Two Killed, 54 Injured In Horrific Bus Accident In Prachin Buri

[ratcatcher]

What disgusting comments about a man who was doing his job - driver you bloody clown. - example of reckless & careless driving or an under rested and sleepy driver. - Good riddance to the driver - he already got what was comming .. - and all this without even an inquiry? Air breaks do fail! Some of you people must be physic to have as much insider information as you do, the physic part can be put down to many disorders but, the comments about a DEAD PERSON (and without an investigation) must be put down to sheer ignorance!!

Thanks for the communal spanking Brian.

Yes, some comments may seem a bit crude and unjustified, but let's take a look at this situation. IF the bus shown in this thread is indeed the one involved in this tragic incident, then it is at least 30 years old and typical of the older local route and inter-provincial buses of that era.

I can understand the anger of forum members when they read yet another story of how a single man driving a large cumbersome vehicle at excessive speed can kill and injure his passengers and other road users.

Take a look at these pictures.

Do these vehicles look like they belong to a responsible, professional bus company in the business of safely carrying 50 people from A to B? OR do they look like something out of a Vin Diesel thrill ride movie.

Notice the clear unobstructed view of the road, the mass of lights and speakers etc. These are not the vehicles of professional trained drivers but the fantasy rides of young men who enjoy surfing the highway, usually in the outside lane at full speed with the disco pumping behind them. Temporary Kings of The Road. "Get outta my way, I'm comin' through"

The usual "brake failure" excuse is always trotted out or maybe for a change a "tire blew out", when in reality, poor maintenance and poor driver training plus no discipline re hours worked, is usually at the heart of the problem.

The police and highway patrols will always let these vehicles run on the highways as long as the companies pay the police to turn a blind eye.

[bangkokpoppys]

Why don't we start a petition to get the government to notice? Look at the resources this sort of stuff ties up - perhaps if we can mount a campaign on the government they can see that improving safety costs a little for the road user but saves the government much more, they can use the savings to improve roads etc. what do you think?

Edited March 22, 2013 by bangkokpoppys

[Andre0720]

Why don't we start a petition to get the government to notice? Look at the resources this sort of stuff ties up - perhaps if we can mount a campaign on the government they can see that improving safety costs a little for the road user but saves the government much more, they can use the savings to improve roads etc. what do you think?

Naive...

[richard10365]

RIP

[ratcatcher]

Why don't we start a petition to get the government to notice? Look at the resources this sort of stuff ties up - perhaps if we can mount a campaign on the government they can see that improving safety costs a little for the road user but saves the government much more, they can use the savings to improve roads etc. what do you think?

Naive...

A petition to the Thai government from a bunch of foreigners?

The government doesn't care. They make waffling noises and tut tut when things go wrong, but they are more interested in fast trains, huge budgets, mountains of rice, making money for themselves and a lonely man in Dubai.

Edited March 22, 2013 by ratcatcher

[LuckyLew]

Why don't we start a petition to get the government to notice? Look at the resources this sort of stuff ties up - perhaps if we can mount a campaign on the government they can see that improving safety costs a little for the road user but saves the government much more, they can use the savings to improve roads etc. what do you think?

Naive...

Naive and new in Thailand ...

In another few weeks Poppy will realize there is no real gov't

There are rules and laws ... but rarely enforced

[peterbkk9]

sick and tired of this

[ratcatcher]

sick and tired of this

Cheer up old lad it's not that bad, just another day in Paradise.

[Jane Doe]

"The injured included 42 students and 11 teachers, a bus conductor and a pickup truck passenger."

Seems that this was more a trip for the teachers than for the students...

[uptheos]

Just showed the picture to a Thai friend.

"Hmm, happens a lot"........goes off to make tea.

Desensitization springs to mind.

[rubberduck]

And the injured are rotting away in inferior government hospitals. Very sad.

[Lopburi99]

My wife told me this afternoon of a bad tour bus accident near Roi Et yesterday morning, on the way to Myanmar. Slammed into a stalled cane truck in the dark at 5am. Saw it too late with supposedly, an oncoming vehicle limited the driver's swerve-around options (driver said), canes went through windows - OMG! Tour bus, 3 people killed dozens injured. She knew the driver, a guy from Lopburi who had been driving tours for many years. He drove us to Chiang Mai 5 years ago. Seemed to me like a reasonable enough guy but who knows. Maybe this was already reported here somewhere.

