Thailand Road Carnage: At least seven dead in early morning Korat tour bus smash - driver "fell asleep"

 

Image: Daily News

 

Around 4.30 am today Pho Klang police in Nakhon Ratchasima received reports of a tour bus having smashed into a truck trailer at an intersection on the Korat to Kabinburi Route 304.

 

At the scene the Pansuk tour group bus from Roi-Et was on its side. 

 

Dead bodies were strewn all over the road surface. 

 

At least seven were found and more were feared dead inside the wreckage. Many injured were rushed to hospital. 

 

Truck driver Thanasak said he had slowed before going through an intersection - the kind that just has flashing lights at night.

 

He thought that the bus that slammed into his rear had not braked at all and the driver had probably fallen asleep behind the wheel.

 

Source: Daily News

 

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So the trucker thought that the bus would slow down for him? I guess in the same vein as Thai traffic lights needing a countdown timer, they will need to install brake lights on the front of vehicles so that second-guessing like this can be eliminated in the 'investigation'. Will certainly make playing 'chicken' and 'shooting the gap' much more exciting.

15 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Dead bodies were strewn all over the road surface. 

domestic tourism off to a good start. NOT.

Another terrible accident that could have been avoided but i doubt anything will change after this time either.

2 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

So the trucker thought that the bus would slow down for him? I guess in the same vein as Thai traffic lights needing a countdown timer, they will need to install brake lights on the front of vehicles so that second-guessing like this can be eliminated in the 'investigation'. Will certainly make playing 'chicken' and 'shooting the gap' much more exciting.

The bus was driving behind the truck?Truck slowed down but bus kept going,bang.

Just now, jvs said:

The bus was driving behind the truck?Truck slowed down but bus kept going,bang.

Asleep?! That sounds like a classic case of brake failure.  

5 minutes ago, jvs said:

8 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

So the trucker thought that the bus would slow down for him? I guess in the same vein as Thai traffic lights needing a countdown timer, they will need to install brake lights on the front of vehicles so that second-guessing like this can be eliminated in the 'investigation'. Will certainly make playing 'chicken' and 'shooting the gap' much more exciting.

The bus was driving behind the truck?Truck slowed down but bus kept going,bang.

Oops... my speed read, sorry. Yes, looks like the slowing truck was rear-ended. It might be interesting to see who was in what lane. Overnight buses tend to ride the smoother right-hand lane and in my experience on the Mitrapharp and 304, most heavy trucks usually park up overnight and very few move before first light. The embedded video shows a well-lit and wide junction with traffic lights and the front part of the truck in the nearside lane but the trailer skewed out across the left-hand lane. Does indeed look like a simple, high-speed rear-ender.

Only one comment, just starting to get back to normal, can’t say I have missed the daily bus crash horror stories.

1 hour ago, LomSak27 said:

Asleep?! That sounds like a classic case of brake failure.  

No, it's called microsleep 555

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Dead bodies were strewn all over the road surface. 

Seat Belts...............>>>>>>>>>>>>

Rip

Nobody wearing seat belts either. May have helped. 

I think all these truck & bus drivers need to be given a couple of speed pills

before setting off on the journey to keep them awake,i suspect many do anyway,

it's just those that don't that fall asleep ????.

RIP more lives lost needlessly, the roads are claiming many more lives here

than Covid 19,but nothing is really been done about it.

regards worgeordie

 

4 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

domestic tourism off to a good start. NOT.

Yes, I can feel a new TAT promotion for Funeral Tourism

53 minutes ago, AhFarangJa said:

Seat Belts...............>>>>>>>>>>>>

Probably no requirement for buses to have seat belts installed!

They should make sure that this gets headlined in the Chinese media. Then the Chinese will understand that the regular carnage among tourists here isn't specifically directed against them but is completely random, and so be able to return as tourists in future feeling much safer, lol.

2 hours ago, Thailand Noobie said:

No, it's called microsleep 555

not any more, quite a long sleep for him now, infinity . 

If the police and RTA did their jobs Thailands road carnage could be dramatically reduced. Drug testing bus and truck drivers and regular inspections would be easy to achieve. Wishful thinking I know. 

But whilst corruption and back handers rule, the carnage will continue. 

Trucks and buses in Australia are monitored by sat nav and speeding tickets issued if limits breached. Make fines sting and not the usual 400bht. I know I'm dreaming, but what the hell. 

I have experienced first hand those two story buses driving dangerously at ridiculous speeds and overtaking on blind corners.

Another peeve is that they stay in the right lane forcing cars to undertake on the left.   

Horrific. Yet, even though there are well over 12,000 recorded deaths a year here, nothing is being done. Nothing. And have they shut down the highways? 

 

Yet, 58 covid deaths, and the entire nation's economy was shut down. Go figure. 

5 hours ago, jvs said:

Another terrible accident that could have been avoided but i doubt anything will change after this time either.

Entirely true. "Road Carnage" in Thailand, like gun culture (read: violence) in America is endemic and immutable. Nothing will change. 

42 minutes ago, Jimbo53 said:

Probably no requirement for buses to have seat belts installed!

But there is. It was made mandatory a couple of years ago as part of the minibus shakeup. But wearing them........?

My condolences to the families of the dead passengers. So sad and tragic.

1 hour ago, Jimbo53 said:

Probably no requirement for buses to have seat belts installed!

Buses are definitely required to have seat-belts, and passengers are required to use them !  The staff on the buses from Hua Hin to Swampy are very strict about this legal obligation.

We have not had a report like this in a while, multiple deaths. Driving is back to normal I see.

No seat belts. Reckless driving, no licenses.

 

Another commission board will be set up and issue studied... with same results......

 

RIP   

2 hours ago, AhFarangJa said:

Seat Belts...............>>>>>>>>>>>>

They are straps that dangle on the seats. But heck no one else seems to know what they are for or if they do, they do not tighten them around their bodies, so why should I????

He didn’t fall asleep - he wasn’t paying attention to road traffic. It’s called situational awareness 

 

sadly, but this country refuses to accept driving accountability so excuses like wet roads falling asleep brake failure are tossed about

 

they will say anything as long as it isn’t driver error...Zero acceptance of driver’s fault and until drivers are held accountable and punished, driving behavior will remain the same...
 

 

2 hours ago, Jimbo53 said:

Probably no requirement for buses to have seat belts installed!

From what I know they should be especially the minivans a friend of mine has about 10 minivans all fitted with belts and the drivers are to make sure all passengers wear them, I hired one to go to the airport to pickup some friends and the driver did say to belt up please

4 hours ago, Thailand Noobie said:

No, it's called microsleep 555

For 7 of the passengers and counting unfortunately it's a long sleep

I dont know about where you guys live but where I live after this lockdown and curfew because the roads are quieter people are driving faster

6 hours ago, NanLaew said:

So the trucker thought that the bus would slow down for him? I guess in the same vein as Thai traffic lights needing a countdown timer, they will need to install brake lights on the front of vehicles so that second-guessing like this can be eliminated in the 'investigation'. Will certainly make playing 'chicken' and 'shooting the gap' much more exciting.

So, you don't read so well... the bus was BEHIND him!