Kids left on school vans: New RTP chief orders a crackdown

[webfact]

Daily News Thai Caption: Crackdown on school vans

 

Following the death of a young child in Chonburi who it appears was somehow left all day on a school van the man who will become the new Royal Thai Police chief at the end of this month has done what the RTP always do after a tragedy.

 

Have a crackdown.

 

Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittipraphat - currently a deputy in charge of traffic matters - was commenting on the case of a 7 year old child found dead in a school van at a private school in Phan Thong on Tuesday.

 

Damrongsak will be taking over from Gen Suwat Chaendyodsuk on September 30th.

 

Daily News reported that Damrongsak had ordered the Chonburi provincial police and Phan Thong officers to fully investigate what happened. 

 

He admitted that the RTP had been involved in trying to prevent such tragedies multiple times in the past.

 

Schools had been contacted by police with advice on all manner of ways to prevent accidents.

 

These included training staff what to do and educating children who might find themselves left in a van in how to react.

 

They included sounding horns and warning systems and using phones. 

 

Other safety measures like having stickers on vehicles and not allowing dark film were also part of other safety measures.

 

But he admitted the tragedies continue and so he has ordered a nationwide crackdown by the police who will be contacting schools to demand safe practices are put in place.

 

He said that safety of students comes under the Education Ministry and he will be working with them on the issue.

 

In the latest case more details have emerged. Yesterday ASEAN NOW carried a report in which the mother of the child suggested that this was more than just forgetting a child. She thought her only daughter might have been assaulted. 

 

Damrongsak said that there were seven children on the van, five primary children and two from the kindergarten. Jeehun, the dead child was in the third row.

 

One teacher was driving and another seated in the furthest back row was looking after the children.

 

When the van reached the school the teacher in the back got out first, according to their evidence, then leant in and made sure all the children had alighted. 

 

Having ascertained this the teacher told the driver to go and park in the area for vans.

 

The dead child was discovered at 4.30 pm when it was time to take the children home. 

 

How this was possible remains to be seen. 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-09-01

 

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[Peabody]

7 year old doesn't know how to open a car door? Fishy?

 

[Shuya]

It's about time they make a crackdown on children....

[2baht]

27 minutes ago, webfact said:

the new Royal Thai Police chief

The highest bidder has ordered a crackdown, that should be good for about a week!

[herfiehandbag]

There was some talk the other day of "nicknames" when the new blokes appointment was announced.

 

Let's get away from the "Big ......" tradition, it is so passe don't you think?

 

My vote goes for "Sticky Bun"!

 

And let's hope some coherent plan results to ensure these tragedies don't happy again.

 

Over to you "Sticky Bun" - surprise us...

[PremiumLane]

52 minutes ago, Peabody said:

7 year old doesn't know how to open a car door? Fishy?

 

What if it is an old van that doesn't allow for opening from the inside? 

 

Vans that carry students should have this feature, plus seatbelts, plus proper seating etc, etc., but yeah, we know TIT

[Cake Monster]

All these School run Minivans usually have a Teacher or helper riding Shotgun.

HELLO !

15 kids get in and 15 should get out.

It doent get any more simple than that.

[webfact]

Authorities gathering details relevant to death of 7-year-old left inside school van for hours

by Namo Vananupong

 

    
CHONBURI (NNT) - The body of a 7-year-old who died after being left inside a school van for hours in Chonburi has been sent for autopsy. The National Institute for Child and Family Development (NICFD) indicated this incident involved the oldest victim to date. It called for the causes of the most recent tragedy to be examined.

 

NICFD Director Adisak Plitponkarnpim indicated the incident was, among similar cases, one involving the oldest victim to date. He said it is believed the child experienced acidosis and brain swelling after being stuck in the hot interior of the van.

 

Dr. Adisak said 2-3 children die each year from being stuck in a vehicle, but the children are usually under 5 years old. He said the factors leading to the most recent case must be determined, as it involved a 7-year-old child. He noted a child this age should have been able to respond to the scenario.

 

He added school vans have so far not been regulated enough to prevent these incidents from repeating. He suggested that at the very least, the name list of children who took the school van be checked every time.

 

Royal Thai Police Deputy Commissioner Damrongsak Kittipraphat said police in Chonburi have been told to thoroughly check on the details of the case. He noted the case affects parents’ sentiment nationwide, saying legal action will be taken if the death resulted from negligence.

 

Police forces nationwide have been asked to coordinate with school management to prevent the incident from repeating. Pol. Gen. Damrongsak said the Royal Thai Police had previously worked with schools to address this issue.

 

He said school vans should not have dark films or curtains and children should be taught to honk the car horn in emergencies. He added school children should be trained to respond to similar scenarios.

 

 

Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG220901101951040

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2022-09-01

 

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[richard_smith237]

Bingo....   the predictable ‘crack-down’.... 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

NICFD Director Adisak Plitponkarnpim indicated the incident was, among similar cases, one involving the oldest victim to date. He said it is believed the child experienced acidosis and brain swelling after being stuck in the hot interior of the van.

