Video: No matter how well you drive on Thai roads... the Grim Reaper awaits

[Momofarang]

1 hour ago, saengd said:

I think I'm OK, I drive at least 12k every year and have done so since 2004. I drive a great big truck with plenty of power so I have an advantage over smaller vehicles, I'm also not a motorbike which means I'm in the 20% rather than the 80%. I also don't drink plus I rarely drive at night plus I'm a defensive/aggressive driver with plenty of experience. I estimate my risk of dying in an RTA is probably in the low single digits and I can, no pun intended, live with that.

Why do are you so concerned about dying, have you wondered about what would happen to you and your family if some idiot motorcyclist decided to kill himself with your car?

[thailand49]

You sue the Bus company that would be a good start, then run through their employee records and you will find a lot of drivers that don't have licenses or been trained properly. Employees such as this does it because it is common within the company.

[mike787]

Welcome to the deadliest roads...just another deadly day in the thunder dome.

[jackdd]

8 hours ago, Tchooptip said:

After reading your answer I watch again, you are right without the motorbike most likely the small red car coud have sidestep the bus

The red car is driving about as fast as the yellow/green taxi, which means he was not overtaking, which means he should not have been in the right lane to begin with. So if we want to be pedantic we could say: If the red car had followed the law he would not have been involved in this accident.

[bander]

This is daily news in Thailand, nothing new at all. Next please.

[P100]

Car and motorbike are probably overtaking the taxi, at the same time (otherwise the red car should have been behind the taxi and not next to it).

The bus has a parking car in front and goes more to the middle. Bus, car and motorbike are aiming for the very space!

And all 3 are to stubborn to give up and brake!

 

-The bus should have stayed within its lane waiting behind the parked car if there isn't enough space! You have an obstacle in your way, you f*cking wait and you don´t cross the line! Hard for Thais, to be forced to brake and stop is probably a matter of loose face or so...

-The car should not have stayed next to the motorbike overtaking at the same time but let the bike overtake first while waiting behind him!

 

Happens because Thais are stubborn and have no awareness of dangers, lack of experience, lack of knowledge and disregard of rules.

 

In the second part you even see a bike rider reacting too slow and crashing into the car, also another car.

Well done, like in a movie...

Edited December 30, 2019 by P100

[bander]

5 hours ago, thailand49 said:

You sue the Bus company that would be a good start, then run through their employee records and you will find a lot of drivers that don't have licenses or been trained properly. Employees such as this does it because it is common within the company.

With all the corruption in this country I'm afraid suing the bus company will only be swept under the carpet.

[shy coconut]

8 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I refuse to drive here. My nerve for it has gone. I know how I will die. It will be in a traffic 'accident'. I just don't know when. I let my wife drive and she's very good at it. I have no idea how that happened. But, as the headline says, you can be the best driver in the world but if someone drives at you at speed head on then how good you are makes absolutely no difference. You end up crushed in a pile of metal. I have a problem with that.

 I feel safe enough driving a car, my keen on sitting on the back of a bike, although I do use

MC taxis from time to time.

 

My biggest concern is avoiding all the motorbikes which buzz around like mosquitoes in

large towns, 100% concentration is needed then.

[Shadychris]

9 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I refuse to drive here. My nerve for it has gone. I know how I will die. It will be in a traffic 'accident'. I just don't know when. I let my wife drive and she's very good at it. I have no idea how that happened. But, as the headline says, you can be the best driver in the world but if someone drives at you at speed head on then how good you are makes absolutely no difference. You end up crushed in a pile of metal. I have a problem with that.

Refusing to drive seems like rather a drastic solution to prolonging your life....

Why don't you just buy a couple of amulets and get a monk to bless your wheels?? You'll be fine! 

[dallen52]

 

Just another sad day in Thailand...

 

No cure for this....

 

Edited December 30, 2019 by dallen52

[ubon farang]

I AM certain i had a drunk Thai driver in front of me the other day when i was driving to Mackro They had the car sitting on the cenre line and moving it from east to west not letting anybody pass. oR they were just brain dead like most thai drivers and did not know what lane they wanted to be in The horn on my car gets a workout every day but it makes no difference.

