Pattaya Bus Crash On Bang Na Trat Kills Two And Injures 27

[patjem]

Yes there is.Given the thousands upon thousands of ROUTE bus movements a day in Thailand, the safety record is pretty da*n good,What is a problem is in the charter bus industry, too many cowboys drive.

This is not a tour bus, it is a regular scheduled bus from Ekamai bus station to Pattaya. There are too many bus crashes in Thailand although it is not as bad as it used to be. I can remember a time when every Songkran, when driving to Surin, you passed 3 or 4 bus crashes where the bus ended in the ditch.

This crash occured on Bangna Trad Road and reminds me of a similar crash I witnessed on this road back in 1997. I was travelling to Pattaya with my Wife by car and from behind me came an articulated container lorry travelling at high speed, weaving from inside lane to outside lane and back. I said to her "Many Thai drivers are so bad, they drive so dangerously". She said "You must not say that about another driver, just ignore this, that is the Thai way". I said "But he could lose control and kill someone, maybe us". She said "This Thai driver just has a different Technique". At that moment the driver lost control and the lorry went into the ditch in the central reservation and turned over. I said to her "Look I am right, it is bad driving". She said "No it is not, it is just end of Technique, next time he will try a different Technique!".

Thais... I love them.

Yes for sure that is the Thai way.

jb1

The other common response I get from my Thai colleagues, to any such comment as "he doesn't turn his lights on"; "I think that one maybe mao"; "he not look before dashing across highway in front of lorry".,.,,.

"up to him" !!!!

A sign at roadside near my home states "warning: accident ahead".... The prediction is often correct, too.

[Dhani69]

Dont tell me the bus was driving fast I would not believe it . Those buses drivers are totally insane, going to the sea very often I see those buses , mini van driving like maniacs with of course over speed , using the right lane all the time .... I cannot believe the passengers are in such "hands" , but as usual nothing will ever change here , how many dead , how many accidents ?

i got caught speeding 65/km/h in 60 zone and ended up with a big fine.

as serious as that...

hope they can do the same in TiT.

many cowboy drivers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

showing off Rodeo riding skills?

I have been travelling three time on a bus between BKK (airport) and Pattaya and have to admit those drivers were extremely good drivers.... no speeding or taking any risks.

[JohnAllan]

Yes there is.Given the thousands upon thousands of ROUTE bus movements a day in Thailand, the safety record is pretty da*n good,What is a problem is in the charter bus industry, too many cowboys drive.

totally agree with that comment ! good to see that not everyone living here is against Thailand. if you dont like it go home !

If you don't like it, go home? Don't make such crass comments. That reads as: if you can't accept road lunatics . . . Anyone, living as a resident anywhere, is entitled to express an opinion. And for the Thais - and there are a few - with the same viewpoint?

[personchester]

Yes there is.Given the thousands upon thousands of ROUTE bus movements a day in Thailand, the safety record is pretty da*n good,What is a problem is in the charter bus industry, too many cowboys drive.

totally agree with that comment ! good to see that not everyone living here is against Thailand. if you dont like it go home !

Oh dear, oh dear, here is another one, we are tired of postings containing the last phrase i.e. .. if you don't like it go home.

[oMega69]

Well no more Bus rides then . . .

And for sure MiniVans here even more dangerous to go with . .

Thanks God that a buying a Volvo car next week . . .

:]

Edited May 14, 2011 by oMega69

[koto]

The safest way to travel to Pattaya is a hire a private taxi with a good reputation of careful drivers , other than that I would prefer a bus over a taxi or mini bus.

To many cowboys drive cabs I have had a couple of trips where they have got up to 200 klm hr in the night , others that have been falling to sleep missing turns , another blew a tyre out at high speed.

Other then the bus, If I "must" ride in a van, taxi, tuk-tuk or motorcycle-taxi, I check them out first (red eyes) (booze breath) and I clue them in to cha,cha, if they don't I yell, kick and scream like a lady being raped, until they do, I've got but one life to live and I'm not going down because of a driver in a hurry, blurry or drunk, let it be with me making love.

That's my story and you can take that to the bank, say nothing, expect nothing, when your paying, you set the rules and guidelines.

