drivers, they all are an the low end of the paycheck list and on the low end of the educational background chart. What can you expect? This is not different in Thailand than in any other country. EDUCATION and AWARENESS are key words not only for driving, also for environment conciousness and other things. Until that happens, it will go over generations, the only way is a sever POLICE. Bangkok turned from a public garbage place into a clean city within no time once you got fined 2000 Baht for littering a piece of paper on the floor. Thai roads would get safer if police got serious about acting against all the rubbish on wheels that drives across the country every day and night, it's drivers and it's owners. But as long as you can overtake a police car on the left emergency lane without that police car turning on his red light and horn to follow you and take your driver license from you....