 

Then my old favourite I see The redlight runners. No patience so just go through the red light. Everyday if I went to Mackro which is about 4 klms from my house you could book 500 drivers for breaking the road rules. Where are the RTP? Nowhere to be seen and the one ones you do see are stranding at the lights with their white gloves on doing nothing. Question Why would you be standing at traffic lights for? They seeem to be working .

[thailand49]

7 hours ago, bander said:

With all the corruption in this country I'm afraid suing the bus company will only be swept under the carpet.

Yes you are right but my suggestion like so many here is assuming they would care more about their own people and take a bit of back seat to the corruption!

[Moonlover]

20 hours ago, Ventenio said:

OMG.  Again, if you value your life you will never be on a motorbike.

If you really value your life, when riding a motorcycle never overtake on the inside especially at high speed.

 

Whilst all fingers are being pointed at the bus driver and rightfully so, the motorcyclist put himself in harm's way due to this dangerous practice.

[kentrot]

Ubon Farang is 'spot on' - Sit at any traffic light and count the number of red light "runners" ... I guess the Boys In Brown don't bother to nail them because they know that many Thai motorbike drivers would not have the BAHT to pay a fine --- let alone pay for a license for driving,  or legal motorbike registration and updated licenses.

 

..... Nor could many Thai drivers afford these "technicalities"   with all the businesses laying off staff and closing shop these days. I heard several Thais chatting about 120 Bangkok factories (big or small , I don't know) closing down as of year end. Lots of workers just packing up in the city and moving back to the farm.

[snatur]

May it is not only the foult of the busdriver at all. Because if you watch the video slow or pic by pic, you'll see that the red car comes in front to the bus, drives very close to the side of the bus, e.g. in front of the bus.

 

If the driver in the red car care really the situation, they would be able to steer/drive a bit to the left, so there is no collission. More to the details. Also in this situation there is enough place to the left side on the red car to move a bit to the left, to avoid a crash.

 

And furthermore... if you watch very careful, the bus drives straight on!! It does not look that the bus drives more to the right side then before. And there is not really a place free on the left side of the bus, that allowed the busdriver to move the bus in a time of may 1-2 seconds more then 2 metres to the left side.

 

However, if the bus driver was drunk or not, it does not care in this situation about this crash. Next ist to know.... what the f... does the driver in this moment? Take a call? May drunken too?

 

I do noy say that both ... the busdriver or the driver of the red car doing wrong or right.. however and what I would say in case of accidents on Thai roads is not the problem of alkohol or drugs itself, it is the problem of the behavir and the ignorance from the Thai people at all, even they do not know about physics or they do not care about the rules of the traffic and the road.

 

 

 

[wealthychef]

On 12/30/2019 at 11:14 AM, webfact said:

no matter how well you might drive on Thai roads, death awaits. 

 

I understand that this is a complaint about the fact that the roads here are more dangerous than other countries.  However, if the implication is that driving well has no effect and everyone is doomed to die on the roads, this is false.  I give more space than other people and watch every car with suspicion.  I slow down at intersections and look both ways.  I believe these habits make me safer.  Sure, some idiot can still kill me, and that's true anywhere, especially on a motorbike.  But you can drastically reduce your risk if you care to.  Most road deaths are not caused by drunk buses.  They are almost always avoidable.  

[Fred white]

52 minutes ago, wealthychef said:

 

I understand that this is a complaint about the fact that the roads here are more dangerous than other countries.  However, if the implication is that driving well has no effect and everyone is doomed to die on the roads, this is false.  I give more space than other people and watch every car with suspicion.  I slow down at intersections and look both ways.  I believe these habits make me safer.  Sure, some idiot can still kill me, and that's true anywhere, especially on a motorbike.  But you can drastically reduce your risk if you care to.  Most road deaths are not caused by drunk buses.  They are almost always avoidable.  

If you leave to much of a gap some idiot will pass 5 cars in a curve to fill it ????

