Harsh...very harsh penalties; 3 penalties and lose your driver license for 1 year; even put those insane drivers in jail. That will help...a little.

As mentioned earlier, it's doubtful that even half of Thai drivers have a license. Even taking a license away would not preclude them driving. There are nearly zero police stops for license checks - at least up here in northernmost Thailand. There are stops for motorbikes, though 90% of those checked are pretty college girls. Old or frumpy motorbikers are never pulled aside and checked. If you were a cop and had a chance to pull over a giggling, scared pretty girl, and get her phone number, (compared to a weathered grandma/grandpa with piles of veges in baskets) which would you detain?

Maybe once or twice in thousands of hours driving here have I seen a car pulled over and a license checked. And I've never seen anyone pulled over for speeding or going through a red light or driving on the wrong side of the road or cutting blind corners dangerously.

There are 3 ways to get a message across to Thai drivers who endanger others and themselves:

1. take away or chain up their vehicle.

2. fine 'em on the spot - suggest Bt.2,000, no excuses, no wiggle room.

3. plop 'em in jail.

Most of us who live here know how stupid and dangerous thai drivers drive , buses and mini vans, in particular .

Its just a shame that innocent tourists are not made aware of how dangerous it can be to ride in a mini van or a tour bus.

RIP to the unfortunate victims.

Bad driving habits die hard. My wife had her Thai drivers license for many years and was even a hotel limo driver for two years. She even bragged about receiving company sponsored driving lessons from a major oil company instructor.

In Hawaii she applied for her learners permit and passed her written drivers exam with flying colors. Then came the "real" test. After failing her road test for the fourth time she got one of her cool headed Thai girlfriends to coach her. Her friend took her for a spin and pointed out all of the faults that I had mentioned. Next road test she passed, thank God! Guess she was determined not to break the record of some of her other friends who took as many as 15 tries before getting their licenses.

to correct things...the guys were germans...not dutch...on their fourth day of a 9-month world-trip.....just got out of school this year

That really is a tragedy, these boys had so many adventures in front of them and some memorable stories to tell.

Very sad indeed, thoughts are with their families.