Does that lead to ‘bleeding’ ?? there were reports of blood.

[She was face down, pale, with blood coming out of her mouth]

 

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

Dr. Adisak said 2-3 children die each year from being stuck in a vehicle, but the children are usually under 5 years old.

How many of those 20 to 30 negligent van drivers who forgot children in vehicles served prison time for their criminal negligence ????

 

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

He said the factors leading to the most recent case must be determined, as it involved a 7-year-old child. He noted a child this age should have been able to respond to the scenario.

He should have also noted that she should never have needed to...  How should a 7 year old respond to being locked in van in a car-park, especially if everyone has already deserted that car-park?

Does a 7 year old know how to open the windows? could the windows Open? 

My Son is 8... IF our car is locked, he can’t get out, at all. 

 

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

He added school vans have so far not been regulated enough to prevent these incidents from repeating. He suggested that at the very least, the name list of children who took the school van be checked every time.

At the ‘very least’...  so there is already scope for slack..  

 

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

Royal Thai Police Deputy Commissioner Damrongsak Kittipraphat said police in Chonburi have been told to thoroughly check on the details of the case. He noted the case affects parents’ sentiment nationwide, saying legal action will be taken if the death resulted from negligence.

 

Police forces nationwide have been asked to coordinate with school management to prevent the incident from repeating. Pol. Gen. Damrongsak said the Royal Thai Police had previously worked with schools to address this issue.

 

He said school vans should not have dark films or curtains and children should be taught to honk the car horn in emergencies. He added school children should be trained to respond to similar scenarios.

Does the horn even work in a locked vehicle ?

 

 

[Smithson]

It's not rocket science,  bus drivers just need to check, but when "I forgot" is an acceptable excuse for even the worst mistake little will change here.

[ikke1959]

I don't believe they forgot the kid.. She was old enough to try to get out the car by opening a door or a window. besides what happened with her friends she is travelling with every day. They don't tell to come out ??? 

[richard_smith237]

26 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

I don't believe they forgot the kid.. She was old enough to try to get out the car by opening a door or a window. besides what happened with her friends she is travelling with every day. They don't tell to come out ??? 

Kids are kids...   they’ll just pile out of a van...  it is not unfeasible at all that kids will just climb out of a van and forget about or not notice one left behind who fell asleep. 

Kids get left behind all the time.. it happens.

 

How many times have you been out with a group of friends and one gets lost or left behind somewhere?...

 

And.. IF the doors and windows were locked, how does a 7 year old get out ???

How do the doors of the van unlock from the inside? I don’t know. 

 

 

 

 

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, Peabody said:

7 year old doesn't know how to open a car door? Fishy?

 

OK, but maybe locked so that from inside kids cannot play with the door handles and unlock/open door, maybe sleeping and maybe the check by the teacher way less than comprehensive?

 

Reality is the the onboard teacher didn't check properly if the van was empty. 

 

Not mentioned in this story but maybe a little one was on the floor playing and fell asleep under the chairs, and maybe the teacher didn't look, at all, other than for kids still in seats?

 

[Almer]

If the new chief is in charge of traffic matters and is taking up this new role “ look out kids your on your own i fear”

[Xonax]

How difficult would it be to install emergency buttons in all school-vans, connected to a horn that will make a noise, if anyone press the button?

[Classic Ray]

The responsibility is firmly with the teacher/escort and the driver to check the van together.

 

Also, why did no one notice the absence of the child from class? Don’t they tick a register, and make enquiries with the staff and parents if someone is absent?

No action should be necessary from a small child to ensure their own safety, it is the job of the parents or the people paid to act in their place, in loco parentis, when they are not with their parents.

 

[scorecard]

22 minutes ago, Xonax said:

How difficult would it be to install emergency buttons in all school-vans, connected to a horn that will make a noise, if anyone press the button?

First point - on board teacher/driver checking that all kids have alighted the bus/van DOESN'T WORK and never will.

 

But there's many other possibilities:

 

- Person appointed, by law, at every school who is responsible to use smartphone or similar camera to scan every bus 10 minutes after it arrives at the school, video goes direct to a snr school official to be checked and must be held in a database for 6 months (?).

 

Must be many possible hi-tech configurations of something like this...

[newnative]

    Not 1 but 2 teachers on the van and neither one noticed the child hadn't left the van?  Just 7 kids to watch and they still managed to screw it up, resulting in a death?  The teacher in the back should have been the last person off the van, not the first, and only after checking the van was empty and all the students had exited.

[Ginner]

5 hours ago, Peabody said:

7 year old doesn't know how to open a car door? Fishy?

 

I don't understand how this could happen. At schools I have worked at in the past, ALL the vans never stayed on site, the drivers would drop the kids off and then leave to come back at 3pm or 4pm to pick the kid up. Something not right.

