Fatal Pattaya Baht-Bus Accident Caused By Drunk Canadian

[sillyman99]

I can't believe you guys are bickering with each other over this accident, conjecture, speculation, theorizing and a bunch of physics thrown into the mix as well.

If it was a Thai driver and Farangs had been hurt and killed, the majority here would have immediately blamed the Thai driver, all Thai people and even Thailand itself.

To me, the only surprising thing about this accident is that it doesn't happen more often, considering the state many Farangs get into then drive a car or ride a motorbike.

If the Police set up roadblocks in Pattaya and tested every driver for Alcohol, many people, Thai AND Farang would get busted.

If you think otherwise, you live in a different Pattaya to the one I have lived in since 1990.

Edited September 17, 2010 by sillyman99

[siamiam]

I can't believe you guys are bickering with each other over this accident, conjecture, speculation, theorizing and a bunch of physics thrown into the mix as well.

If it was a Thai driver and Farangs had been hurt and killed, the majority here would have immediately blamed the Thai driver, all Thai people and even Thailand itself.

To me, the only surprising thing about this accident is that it doesn't happen more often, considering the state many Farangs get into then drive a car or ride a motorbike.

If the Police set up roadblocks in Pattaya and tested every driver for Alcohol, many people, Thai AND Farang would get busted.

If you think otherwise, you live in a different Pattaya to the one I have lived in since 1990.

I would never bicker with tropo, he is much too intelligent for that; I would only engage him in debate. But, hey, you aint so silly at all. This will be my last post on this thread.

[tropo]

Regarding your statement, which I do not dispute may be based in fact, that "You cannot concern yourself with what is legal or not i.e. expect the unexpected at all times.":

1) does this also apply to people who have become accustomed to cutting a roundabout corner, because many locals and police do the same thing?

2) does it apply in cases where people drink and drive, because so many people do it?

3) where do you draw the line, is it that you can do these things as long as noone is hurt?

Number 3 sums it up well. There isn't a line until someone is hurt.

Law enforcement officers (if you can call them that) don't give a dam_n about road rules. They're totally occupied with other things - like making a quick buck or two. They focus on extremely dangerous activities such as foreigners standing 6 inches over a white line at intersections, a line which is worn and very difficult to see I might add. Red light running, speeding, riding the wrong way up one-way streets, drunk driving, unroadworthy vehicles with lights out, 10 underage school kids on one bike, babies held in arms while mother talking on cellphone etc etc are far from their minds. They're too busy protecting unhelmeted Farang motorcyclists from themselves, and the odd Thai who happens to pass by while a Farang may be watching.

There are no laws until someone is hurt.

[cardholder]

To me, the only surprising thing about this accident is that it doesn't happen more often, considering the state many Farangs get into then drive a car or ride a motorbike.

If the Police set up roadblocks in Pattaya and tested every driver for Alcohol, many people, Thai AND Farang would get busted.

If you think otherwise, you live in a different Pattaya to the one I have lived in since 1990.

I agree entirely.

I repeat the fact that in my teens I would regularly drink and drive - in the UK, at that time, it was common practice.

I stopped when the breathalyzer was introduced and it was made clear that a substantial fine/loss of licence/imprisonment may ensue.

If you want to change habits you have to do something radical to achieve it.

[tropo]

If you want to change habits you have to do something radical to achieve it.

There also has to be some incentive to want to save lives. I'm not seeing that in Pattaya.

[gotlost]

If you want to change habits you have to do something radical to achieve it.

There also has to be some incentive to want to save lives. I'm not seeing that in Pattaya.

I don't see that in all of Thailand.

[NanLaew]

They focus on extremely dangerous activities such as foreigners standing 6 inches over a white line at intersections, a line which is worn and very difficult to see I might add. Red light running, speeding, riding the wrong way up one-way streets, drunk driving, unroadworthy vehicles with lights out, 10 underage school kids on one bike, babies held in arms while mother talking on cellphone etc etc are far from their minds. They're too busy protecting unhelmeted Farang motorcyclists from themselves, and the odd Thai who happens to pass by while a Farang may be watching.

There are no laws until someone is hurt.

Talking about a waste of resources. Wife and I stopped for noodles on Sukhumvit between Tai and Klang around 10pm and observed over a 5 minute period a total of 23 police pickups and cars racing south, sirens and strobes on and yakking on their tannoys about pulling over to the left so that ONE Mercedes limo with some knob inside could get to his/her destination quickly.

