Ministry ‘sorry’ for hit-and-run incident, vows to punish driver

[DrTuner]

11 hours ago, impulse said:

 

All over the world, VIPs and government officials get sanctioned police escorts to speed them along their way and provide security.

Never saw one back in Finland. Did see three presidents shopping though, one was riding a bicycle.

 

These pompous caravans are popular in banana republics.

[JonnyF]

I overtook one of these convoys on my GSXR600 once. My overtaking was quite 'assertive' as they were deliberately hogging the road for ages so I undertook one, then changed lanes between two of them to overtake another one.

 

A cop at the side of the road who was stopping traffic 300 metres ahead of all this saw me and pulled me over, absolutely furious. Checking my licence, passport (luckily I had it as I was returning from a night in a hotel) and desperately wanted to find something on me. Kept me there about 30 minutes, shouting and swearing before letting me go ????

 

These convoys are full of arrogant tossers and they think they own the road. Hitting one of the peasants for not getting out of their way quickly enough is entirely consistent with what I have seen of them. When they stop it's always some corrupt looking, old, overweight, local bigwig that gets out. Makes me wanna vomit.

[impulse]

22 minutes ago, whaleboneman said:

Exactly - pulled over and fined! Not run off the road!

 

Would you be so kind as to point out the time marker on the video where someone was actually run off the road? 

 

Because I must have missed that part when I watched the video. 

 

[kamahele]

12 hours ago, impulse said:

 

All over the world, VIPs and government officials get sanctioned police escorts to speed them along their way and provide security.

 

Whether it was justified in this case or not is a separate issue.  The issue I see is a vehicle not pulling over for an emergency vehicle with lights and sirens blaring away.  As we've all seen happening to ambulances and fire trucks.  For that, they'd have been pulled over and fined in most places around the world.

 

I wonder what emergency the Agriculture Ministry was having. Do they have policing duties? I'm not being sarcastic. Just asking.

[madmitch]

It looks to me as though the slower vehicle was correctly positioned in the left hand lane and if the convoy wished to overtake they should go to the right to do so.

 

Usually these convoys stick to the right hand lane for the whole of their journey so this case is quite unusual!

[Baerboxer]

12 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I don't disagree...  But when the lights and siren are blaring away, it's an emergency vehicle.  Stand your ground at your own legal peril.

 

 

No, that's not correct. In the UK an emergency vehicle must have a reason to put lights and sirens on. Not the whim of the officers. There are acceptable reasons but outside of those reasons the officer has no right to use them or to exceed the speed limit or ignore any road rules, laws and restrictions.

 

The question would be, what, does Thai law say. I have no idea, do you?

 

The entitled behavior of self important people isn't necessarily what the law says.

[ChipButty]

13 hours ago, Artisi said:

Don't you know who I am? 

Why, are you lost?

[Derek B]

In most foreign countries even drivers of emergency vehicles are required to drive with due care & attention...................not sure about Thailand...........it does seem like a case of peasant pullover especially by the first and last vehicles.

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

 

No, that's not correct. In the UK an emergency vehicle must have a reason to put lights and sirens on. Not the whim of the officers. There are acceptable reasons but outside of those reasons the officer has no right to use them or to exceed the speed limit or ignore any road rules, laws and restrictions.

 

The question would be, what, does Thai law say. I have no idea, do you?

 

The entitled behavior of self important people isn't necessarily what the law says.

the unwritten Thai road rules universally applied are " do what ever you please"  

[jimn]

Just an idiotic driver not moving out of the way for an oncoming car within sirens blairing. Same type of attutude when an ambulance is approaching. The car was in the wrong no one else. A non storey

[Artisi]

14 hours ago, impulse said:

So, someone refuses to pull over for a vehicle blasting its lights and sirens...

 

Back home, the car doing the filming would have been pulled over and ticketed for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.

 

 

what emergency vehicle?  

[quake]

Get out the way Plebs.

Don't you know who i am.

Typical Thailand.

[Mr Meeseeks]

They didn't hold their deputy accountable for being a convicted heroin smuggler that did four years' jail in Sydney so don't hold your breath for justice here.

[Tarteso]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

they had gone to teach people how to make hand-sanitising gel.

And?

[NanLaew]

[connda]

A VIP Caravan 

"Plebs!  Get out of our way!!!  Important people coming through!"

FYI, being someone who drives at the posted speed limit, I see this kind of driving all the time by about 50% of Thai drivers who are in a massive hurry to get somewhere.  You know the type - passes on blind corners, passes and forces cars coming the other direction off the road in order to get one car length in front of you after which the moron "Wins" back getting stopped at the next stop light first.  Yeah, those types. 
And of course - The VIP Caravans - more important than the average pleb:  "Get Off The Road.  Very Important People Come!!!"

Those are the ones who will blow right through the stop lights endangering everyone around.

"We'll find that drivers!"

Sure you will.

[Accidental Tourist]

Red Bull culture at his best....

[digger70]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Ministry ‘sorry’ for hit-and-run incident, vows to punish driver

Total Idiots, The Ministry vehicles Are Not Emergency vehicles .Driver should've stood Ground and Just kept driving in the Left Lane .If there's no police Escort You don't get Off the road Stay in the Left Lane. 

[connda]

15 hours ago, impulse said:

So, someone refuses to pull over for a vehicle blasting its lights and sirens...

 

Back home, the car doing the filming would have been pulled over and ticketed for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.

 

 

There is a difference between an emergency vehicle and a VIP caravan full of self-important 'somebodies' who need to get wherever they are going "quick quick" even if it mean running people off of the road and creating dangerous driving conditions.

If you haven't noticed, Highway Patrol cars are not of patrolling the roads, they are for escorting VIPs.  The problem being, there seems to be a whole lot of VIPs in this country, status being what it is to Thais.

[Sydebolle]

Usually these ever-so-important-get-out-of-my-way convoys carry complete idiots. Real VIPs dont travel like that and usually such convoys compensate for the inferiority complex of the passenger(s). 

Everybody is equal in the Land, except the dirty farang of course and ..... in this case, a soldier and a pharmacist from Chantaburi. 

The driver was executive, the legislative d1ckhaed is to be reprimanded and should present an apology with a big "way" on TV - will never happen but would put the clown where (s)he belongs - back into the circus. 

[AgMech Cowboy]

Out of my way!!!

[Tony125]

15 hours ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

BS!  These VIP convoys are a freaking menace & should be stopped!!!!

Same  attitude some privliged Thai have that think they don't have to pull over when an ambulance has lights and sirene on. 

[spidermike007]

Nothing will be done. The members of this administration are totally above the law. Any and all laws. And they behave as such. 

[Khun Paul]

The Thai Govt NFI and after talking to the driver NFA , simple peons tough luck. 

[4MyEgo]

Just a normal day on Thai roads, right.

[bodga]

5 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Is'nt that the very way the country operates?

hence why I stated it

[Falcon]

Not really much difference in the driving skills of most of the people in the road these days here, especially when they are overtaking another vehicle. Looks like just another day in the roads if Thailand to me.

[Tarteso]

Sorry seems to be the hardest word ????

[tandor]

17 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

haha... so?

...plenty of room..fit a pregnant elephant through the gap!

[tandor]

..what 'hit and run'..there was no contact i could see in the clip.