Thailand road carnage: Four family members dead, 8 injured in horror van smash - microsleep blamed

 

Thai caption: Four family members dead in van smash

 

Four members of a family were killed and eight seriously injured after a hired van they were travelling in hit a tree in the central reservation of the Petchkasem Highway going south in Prajuab Khiri Khan province yesterday. 

 

The family were on their way from Ratchaburi to Betong in Yala when the accident occurred in Ao Noi sub-district.

 

Pictures showed the Toyota Commuter van completely destroyed and a large tree toppled and uprooted. 

 

Two of the dead were thrown clear. Another was the driver stuck in the driver's seat. Another person died in Prajuab Hospital. 

 

It was surmised that the van was travelling at speed down a hill before losing control at a bend in the highway hitting the tree. 

 

It is thought that the driver had what is known in Thai as "lap nai" - a microsleep. 

 

Nguang - jort phak: Drowsy, stop and rest

 

Who the dead precisely were could not be explained as their possessions were scattered over the area. 

 

Thaivisa notes that thousands of large signs - in Thai - warning motorists to rest if they are feeling drowsy have been erected throughout Thailand in recent years (image attached in this story). 

 

Source: Sanook

 

 

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Being pedantic, I would have thought 'microsleep' must be the equivalent to blinking.

 

It seems finding any reason to avoid concentrating and driving properly, by blaming it anything else apart from the driver's incompetence. 'Microsleep' is just the latest in the hub of excuses.

This is like the second or third post in the last 30 days which doesn't blame faulty brakes. What is becoming of this country?! I can't even.

The deforestation continues as the cat nappers feet appears to get heavier in this phenomenon sweeping the land????Rip   

The way to avoid microsleep is to make sure the driver takes his obligatory yaba before driving off. 

 

There's just no way to win on these roads.

Microsleep successfully converted to permanent sleep.  RIP the victims.  

 

RIP,it sounds more like the driver lost control of the van

going downhill,on a bend,more likely than falling asleep,

they go down hills in high gear,braking,so when they really

need the brakes they are too hot ,resulting in brake fade.

regards Worgeordie

1 hour ago, webfact said:

It is thought that the driver had what is known in Thai as "lap nai" - a microsleep.

Is that supposed to make it sound better?

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

Being pedantic, I would have thought 'microsleep' must be the equivalent to blinking.

 

It seems finding any reason to avoid concentrating and driving properly, by blaming it anything else apart from the driver's incompetence. 'Microsleep' is just the latest in the hub of excuses.

I was in the car with my ex who drove us straight in a concrete pilar. Also a microsleep, one moment alert next moment gone. This was during the day and no long hours of driving. Just 20 km ride and almost home. 

So yes it happens, all I could do is curse did not even have time to grab the steering wheel. Next moment i know we hit the pillar and car spinning around.

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

Being pedantic, I would have thought 'microsleep' must be the equivalent to blinking.

 

It seems finding any reason to avoid concentrating and driving properly, by blaming it anything else apart from the driver's incompetence. 'Microsleep' is just the latest in the hub of excuses.

You obviously know very little about sleeping.  Surely you must have dozed off for a second or a few seconds in front of the TV and awoke sharply with a twitch or a jerk.  This is one of the kinds of microsleep. It is a real thing !   But he probably crashed because he was going to fast and couldn't handle the RENTED van.

I cannot understand how someone hasn't invented a device, which can be attached to the driver, to monitor his breathing pattern and warn him when he is dropping off. So many fatal accidents could be averted.

3 minutes ago, delgarcon said:

I cannot understand how someone hasn't invented a device, which can be attached to the driver, to monitor his breathing pattern and warn him when he is dropping off. So many fatal accidents could be averted.

Even if such a device was invented, the import tax would make it unaffordable 

Just now, cyril sneer said:

Even if such a device was invented, the import tax would make it unaffordable 

I thought it was called "The Wife"

2 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Being pedantic, I would have thought 'microsleep' must be the equivalent to blinking.

 

It seems finding any reason to avoid concentrating and driving properly, by blaming it anything else apart from the driver's incompetence. 'Microsleep' is just the latest in the hub of excuses.

I would’ve thought they’d blame the tree for cutting then off.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

It was surmised that the van was travelling at speed down a hill before losing control at a bend in the highway hitting the tree. 

I guess there was a policeman behind him complaining he was going to slow at 80 and to raise his speed to 120 KMH

i like flying ...

3 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

The deforestation continues as the cat nappers feet appears to get heavier in this phenomenon sweeping the land????Rip   

If he managed to up-root and topple that tree he must have been going at a fair lick.... 

Feel sorry for the family that hired a suicide jockey for a driver!

2 hours ago, delgarcon said:

I cannot understand how someone hasn't invented a device, which can be attached to the driver, to monitor his breathing pattern and warn him when he is dropping off. So many fatal accidents could be averted.

 

There are different anti drowsing devices for a few years now, I have heard of it maybe ten years ago already at the time I saw it mainly  for lorry drivers, a little camera using an infrared image sensor to detect the movement of the driver's pupil. Some different ones can be found on Amazon

 

https://binge.co/what-are-the-best-sleep-detection-systems-for-cars

Speed kills. 

RIP.

3 hours ago, delgarcon said:

I cannot understand how someone hasn't invented a device, which can be attached to the driver, to monitor his breathing pattern and warn him when he is dropping off. So many fatal accidents could be averted.

 

In Thailand they would find a way to disable it.

4 hours ago, delgarcon said:

I cannot understand how someone hasn't invented a device, which can be attached to the driver, to monitor his breathing pattern and warn him when he is dropping off. So many fatal accidents could be averted.

Such technology does already exist, by scanning the drivers eye movements. But we're not going to see it here anytime soon I reckon.

 

http://www.meitrack.com/en/driver-fatigue-monitoring-system/

 

 In Thailand now referred to as " Crash Van Winkle".

Just another Tuesday in Thailand. They will never learn.

6 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Is that supposed to make it sound better?

Probably not but it sounds like the sort of thing someone who thinks Thais are not responsible for anything bad might say. Prayuth, Prawit, my wife.

8 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Being pedantic, I would have thought 'microsleep' must be the equivalent to blinking.

 

It seems finding any reason to avoid concentrating and driving properly, by blaming it anything else apart from the driver's incompetence. 'Microsleep' is just the latest in the hub of excuses.

Yep, brake failure was getting a bit tiring - plus it save time with the 2 minute accident investigation report, easier to write micro-sleep into the report than check the brakes. 

4 hours ago, Tchooptip said:

 

There are different anti drowsing devices for a few years now, I have heard of it maybe ten years ago already at the time I saw it mainly  for lorry drivers, a little camera using an infrared image sensor to detect the movement of the driver's pupil. Some different ones can be found on Amazon

 

https://binge.co/what-are-the-best-sleep-detection-systems-for-cars

Can it be over-ridden like the majority of safety devices in Thailand. 

It is so sad, tragic how  many people died in this horrible accident. 

There are a few unsavoury and insensitive posts here relating to the fatal accident, sad too

4 hours ago, djayz said:

Speed kills. 

Sleep kills. More people die in their sleep than when speeding.

2 hours ago, Tops said:

Sleep kills. More people die in their sleep than when speeding.

I was talking about the situation on the roads and people driving at speeds beyond which they can control their vehicle. 

If you want to talk about people dying in their beds, then maybe you should post that on a different thread. 

Considering the tragic loss of so many lives, maybe this isn't the thread or time. 

Microsleep becomes macrosleep.