They call themselves police.... LOL

[COXYATCITY]

I can't believe you guys are bickering with each other over this accident, conjecture, speculation, theorizing and a bunch of physics thrown into the mix as well.

If it was a Thai driver and Farangs had been hurt and killed, the majority here would have immediately blamed the Thai driver, all Thai people and even Thailand itself.

To me, the only surprising thing about this accident is that it doesn't happen more often, considering the state many Farangs get into then drive a car or ride a motorbike.

If the Police set up roadblocks in Pattaya and tested every driver for Alcohol, many people, Thai AND Farang would get busted.

If you think otherwise, you live in a different Pattaya to the one I have lived in since 1990.

agree with you i have lived in east Pattaya for 7 years(before then10 years holidays traveling around Thailand).,but the police do set up road blocks,looking for thais with drugs and guns or farangs,with i.e no licence,helmet,was in a local bar where there was a small problem with a thai man,the lady owner called the police,1 came plain clothed with a bottle of red label staggering into the bar,his gun was showing bigger than clint eastwards,and talked to the drunken thai ,who started arguing with him,the drunk thai went off,came back in his car and started shouting again,i could not understand what they were saying,but the drunken man who maid the problem drove off,the police man sat down,while the lady gave the the policeman free soda to go with his red label ps there was probably not an east Pattaya when you first came,,if anybody says to me you will never believe what happened (anywhere in Thailand) i probably will,as you have been here a long time ,nothing can shock me now after the things i have seen and heard over the last 17 years,AMAZING THAILAND

[tropo]

agree with you i have lived in east Pattaya for 7 years(before then10 years holidays traveling around Thailand).,but the police do set up road blocks,looking for thais with drugs and guns or farangs,with i.e no licence,helmet,was in a local bar where there was a small problem with a thai man,the lady owner called the police,1 came plain clothed with a bottle of red label staggering into the bar,his gun was showing bigger than clint eastwards,and talked to the drunken thai ,who started arguing with him,the drunk thai went off,came back in his car and started shouting again,i could not understand what they were saying,but the drunken man who maid the problem drove off,the police man sat down,while the lady gave the the policeman free soda to go with his red label ps there was probably not an east Pattaya when you first came,,if anybody says to me you will never believe what happened (anywhere in Thailand) i probably will,as you have been here a long time ,nothing can shock me now after the things i have seen and heard over the last 17 years,AMAZING THAILAND

I think they may have a road pirate problem out there in the East. A fellow gym member was riding his motorbike to the gym one morning earlier this year. A car with a Thai driver and accomplice deliberately pushed him over and robbed him while on the ground and held a gun to his head. He didn't need the gun as the poor Farang had broken his back on the fall and spent a month immobilised at the hosptal.

[COXYATCITY]

agree with you i have lived in east Pattaya for 7 years(before then10 years holidays traveling around Thailand).,but the police do set up road blocks,looking for thais with drugs and guns or farangs,with i.e no licence,helmet,was in a local bar where there was a small problem with a thai man,the lady owner called the police,1 came plain clothed with a bottle of red label staggering into the bar,his gun was showing bigger than clint eastwards,and talked to the drunken thai ,who started arguing with him,the drunk thai went off,came back in his car and started shouting again,i could not understand what they were saying,but the drunken man who maid the problem drove off,the police man sat down,while the lady gave the the policeman free soda to go with his red label ps there was probably not an east Pattaya when you first came,,if anybody says to me you will never believe what happened (anywhere in Thailand) i probably will,as you have been here a long time ,nothing can shock me now after the things i have seen and heard over the last 17 years,AMAZING THAILAND

I think they may have a road pirate problem out there in the East. A fellow gym member was riding his motorbike to the gym one morning earlier this year. A car with a Thai driver and accomplice deliberately pushed him over and robbed him while on the ground and held a gun to his head. He didn't need the gun as the poor Farang had broken his back on the fall and spent a month immobilised at the hosptal.

i hope your gym member, made a full recovery,i do not say it is safe over here,there has been many problems over the years,a few farangs have been murdered,many robbed ,and Thais as well,gold snatching has gone out of control every where,.when i bought my house off a farang he warned me not to ride a bike,especially late at night,when it is quiet.its a pity that the drug problem has exploded in the last few years,and people are more desperate.these things are happening all over Thailand ,not just here in Pattaya.you must remember the good old days here,,i could walk down beach road with no fear,but felt safer here than my home town in the UK,,i would love these times to come back(but doubt it very much)as i have 2 kids here and worry about there future,as i would in any other city in the world.

