Children orphaned as drunk ten wheel trucker kills parents - they were all in the back of a pick-up

[Archie Baker]

À lot of farrangs I know drink beer in excess of the limit after playing golf or a night in town and drive home afterwards.   Why be the hangman when we are all not angels.  The Thai driver deserves punishment but so do many other crimes in thailand starting with Mountain B and the owners and the tessaban and local cops who all knew. Oh we have forgotten about that now since it's not news.  Owner will get off free and pay a few bungs and everyone is happy. 

 

Stop brining your "in my country" attitude here and learn the Thai way. 

[Bert got kinky]

19 minutes ago, Archie Baker said:

Assumptions.  Who cares if a good driver had an accident when dui if he serves a purpose in the future. You obviously have not lived in Thailand for long so get real. 

Assumptions.  Who cares if a good driver had an accident when dui if he serves a purpose in the future.

Seriously, what are you talking about, you post make no sense at all?????????

Can you give me the question in understandable English?

 

You obviously have not lived in Thailand for long so get real. 

Just 24 years of living and driving here.

[Bert got kinky]

15 minutes ago, Archie Baker said:

À lot of farrangs I know drink beer in excess of the limit after playing golf or a night in town and drive home afterwards.   Why be the hangman when we are all not angels.  The Thai driver deserves punishment but so do many other crimes in thailand starting with Mountain B and the owners and the tessaban and local cops who all knew. Oh we have forgotten about that now since it's not news.  Owner will get off free and pay a few bungs and everyone is happy. 

 

Stop brining your "in my country" attitude here and learn the Thai way. 

À lot of farrangs I know drink beer in excess of the limit after playing golf or a night in town and drive home afterwards. 

Guess that you mix with quality people

 

Why be the hangman when we are all not angels.

Don't try to nail me to a cross, you might drink and drive, I don't.

 

Stop brining your "in my country" attitude here and learn the Thai way. 

Are you seriously suggesting that we should do as the locals and DUI?

 

 

 

[shackleton]

People sitting In the back of pick -ups 

School children teenagers 3-4 travelling on a motor bike wearing  no helmets

Drunk car or  truck drivers causing mayhem nothing changes law enforcement needs stronger sentences on the people involved causing the accidents  won't hold My breath ????

 

[xtrnuno41]

50 mg in blood? Meaning 50 mg in a milliliter blood?

We have rule 0.5 mg/ml tops. So this one is 100 times higher, he is all liquored up then.

Yeah, you could have a  micro sleep then or just ... pass out.

Drama for the passengers, however what were they doing in back of pick up?

They should have safety belts on, according to Thai law.

There it is again, Thai law is not for Thai.

Once had the experience of real drunk driving, in the middle of the night happily, after a party, but since then never had alcohol if I had to drive. It is a no go.

The experience (30 years ago) really made it clear to me. 

[ChrisKC]

3 hours ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Never never never.

Why, why, why?

[BangkokReady]

5 hours ago, Bert got kinky said:

Effective and active policing would most likely have prevented this accident.

5 hours ago, Bert got kinky said:

He knows that if he fails a breathalizer he will not only lose his job but he will never be able to get another HGV job, his livelihood will be gone.

How to get from where they are to where they should be though?  If you changed the enforcement tomorrow, there would probably be millions out of work within a matter of weeks.  Even if you publicised the crackdown well in advance, many/most would simply ignore it as the law is advisory in Thailand and hardly anyone follows it, especially on the roads.

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

More than that IMO... It takes a whole cultural shift... and that takes generations.

This 100%.  We've seen the public backlash when someone tries to actually address these types of things.  It's always seen as being too harsh, while squats and press-ups as a punishment are celebrated.  It's simply part of Thai culture.

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, Archie Baker said:

Stop brining your "in my country" attitude here and learn the Thai way. 

I think the problem is that "the Thai way" is what causes results as seen in this news story.

 

Say what you want about how grey, sterile and miserable Western countries are in comparison to Thailand, but to disagree with the suggestion that they have far superior road safety and Thailand would benefit from being more like them in this regard would be madness.