My respects to all, so very sad, things like this happen all over the world, Thailand is not the only place with bad and foolish drivers, we have them everywhere.

[Pieter1964]

why are people complaining about the country.

if you would like everything the same as in the UK or australia or what ever country, then stay there and not go to thailand.

thailand is thailand and thai people are thai people and the thai way is the thai way.

that is why you all like the cuontry, the life there, the people and more.

if you change it all to your previous country, it will not be thai anymore and you go start complaining about that it is not thai anymore.

look in bkk, the smiles are already going away.

it looks more and more on a big western city in stead of a nice asian city.

just my 5 cents.

[Oberkommando]

why are people complaining about the country.

if you would like everything the same as in the UK or australia or what ever country, then stay there and not go to thailand.

thailand is thailand and thai people are thai people and the thai way is the thai way.

that is why you all like the cuontry, the life there, the people and more.

if you change it all to your previous country, it will not be thai anymore and you go start complaining about that it is not thai anymore.

look in bkk, the smiles are already going away.

it looks more and more on a big western city in stead of a nice asian city.

just my 5 cents.

People are not allowed to complain about Thailand having one of the highest road accident rates and resultant fatalities in the World? How ridiculous.

I contend that every single person at least should be warned about it when considering coming here, for whatever reason. So many people are not aware of the real dangers, especially tourists, that there should be stronger safety warnings about visiting here. Good to see most of the Western Embassies carry warnings about this very real danger.

[Kilgore Trout]

why are people complaining about the country.

if you would like everything the same as in the UK or australia or what ever country, then stay there and not go to thailand.

thailand is thailand and thai people are thai people and the thai way is the thai way.

that is why you all like the cuontry, the life there, the people and more.

if you change it all to your previous country, it will not be thai anymore and you go start complaining about that it is not thai anymore.

look in bkk, the smiles are already going away.

it looks more and more on a big western city in stead of a nice asian city.

just my 5 cents.

5 cents; not even worth 25 satang

[dunkin2012]

why are people complaining about the country.

if you would like everything the same as in the UK or australia or what ever country, then stay there and not go to thailand.

thailand is thailand and thai people are thai people and the thai way is the thai way.

that is why you all like the cuontry, the life there, the people and more.

if you change it all to your previous country, it will not be thai anymore and you go start complaining about that it is not thai anymore.

look in bkk, the smiles are already going away.

it looks more and more on a big western city in stead of a nice asian city.

just my 5 cents.

Have 2 cents and I insist on "ROAD safety" in TiT.......... did anybody ask for your 5 cents?

Edited May 14, 2011 by dunkin2012

[wilsonf]

Buses leave pattaya for three destinations in Bangkok every 30 minutes, thats 6 buses an hour, from around 4am to 9pm , about fifteen hours a day , or 90 journeys a day, around 33,000 trips a year, bad driving or not, with this number of movements there is bound to be an accident some time,

[nyujay2010]

I just got back from a visa run and the van driver was absolutely insane! I thought we were all going to die at least 300 times!

After living in Thailand for a few years there is one certainty I've gradually learned here - there are no such thing as consequences (e.g. unprotected sex, insane driving, corruption, etc. etc. etc.).

Edited May 14, 2011 by nyujay2010

[zakk9]

This kind of accident is a result of reckless driving, nothing else. I just arrived in Pattaya after driving from Bangkok. While I was driving 130 at the second floor of Bang Na Trat, I had a Toyota van behind me, flashing his headlights and wanting to pass and in front of me a bus driving the same speed as I did.

Yes, when people drive like that, accidents are bound to happen. Unfortunately for Thailand, there is little chance that anything will be done, at least not short term.

[jimbeam1]

Yes there is.Given the thousands upon thousands of ROUTE bus movements a day in Thailand, the safety record is pretty da*n good,What is a problem is in the charter bus industry, too many cowboys drive.

This is not a tour bus, it is a regular scheduled bus from Ekamai bus station to Pattaya. There are too many bus crashes in Thailand although it is not as bad as it used to be. I can remember a time when every Songkran, when driving to Surin, you passed 3 or 4 bus crashes where the bus ended in the ditch.

