What Do You Think?

[usabkk]

A 13-year-old girl died yesterday at the General Hospital where she was admitted for treatment after falling from a city bus on Wednesday afternoon.

Pornpan Chupwa, a Mathayom 3 student of Satri Mahapruetharam School, fell from bus No169 plying between Sanam Luang and Rama II road.

She tried to get on the bus as it moved out from a bus stop in front of the school.

The fall occurred as her mother, Prayon, was trying to get on the bus after her.

Pornpan's head hit the ground and she became unconscious.

At General Hospital, she underwent an operation for brain injuries lasting from 8pm to 1.30am, but was pronounced dead yesterday.

Mrs Prayon said the bus driver was in too much of a hurry to leave and did not want to wait.

[meemiathai]

It is just an ordinary accident that happens every minute everywhere in the world.

[Jockstar]

These bus drivers in BKK are so gung ho. Always in a rush . I'm surprised theres not more accidents like this. The green buses are the worst.

[jackr]

Certainly Thai bus drivers, but bus drivers the world over are generally a danger to society. Tragic.

[usabkk]

Certainly Thai bus drivers, but bus drivers the world over are generally a danger to society. Tragic.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's a tragidy that should never happen. I dont see the purpose in which bus drivers must be in a hurry here. In a city that moves slowly I think that the busses should move moderately. It's a shame.

[350torana]

Maybe if buses waited for all passengers before moving off these things would not happen . I know transport companies are on a budget, but installing doors that close automatically before the bus moves off would help. Also pay bus drivers a better salary. I can imagine driving around in terrible traffic all day for such a s'hit salary would make one complacent.

[davethailand]

Another example of accidents that happen everyday in Thailand.

Would it improve if the government actually looked further than the sex trade and concentrated on everyday safety and basic law in general.????

[Abandon]

Bus drivers here continuously

1. drive off as you are trying to get on

2. drive past without stopping especially when they see a spot of clear road

3. drive off as you are trying to get off

4. drive and brake hard

Statistics for Thailand - quote from memory

Causes of death

1. accidents

2. cancer

3. aids

Accidents account for nearly as many deaths as the no.2 and no.3 put together. In developed countries, much as we might hate the nanny state philosophy, accidents are way down on the list of caused of death.

[stroll]

I think bus drivers have a schedule of rounds to fulfill. Together with taxi drivers they are the main menace to pedestrians and motorcycles. Unfortunatly these guys are also treated favorably by traffic police.

I don't understand why buses couldn't close the doors before they drive off?

It also is common sense not to try to board a moving bus.

In England there are still red buses without doors, and the conductor signals to the driver when it's safe to move.

[toastwars]

Thai's can't drive its as simple as that, a roundabout baffles them, constantly changing lanes, total maniacs, maybe if they were not allowed to buy there way out of every traffic violation you might actually improve driver standards, the government needs to introduce driver education ads on TV, I had one guy asking me if I wanted a ride home he could not even sit on his chair he was so drunk, unbelivable

[Doctor John]

I had one guy asking me if I wanted a ride home he could not even sit on his chair he was so drunk, unbelivable

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

English was he ?

[qwertyuiop]

Certainly Thai bus drivers, but bus drivers the world over are generally a danger to society. Tragic.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's a tragidy that should never happen. I dont see the purpose in which bus drivers must be in a hurry here. In a city that moves slowly I think that the busses should move moderately. It's a shame.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

While indeed a sad case not unique unfortunately.

I also agree that vehicles should drive more cautiously but i do not see this happening soon in Thailand.

As for bus drivers my understanding is that their pay is directly related to punctuality and/or possibly to the number of routes they complete in a shift.

Therefore blame also belongs upstairs in creating an environment where it is in the bus drivers best interest to rush and speed.

I also understand that prior to this policy buses turned up every third sunday if lucky as there was no incentive to be punctual and therefore not only they clogged the roads but provided no service at all to the passengers.

If the wrong person were to die perhaps the policy might be revisited but as buses do not cater for the high and mighty this seems unlikely. There are more votes in a relatively punctual service

[Golf]

In only the last four months, there are at least 4 deaths because of the BKK buses. Bangkok Municipal Transportation Agency (BMTA) never, ever contacted the victims' family. During the press conference related to the incedents, its director said, "BMTA is not responsible for any obligations, the company running the co-op bus is".

My suggestions?

1. Wear the safety helmet.

2. Carry your own whistle.

3. Try to run faster than the bus so you can get in.

4. Bring your own hammer to knock on the bus's body so the driver can hear you.

5. Try not to die so easily so that you can tell the story.

Good luck!

[Ice Treasure]

Certainly Thai bus drivers, but bus drivers the world over are generally a danger to society. Tragic.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Where would we be without your thought provoking insight, jacko.

I get on the bus at 6.30 AM. The driver says good morning, how are you?

We chat for the next 7 or 8 minutes until I change buses and repeat the process.

London it ain't but it sure is part of the world over. I'm surprised you haven't called for the driver to be flayed alive, castrated, shot, hung drawn and quartered, and then elected to public office.

Dribble is fine since nearly everyone does it, but over-generalisation makes you sound like something you may well not be. I will leave the competition open but a start is cl*ver.

[kat]

I'm amazed at comments like "happens everyday in the world". It is not common everywhere in the world for buses to pull off while passengers are boarding, to open doors while moving, and to stop in the middle of speeding traffic for passengers to exit.

This is a serious safety issue, and Thailand has to deal with it if they are serious about changing their status to a developed country. Someone mentioned that the problem comes from above, and that is exactly right.

First of all, there is no concept of liability in Thailand, so when a passenger dies, the BMA is not in for a major lawsuit. So, again, we are back to weak enforcements. It also does not help that many of these buses (the green ones especially), are under private contracts and compete with city buses.

Secondly, I believe bus drivers have to be punctual etc, but that they also get paid for how many routes they complete. This is directly related to drivers' lack of safety concerns, because the policy emphasizes punitve measures in regards to speed rather than safety.

We will basically see more children, elderly, and others fall out of buses until the city changes their priorities to safety over speed and money and enforces these policies.

[GuestHouse]

Accidents do not just happen, they have causes.

The way to reduce accidents is to reduce the causes however there are two problems in this respect when dealing with accidents in Thailand.

The first is the acceptance of responsibility

The second is the acceptance of the fact that accidents have causes and are not simply Karma or Fate.

I once attended a safety ceromony at a large construction site in Thailand. The safety record was impressive, as was the compliance to safety regulations - The use of Personal Safety Equipment was almost 100%. Needless to say this was foreign managed project.

A Thai manager of one of the major Thai subcontractors confided in me that he didn't believe that the reason we had a good safety record had anything to do with good safety practice. It was simply fate - if accidents are going to happen, they happen. It is the Karma of the victim to meet with an accident.

That, ladies and gentlemen is the root of the problem.

[Golf]

I'm amazed at comments like "happens everyday in the world".  It is not common everywhere in the world for buses to pull off while passengers are boarding, to open doors while moving, and to stop in the middle of speeding traffic for passengers to exit.

This is a serious safety issue, and Thailand has to deal with it if they are serious about changing their status to a developed country.  Someone mentioned that the problem comes from above, and that is exactly right.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very true and accurate! There are more people to die because of this bus drivers until there is on one wants to use their service anymore. I have seen these kind of "accidents" since I was a little kid. Solutions? None.

So many to kill, so little time!