[Burma Bill]

49 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

These imbeciles will never learn that riding in the back of a pickup is both illegal and extremely dangerous.

To a certain extent - yes! With the greatest respect, when this imbecile and country bumpkin lived up in the North of Thailand, I regularly drove my pick-up with family members and friends in the back. Why? There was no public transport system and for many years (20) I drove people to and from festivals, on shopping trips (Burma) and most importantly visiting relatives in hospital. It was not just me but other expats and Thais with their pick-ups who regularly assisted those who were less well off with virtually no means of transport. I never had an accident and my passengers were never put at risk. The local and Provincial Thai police never questioned me at checkpoints, knowing that it was the only means of transport for many, especially in remote rural areas. That could be one reason the law is not applied. Referring to the very sad OP, the imbecile is the drunken lorry driver!! RIP the pickup victims.

[Sydebolle]

Laws are here to be circumvented by the semi-divines .......

[RichardColeman]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Thiap Paenoi, 45, the trucker, said he experienced a microsleep.

Fine, so release the scum bag in 40 years, sell all his assets to give to the family and get the company he worked for to donate 1 million baht up to the kids - probably just wants to wai and walk away

[Srikcir]

The 'modern' RTP is nationalized under the control of the Office of the Prime Minister and comprises 30 bureaus and 6 divisions to cover 77 provinces in a country of 70 million (2021). It originated in 1455 during Rama IV reign and designed by an English vessel captain. see Google.

 

As such, I view its laws, regulations and procedures are applied to the classic "one size fits all" law enforcement needs of every Thai community. A decentralized police force (ie., Provence, District,  Sub-District, etc.) might better adjust and react to the security needs of local communities than the national Parliament and the PM. 

 

Note that the 50-state USA of 332 million (2021) does not have a national police force. The US police force is subdivided independently by state, county and 'incorporated' city. In contrast Switzerland of about 9 million (2021) has a police force subdivided by the 26 cantons.

 

On the other hand, a single national police force might be convenient for any coup. It need only to control the head of government to assure cooperation.

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, keithkarmann said:

If you ban people in the back of pickups you have to ban many other types transportation. Like the flimsy motorcycle side cars, no more than two on a motorcycle etc, no more travelling on top of trucks, no more school children hanging off the back of songthews, the list goes on and on and nothing is going to change and the carnage will continue until the people in charge of transporting people start treating people as humans and not animals. I have a video somewhere of a pickup converted into a double decker to enable it to carry about 20 workers.

Many times workers travelling in the back of pickups is done to save money and greatly increase profits. 

 

This says it all, a photo I took of a school 'bus' with no safety awareness by the school, the driver, the kids, the parents who allow it, and the police who ignore it. But if they don't care, why should we? Their country, their culture. Up to them.

[Bangkok Barry]

The only possible way to educate these morons about the effects of what they do is to feature in their nightly dramas graphic scenes of road accidents and the consequences, the temple burnings, the loss of family income - probably the most important aspect to money money money Thais. It is the only way I can think of to get the message across.

 

They can still have their shouting and screaming by those affected by the carnage, so that would keep the actresses who only have to show how loud they can scream to pass the audition in their job. And they could still keep the gun scenes as someone shoots whoever was responsible for the road deaths. Win win all round.

[Bangkok Barry]

26 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

To a certain extent - yes! With the greatest respect, when this imbecile and country bumpkin lived up in the North of Thailand, I regularly drove my pick-up with family members and friends in the back. Why? There was no public transport system and for many years (20) I drove people to and from festivals, on shopping trips (Burma) and most importantly visiting relatives in hospital. It was not just me but other expats and Thais with their pick-ups who regularly assisted those who were less well off with virtually no means of transport. I never had an accident and my passengers were never put at risk. The local and Provincial Thai police never questioned me at checkpoints, knowing that it was the only means of transport for many, especially in remote rural areas. That could be one reason the law is not applied. Referring to the very sad OP, the imbecile is the drunken lorry driver!! RIP the pickup victims.