This crash occured on Bangna Trad Road and reminds me of a similar crash I witnessed on this road back in 1997. I was travelling to Pattaya with my Wife by car and from behind me came an articulated container lorry travelling at high speed, weaving from inside lane to outside lane and back. I said to her "Many Thai drivers are so bad, they drive so dangerously". She said "You must not say that about another driver, just ignore this, that is the Thai way". I said "But he could lose control and kill someone, maybe us". She said "This Thai driver just has a different Technique". At that moment the driver lost control and the lorry went into the ditch in the central reservation and turned over. I said to her "Look I am right, it is bad driving". She said "No it is not, it is just end of Technique, next time he will try a different Technique!".

Thais... I love them.

Yes for sure that is the Thai way.

jb1

The other common response I get from my Thai colleagues, to any such comment as "he doesn't turn his lights on"; "I think that one maybe mao"; "he not look before dashing across highway in front of lorry".,.,,.

"up to him" !!!!

A sign at roadside near my home states "warning: accident ahead".... The prediction is often correct, too.

Ha Ha,I like that one.

jb1

[SantiSuk]

I take the BKK-Pattaya bus once or twice a month for many years now..

Never had any complaints.

The newer busses have indeed seat belts for passengers.

I've never used them and have never seen anybody using them.

+1

Too many people on this thread rushing to criticise all bus companies as mad. Have never found the public buses on this route to be driven by mad speed merchants. Minivan drivers anywhere and VIP bus drivers out of Issaan - now that's a different story.

[jimbeam1]

why are people complaining about the country.

if you would like everything the same as in the UK or australia or what ever country, then stay there and not go to thailand.

thailand is thailand and thai people are thai people and the thai way is the thai way.

that is why you all like the cuontry, the life there, the people and more.

if you change it all to your previous country, it will not be thai anymore and you go start complaining about that it is not thai anymore.

look in bkk, the smiles are already going away.

it looks more and more on a big western city in stead of a nice asian city.

just my 5 cents.

Hey... Pssst. Know one is complaining about the Country. As a matter of fact, I think that you will find that most of us love it.

What most are complaining about is the driving skills, the lack of that is of the vast majority of Thais. I would agree that it is not entirely their fault. As they have never had to learn to drive properly. In most cases.

jb1

[jimbeam1]

This kind of accident is a result of reckless driving, nothing else. I just arrived in Pattaya after driving from Bangkok. While I was driving 130 at the second floor of Bang Na Trat, I had a Toyota van behind me, flashing his headlights and wanting to pass and in front of me a bus driving the same speed as I did.

Yes, when people drive like that, accidents are bound to happen. Unfortunately for Thailand, there is little chance that anything will be done, at least not short term.

Speed Camera's might help?

jb1

[osiboy]

why are people complaining about the country.

if you would like everything the same as in the UK or australia or what ever country, then stay there and not go to thailand.

thailand is thailand and thai people are thai people and the thai way is the thai way.

that is why you all like the cuontry, the life there, the people and more.

if you change it all to your previous country, it will not be thai anymore and you go start complaining about that it is not thai anymore.

look in bkk, the smiles are already going away.

it looks more and more on a big western city in stead of a nice asian city.

just my 5 cents.

I've not seen anyone complaining about thai beaches, the hot weather, top scenery , spicey food , "aroy" food,cheap hotels , easy girls ,

pretty girls, beer chang, leo,or singha,

but we are not discussing that now, .... the point is ...... the people you are telling to ''not go to thailand'' are the very people that have help

make thailand what is is today { a top world holiday dest} , they/we , and thai people deserve more than this "like it or lump it" attitude,

we are talking about peoples lives here, ......... the fact that thais dont value life as much as westerners do ,seems to be the crux of the

matter,........the thai comments here seem to be defensive instead of constructive, in denial of one of the worst road safety records on

the planet , and i for one would not complain about safer drivers, and like so many other things in thailand , it all starts with corruption ,

the driving test is a joke , i reckon only about 5% of thai drivers are capable to pass a driving test in the UK or australia ,... none without

a few lessons, the reason why so many bad drivers are on the road in thailand ?..............yeah,.. you guessed it ........CORRUPTION !

