Four Charges Filed Against Driver in Bus Fire That Killed 23

[scott1999]

35 minutes ago, Surasak said:

Who will train the government agency staff? Who will train the trainers!?

Good question when I had my operators license this was the procedure. You usually have to sign a contract with a reputable garage that will take care of all the maintenance records

 

As for the drivers they have to pass their PCV test which will include safety procedures it's not hard to do this has gone on too long thailand all that crap that they put on those coaches the electric fans the padding in the ceiling with the stupid lights the flags it's just Death trap if there was to be a fire

 

 

In England, the maintenance schedule for a bus follows a structured plan as mandated by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and other regulatory bodies. The specific schedule can vary depending on the type of bus, its age, usage, and the operating environment. However, typical components of a maintenance schedule include the following:

1. Daily Checks

• Driver Walkaround Checks: Every bus driver is required to perform a daily walkaround check before taking the vehicle out. This typically includes:
  • Checking lights, indicators, and reflectors.
  • Ensuring tires are in good condition.
  • Verifying fluid levels (oil, coolant, windshield washer fluid).
  • Checking mirrors, wipers, and seat belts.
  • Ensuring doors, windows, and emergency exits function correctly.
  • Checking the horn, steering, and brakes.
• Defect Reporting: Any defects found during daily checks must be reported and addressed before the bus can be used.

2. Weekly or Biweekly Checks

• These may involve deeper checks on:
  • Brake wear and performance.
  • Air pressure systems (for buses with air brakes).
  • More detailed fluid level checks (e.g., power steering fluid).
  • Battery charge and condition.

3. Six-Week or Monthly Inspections

• Routine Maintenance: Buses are generally subject to more comprehensive mechanical inspections every four to six weeks, depending on the intensity of their use. These inspections can include:
  • Checking the entire braking system.
  • Inspecting the suspension system.
  • Ensuring the exhaust system is functioning correctly.
  • Checking for corrosion or damage to the chassis.
  • More detailed engine diagnostics.
• Record Keeping: Maintenance records must be kept for each inspection and repair, in compliance with regulations.

4. Annual MOT Test

• Public Service Vehicle Test: All buses must pass an annual MOT (Ministry of Transport) test to ensure roadworthiness. This is more stringent than a standard car MOT and covers:
  • Structural integrity and safety features.
  • Emissions testing.
  • Exhaust, fuel systems, and general mechanical checks.
  • Brake testing and performance analysis.

5. Mileage-Based Servicing

• In addition to time-based schedules, buses may be serviced based on the distance traveled. For example, a bus might require oil changes, air filter replacements, and brake inspections after reaching a certain mileage threshold (e.g., every 10,000-12,000 miles).

6. Seasonal Maintenance

• Winter Preparation: Preparing buses for cold weather includes checking heating systems, antifreeze levels, and tire tread depth to handle wet or icy conditions.
• Summer Preparation: Ensuring air conditioning systems and cooling systems are working efficiently.

7. Ad-Hoc Repairs

• If a fault is detected during operation, the vehicle must undergo repair immediately to ensure it meets safety standards before being used again.

8. Adherence to Operator’s License Requirements

• Bus operators must adhere to the terms of their O-Licence (Operator’s License), which includes maintaining a regular service schedule for the buses in their fleet.

Maintaining these standards is crucial not only for regulatory compliance but also for ensuring passenger safety and the longevity of the vehicle.

Edited 1 hour ago by scott1999

[scott1999]

3 hours ago, scott1999 said:

You say He got out to try and extinguish the fire twice, so your saying he should have just stayed on the bus without trying to put the fire out.................

And how many children could he have saved instead of trying to put the fire out (Twice)  which was unsuccessful anyway that's not the procedure the procedure is to get the passengers off the vehicle as fast as you can but what do I know I only had an operator's license for 20 years 

 

You just keep Tippy tapping on you computer idiot There are so many things in play here the condition of the vehicle the training to the driver the age of the vehicle of course but you do not leave passengers on the vehicle and get off the vehicle yourself. Nice to know what you would do if you were the driver

In the event of a fire, your top priority as a bus or coach driver is to help passengers disembark as quickly and safely as possible before the fire escalates. Here's how the procedure should go:

1. Stop the vehicle safely: Pull over immediately and turn off the engine to reduce any additional risk of the fire spreading.

2. Open the doors: Immediately open the doors to allow passengers to disembark and leave the vehicle quickly.

3. Instruct passengers: Calmly but firmly instruct passengers to exit the bus in an orderly manner. Encourage them to leave personal belongings behind to speed up the evacuation.