[tropo]

agree with you i have lived in east Pattaya for 7 years(before then10 years holidays traveling around Thailand).,but the police do set up road blocks,looking for thais with drugs and guns or farangs,with i.e no licence,helmet,was in a local bar where there was a small problem with a thai man,the lady owner called the police,1 came plain clothed with a bottle of red label staggering into the bar,his gun was showing bigger than clint eastwards,and talked to the drunken thai ,who started arguing with him,the drunk thai went off,came back in his car and started shouting again,i could not understand what they were saying,but the drunken man who maid the problem drove off,the police man sat down,while the lady gave the the policeman free soda to go with his red label ps there was probably not an east Pattaya when you first came,,if anybody says to me you will never believe what happened (anywhere in Thailand) i probably will,as you have been here a long time ,nothing can shock me now after the things i have seen and heard over the last 17 years,AMAZING THAILAND

I think they may have a road pirate problem out there in the East. A fellow gym member was riding his motorbike to the gym one morning earlier this year. A car with a Thai driver and accomplice deliberately pushed him over and robbed him while on the ground and held a gun to his head. He didn't need the gun as the poor Farang had broken his back on the fall and spent a month immobilised at the hosptal.

i hope your gym member, made a full recovery

Unfortunately, at age 50 he'll never recover fully from that. He's stopped riding a bike to the gym though. He's parks his car on Pratamnak Road and walks down Soi 16 (Walking Street) to the gym. He trains early and at that time of day there are a lot of shady character milling around. Not long after he got back to the gym he was attacked by some Thais walking down Soi 16. Talk about bad luck - now he's even scared to walk down Soi 16.

[brahmburgers]

Unfortunately, at age 50 he'll never recover fully from that. He's stopped riding a bike to the gym though. He's parks his car on Pratamnak Road and walks down Soi 16 (Walking Street) to the gym. He trains early and at that time of day there are a lot of shady character milling around. Not long after he got back to the gym he was attacked by some Thais walking down Soi 16. Talk about bad luck - now he's even scared to walk down Soi 16.

Sorry to hear about the fellow's problems. It makes one wonder why a person chooses to live in places like Pattaya or Bangkok or Phuket. Some people have little choice in the matter, but farang with pensions who want to reside in Thailand can pick pretty much anywhere. It's also highly ironic that the places with the lowest standard of living (highest crime, surliest people, smoggiest air, most gridlock) are also the places which have the highest property/rental costs. What a strange species we are. Granted, there are some other species which choose to reside in crappy urban environments, such as stray dogs, rats and pigeons, so maybe we're not so weird after all.

[tropo]

Unfortunately, at age 50 he'll never recover fully from that. He's stopped riding a bike to the gym though. He's parks his car on Pratamnak Road and walks down Soi 16 (Walking Street) to the gym. He trains early and at that time of day there are a lot of shady character milling around. Not long after he got back to the gym he was attacked by some Thais walking down Soi 16. Talk about bad luck - now he's even scared to walk down Soi 16.

Sorry to hear about the fellow's problems. It makes one wonder why a person chooses to live in places like Pattaya or Bangkok or Phuket. Some people have little choice in the matter, but farang with pensions who want to reside in Thailand can pick pretty much anywhere. It's also highly ironic that the places with the lowest standard of living (highest crime, surliest people, smoggiest air, most gridlock) are also the places which have the highest property/rental costs. What a strange species we are. Granted, there are some other species which choose to reside in crappy urban environments, such as stray dogs, rats and pigeons, so maybe we're not so weird after all.

I suppose it's a matter of settling in a place where we think everything is safe and dandy, not realising at the time what really goes on around us. When I first moved here I lived out east and used to ride my bike anytime day or night. I didn't realise until I started reading stories on here how dangerous that could be. I'd moved from the Philippines and was under the impression this place was extremely safe. (eg. 7 foreigners have been shot dead in AC just this month, 3 last month)

[Randee]

Why have I got 2 email pages full of notifications on this topic and yet nobody has actually replied directly to my comment?

and hey Admin, can you make a "Like" and "not like" button same as facebook and youtube so we can vote on peoples comments? nice to be able to click and nice to get feedback whether it's + or - yes? and good way to view popularity/intelligence of poster ...