Edited March 22, 2013 by Lopburi99

[captnhoy]

I saw something on a travel program on tv recently about drivers on dangerous roads in the Himalayas who believe accidents are about karma, not safety, or a lack of it. It made me wonder if that might be a common belief here too. My friend's wife criticizes him for looking back in order to merge with traffic. She says he should just go and they will move for him!

[Locationthailand]

Engine governing has been around 40 years. Australia has speed limiters at 100kms/hour. They also have log books and if you reach a destination too quickly or falsify the book, you lose your license. If some of these measure were brought into affect here, especially the intercity buses, then none of this would happen. Fortunately the driver met his maker and the story about brake failure - hardly likely, just an excuse.

[endure]

A number of posts which call Thais 'monkeys' have been hidden. Any more similar posts will earn their poster a suspension.

[BrianCR]

What disgusting comments about a man who was doing his job - driver you bloody clown. - example of reckless & careless driving or an under rested and sleepy driver. - Good riddance to the driver - he already got what was comming .. - and all this without even an inquiry? Air breaks do fail! Some of you people must be physic to have as much insider information as you do, the physic part can be put down to many disorders but, the comments about a DEAD PERSON (and without an investigation) must be put down to sheer ignorance!!

Many people on this forum are quite cognizant of the driving habits of people in Thailand.

And most of them if not all are saddened by the results...

Excuse me saying but most are ignorant idiots who just like to deride Thailand and Thai people

[Ian Curtis]

Two people were killed and 54 others were wounded when a bus carrying students on a field crashed in Prachin Buri's Na Dee district early this morning.

1) Why were they driving on a field?

2) Why were they traveling at 2:30 am? The driver would be drunk at that time I think.

If there really was a brake malfunction then I'm sure their "Safety Inspection" report will be investigated I hope. Way to many of these tragedies for years and years here.

Yea, I also wondered why the bus was in a field! Or was it a 'field trip'?

[oldsailor35]

Engine governing has been around 40 years. Australia has speed limiters at 100kms/hour. They also have log books and if you reach a destination too quickly or falsify the book, you lose your license. If some of these measure were brought into affect here, especially the intercity buses, then none of this would happen. Fortunately the driver met his maker and the story about brake failure - hardly likely, just an excuse.

No way mate ! can;t let another county try to tell us what to do, it might make us appear to be inferior. Anyhow it seems the driver died doing what he loved most..........excessively speeding with "my little icon protecting us"

[BrianCR]

What disgusting comments about a man who was doing his job - driver you bloody clown. - example of reckless & careless driving or an under rested and sleepy driver. - Good riddance to the driver - he already got what was comming .. - and all this without even an inquiry? Air breaks do fail! Some of you people must be physic to have as much insider information as you do, the physic part can be put down to many disorders but, the comments about a DEAD PERSON (and without an investigation) must be put down to sheer ignorance!!

Thanks for the communal spanking Brian.

Yes, some comments may seem a bit crude and unjustified, but let's take a look at this situation. IF the bus shown in this thread is indeed the one involved in this tragic incident, then it is at least 30 years old and typical of the older local route and inter-provincial buses of that era.

I can understand the anger of forum members when they read yet another story of how a single man driving a large cumbersome vehicle at excessive speed can kill and injure his passengers and other road users.

Take a look at these pictures.

bus 1.jpgbus 2.jpgbus3.jpg

Do these vehicles look like they belong to a responsible, professional bus company in the business of safely carrying 50 people from A to B? OR do they look like something out of a Vin Diesel thrill ride movie.

Notice the clear unobstructed view of the road, the mass of lights and speakers etc. These are not the vehicles of professional trained drivers but the fantasy rides of young men who enjoy surfing the highway, usually in the outside lane at full speed with the disco pumping behind them. Temporary Kings of The Road. "Get outta my way, I'm comin' through"

The usual "brake failure" excuse is always trotted out or maybe for a change a "tire blew out", when in reality, poor maintenance and poor driver training plus no discipline re hours worked, is usually at the heart of the problem.

