19 dead in Thai bus smash: authorities

[saanya]

I've just got back to Bangkok after travelling through there this morning at about 5 am. Loads of emergency vehicles. I was still passing ambulances in convoy going the opposite way lights ablazing on Mittraparp in Autthaya. It happened between Muak Lek and Saraburi on the Saraburi side of that massive TPI chemical/concrete plant.

that's a terrible section of road, the types of drivers there are a rough mix of heavy industry vehicles, cross country transport freight trucks, etc., etc.

RIP to the departed, and on Khao Pan Sa no less.

[bangkokheat]

"The truck crossed from the opposite lane of traffic and hit the bus," said local police officer Lieutenant Colonel Assavathep Janthanari, adding that a pickup truck behind the bus had also been involved in the crash."

Read again:

This has nothing to do with the safety standards of the bus or the pick-up truck,

If a cement truck is crossing the lane from the opposite direction, no safety standards can help you anymore.

The only safety that could have avoided this tragic accident would have been safety barriers in the middle of the road.

But that would have only shift the accident to the other side of the lane.

Wrong! There are many safety standards that come into play here. Was the truck overloaded? The news article says "cement truck" but we have no indication what that means. Was it an overloaded pickup? What about safety inspections for large trucks? What about driver training and qualification and standards such as keeping log books and restricting the number of hours one can drive? Those are safety standards in force in many countries. They are the law because of incidents such as this in those countries, including my own. Of course, we hear enforcement mentioned repeatedly, so I won't dwell on that. You are correct, however about the barrier, but that calls into question traffic engineering in this country. Traffic engineers here should be held accountable. They're criminally negligent.

its absurd to say thai engineers should be held accountable, the government is to blame if anyone and reckless driving

[masuk]

Very sad news, RIP the deseased and I hope the injured make a full recovery. Why did the cement truck cross to the wrong side of the road? Did the driver fall asleep? Was the driver passing another vehicle or was he distracted by dropping something in the truck cabin that caused him to lose control of the vehicle? Perhaps if the road laws were actually enforced instead of providing a way for police pockets to be filled road safety may improve. I know accidents happen all over the world, but they seem to happen more regularly here.

Maybe the vehicle driver's log book will show how many hours the driver has worked.

[lucjoker]

"The truck crossed from the opposite lane of traffic and hit the bus," said local police officer Lieutenant Colonel Assavathep Janthanari, adding that a pickup truck behind the bus had also been involved in the crash."

Read again:

This has nothing to do with the safety standards of the bus or the pick-up truck,

If a cement truck is crossing the lane from the opposite direction, no safety standards can help you anymore.

The only safety that could have avoided this tragic accident would have been safety barriers in the middle of the road.

But that would have only shift the accident to the other side of the lane.

wrong!

if the cement truck crosses the middle barrier of a highway,it crossed 2 lanes and than the middle barrier and than again 2 lanes before arriving on the lane of the bus ,if the bus driver is awake he has time to do something.

In this case (probably) the cement truck AND the bus were driving on the fast track ,then off course you have no time to react and the impact will be maximal .

If we take away every driver without a proper driverlicence (motorcycle,car ,taxi,truck,bus...)and also all vehicules that are not checked properly,insured...........there are only a few farrang car on the streets !

This will never change because the fraude is so deeply rooted that any one can buy a licence and a car check for a few hundred baht.

[unanimosity]

Very sad news, RIP the deseased and I hope the injured make a full recovery. Why did the cement truck cross to the wrong side of the road? Did the driver fall asleep? Was the driver passing another vehicle or was he distracted by dropping something in the truck cabin that caused him to lose control of the vehicle? Perhaps if the road laws were actually enforced instead of providing a way for police pockets to be filled road safety may improve. I know accidents happen all over the world, but they seem to happen more regularly here.

Why ask so many questions, do you want to embarass the unnamed driver, the unnamed cement company and its owners? Haven't they suffered enough with having to repair a truck?