The fact that any of these thais getting a license are highly likely to lead to accidents some resulting in death doesn't matter to the guy

who has another 500B in his pocket for each pass !! = im all right jack !......... its time to grow up and stand up thailand !..............

we dont want to change your wonderful country ,........ but everyone deserves to be safe from greedy people lining their pockets when

their primary concern should be making thailand a safer place, ....... why is nothing done to stop this ??........ yes u got it ........CORRUPTION ! .......

Why cant the roads be made safer ?? ........ yes u got it ,........... why cant the jet ski scams b stopped ?? ..............yes u got it .........

why dont we know what happened to the thai tsunami fund ??............. yes u got it , ........ why king power are the only ones selling

tabacco at the airport ??.............yeah........there is only one way that i can see that will clean up thailands act .....but as it would involve

external bodies/ forces .............it never will !......."keeping face" is more important .........stand up and be counted Abhasit ........

education education education !!

[ginjag]

why are people complaining about the country.

if you would like everything the same as in the UK or australia or what ever country, then stay there and not go to thailand.

thailand is thailand and thai people are thai people and the thai way is the thai way.

that is why you all like the cuontry, the life there, the people and more.

if you change it all to your previous country, it will not be thai anymore and you go start complaining about that it is not thai anymore.

look in bkk, the smiles are already going away.

it looks more and more on a big western city in stead of a nice asian city.

just my 5 cents.

I've not seen anyone complaining about thai beaches, the hot weather, top scenery , spicey food , "aroy" food,cheap hotels , easy girls ,

pretty girls, beer chang, leo,or singha,

but we are not discussing that now, .... the point is ...... the people you are telling to ''not go to thailand'' are the very people that have help

make thailand what is is today { a top world holiday dest} , they/we , and thai people deserve more than this "like it or lump it" attitude,

we are talking about peoples lives here, ......... the fact that thais dont value life as much as westerners do ,seems to be the crux of the

matter,........the thai comments here seem to be defensive instead of constructive, in denial of one of the worst road safety records on

the planet , and i for one would not complain about safer drivers, and like so many other things in thailand , it all starts with corruption ,

the driving test is a joke , i reckon only about 5% of thai drivers are capable to pass a driving test in the UK or australia ,... none without

a few lessons, the reason why so many bad drivers are on the road in thailand ?..............yeah,.. you guessed it ........CORRUPTION !

The fact that any of these thais getting a license are highly likely to lead to accidents some resulting in death doesn't matter to the guy

who has another 500B in his pocket for each pass !! = im all right jack !......... its time to grow up and stand up thailand !..............

we dont want to change your wonderful country ,........ but everyone deserves to be safe from greedy people lining their pockets when

their primary concern should be making thailand a safer place, ....... why is nothing done to stop this ??........ yes u got it ........CORRUPTION ! .......

Why cant the roads be made safer ?? ........ yes u got it ,........... why cant the jet ski scams b stopped ?? ..............yes u got it .........

why dont we know what happened to the thai tsunami fund ??............. yes u got it , ........ why king power are the only ones selling

tabacco at the airport ??.............yeah........there is only one way that i can see that will clean up thailands act .....but as it would involve

external bodies/ forces .............it never will !......."keeping face" is more important .........stand up and be counted Abhasit ........

education education education !!

Well I suppose you feel better to get that off your chest-Osiboy. Ha Ha . It was good and true, you have saved me a lot of keyboard work.

There are a million nutters here in Thailand who are always complaining, according to some who want their head in the sand, instead of looking up and saying==Let's help them stop killing each other-and tourists. Corruption and Denial are the biggest problems here, NOT EX PATS who pass on their opinions.

[ginjag]

Buses leave pattaya for three destinations in Bangkok every 30 minutes, thats 6 buses an hour, from around 4am to 9pm , about fifteen hours a day , or 90 journeys a day, around 33,000 trips a year, bad driving or not, with this number of movements there is bound to be an accident some time,

So what your saying is example= An airline with a vast fleet is bound to have more plane crashes than others ??