The laws are there for a very good reason, even though they are not enforced. You knowingly broke them, even though you knew the risk of passengers being killed. No different to Thais, thinking it can't happen to them. It didn't to this family, until it did. To say your passengers were never at risk is ridiculous. No doubt this family thought the same. The only difference was you were lucky, they were not.

 

Saying there was no alternative is the easy way out. You adapt to circumstances instead of putting lives at risk. Parents who buy a motorcycle for their son's last birthday no doubt also use the same excuse. People role the dice and some win, some lose.

[IvorBiggun2]

51 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

it was the only means of transport for many

So that makes it okay to break the law? The law is the law. It's because of Thais deliberately breaking the law which makes Thai roads one of the most dangerous in the world. 

[Burma Bill]

9 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Saying there was no alternative is the easy way out

Thanks for your comments, but if I were still living in remote rural Thailand, I would still be driving passengers in the rear of my pick-up. Living in Bangkok, you would have many alternatives but "up North" not so. No buses, no trains, no taxis/minibuses, few family cars (usually pick-ups). So, how would you transport 8 family members on a 200 kilometer round trip from a village to the local Provincial hospital? ox cart, tractor/trailer, motorcycles? 

[brewsterbudgen]

21 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

The laws are there for a very good reason, even though they are not enforced. You knowingly broke them, even though you knew the risk of passengers being killed. No different to Thais, thinking it can't happen to them. It didn't to this family, until it did. To say your passengers were never at risk is ridiculous. No doubt this family thought the same. The only difference was you were lucky, they were not.

 

Saying there was no alternative is the easy way out. You adapt to circumstances instead of putting lives at risk. Parents who buy a motorcycle for their son's last birthday no doubt also use the same excuse. People role the dice and some win, some lose.

Life is all about risk.  I remember Californians in the 1990s being outraged that their freedom to ride a motorcycle without a helmet was being taken away, when the law was changed.  If a Thai family only has a pick-up they have no choice but to use it.  Maybe more people should be blaming the drunk trunker who rear-ended them!

[CanadaSam]

I just can not believe the amount of people blaming the passengers in the back of the pickup!!!!

 

The imbecile drunkun fool of a lorry driver plowed into them, and killed them!!!!

 

I'm sure even if it had been a car with all passengers having seat belts on, the lorry plowing into them would have done some serious damage!!!

 

Get real, blame the drunken lorry driver, not the poor innocent people that had to sit in the back of a pickup due to lack of funds in their life!!!!

[Anant72]

6 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

This was only a family of poor people... So no need for the big guns to get involved with announcements of a nationwide ‘crack-down’....    (before I’m flamed yes, that was sarcasm btw) 

 

... Seriously though...  every day it becomes more apparent that those in positions of decision making power really do not care enough to impact any change whatsoever. 

We see a lick of paint on the odd pedestrian crossing, a periodic spat of alcohol check-points (agree 100% with the comments posted by ‘bert got kinky’).

- We do not see any efforts to educate people on road safety (or any safety for that matter).

- We do not see any increase in 'on the road policing' of driving standards.

- We do not see any severe penalties for those who break laws.

- We do not see any proactiveness whatsoever.

- We do see only a reaction whenever there are tragic but fully preventable consequences.

- We do see the laziest possible manner of policing with automatic camera fines’ (which ppl don’t pay).

- We do see the laziest possible manner of policing with intermittent check points.

- We do see those who break laws frequently getting away with it with bribes.

- We do see that money can wash away the consequences of breaking laws.

- We do see those in authority (police) breaking the very same laws they are supposed to uphold.

 

 

 

TIT for ever.

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, Burma Bill said:

 I regularly drove my pick-up with family members and friends in the back.  my passengers were never put at risk. .

You had passengers in the tray of a pickup and you think they were not at risk ?

 

That sums up the mentality to a tee !!

[Thalueng]

You cannot compare Thailand with Western countries for many reasons. When a country is not well developed, most people are poor, most jobs are simple, and education is basic or poor too, then most people have problems which makes them ignore "lesser" things like safety, environmental protection, and yes any kind of laws. For many a motorcycle is the only affordable family vehicle, and renting a taxi with seat belts simply out of question. Not unique to Thailand, and as long as the standard of living (for the poor people) does not improve these things will not and cannot change.