The police and highway patrols will always let these vehicles run on the highways as long as the companies pay the police to turn a blind eye.

I fully agree but, that is the fault of the bus operator not, the fault of the driver who is paid a pittance to drive the bloody thing!

[oldsailor35]

Two people were killed and 54 others were wounded when a bus carrying students on a field crashed in Prachin Buri's Na Dee district early this morning.

1) Why were they driving on a field?

2) Why were they traveling at 2:30 am? The driver would be drunk at that time I think.

If there really was a brake malfunction then I'm sure their "Safety Inspection" report will be investigated I hope. Way to many of these tragedies for years and years here.

Yea, I also wondered why the bus was in a field! Or was it a 'field trip'?

Probably meant to read "A field trip".....................never heard of them ?

[BrianCR]

What disgusting comments about a man who was doing his job - driver you bloody clown. - example of reckless & careless driving or an under rested and sleepy driver. - Good riddance to the driver - he already got what was comming .. - and all this without even an inquiry? Air breaks do fail! Some of you people must be physic to have as much insider information as you do, the physic part can be put down to many disorders but, the comments about a DEAD PERSON (and without an investigation) must be put down to sheer ignorance!!

Many people on this forum are quite cognizant of the driving habits of people in Thailand.

And most of them if not all are saddened by the results...

Hey mate I've lived here 33 years but there is an understanding and a totally crude lump of comments

[Lickey]

Air Brakes do not fail, if the air goes a large spring pushes the brake on, that is if the brakes are properly maintained,,

[BrianCR]

And the injured are rotting away in inferior government hospitals. Very sad.

Totally rude and crass

[Mampara]

this horrific accident was most probably caused by using generic parts on critical components and back yard mechanics. looking at the picture of the bus it may be over 10 years old. which logically says that the school hired the cheapest bus they could find. the strange thing is brakes need pressure to release the brake shoes from the brake drum. if the brakes failed it may be that they diverted the air pressure from the emergency brake valve which comes into operation if the air pressure is too low. to blame the bus driver for this is wrong at this stage. to say that he was under the influence without an autopsy is also wrong.

[BrianCR]

This thread and it's commentators are totally disgusting, this is NOT my Thailand but, comments made mainly by bar hoppers - Mods ban me if you want but, this is total disregard for the life that most claim to support!!

[rct99q]

A very tragic accident indeed. One that will unfortunately be repeated here in Thailand.

All of the ideas that people have put forth here in this post - safety standards, driver training, better buses, better roads, etc are all excellent ideas and have proven to work in other countries. Thailand has many of the same rules and regulations but they are ineffective. In my opinion it boils down to greed. Bus operators want to make as much profit as they can. And they support a whole circle of people. Local politicians, police, inspectors, and this list goes on.

You want safe bus drivers, honest bus operators and a better society? The only way it will happen is to wipe out corruption and turn Thailand into a governmentally regulated society such as Australia, USA, UK that dictates nearly every aspect of Thai society.

Travel safe people - Songkran is a very dangerous time to be on the roads.

Edited March 22, 2013 by rct99q

[SparklingCascades]

Sorry for the passengers. The driver got what he richly deserved. Thailand the 'road death capital of Asia'.

[fasteddie]

at least the driver did not flee the scene of the accident, as he already got what was comming ...

public transport in this country, ai ai ai

"at least the driver did not flee the scene of the accident, as he already got what was comming"

what an awful thing to say, you have no proof it was the drivers fault. shame on you.

R.I.P.to all....

[fasteddie]

This thread and it's commentators are totally disgusting, this is NOT my Thailand but, comments made mainly by bar hoppers - Mods ban me if you want but, this is total disregard for the life that most claim to support!!

Couldn't agree more, some people on here are insensitive pigs.

[yooper2001]

traffic police in thailand are a joke. the only time you see them is on a thursday when they setup a checkpoint to stop motorbikes drivers with no helmet so they can have noney for the weekend