Do you know if the drivers are on a timed mission ?? Do you know that most by far exceed the speed limit ?? Sometimes we should look at the type of incident ( NOT ACCIDENT) and the causes of them, would some of the causes be speed--nodding off--schedules--.................so as you rightly say there are bound to be accidents sometime or other

[scottide]

My sympathy to the families of those deceased and injured. It saddens me to see some of the comments on this ppst. I have just returned from a wonderful holiday in Phuket. I loved the place so much that I would like to live out my days there. More importantly - I loved the people who treated me ( a foreigner) with respect, as I also treated them. I love the Thai culture and the people and would like to see the country more open to allowing foreigners to take up residence in their Asian jewel.

[koto]

If he was speeding? Was there ever any doubt? They drive like maniacs.

I have found that driving in Thailand for over 10 years one must "always" expect the unexpected and drive thinking it will happen and thank what ever powers there might be out there that you made it to your destination, there are no road rules, control anger and stay out of the fast lane also checking the slow lane as they try to pass everyone in the fast lane, I'm a middle of the road kind-a-guy when it comes to driving here.

I count my blessings daily when I park my ride for the night to live another day.

[ScubaBuddha]

I take the bus from Pattaya to Bangkok all the time. From now on I will make sure to wear my seat belt (if there is one).

There's no seat belt. RIP for the deceased, let's hope the injured ones will have a speedy and fully recovery...:jap:

I have been on buses here with seatbelts. Of course no one that I could see was wearing them. (Except me)

On more than one occasion I have found the seatbelts in taxi's and minibuses, if they have them, have mismatched male and female connectors. I was told the inoperable belts were installed so they could meet safety standards and the mismatched inoperable ones were cheaper.

[Thai-Spy]

Just as a general observation, the bus in the accident is operated by Roong Ruang Coach, which operates between Pattaya and Bangkok (both Ekamai and Mor Chit).

I have been living in Pattaya for close to 18 years now, and, albeit memory doesn't get any better with age, I do not recall them having had an accident with casualties before. Obviously they did have the regular fender bender etc.

The same company also runs the airport bus service (from Thapraya road, opposite Pan Pan resto), and those all have 3 point seat belts. Lets hope it's a wake up call for them to increase driver vetting/testing and upgrade their other vehicles with seat belts .

Thanks for bringing some sense to the discussion. Roong Ruang has a very good safety record considering the load and distance factors, and agreed that no prior fatalities come to mind. Their Pattaya service is an absolute cash cow and they seem to understand that safety does matter.

We'll have to wait for the final report on the accident to get any insight into the cause. It could be driver error or mechanical failure or both.

This service is not the craptastic Isaan red bus between Nakhon Nowhere and a string of fly-speck thesabans. To make the comparison is like putting a commuter airline and home-built aircraft in the same discussion. Most of those up-country red buses should be taken out of service; Roong Ruang's equipment is generally of recent vintage and well maintained although the "spare" buses are a little long in the tooth sometimes.

[Tanaka]

Of course if you are worried about your perosnal safety you can find a country that is totally safe. Not. Does not exist.

Bus crashes hapeen everywhere. Bus drivers everywhere still drive by the might is right rule with a few exceptions. That

relates to the smaller give way to the bigger.

You come to Thailand because it is less constrictive than your home country. In truth the rule are different but are what we

appreciate and why we live here.

Please send the forum an email from whichever country you find that is "safe". Dont forget to look at personal safety, crime statistics,

vehicle safety issues as well as driving ability and licencing plus the million and one other things that make this mythical country

you want to live in "safe".

And good luck

The UK

You are jesting.

[wilsonf]

Buses leave pattaya for three destinations in Bangkok every 30 minutes, thats 6 buses an hour, from around 4am to 9pm , about fifteen hours a day , or 90 journeys a day, around 33,000 trips a year, bad driving or not, with this number of movements there is bound to be an accident some time,

So what your saying is example= An airline with a vast fleet is bound to have more plane crashes than others ??