Have a look at the + and - icons on the bottom right of each post. I'm pretty sure that's what you're looking for.

And I assume the "Watch" button at the top of the page will send an email to you for EVERY new post, not just the ones replying to you. "Watch" applies to the whole thread, not just your post.

ive only just seen this. thanks very much whybother :jap: i've fixed it now.

i was getting notifications for every single comment posted. my email inbox was going crazy!! lol

[jc7]

What happened to this guy?

My friend recently crashed his hire car into 2 other parked cars whilst intoxicated - there's absolutely no excuse at all but he was going 40km/h and hit a large hole in the tarmac caused by the floods somehow. He is asking me for advice and although this story is slightly different (he didn't hit anyone - thank god) my friend is in the same situation with the damage.

Obviously they have his passport.

Does anyone have any advice?

[smedly]

don't drink and drive, maybe he would have seen the pot hole if he had been sober........................no sympathy whatsoever

sumnumna

[jc7]

Not exactly very helpful.

I wasn't asking for sympathy - just advice! I've already stated I think it is completely wrong. I've seen a photo of this pothole and it's not sign posted at all - again, I'm not making excuses, just looking for advice!

[NanLaew]

Not exactly very helpful.

I wasn't asking for sympathy - just advice! I've already stated I think it is completely wrong. I've seen a photo of this pothole and it's not sign posted at all - again, I'm not making excuses, just looking for advice!

Twice you have claimed that you consider your friend was wrong but throw in some weak 'mitigating circumstances' such as the relatively low speed, nobody was even hurt and the fact there was no warning signs for this pothole.

But here is the advice your buddy needs.

Pay 100% for repair of all damage to all the vehicles involved.

Earnestly seek to speak to the most senior officer involved with this 'prosecution' so that an exact figure can be placed on the amount of baht that will ensure the return of his passport.

Do NOT expect lawyers to get involved or seek to get a better deal as the law is fairly imprecise in both it's implementation and enforcement with regards to Thai drunk drivers which only makes for infinitely more variables when a foreigner is involved.

Good luck.

[jc7]

I've told him this. You can be assured he is sorry.

Some people have told him he faces jail - I did say I couldn't imagine that but I did have to check.

He basically has to pay for the damage caused then.. or face jail!

[NanLaew]

I've told him this. You can be assured he is sorry.

Some people have told him he faces jail - I did say I couldn't imagine that but I did have to check.

He basically has to pay for the damage caused then.. or face jail!

Good. Ask him what would be the minimum he would expect in his own country for a alcohol-related car accident that is 100% his fault?

Jail is still a possibility here. All it takes is one of the other car owners to say 'enough, I want my money' and the police will be more than happy to bang up your mate for dragging his feet.

The quicker he sorts it out the better. His visa and/or work status could also be jeopardized by the whole affair.

[jc7]

Thank you for the advice. In the UK you would expect a fine, a huge driving ban, some community service and alcohol related courses (for a first time offense - if it was a second they'd come down on you hard).

The owners of the other cars are actually OK - and the one Thai man who owns them has been extremely helpful.

Considering everything that's happened the VISA and work status isn't really an issue for him anymore, he is just glad everyone is OK, and as you can imagine doesn't want to go to jail here in Thailand. He just wants to get this sorted without jail.

[random]

Thank you for the advice. In the UK you would expect a fine, a huge driving ban, some community service and alcohol related courses (for a first time offense - if it was a second they'd come down on you hard).

The owners of the other cars are actually OK - and the one Thai man who owns them has been extremely helpful.

Considering everything that's happened the VISA and work status isn't really an issue for him anymore, he is just glad everyone is OK, and as you can imagine doesn't want to go to jail here in Thailand. He just wants to get this sorted without jail.

There is no point asking for advice on this site mate, the holier than thou brigade soon jump in and start judging all and sundry from their ivory towers.

You friend knows he did wrong, he has to pay, it is as simple as that.

ps. I didn't see you trying to justify his actions so I don't know how others managed to do this.

[Wavefloater]

Drunk driver causing an accident, how unexpected.

I have been all over the world and a lots of rowdy places. Pattaya was the only place I ever been and saw at 11 AM patrons falling off barstools on a regular basis.

This has to be the Sewer in the world not how it looks like but the people that hang out there.

Wow - you broadly insult EVERYBODY who lives in and around Pattaya, even those who make a legitimate living here. Then you go on to say that it's OK for you to be drinking in a bar at 11AM in Pattaya on a regular basis, but not OK that other people are drunk at that time in those bars.

