When Complacency On The Road Kills

[marshbags]

From Todays B.Post General news >> Friday April 06, 2007

NEWS THINK

WHEN COMPLACENCY ON THE ROAD KILLS

Quote:-

Commuters must demand public transport gets safer

Amornrat Mahitthirook

The fatal accident on Tuesday, when a city bus ploughed into 20 cars at a stop light, shocked the public and galvanised the authorities, as always when these tragedies occur, into promising stiff measures to prevent a recurrence.

The fear now is that the routine promise of post-tragedy action will prove to be just another case of undertaking to build fences after the cows have gone.

And the spotlight, once again, is on the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, which operates the ill-maintained No. 72 air-conditioned bus that rammed into 20 other vehicles, mostly cars, at the traffic light near Wat Benchamabophit. The smash killed one man behind the wheel of a vehicle and injured 20 other people.

Only two weeks ago, an Ubon Ratchathani-Bangkok bus caught fire and killed 30 passengers on the Mittraphap highway in Saraburi province. Both accidents have hurt public confidence in public transport. Passengers are facing the grim reality that simple commuting entails a sometimes fatal risk.

Unquote.

Please go to the following url for the complete article:-

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/06Apr2007_news06.php

At last an article on the realities of Thai Transport laws that are entrenched in the past and how they desperately need bringing into the 21st century.

This situation needs addressing urgently or the horrific examples of late will just continue.

Personaly i would class them as something far more serious than accidents

The onus is on the Government, Owners, ( PuYai ) Supervisors, Drivers and the staff who blatantly turn a blind eye to the causes and what could be the prevention of of them in the first place.

Last of all the following in bold is also quoted and refers to the onus on the passengers

As long as commuters mutely accept the risks of using public transport, the authorities will not be inclined to action to address the problem. Complacency can and will kill again.

marshbags

Edited April 6, 2007 by marshbags