Do you know if the drivers are on a timed mission ?? Do you know that most by far exceed the speed limit ?? Sometimes we should look at the type of incident ( NOT ACCIDENT) and the causes of them, would some of the causes be speed--nodding off--schedules--.................so as you rightly say there are bound to be accidents sometime or other

Comparing a bus company with an airline just doesn't equate.

With plane crashes there are usually only three causes, mechanical failure, pilot error, or perhaps a weather condition, planes do not have to contend with flying in close proximity to other planes, so that the problem of collision with another plane is so small I should imagine difficult to quantify. and the other instances including impacting other things such as mountains etc are covered by the three causes stated. Whilst I am sure you attempted to make a genuine comparison, I think it is reasonable to say with regard to driving conditions and standards in Thailand, no matter how good a driver you are or consider yourself to be, the more you drive in these conditions you more likely you are to be involved in some kind of incident whether it be a near miss or an actual accident due to the conditions which in Thailand we have to drive in. I once had to lay my motorcycle down, suffering extensive grazing to my legs, just because a Thai Lady decided to step off the pavement to cross the road without even looking. Doesn't matter how good you consider yourself, or the number of trips you make, its impossible to make provision for the antics of the 'other driver' or in my case pedestrian

[Towzak]

I have taken a mini bus from Chanthaburi to Bangkok and will never do so ever again as the journey cauterized the cheeks of my arse together. The same can be said of the motorbike taxi ride from Mo Chit bus terminal to the BTS. Anyway, I have taken numerous bus (including coach) journeys and as a rule I will always try to go private just to avoid falling over the discarded M-150 bottles you tend to find on the 'local' buses - seeing those just doesn't fill me with confidence nor did the bottle of Hong Thong I seen a driver unearth once from his vehicle compartment in Khon Kaen. I'm admittedly a nervous passenger and will travel out of my way just to use NCA - now that's a bus company ! There are of course other very good bus companies in Thailand that I have used and I am generally impressed by the service you receive.

Accidents can and will happen for a variety of reasons and I guess here in LOS H&S doesn't appear take a priority where driving is concerned. My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to those who are currently recovering from their injuries.

[Deez]

Yes there is.Given the thousands upon thousands of ROUTE bus movements a day in Thailand, the safety record is pretty da*n good,What is a problem is in the charter bus industry, too many cowboys drive.

"the safety record is pretty darn good" ??? Are you serious? This is a weekly happening here. The whole transportation industry here needs an overhaul. Selfish Pri#ks

[katana]

Thairath are saying 2 people died, the driver and a 50-year old foreign lady, although they don't name her. Many more injured.

According to the 17 year-old son of the bus driver who was working on the bus with his father at the time, as the bus approached a junction/merging lane, another car cut in front of it causing the bus to take avoiding action. The bus lost control and hit the concrete pillar.

http://www.thairath.co.th/content/region/171226

News Video.

Edited May 14, 2011 by katana

[swerver]

Yes there is.Given the thousands upon thousands of ROUTE bus movements a day in Thailand, the safety record is pretty da*n good,What is a problem is in the charter bus industry, too many cowboys drive.

Yes, but this is not a chater bus, this is a line bus blue and white indicating EXPRESS BUS. He was EXPRESS alright.

Up against the pillar of the elevated road.

He was driving in a lane he is not supposed to drive in. But who gives a <deleted> in Thailand – locals as well as farangs. Yes farangs, I know farangs whose driver license has been taken away for repeated drunk driving by the court for 5-year in their home country. So the company sends him to their factory in Thailand on a 5-year contract. He now has a Thai driver license, and of course still daily drunk driving, but now in Thailand; he told the Thai DMV he never had a driver license in his home country. This can be forecome very easy, farangs applying for Thai Driver license must supply letter from their embassy in Thailand stating driver license status in home country. No different than having to supply embassy letter showing marriage status in home country when wanting to marry a Thai.

Trucks and buses MUST drive in the MOST LEFT lane.

Difficult to give the lanes numbers because the Bangna-Trad Road under the elevated road has 2-lanes on some sections and as many as 5-lanes on other sections. But trucks and buses still must drive in the most left lane. But of course they are all over the road 2 to 5 lanes.

Oh well, at least this bus driver did not run away, he remained right behind the steering wheel. RIP.