[LuckyLew]

"The truck crossed from the opposite lane of traffic and hit the bus," said local police officer Lieutenant Colonel Assavathep Janthanari, adding that a pickup truck behind the bus had also been involved in the crash."

Read again:

This has nothing to do with the safety standards of the bus or the pick-up truck,

If a cement truck is crossing the lane from the opposite direction, no safety standards can help you anymore.

The only safety that could have avoided this tragic accident would have been safety barriers in the middle of the road.

But that would have only shift the accident to the other side of the lane.

Wrong! There are many safety standards that come into play here. Was the truck overloaded? The news article says "cement truck" but we have no indication what that means. Was it an overloaded pickup? What about safety inspections for large trucks? What about driver training and qualification and standards such as keeping log books and restricting the number of hours one can drive? Those are safety standards in force in many countries. They are the law because of incidents such as this in those countries, including my own. Of course, we hear enforcement mentioned repeatedly, so I won't dwell on that. You are correct, however about the barrier, but that calls into question traffic engineering in this country. Traffic engineers here should be held accountable. They're criminally negligent.

All yu right might well be true but in Thailand it is "mai pen rai"

Nothing will change

Train off tracks last week

Earlier this week a bus crash in prichip kiri kan

Now this tragedy

Thai people and Thai authorities either do not care

or the powers that be are too useless and will let it continue

[SlyAnimal]

Wow, a little less traffic on my way to mor chit and my gf and I might have been on that bus.

Gf and I were taking a bus from Bkk to RoiEt yesterday. Lucky we didn't take the earlier bus (although it might have been going to a different amphur or different company anyway).

[Gone]

RIP and a speedy recovery for the injured.

And at the start of Buddhist Lent all we can hope is that for some strange reason the deceased just finally reached Enlightenment.

[shane_sangthip#1]

Hi, does anybody know if this bus was going to Udon?. My best friend and his Thai GF were travelling up there yesterday by bus.

Thanks in advance.

[bangkokheat]

Thai highways with poor protections and signalizations + high speed careless drivers + powerful pickup engines = Fatal accidents.

Such a tragedy.... really sad news.

Please be so kind to explain to me, and probably others, what has a collision between a cement truck, a bus and a pickup folowing the bus, to do with "powerful" truck engines.

Face it, not only pickups, but ALL cars nowadays have too much horsepower, resulting in excessive speeds and stupid reactions.

However, the roads in Thailand are suitable (just) for the official maximum speed of 90 km/h.

The real reason for the low safety on the roads in Thailand might be the hopeless driving education, the laughable obtaining of a DL and most of all the mentality of most Thai drivers.

ALL CARS, give me a break, you dont need big power for a car to exceed 100k, these turkeys think its cool to drive 60k thru crowded sois with bars, nothing to do with power of the car, more about power of the brain or the lack of it

[unanimosity]

Thai highways with poor protections and signalizations + high speed careless drivers + powerful pickup engines = Fatal accidents.

Such a tragedy.... really sad news.

Please be so kind to explain to me, and probably others, what has a collision between a cement truck, a bus and a pickup folowing the bus, to do with "powerful" truck engines.

Face it, not only pickups, but ALL cars nowadays have too much horsepower, resulting in excessive speeds and stupid reactions.

However, the roads in Thailand are suitable (just) for the official maximum speed of 90 km/h.

The real reason for the low safety on the roads in Thailand might be the hopeless driving education, the laughable obtaining of a DL and most of all the mentality of most Thai drivers.

Aren't you being a bit over-critical? They do have the precautionary wisdom to wear amulets so nothing will happen to them.

[Larry001]

Daily occurrence almost in Thailand. All gets back to corruption in the Govt, with Politicians more concerned about lining their pockets than bringing the country in line with modern practices. Incompetent police force who do not police the laws. Easier to make money through extortion means. Yes Thailand is going down hill very quickly. Give it another 20 years

[stevehaigh]

cement trucks scare the khrap out of me, and there are lots of them in saraburi area

[Scott]

Troll post removed.