[jc7]

There is no point asking for advice on this site mate, the holier than thou brigade soon jump in and start judging all and sundry from their ivory towers.

You friend knows he did wrong, he has to pay, it is as simple as that.

ps. I didn't see you trying to justify his actions so I don't know how others managed to do this.

So you don't think jail will happen?

[random]

There is no point asking for advice on this site mate, the holier than thou brigade soon jump in and start judging all and sundry from their ivory towers.

You friend knows he did wrong, he has to pay, it is as simple as that.

ps. I didn't see you trying to justify his actions so I don't know how others managed to do this.

So you don't think jail will happen?

I doubt it, its a simple RTA, get the insurance company to pay up, if he has no insurance then he needs to deal with the victim asap and make payment for the damage.

[jc7]

I don't think there is a victim - everyone involved is OK and fine. He has to give one man some money for lost earnings as the back of his car needed fixing at that was all - that has been dealt with.

The problem is the hire car - if insurance doesn't pay then I imagine he will have to pay for that and the fine.. we're talking a lot of money.

I hear if someone cannot afford a fine then they go to jail...

[random]

I don't think there is a victim - everyone involved is OK and fine. He has to give one man some money for lost earnings as the back of his car needed fixing at that was all - that has been dealt with.

The problem is the hire car - if insurance doesn't pay then I imagine he will have to pay for that and the fine.. we're talking a lot of money.

I hear if someone cannot afford a fine then they go to jail...

so there are 2 victims, one is the thai guy and the other is the hire company. He may lose his deposit and the insurance for the hire car should pay for the damage to both vehicles, providing he hired from a reputable company.

[metisdead]

This was sent to me in an email this morning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Z2mf8DtWWd8

I used the Insert Media tool, however, it didn't embed the video properly.

Edited November 16, 2010 by metisdead

[jc7]

I don't think there is a victim - everyone involved is OK and fine. He has to give one man some money for lost earnings as the back of his car needed fixing at that was all - that has been dealt with.

The problem is the hire car - if insurance doesn't pay then I imagine he will have to pay for that and the fine.. we're talking a lot of money.

I hear if someone cannot afford a fine then they go to jail...

so there are 2 victims, one is the thai guy and the other is the hire company. He may lose his deposit and the insurance for the hire car should pay for the damage to both vehicles, providing he hired from a reputable company.

The Thai guy is fine - the only problem is the hire car he crashed - which was hired from a reputable company - but of course if they're intoxicated insurance is void I would imagine. That's why he has a problem. I guess the only thing to do is wait! Drink driving really is such a bad offense and the bad thing is that it usually takes something bad to happen to someone before they actually realise they shouldn't be doing it..

[siamiam]

Returning last week from my out of country travels, I spent some time in Pattaya and have posted below, the observations, thoughts, and questions I had while visiting the Dolphin Roundabout. I just wrote these down as they came into my mind and I have not tried to neatly arrange them, hence the jumbled nature of the post.

here is a map of Pattaya; the 'Dolphin Statue' is the location of the roundabout.

http://www.thaiwaysm...ap_pattaya.html

here is a link to an article that has an eyewitness description of the paths of the two vehicles involved in the accident.

http://www.pattayada...t-bus-accident/

and an excerpt from this article:

"...a Canadian national, was driving at high-speed from Pattaya-Naklua Road. He allegedly avoided the roundabout, crashing into the side of the baht bus, which had been turning onto Beach Road from the Pattaya 2^nd Road. "

Observations, thoughts, and questions I had at the 'Dolphin Roundabout':

There are six roads that intersect the roundabout -

1) Naklua Rd. carries traffic in two directions and has a painted yellow divider.

2) North Pattaya Rd carries traffic in two directions and has a physical divider.

3) Pattaya Sai Song Rd carries traffic in one direction, (towards the roundabout).

4) Pattaya Beach Rd carries traffic in one direction, (away from the roundabout).

5) A smaller less busy road to the north of the Dusit Thani Resort.

6) The entry and exit lanes for the Dusit Thani Resort.

There is sometimes a moveable barrier in place that extends from the center island of the roundabout to the center divider of North Pattaya Rd. At other times this barrier is not in place.

At 1pm on December 10th the barrier was in place. At 3pm on December 12th the barrier had been removed, creating a traffic flow situation that I would think could lead to 'fender benders'.