4. Use emergency exits: If the main doors are blocked or unsafe, direct passengers to use emergency exits, including windows or roof hatches.

5. Move passengers to a safe distance: Once outside, guide everyone to a safe distance, away from the vehicle and out of harm’s way.

6. Call emergency services: After ensuring all passengers are safe, contact emergency services to report the fire and get help.

Once everyone is safely off the vehicle, then, if it’s safe and you are trained, you can attempt to control the fire with a fire extinguisher. However, passenger safety is always the first priority.

 

3 hours ago, scott1999 said:

 

[Pdavies99]

I'm rather surprised at the apparent indifference of the Thailand Government, little or no comment!

 

Its as if they hope it will just go away, shame on them!

[NoDisplayName]

4 hours ago, happyaussie said:

No mention of driver being submit for a blood test or breathalizer. They bolt to avoid such tests. 

 

No, they bolt to prepare for the upcoming test.

 

Run home to mom's basement and continue drinking, claim he only started once he got home 'cause he was in shock.

[scott1999]

9 minutes ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

No, they bolt to prepare for the upcoming test.

 

Run home to mom's basement and continue drinking, claim he only started once he got home 'cause he was in shock.

It was the driver's duty to take care of those passengers I am flabbergasted at what has transpired we now find out that there were bodies huddled near the Emergency exit door to me that means it was locked so not only did the driver not follow procedure and get the children off the bus before trying to put out the fire he ran away with the emergency exit door locked he has to live with this for the rest of his life which I don't think will be very long how can you live with this on your conscience.

[anchadian]

20 minutes ago, Pdavies99 said:

I'm rather surprised at the apparent indifference of the Thailand Government, little or no comment!

 

Its as if they hope it will just go away, shame on them!

Looks like this is all your getting and of course we wont know this will actually happen.  I have my doubts.  Ticking time bombs for all,

 

Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote said on Wednesday, there are 13,426 buses in Thailand powered by CNG gas (compressed natural gas). In light of Oct 1 school bus explosion, the ministry has set a deadline of 60 days for all to be inspected.

 

https://x.com/KhaosodEnglish/status/1841386361640956164

 

Edited 1 hour ago by anchadian

[ericbj]

"The initial charges against Mr Saman include reckless driving endangering life or property, negligent driving resulting in death, negligent driving causing bodily harm, and failing to assist or report the incident leading to fatalities."

 

On existing published evidence the charges look to be on fairly shakey ground.
Except perhaps the 4th charge, but that depends upon the interpretation:
Was it his failure to assist or report the incident that caused the fatalities?

 

Further evidence may either be more incriminating, or further charges will be preferred.

 

He was perhaps suffering from trauma, somewhat akin to shell-shock, which can lead even normally courageous men to act in a 'cowardly' way.

 

I hope he is not being set up as a scapegoat in place of the managers of the transport company.  Who will have a bit of money to throw around in order to appear above reproach.

 

[anchadian]

Only proposals at this stage but will any ever come to fruition?  Again, I doubt it.

The ruling Pheu Thai Party and the main opposition People's Party have proposed recommendations to prevent future incidents like the tragic bus fire in Pathum Thani yesterday. Their suggestions include: Pheu Thai: - Enforce traffic and public transportation laws rigorously. - Introduce new vehicle safety standards requiring public transport tires to be replaced every two years or after 50,000 kilometers. - Conduct thorough vehicle inspections, addressing discrepancies in registered vehicles that use gas. - Mandate immediate inspections of all public transport vehicles by the Ministry of Transport, prohibiting those that do not meet safety standards. - Install speed limiters in public transport vehicles, including buses and large trucks, as speeding is a leading cause of accidents. - Increase criminal penalties for public transport drivers whose reckless driving leads to fatalities, promoting greater accountability. People's Party: - Public Transport Standards: Enhance safety for public transport vehicles by enforcing strict regulations that require emergency exits, functional fire extinguishers, glass-breaking tools, and fire-resistant materials. Implement additional measures such as GPS tracking, comprehensive driver training, maintenance protocols, strict law enforcement, public safety awareness campaigns, and advanced technologies like automatic braking systems. - Field Trip Safety: Establish stringent criteria for school field trips, including safe transportation standards and appropriate adult supervision ratios. Limit travel distances for young children and integrate survival skills training into school curricula to better prepare them for emergencies. - Support for Victims and Families: Provide prompt and comprehensive support for victims, including medical care, compensation, and mental health services. Ensure ongoing mental health support is available for those affected by such incidents.