[wasntme]

Horrendous so many destroyed lives and opportunity’s…But until the Authority’s in Thailand (that includes all the fools who take money to vote into power corrupt incompetent idiots) give a dam NOTHING will change here

Very sad tragic but totally normal for Thailand …just another day

RIP

this

nothing for farang to do about the situation until the thais get sick of it first.

This culture of take care of "you" first beggars these situations,

An abrogation of any real respect for regulations or the law is at fault here. And they have criminalised their whole process for allowing, even respecting internally, corruption within that process.

This is what you get.

[Pui]

_{There is something ominous about pick-up truck in Thailand.}

There is nothing Ominous about a pick-up truck in Thailand. I drive a pick-up and its a relatively mundane undertaking. Nothing menacing, foreboding or portending evil about it. If others drove European size cars then I would be fine with that too. However with a 3.0L 4x4 Hilux costing £20k and a Mini Cooper costing £70k Somchai's first car is going to be a pick-up.

With Heavy Goods Vehicles being driven but untrained drivers, most feel safer in pick-up trucks.

The authorities need to to enforce road laws. Until they do, people will continue to teach themselves to drive and as a result harm themselves & others.

1, Government initiatives and tax structures mean half the country drive 2 ton pick-up trucks.

2, Driving laws are not enforced which is very dangerous.

Like most serious problems in this country 1 & 2 are down to ineffective, self-serving corrupt government.

[nontabury]

Very sad news, RIP the deseased and I hope the injured make a full recovery. Why did the cement truck cross to the wrong side of the road? Did the driver fall asleep? Was the driver passing another vehicle or was he distracted by dropping something in the truck cabin that caused him to lose control of the vehicle? Perhaps if the road laws were actually enforced instead of providing a way for police pockets to be filled road safety may improve. I know accidents happen all over the world, but they seem to happen more regularly here.

Maybe the vehicle driver's log book will show how many hours the driver has worked.

Do they have log book's?. I' m pretty sure they don't have tachographs, but maybe I' m wrong.

[Bakseeda]

R.I.P.

[mca]

I've just got back to Bangkok after travelling through there this morning at about 5 am. Loads of emergency vehicles. I was still passing ambulances in convoy going the opposite way lights ablazing on Mittraparp in Autthaya. It happened between Muak Lek and Saraburi on the Saraburi side of that massive TPI chemical/concrete plant.

that's a terrible section of road, the types of drivers there are a rough mix of heavy industry vehicles, cross country transport freight trucks, etc., etc.

RIP to the departed, and on Khao Pan Sa no less.

Tell me about it mate. Anybody remember that incident a couple of years ago in that area when the trailer detached on one of those articulated cement trucks and wiped out a load of cars?

It's always an arse pincher around that area. Those downhill curves on the way to Saraburi with massive 18 wheelers going flat out down the slope. You're in the right hand lane trying to keep well clear of them and there's commuter vans, intercity buses and Toyota Fortuners sitting right on your rear bumper flashing the lights for you to get out of the way before bombing through and panic braking at the next hold up because they're not looking further ahead than the nose on their face.

Edited July 23, 2013 by mca

[ratcatcher]

_{There is something ominous about pick-up truck in Thailand.}

_{And all these innocent victims...}

_{The10 years old on motorbikes are way less threatening....}

R.I.P. to the people killed in this terrible accident.

What is ominous about pickup trucks in Thailand? Most victims in accidents are innocent.

This was a case of a cement truck hitting the bus head on. No fault of the bus driver and certainly not the pickup driver who was following the bus.

[robblok]

Yesterday, coming back from Phayao on my big bike a f...g CEMENT TRUCK came at me head on after crossing "double yellow" lines to pass a car. I had no where to go but the shoulder with about 3ft to spare. I get pissed when the idiots in the cars cross the yellow lines and come right at you. These morons love to play Russian roulette here but a cement truck???? Common sense where art thou? Not here in the Land of Shame.

