How Safe Is Your Kids[School Mini Buses]

[ktamp]

From someone who has been involved with traffic enforcement for my entire career, I can assure you Thailand is high on the list of the most Dangerous places for a child to be bused to school. Lax Vehicle code enforcement, lack of properly working seat belts (if even equipped), lack of driver training or testing and re-testing, lack of spot checks on driver sobriety and just a general lack of caring about the kids in the vehicle.

This, I have noticed seems to be the norm. However, I noticed a bus full of kids from a school called Regent's a few weeks ago that were loading and the driver helped each kid and checked personally that the seat belt was fastened. Don't know what's up with that ? Wouldn't it be great if all school buses were handles in that manner.

However, we all know that is an exception and they are almost as dangerous as your normal Thailand Travel buses that usually crash and burn once a week somewhere in the Kingdom. I have no small children here, however, if I did, I would constantly be hounding the transportation people until I knew my kids were safe or make other arrangements to get my kids to school.

When Thailand authorities are taught the primary reason of Traffic enforcement is NOT TO GENERATE MONEY, but TO EDUCATE DRIVERS, the entire country will be a safer place to live in for passengers, drivers, pedestrians and especially school children.

I was on the parents representative group at regents. We demanded that the drivers and monitors be using safety belts and enforcing proper behavior on the buses. We never let up on this issue until it was solved to our satisifaction. I agree with a previous poster who says go out and do something about it rather than thinking it is what it is. Those mini buses are profitable. And thais understand money. When you start collecting signatures of parents who say they will stop using the bus services if our children are not kept safe, it speaks alot to them in that they will lose profit.

[janverbeem]

Sorry if my mini rant caused offense to some. It was not aimed at any one in particular just a general rant at some attitudes by some members and not only on this thread.

Throughout the forum on practically any subject there will always be some members that will have the "Oh how irresponsible, stupid or that shouldn't be allowed" attitude without stopping to think that most times the majority of people are just trying to get along in their particular situation.

Yes the local bike helmets seem cheap to you and me but doubt they seem that cheap to some of the poorer local with a family of mouths to feed.

You're right about that,they can afford a 40-50.000 Baht bike but not a 100 Baht helmet.