BREAKING NEWS Seven Dead as Runaway Bus Slams into Trucks and Bursts into Flames

[richard_smith237]

8 minutes ago, kwilco said:

 

 

Just saying “it’s a hill” is facile in the extreme—it’s not just a hill. It’s a long, winding stretch of engineered road cutting through a steep mountain range, carrying heavy volumes of mixed traffic daily. This isn’t nature—it’s infrastructure. And infrastructure requires intelligent design, proper maintenance, and accountability.

Let’s be honest:

The road surface is disgraceful—polished black, dangerously worn, with little to no grip. That shine you see? That’s where rubber meets no resistance. It’s a skating rink for 40-ton vehicles.

Run-off areas, barriers, signs? Many are there—but badly positioned, poorly maintained, or ineffective by design. Slapping in infrastructure isn’t enough—it has to be done correctly, or it’s worse than nothing. It gives a false sense of security.

The vehicles themselves are a massive part of the problem. Many are poorly built in unregulated local workshops, with little engineering oversight. Maintenance is minimal, safety checks rare, and corners are cut to chase profit. Let’s be clear: most drivers aren’t trained engineers—they’re handed ticking time bombs and told to manage.

A truck with weak brakes, bald tires, and an overloaded trailer on that road isn’t a vehicle—it’s a weapon.

This is not a mystery. It’s a textbook case of systemic failure—from road surface to vehicle standards to enforcement. If “some drivers” are failing, then the system has failed all drivers by making the margin for error so razor thin. The idea that planting a sign will solve thw situation is simply so risible it reflects more on your lack of understanding than anything else

 

All solid points - But poor driving is still a significant factor - you have listed all the engineering that can mitigate the impact of human error...   but still refuse to accept that a human was to blame for the initial (likely) error - of riding the brakes down a hill.

 

 

 

 

 

[Chongalulu]

18 hours ago, nauseus said:

 

Unnecessarily? Why not ask the dead and injured?

Firstly,how do you ask the dead...? Ouija board? Secondly what is their technical knowledge and thirdly my post was in response to someone who said they were doing that in a pickup , not a Heavy vehicle like this bus.

[nauseus]

1 hour ago, Chongalulu said:

Firstly,how do you ask the dead...? Ouija board? Secondly what is their technical knowledge and thirdly my post was in response to someone who said they were doing that in a pickup , not a Heavy vehicle like this bus.

 

The survivors will have an idea as to what happened, even if they are not professional drivers or mechanics, as you are not.

 

Your comment was a reply to my post, so stop being a lulu.

[kwilco]

On 4/21/2025 at 10:59 AM, Will B Good said:

 

An easy out.....they really CBA investigating stuff like this, let alone do anything to prevent it in the future.

 

In Thailand, collision investigations are often chaotic and ineffective, unlike the thorough, evidence-based approach seen in countries like the UK. The METHANE protocol—focused on securing the scene, preserving evidence, and using trained specialists—is rarely followed. In Thailand, investigations are typically rushed, relying on unreliable eyewitnesses and minimal technology, leading to vague reports and missed opportunities for safety improvements. With one of the highest road death rates globally, a shift towards more professional, evidence-driven investigations is crucial for better road safety. But it means that most people on this thread are commenting blind

[ChaiyaTH]

On 4/21/2025 at 1:05 PM, SLOWHAND225 said:

 

Low gear going down hill is a bad practice. It heats everything up, especially the transmission. 

The rule typically for commercial drivers is that you go down hill in the same gear you got to the top in.
Shifting while going down hill with a clutch difficult for most people and not something that is taught.
Cleary you can shift an auto but the heat will tear it up before long.  Funny this should come up as I was looking at one of these busses last week and it had no trans. cooler at all which is really odd.

You are aware that these busses are not manual right. Same for almost all normal cars.