Eight British tourists injured in Pattaya van crash

[Redline]

Negligence as usual.  1000 baht fine, and 5000 to each victim...next

[Mattd]

What the video does show is how flimsy these minibuses really are.

[NanLaew]

22 hours ago, Tracechain said:

Would it be too terribly naive to remotely wonder if the van has any type of collision hospitalization insurance?

What on earth is "collision hospitalization insurance?"

 

Do you mean fully-comprehensive commercial carrier liability insurance? Being Thailand, I would wager that most minivans are insured as individual, private-hire vehicles, same-same cars and the only legally mandated insurance is the Por Ror Bor, all 650-ish baht of it. I recall it's good for 30 k baht max/injured party.

 

I read that according to the Tourism Business and Guide Act, tour operators are required to provide tourists insurance coverage of at least 1 million baht per tourist in case of death and 500,000 baht in case of injury. Failing this, they face fines of at least half-a-million baht. However, providers of ad-hoc minivan services may not be classed as a 'tour operator' especially if the tour operator sub-contracts or hires a privately-owned minivan for carriage.

 

But I do hope to be pleasantly surprised that it isn't the case but one think I stopped doing years ago in the blighted Realm was holding my breath.

[NanLaew]

4 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

... Being Thailand, I would wager that most minivans are insured as individual, private-hire vehicles, same-same cars and the only legally mandated insurance is the Por Ror Bor, all 650-ish baht of it. I recall it's good for 30 k baht max/injured party. ...

 

CTPL covers only medical expenses with limited coverage when you cause the accident. It is up to 80,000 baht for injury and 300,000 baht for death–if it’s not the driver’s fault. When the driver is the cause of the accident, the coverage decreases to 30,000 baht for injury and 35,000 baht for death.

[shy coconut]

7 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Luckily the Van has full triple A insurance and the tourists will receive full free medical care and financial compensation payment or am i too optimistic?

I always take out holiday insurance wherever I go. I would hope that would cover me

for treatment in this instance, regardless of any insurance the taxi may or may not have.

[scubascuba3]

34 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

CTPL covers only medical expenses with limited coverage when you cause the accident. It is up to 80,000 baht for injury and 300,000 baht for death–if it’s not the driver’s fault. When the driver is the cause of the accident, the coverage decreases to 30,000 baht for injury and 35,000 baht for death.

It's meant to have orange plates to have proper insurance, so it seems an illegal taxi

[dunroaming]

12 hours ago, saengd said:

That driver had no idea how to control a skid, he'd be hopeless on snow or ice, if he'd turned into the skid he could probably have retained control.....it's a training thing..

Lucky he lives in Thailand then, not much chance of encountering snow or ice.  Probably why they don't include it in their "training".

[Curt1591]

13 hours ago, saengd said:

That driver had no idea how to control a skid, he'd be hopeless on snow or ice, if he'd turned into the skid he could probably have retained control.....it's a training thing..

 

He was already veering right. With the van's center of gravity, and the force from the turn, he was already staged to come around.

 

9 hours ago, saengd said:

I disagree! If he'd blown a front tyre I might agree.

 

Contrary to popular belief, it is better to have a front tire blow. With a blown front tire, one still has some control over the wheel. With a read tire, it's on its own. 

On a trip to Chantaburi, I had my left front explode. Not one to park on the expressway, I was able to easily drive a couple kilometers to exit. Had it been a rear, I would have been all over the place, trying to compensate for the rear's wobbling.

Another hot tip. If you have a flat on the freeway / expressway, drive off the freeway / expressway. Yes, you will destroy the tire. However, once a tire goes flat, and it is resting on the rim, the tire is dangerously damaged and needs replacement anyway.

Case in point:

I had bought this car used. After my experience with the blowout, I asked the former owner if the tire had ever gone flat. It had. I imagine that the flat damaged the cords, which later separated.

 

[Curt1591]

52 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

It's meant to have orange plates to have proper insurance, so it seems an illegal taxi

It has blue chauffeur plates. 

[scubascuba3]

50 minutes ago, Curt1591 said:

It has blue chauffeur plates. 

white plate with blue writing is chauffeur?

[BobbyL]

Judging by the video I can't imagine they were wearing seat belts. 

[scubascuba3]

9 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

Judging by the video I can't imagine they were wearing seat belts. 

You would never have guessed they would fly out the back door

[Paradice lost]

Whereas I fully agree with everything said about most drivers of these busses. In possible mitigation in this instance, 8 passengers is not overloading and from looking carefully at the video, immediately before loosing control, a black mark appears on the road which is possible a tyre blowout so, in this instance, it was possibly not entirely the driver at fault.

[Kevbo]

16 hours ago, kcpattaya said:

"British" tourists?

Really?