[IvorBiggun2]

48 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

So, how would you transport 8 family members on a 200 kilometer round trip from a village to the local Provincial hospital? ox cart, tractor/trailer, motorcycles? 

Life existed way before motor vehicles were invented. Life carried on. People are too lazy these days as life gets easier. A German once said to me 'if Thais could take a motorcycle to have a dump they would. They're sooooo lazy'.

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, Burma Bill said:

Thanks for your comments, but if I were still living in remote rural Thailand, I would still be driving passengers in the rear of my pick-up. Living in Bangkok, you would have many alternatives but "up North" not so. No buses, no trains, no taxis/minibuses, few family cars (usually pick-ups). So, how would you transport 8 family members on a 200 kilometer round trip from a village to the local Provincial hospital? ox cart, tractor/trailer, motorcycles? 

On your last point, my village has an ambulance to do that. With trained medical staff. A family member is part of it. But out nearest hospital isn't 200 kms away. That seems to me to be an exaggeration.

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, Burma Bill said:

 So, how would you transport 8 family members on a 200 kilometer round trip from a village to the local Provincial hospital? ox cart, tractor/trailer, motorcycles? 

Use 2 cars.

[Andre0720]

11 minutes ago, Thalueng said:

You cannot compare Thailand with Western countries for many reasons. When a country is not well developed, most people are poor, most jobs are simple, and education is basic or poor too, then most people have problems which makes them ignore "lesser" things like safety, environmental protection, and yes any kind of laws. For many a motorcycle is the only affordable family vehicle, and renting a taxi with seat belts simply out of question. Not unique to Thailand, and as long as the standard of living (for the poor people) does not improve these things will not and cannot change.

At first, you claim that one cannot compare Thailand to Western countries, and then you go on doing exactly that, comparing them. What a start.

And then you claim that 'When a country is not well developed, most people are poor, most jobs are simple, and education is basic or poor too, then most people have problems'.

You describe the world as I knew it when I was a child. Grade 12 max, then factory workers, mill workers, families of 4 to 6 children average. Enough to eat though, and I do not know what problems you are referring to that we should have had because of that.

Seems like an apology to the Thai culture.

 

In my youth, I remember people following the laws, we did not ignore safety and environmental protection.

Nice clean towns, safe, hardly ever saw accidents on the roads. Actually, I never saw one...

 

Never heard of a stabbing, or murder, or assault, let alone rape. Even if the latter at the time might have been kept from the public eye.

So please, yes, compare different countries, look at the characteristics of the ones that do well, and get the countries that not do well to copy.

It would require a change in culture, here is the hurdle.

[thailand49]

Just to show you the people who write the article or editors Thai come from the same inadequate driver education! 

Let me put the ban riders in pickup first! 

You have no education as to how to handle a vehicle to share the road.  Leaders put forth scare penaltys the honor system doesn't work neither going to temples to pray and paint up your vehicle then head out on the road hoping all that BS is going to forgive and prevent not wearing a helmet driving road rage 101. It is one big joke giving hand slaps for basically murder yes murder because a vehicle is a weapon. 

Then you got the biggest joke at the top who is talking helping Koreans when the last thing is needed is help from a clueless government! 

In this situation you got untrained commercial drivers basically operating a missle there is no oversight enforcement as to how long they could drive the safety record of that equipment and the doubt of random testing of alcohol and drugs. 

Solution a national emergency needs to be called then put outside control in place that had the ability to remove anyone who interfere regardless of their status.There isn't a Thai in Thailand that's can fix this problem not with how they think! 

RIP to the parents the company that owns the truck and hired,  the driver need to be force to pay millions. Right now they just walk away it had to change and change quickly. 

[VocalNeal]

8 hours ago, Bert got kinky said:

Effective and active policing would most likely have prevented this accident.

Not necessarily. But hey please apply for Big Joke's job.

[Mingomania]

9 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Too much !

 

regards Worgeordie

Yeah, a little too much would be proper...