 

[NoDisplayName]

10 minutes ago, anchadian said:

Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote said on Wednesday, there are 13,426 buses in Thailand powered by CNG gas (compressed natural gas). In light of Oct 1 school bus explosion, the ministry has set a deadline of 60 days for all to be inspected.

 

According to a post by anchadian it wasn't properly registered as a modified NGV vehicle, so likely this bus.....and many others..........would not be inspected.

 

Question is did the NGV system ever undergo the required annual inspection?  That costs money.  500 baht for a passenger vehicle, assume a commercial transport would be more expensive.

 

6 hours ago, anchadian said:

was registered with the license plate dating back to 1970, records showed. Though it has since been modified to run on NGV gas, & look relatively new, a record also shows it didn't notify the authorities

 

[IamNoone88]

There are very solid and practical laws in Thailand on road safety, driving requirements and on the condition of legal road worthy vehicles. Just that enforcing them is not rigorous and people often simply believe it does not apply to them or their vehicles.

[MangoKorat]

5 hours ago, LespaulAN said:

As a new expat, I feel that the people in this country don't care about safety in every aspect of their lives is partly responsible for such tragedy. This country has a culture of taking the easy way out, the lazy way mai pen rai. don't care about safety at all. This culture need to change if they want to do better. 

You are correct that there is little concern for road safety but that would be the same in any country where there are few rules or regulations. People only respond to rules, rules that are enforced! Whenever there's a tragedy like this, there's a few days of talk about toughening up the rules and then its all forgotten again - until next time.

 

Whatever the reason for this accident, it was a minor collision and should not have resulted in a fire.  Questions needs to be asked regarding the safety of any vehicles that run on gas.  At the very least they should be subjected to regular, stringent safety checks.  They may well be but I doubt it and judging by the lax annual safety checks that cars and motobikes have to have each year (after a certain age), any existing checks are probably pretty useless.

 

I'd also like to know what the rules (if any) in Thailand are about emergency exits on coaches/buses and whether or not this bus complied.  When were they last checked - the norm is every day in most (civilised) countries - they form part of a driver's daily walk round check.

 

The whole system needs a huge shake-up. From safety checks to driving licences and training but even then, rules need to be enforced.  The public were recently assured that smoking diesel trucks would be dealt with - have they been? Almost every time I go out on the road I see young guys racing around in their modified pick ups - belching black smoke out - obviously the Thai police have eyesight problems. Then again, if all you do is sit in the station all day, you're unlikely to see them. They do quite often set up fundraisers checkpoints to catch those pesky bikers that don't wear helmets though.

 

How many times do you come across trucks on the highway at night with no/dim rear lights? How do they get away with that?

 

As you will see in the coming days, this crash will spark debates, new laws will be proposed, then it will all go quiet - nothing will happen.

 

I wonder if the BBC's Jonathan Head has been hauled over the coals yet for slagging Thailand off.  He was on prime time TV news yesterday calling out Thailand's horrific road safety record (20,000 deaths per year) and the fact that in his 24 years in the country all he's ever seen is successive governments do a lot of talking each time there's a tragedy

 

What happened to the licence points system?

 

What happened to the 'Big Bike' licence?

 

What happened to not sitting in the back of pick up trucks?

 

Thai governments (any flavour) - talk a lot, do nothing.

 

Judging by the state I see some cars in, as an ex mechanic I'd love to get a few Thai commercials and buses on the ramp and take a look. I'd take a bet that many of them would be condemned.

Edited 1 hour ago by MangoKorat

[FritsSikkink]

7 hours ago, redwood1 said:

It sounds like the driver did his best to help.....Then ran away....He only had minutes till the bus was fully inflamed.....Could anyone here have done better after the fire started?

Yes, wait till the police comes.

[roo860]

1 hour ago, tomazbodner said:

Never saw diesel tank looking like this...

 

According to a Thai news outlet the bus had extra tanks placed in various places around the coach, it should have had only 3 fitted at the rear. 

[MikeandDow]

Little kids losing there lives for lack of Safety, The safety Attitude in Thailand is non existing, It is everybody's responsibility for Safety. The Apathy of Thai's towards Safety in this county  is really unbelievable and this is squarely the blame of governments, and now we have a typical knee jerk reaction  Inspect the rest of NGV systems To What ??? What are the standards  Who are the qualified Inspectors What about the unregistered NVG vehicles, but Nothing will happen   the little kids have lost there lives for nothing  3rd world country lives are cheap

[twizzian]

I’ve read three different stories of this tragedy, but this one makes him to be an utter coward fleeing the scene but at the same time a scapegoat to satisfy the parents until it all blows over