[grumpy 4680]

        Might as well blame the bike driver as well,  there was no need to be so far over in the road, unless he planned on overtaking the taxi ahead, without looking behind.

[grumpy 4680]

       Not having seen the whole video, I don't think anyone can apportion blame on the police for not preventing this sort of accident.

      It seems more apparent that all involved in this calamity are all guilty of Poor Driving Standards.

[wealthychef]

3 hours ago, Fred white said:

If you leave to much of a gap some idiot will pass 5 cars in a curve to fill it ????

 

So what?   That's them risking their own lives.  I'm not going to act stupid just because other people act stupid.  If you are generous and careful, you will be safer.  You might get to your destination 2 minutes later, and someone will go faster than you, but you will have a much greater chance of living.  

[scoutman360]

Just got back from a 6 hour drive to Khao Kho with my friend. I can count more than 3 near fatal collisions. None of which would have been my friend's fault. These roads are crazy.

[saengd]

19 hours ago, wealthychef said:

 

I understand that this is a complaint about the fact that the roads here are more dangerous than other countries.  However, if the implication is that driving well has no effect and everyone is doomed to die on the roads, this is false.  I give more space than other people and watch every car with suspicion.  I slow down at intersections and look both ways.  I believe these habits make me safer.  Sure, some idiot can still kill me, and that's true anywhere, especially on a motorbike.  But you can drastically reduce your risk if you care to.  Most road deaths are not caused by drunk buses.  They are almost always avoidable.  

Totally agree, well put.

[Fred white]

On 12/31/2019 at 3:44 PM, wealthychef said:

 

So what?   That's them risking their own lives.  I'm not going to act stupid just because other people act stupid.  If you are generous and careful, you will be safer.  You might get to your destination 2 minutes later, and someone will go faster than you, but you will have a much greater chance of living.  

My reply was sarcasm a joke call it what you want I agree with you on the gap I do it also the bad thing about the passing is I've seen people run off the road because of these idiots

[wealthychef]

22 minutes ago, Fred white said:

My reply was sarcasm a joke call it what you want I agree with you on the gap I do it also the bad thing about the passing is I've seen people run off the road because of these idiots

 

No doubt, they are a danger to themselves and others too, you are right.  I listen for bikes behind me and use my mirrors.  These knuckleheads who think they are being smart don't cause me a problem like they used to, because I don't begrudge them to pass me.  I do everything I can to help them by, preferring them in front of me where I can watch them more easily.  At the same time, I admit I am one of those guys weaving between cars at lights and even occasionally cutting across red lights because that's how it's done here.  

I happen to believe the biggest thing that can be done to increase traffic safety is to eliminate bribes to cops.  Until that is fixed, literally no rule will have any effect.  And that will never be done because the fish rots from the head down.  

[justaphase]

The bus driver who drove me on the Mukdahan Bangkok bus on Boxing day was all over the road, overtaking at night on blind bends doing 120. Scarey for me at the very top front.

[LetsCleanUpTHAILAND]

Guys, what legal action would happen to this bus driver in your countries? Just curious... 

[Fred white]

5 hours ago, LetsCleanUpTHAILAND said:

Guys, what legal action would happen to this bus driver in your countries? Just curious... 

He wouldn't be driving a bus anymore

[HaleySabai]

On 12/30/2019 at 11:38 AM, neeray said:

DRIVE SLOWLY IF DRUNK

That's a pretty stupid concept.

Try this:

IF YOU ARE DRUNK, DON'T DRIVE.

They tried that,it doesn't work.

[seajae]

bus company also needs to be raked over the coals for this for letting him take the bus home after drinking. Why in the hell dont the police go out and set up random testing stations for drunk drivers like they do in Australia, they catch the idiots that still drive after drinking. problem is here the police are too lazy to do it and prefer to sit in the air conditioned offices, the law in Thailand is a joke and will never improve because no one really gives a s**t no matter how many deaths there are. Until they get the police on the roads in decent cars and bikes pulling over all the idiots that ignore the road rules nothing will change but that would remove all the pocket money from those higher up so no chance of it ever  happening, graft and corruption are too well imbedded here