Video: Carnage in downtown Bangkok - Merc Benz goes through red light - two cars overturn

[Dmaxdan]

7 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Why is it when folks turn onto a street and driveway they creep so slowly.

Because if they drove any quicker they would be in serious danger of avoiding the accident, and that would never do. 

[Kerryd]

Watching the video closely a few times. When the Mercedes enters the intersection he starts moving to his right to go behind the Honda but appears to go into a skid. About halfway through the intersection it looks like he's "turned into the skid" (like you're supposed to) and his momentum carries him into the Honda which is basically sitting still in the middle of the road like a deer in the head lights.

As a result, the Mercedes hits the Honda almost smack in the middle it seems, instead of slamming into the front-left corner like it seems he would have if he'd kept going straight. 
Watching the video, the Mercedes is on the right side of the middle lane before getting to the intersection. As he enters the intersection it is clear he is trying to move into the left lane to go behind the Honda.
However, the Honda enters the intersection and stops just before crossing into the middle lane, thus blocking the left lane. 

The Honda hesitated in the intersection. An experienced driver would expect the oncoming traffic to figure out that he (she) was going to cross in front of them and they would go behind them rather than try to cut in front of them.

Had the Honda driver continued to cross the intersection, the Mercedes would have passed behind it probably without incident.
Obviously the Mercedes was going too fast and the driver was possibly distracted, or at the very least was expecting the Honda to cross the intersection, not stop in the middle of it. Probably by the time he realized the Honda was stopped he didn't have enough time to react (because he was going too fast) and jerked the wheel to the right to try and go behind the Honda, only to end up going into a skid.

I'm not sure where the lights are but I'm guessing the Honda started to turn because the lights had changed and it had the green "right turn" light.
(Which would mean the Mercedes would have had a red light, which he apparently ignored for whatever reason.)

Happens so often and because there is pretty much ZERO police enforcement of traffic laws, people get it in their heads that it's a perfectly acceptable thing to do.

So many times I've been at a red, waited until it turned green, let off the brakes and ZOOM ! Someone goes flying through the intersection at high speed and you know full well they had plenty of time to stop. Especially as many of the intersections have a couple second delay between one light turning red and the other turning green (which probably is why many of them decide it's OK to just blow through the red anyways).

Other times I've been approaching an intersection, saw the green flashing, knew I couldn't make the light, slowed down and stopped just as it went red, only to have some car/truck/SUV blow past me and through the intersection.

They do it because they know there is pretty much zero chance that there will be any cops anywhere in the area so the chances of getting pulled over and ticketed are pretty much non-existent.

[malibukid]

in LOS Benz has the right of way

[jaiyen]

You can clearly see that the Merc moves to the right slightly and drives straight into the Honda. If it had stayed straight it would have missed it.

[rubyjuan]

Hi-So AHole.  

[BusyB]

5 hours ago, robblok said:

The MB went through a red light and is totally guilty the honda thought he could go and all of a sudden saw a speeding car going at her. The decision was wrong but clearly the MB is the main guilty party and should be held liable and lose his license or more. Going through red lights is something that should really be cracked down on. 

 

But your right that the honda could have gone faster but that does not excuse the MB.

You're right - my driving instructor taught me that hesitation kills more people than anything else. But these people who flout red lights and zebra xings should face serious sanctions, including jail time for injuries or death.

But they won't.

[10baht]

8 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Why is it when folks turn onto a street and driveway they creep so slowly.

Turning is a challenge for Thais for some reason. My guess is they can't picture a right angle ( 90 degree ) turn as they are used to cutting the corners as motorbike drivers or they can't shift and turn at the same time or they can't text or talk on their cell phone when turning. And these are the sober ones.

[Calvin1976]

Anyone saw the bicycle (coming from the MB direction) who might passing through the entrance which the Honda turning in?

This might be the reason why the Honda slow down and ultimately stopped at middle of the road.

[apetryxx]

If one regularly drives on the highways here there are three constant culprits with lead feet on the gas pedal, Pick up trucks, Benz and BMWs. In the city, being cautious when crossing, entering or leaving a main road is just good driving safety. That Honda was in no way at fault and second guessing her motives for hesitancy is unfair.

[tgw]

inane headline.

 

"carnage" comes from the word "carnae", of latin meaning "meat". meaning was extended to "a large number of killed people".

 

so the word is totally inappropriate.

 

 

[10baht]

1 hour ago, Card said:

Definitely the MB vault by speeding through a red light. The white car hesitates because she does not know what the MB wants to do. She expects it to drive in front of her and so slows to let it through.

No she want to turn behind the red truck. And the motor bike hindered her. BTW I didn't see a turning indicator her or the truck. MB was at fault but her stopping in the middle of the road instead of making and completing her turn is beyond words.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, robblok said:

Sure the honda made a mistake not going through. 

The Honda did not make a mistake, it was in the right !

The MB driver went through a red light.

When the Honda driver realised the MB driver was not going to stop it slowed down to try to prevent a collision...