 

 

[Golden Triangle]

Not the first & sadly won't be the last, been here for 11 years or thereabouts, nearly an annual event, sad, really sad.

[ikke1959]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

How do the doors of the van unlock from the inside? I don’t know

So It means that if you get an accident you can't open the doors from inside?? My car can open from inside at the drivers and passengers seat and probably also if you have a van from the inside too, but I don't have a van and you climb forward.to the drivers seat.. Kids at 7 are not stupid. And I went out many times with groups and never , never  we lost someone or things. I always checked everything in the car in the rooms, if they have everything and left nothing behind, but ok I am  responsible and not Thai

[spidermike007]

He admitted that the RTP had been involved in trying to prevent such tragedies multiple times in the past. 

 

Huh. Really? I have never heard of a single instance of the RTP doing anything of a preventive nature. Never. They are like the highway patrol. Reactionary. Always acting after the fact. 

[tandor]

...ok..why didn't the teacher in the rear seat instruct all the children to get off first?

[transam]

3 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

I don't believe they forgot the kid.. She was old enough to try to get out the car by opening a door or a window. besides what happened with her friends she is travelling with every day. They don't tell to come out ??? 

Kiddy locks, it was a school ride, kids all clamber out, then automatically check for anyone left behind, don't think so...

Open electric windows when the ignition is off, don't think so...

A 7 year old whose family may not have a car knows all about car operation, don't think so.....????

[shackleton]

The sooner the Autopsy is carried out could provide a answer to this tragic affair happening again ???? 

[richard_smith237]

35 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

So It means that if you get an accident you can't open the doors from inside?? My car can open from inside at the drivers and passengers seat and probably also if you have a van from the inside too, but I don't have a van and you climb forward.to the drivers seat.. Kids at 7 are not stupid. And I went out many times with groups and never , never  we lost someone or things. I always checked everything in the car in the rooms, if they have everything and left nothing behind, but ok I am  responsible and not Thai

So your anecdotal information is proof that every 7 year old can get out of a parked or locked Van ?

 

My Son is 8... If he were locked in our car I’m not sure he would know how to get out. 

 

There is a ‘flip switch’ on the door handle but I’m not sure if he knows about it - its not something we’ve ever discussed - the child lock is engaged on the side he sits/ 

 

Would he know how to get out of a parked Van with locked ??? I’m really not sure. 

do vans have child locks to prevent children from opening the door while the van is in motion ?

 

I’m not sure if a child would know where to find the lock, or to climb into the front seat and try and find those locks. I’m not sure he’d think to hit the horn, would the horn even work if the van is locked and powered off ?

 

He wouldn’t have the strength to smash the windows...   I’m not sure if the windows of the van slide open (some are locked and can’t). 

 

Lots of question... but the assumption that any 7 year old can get out of a locked van is flawed, the reality is probably that some could, some couldn’t.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[3STTW]

I reckon the kid was being bullied in school. Anyone who was bullied as a child will recognize this escapist behavior - kid decides to wait it out in the bus instead of getting slapped about again, falls asleep in the mid-day heat and tragedy ensues.

 

Poor little mite. RIP.

[jesimps]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Authorities gathering details relevant to death of 7-year-old left inside school van for hours

by Namo Vananupong

 

    
CHONBURI (NNT) - The body of a 7-year-old who died after being left inside a school van for hours in Chonburi has been sent for autopsy. The National Institute for Child and Family Development (NICFD) indicated this incident involved the oldest victim to date. It called for the causes of the most recent tragedy to be examined.

 

NICFD Director Adisak Plitponkarnpim indicated the incident was, among similar cases, one involving the oldest victim to date. He said it is believed the child experienced acidosis and brain swelling after being stuck in the hot interior of the van.

 

Dr. Adisak said 2-3 children die each year from being stuck in a vehicle, but the children are usually under 5 years old. He said the factors leading to the most recent case must be determined, as it involved a 7-year-old child. He noted a child this age should have been able to respond to the scenario.

 

He added school vans have so far not been regulated enough to prevent these incidents from repeating. He suggested that at the very least, the name list of children who took the school van be checked every time.

 

Royal Thai Police Deputy Commissioner Damrongsak Kittipraphat said police in Chonburi have been told to thoroughly check on the details of the case. He noted the case affects parents’ sentiment nationwide, saying legal action will be taken if the death resulted from negligence.

 

Police forces nationwide have been asked to coordinate with school management to prevent the incident from repeating. Pol. Gen. Damrongsak said the Royal Thai Police had previously worked with schools to address this issue.

 

He said school vans should not have dark films or curtains and children should be taught to honk the car horn in emergencies. He added school children should be trained to respond to similar scenarios.

 

 

Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG220901101951040

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2022-09-01

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

Maybe the horn was broken and the van had childproof locks activated.

[300sd]

This is the drivers responsibility. When the children have departed and after the bus is parked, the driver walks to the back and then to the front to make sure it's clear. Then the bus is locked. This is part of the job and these drivers need jail if children are found like this. Period.