The Dolphin Roundabout is smaller than I had expected, especially for the amount of traffic it handles. During the day the traffic is sufficiently heavy that a driver unfamiliar with the area and approaching the roundabout would 'fall into line' with the traffic and be 'guided' through the roundabout. In the wee hours of the morning, if there was no traffic to act as a 'guide', a driver unfamiliar with the area and approaching the roundabout via Naklua Rd could be confused as to how to proceed, because Pattaya Beach Rd may look like a continuation of Naklua Rd to such a driver. This could create a situation where the unfamiliar driver would pass through the roundabout going in the wrong direction. Also, Naklua Rd is conducive to a higher rate of speed than that which the roundabout can be safely negotiated. The Dolphin Roundabout is a place where one must drive slowly at all times, day or night, regardless of the amount of traffic on the road.

The water fountain in the center island of the Dolphin Roundabout does not operate 24 hours, but per an 'on site' merchant operates for "half of the time".

There is extensive lighting at the roundabout. The lights are mounted on poles that are erected around the outside perimeter of the roundabout. The lights are approximately 15 meters above the ground at the tops of the poles. The lights are adjustable in both horizontal and vertical directions. The illumination at and around the roundabout is quite variable. There are points on the periphery of the roundabout where a vehicle without headlights would be difficult to see. The amount of illumination at the Dolphin Roundabout does not preclude the use of headlights; it would be dangerous to drive through the roundabout at night without headlights. Because of the directional nature of the pole mounted lights, there is the possibility of a driver approaching the roundabout and having his vision adversely effected by glare.

Though I have read from what I consider to be a reliable source that the baht busses of Pattaya regularly drive at night without headlights on, I did not see a single one driving without headlights during the hours I spent at the Dolphin Roundabout in the evening of December 12th. I was seeing baht busses at a rate of 50 in eight minutes. No doubt I would have been seeing the same baht busses more than once over the hours, as they repeated their routes, but it is interesting to note that every baht bus, without exception, had two well functioning headlights. I did see one baht bus that turned off it's headlights as it approached Beach Rd from the roundabout and prepared to stop at that corner to drop off and pick up passengers. The driver turned off the headlights for about 5 seconds and then turned them back on. Does the fact that all baht busses now seem to have two well functioning headlights have anything to due with the fatal accident that occurred at the Dolphin Roundabout?

The center island fountain of the Dolphin Roundabout is of sufficient elevation to make it difficult for a driver traveling on Naklua Rd towards the roundabout to see a vehicle on the far side of the roundabout, and vice versa.

A motorcycle taxi man at the Dolphin Roundabout pointed out to me where the accident impact had occurred, which was where Pattaya Beach Rd meets the roundabout. This man told me that the baht bus had been spun 360 degrees due to the impact. I did not try to corroborate this man's information. I did not see any tire marks or other signs of the accident, perhaps any that had been present would have been 'erased' by all the traffic traveling on the road since the accident took place. In the photos of the baht bus that was involved in the accident, there appears to be considerable damage to the front of the bus. It is interesting to me that it is the front right of the black truck which shows more damage than the left front of that vehicle. Did the driver of the black truck see the baht bus at the last moment and try to avoid it by turning to his left?

The tree that the front of the baht bus came to rest against, (seen in a photo in one of the articles), shows very little damage; it appears the bus did not severely impact that tree.

Where Naklua Rd meets the roundabout, there is dirt/debris on the road that could act as a 'not this way' sign for drivers who are unsure of which direction to proceed in. The dirt/debris has built up where vehicles would make a right turn, (the wrong way), into the roundabout. A driver unfamiliar with the roundabout might see that and understand that the dirt/debris is there because no one goes that way. This dirt/debris may be less visible at night.

Does the speed at which the black truck entered the roundabout point to familiarity with the location? Could the driver of the black truck have entered the roundabout at that speed without crossing the yellow painted center divider on Naklua Rd in order to 'line himself up' for negotiating the roundabout at a high rate of speed? Would a physical center divider on Naklua Rd, such as that found on North Pattaya Rd, even if it were only set up in the vicinity of where Naklua Rd meets the roundabout, possibly act to prevent a driver from entering the roundabout in the wrong direction at a high rate of speed? Should there be 'SLOW DOWN!' signs posted at certain points on the roads leading to the roundabout? I don't have the answer to any of these questions.

Edited December 14, 2010 by siamiam