The MB driver took no evasive action, which might be construed that it didn't see the red light or the Honda driver until the impact.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

The MB is thinking the Honda will continue the turn and the MB will pass the ass of the Honda. 

Even after going through a red light?

[mancub]

Well, let's hope that she is OK and that he doesn't hold a "Get out of jail free" card.

Thankfully there appears to be no collateral damage in the form of motorcyclists, pedestrians etc. 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, smedly said:

being careful, not all Thai s drive like lunatics

Some are maniacs..????

[10baht]

1 hour ago, wensiensheng said:

8 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Why is it when folks turn onto a street and driveway they creep so slowly.

Because there might be an idiot in a Benz coming screaming through a red light?

They do it where there are no lights. 

[robblok]

3 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

The Honda did not make a mistake, it was in the right !

The MB driver went through a red light.

When the Honda driver realised the MB driver was not going to stop it slowed down to try to prevent a collision...

The MB driver took no evasive action, which might be construed that it didn't see the red light or the Honda driver until the impact.

I agree with you but if the honda driver had gone through fast it would have ended differently. But the honda driver was put in this situation by the faults of the benz, the main guilty party. The honda driver could have responded better (but certainly was not in the wrong)

[JonnyF]

1 hour ago, PATTAYA12 said:

That drives me insane same as they can not take corners 

 

Me too. I get it all the time on the elevated Chalong Rat highway from BKK to ChonBuri. They overtake me doing about 160 on the straight and then as soon as the highway curves a bit, they slow right down to about 60 and I cruise past at the same speed I was doing on the straight.

 

As soon as the curve ends they blast past me again. 

 

It's scary that someone with so little ability to drive round a mild curve is driving at such high speed on other sections.

 

Don't get me started on slowing down to a virtual standstill before turning off a main road into a sub soi. It's like they're begging to get hit from behind.

[rwill]

Well it seems the Honda turning saw the Benz coming at speed and knew it wasn't going to stop.   She had 2 choices, stop and hope the Benz swerved around her or acclerate harder and hope she got out of the way.  I think she made the wrong choice but you never know for sure.

[Bangkok Barry]

23 minutes ago, tgw said:

inane headline.

 

"carnage" comes from the word "carnae", of latin meaning "meat". meaning was extended to "a large number of killed people".

 

so the word is totally inappropriate.

 

 

Not if you want to gain a high number of readers. Who wants to read Benz and Honda Collide In Downtown Bangkok. I once called such headlines on this site clickbait and was banned from posting for a week. So, to avoid any misunderstanding in this land of free speech, I believe this was a simple misunderstanding of the English language. Could happen with anyone. I'm sure many of us have used the wrong word on occasion.

 

To get back on topic, I believe both drivers were at fault, the Benz for going through a red light and driving at an unsafe speed in a built-up area, and the Honda for stopping in its path instead of speeding up to get out of the other car's path. Both displayed poor driving skills, but we would expect nothing less in a country with such poor driver training. Strangely, the two go together.

 

[Pravda]

I wish the Merc driver a speedy recovery

[Dirk Z]

Call it carnage without info on injuries is a bit premature, unless you consider it for the slaughter of two cars. And anyway, we all know that red lights are not for Benz drivers.

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, robblok said:

The MB went through a red light and is totally guilty

The Merc may have gone through a red light before the accident but not at the accident site, that is an entrance to Chula, not a light-controlled junction.

 

There is a pedestrian crossing light there but that is showing red for those waiting to cross suggesting that it was probably on green for the traffic.

[David T Pike]

2 hours ago, Card said:

Definitely the MB vault by speeding through a red light. The white car hesitates because she does not know what the MB wants to do. She expects it to drive in front of her and so slows to let it through.

No matter what the MB was going to do, you sure as hell dont STOP in the middle of the freaking road!!! ????

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

The MB driver ran a red light end of ......................!!!!

Where was the red light that he ran?  It sure wasn't at the accident site which doesn't appear to have any traffic lights apart from the ped crossing that was showing red for pedestrians.

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, Card said:

Definitely the MB vault by speeding through a red light.

There's no traffic lights according to the CCTV where the accident happened.

Edited January 28, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[Clarkey611]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The Benz was being driven by a man called Phuri

Not only a loss of a Benz, but even worse, a loss of face for Phuri, especially after it is on here.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, HarrySeaman said:

When I moved to Thailand in 2002 I lived off of Soi 71.  Shortly after moving there I was in a taxi going up 71st to Phetchaburi road on my way to Fortune Town mall.  At the corner we encountered a traffic accident.  Involved was a Mercedes-Benz, a Jaguar, and a big BMW.  The most expensive traffic collision I have ever seen.

Oh.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, Kerryd said:

I'm not sure where the lights are

Exactly!

[drgoon]

Maybe the Honda driver slowed for the motorbike or cyclist coming from the same direction as the Mercedes. 

The motorbike or cyclist also stopped, possibly expecting the Honda driver to continue the turn.

The Mercedes driver was I guess,  exceeding the speed limit and hit a stationary vehicle. 

The stationary vehicle, cannot take evasive action and therefore can't be at fault.