British passport holders

[Curt1591]

10 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

white plate with blue writing is chauffeur?

Yup

 

[steve187]

21 hours ago, saengd said:

A skid is all about controlling the direction of travel and this is managed by a combination of the steering via the front wheels and momentum. If the back end starts to slide and you don't correct the slide the momentum increases and the result is what you see on the video. But when the slide begins the driver turns into the skid the momentum is arrested, the direction of travel is corrected. Anyone who has lived and driven in North America/Canada or Northern Europe and driven in freezing conditions will know this.

not much freezing in Thailand for them to practice

[Don Mega]

13 hours ago, Curt1591 said:

It has blue chauffeur plates. 

Blue on white = Personal vehicle that carries more than 7 passengers.

[Assurancetourix]

41 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Blue on white = Personal vehicle that carries more than 7 passengers.

 

As you seem to know the different color meanings; can you make us a post with all the colors and explanations;
and if you also know the meanings of heavy goods vehicles, that would also be very good.
and if you also have pictures; that would be a big plus ..

Another thing, I never understood why the Thai insurances accept 7 people in a pickup where there are only 5 seat belts.
There, there is something that escapes me.
In addition the number 7 is written in very large on the insurance documents ...

and how many do they accept in a 2-door pickup since the mini rear bench seat is not designed to transport people;
moreover, there are no seat belts at this location;
however for a few years the belt is also compulsory in the rear seats.

If you or a Thai of the forum writing an understandable English could answer us that would be really very good. 

[Don Mega]

1 minute ago, Assurancetourix said:

 

As you seem to know the different color meanings; can you make us a post with all the colors

Numerous topics have cover this, use the search button.

[Assurancetourix]

10 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Numerous topics have cover this, use the search button.

 

In fact WiKi gives us the explanations; so Thank you WiKipedia 
which is not the case of some blogs or private sites which write really anything.
As for trying to do a search, the top in the white rectangle, you might as well look for a needle in a haystack.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Thailand

 

There is this site that stands out with clear explanations

 

https://driving-in-thailand.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-license-plates/

 

On the other hand, I have not yet found why the Thai insurance companies accept 7 people in a vehicle that has only 5 seat belts ...

[spiekerjozef]

On 1/14/2020 at 5:31 PM, Sticky Wicket said:

It's amazing how people will spend 5-10k on a night out but penny pinch on transportation.

I haven't been on one of those death buses for years 

the buses are fine. It's the people who drive and maintain them

[Curt1591]

3 hours ago, Don Mega said:

Blue on white = Personal vehicle that carries more than 7 passengers.

That too.

 

If you look at AOT's and other providers' "limos", you will notice that they have the blue on white plates. Although not impossible, it would be difficult to cram 7 or more passengers into a Camry, Benz, or BMW. 

[Don Mega]

1 hour ago, Curt1591 said:

That too.

 

If you look at AOT's and other providers' "limos", you will notice that they have the blue on white plates. Although not impossible, it would be difficult to cram 7 or more passengers into a Camry, Benz, or BMW. 

I thought they were white on green.

[DannyCarlton]

9 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

I thought they were white on green.

Blue on a white background is the standard plate for a private van.

 

White on green is business, tourist and rental service vehicles (including airport and hotel taxis)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Thailand

 

 

Edited January 16, 2020 by DannyCarlton

[Ventenio]

It's a mai bpen rai, keep smiling!!!!  You wanted adventure, you got it!!   next time rent a tank, it's what I do.  I've been in 33,979 accidents and i just paint 'mai bpen rai' on the side.  

[Don Mega]

59 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

Blue on a white background is the standard plate for a private van.

 

White on green is business, tourist and rental service vehicles (including airport and hotel taxis)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Thailand

 

 

Thanks, thats how I understand it as well.

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, DannyCarlton said:

Blue on a white background is the standard plate for a private van.

 

White on green is business, tourist and rental service vehicles (including airport and hotel taxis)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Thailand

 

 

But this vehicle isn't a private van? (i assume that means for personal use), it's a taxi

[Curt1591]

4 hours ago, Don Mega said:

I thought they were white on green.

I stand corrected. However, the blue on white, for vans, still stands.

That's got to be the weirdest "green" I've ever seen!

Edited January 16, 2020 by Curt1591

[DannyCarlton]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

But this vehicle isn't a private van? (i assume that means for personal use), it's a taxi

TiT. My neighbour runs 2 vans, both have black on a yellow background. Car taxis. Up to him.

 

Also, probably not a taxi, more likely private hire.

 

 

Edited January 16, 2020 by DannyCarlton

[paulikens]

On ‎1‎/‎14‎/‎2020 at 8:46 AM, Mitkof Island said:

Pattaya = Foreigners= Mini Van = ZERO COMMON SENSE

what do you mean exactly???