They love doing crap like that and have no respect for any bike big or not. But when going to Ko Chang in the car we saw plenty of people also not caring about our car in a similar situation. There is a large portion of selfish idiot Thais (not all as there are far more who hate it too) who have no idea that overtaking in turns bends and other low viability situations is ok.

[DocN]

Are we surprised?

No!

Are we shocked, sad and outraged?

Sure!

Will it make a difference?

No way!

Will we see news like this again?...and again? ...and again?

R.I.P.

[GentlemanJim]

Hi, does anybody know if this bus was going to Udon?. My best friend and his Thai GF were travelling up there yesterday by bus.

Thanks in advance.

Have you tried calling your best friends mobile?

I am unsure how the Thai's are going to solve this ever increasing problem. With the potential for a new super port being built in Myanmar the industrial road traffic is only going to get much worse. The only way to start resolving the issue is to get Tacho's fitted to all public and commercial transport vehicles and checkpoints set up on major highways. Sever fines for those braking any laws brought in (alongside installation of Tacho's) and severe penalties for any police who fail to fully report any vehicle/driver in breach of the law. The drivers and haulage companies would soon smarten up after a few serious penalties. I know, I know..this is Thailand, but something has to be done.

[noitom]

Sad story and condolences to the families of the dead. It seems that the cement truck driver survived and the dead were from the bus and the pickup truck. We wonder if the cement truck driver fled as is customary in Thailand accidents? The bus driver was most certainly killed if it was head on.

[ratcatcher]

Sad story and condolences to the families of the dead. It seems that the cement truck driver survived and the dead were from the bus and the pickup truck. We wonder if the cement truck driver fled as is customary in Thailand accidents? The bus driver was most certainly killed if it was head on.

We wonder if the cement truck driver fled as is customary in Thailand accidents?

Wonder no more.

"Police have arrested the driver of the cement truck, who they said appeared to have lost control of his vehicle just before the incident ".

[mca]

Hi, does anybody know if this bus was going to Udon?. My best friend and his Thai GF were travelling up there yesterday by bus.

Thanks in advance.

Roi Et apparently

[nakhonandy]

Hi, does anybody know if this bus was going to Udon?. My best friend and his Thai GF were travelling up there yesterday by bus.

Thanks in advance.

Have you tried calling your best friends mobile?

I am unsure how the Thai's are going to solve this ever increasing problem. With the potential for a new super port being built in Myanmar the industrial road traffic is only going to get much worse. The only way to start resolving the issue is to get Tacho's fitted to all public and commercial transport vehicles and checkpoints set up on major highways. Sever fines for those braking any laws brought in (alongside installation of Tacho's) and severe penalties for any police who fail to fully report any vehicle/driver in breach of the law. The drivers and haulage companies would soon smarten up after a few serious penalties. I know, I know..this is Thailand, but something has to be done.

That is really the only solution coupled with quality driver training.

Will this happen? Not for a long time I fear.

RIP

[wprime]

Yesterday, coming back from Phayao on my big bike a f...g CEMENT TRUCK came at me head on after crossing "double yellow" lines to pass a car. I had no where to go but the shoulder with about 3ft to spare. I get pissed when the idiots in the cars cross the yellow lines and come right at you. These morons love to play Russian roulette here but a cement truck???? Common sense where art thou? Not here in the Land of Shame.

In Russian roulette you risk your own life, in Thailand truck driving you risk the lives of others.

[wasntme]

Are we surprised?

No!

Are we shocked, sad and outraged?

Sure!

Will it make a difference?

No way!

Will we see news like this again?...and again? ...and again?

R.I.P.

If you truly want to be productive on this issue, ie policy stuff for the government, double triple quadruple the accidents for them. Give the THais a real policy issue to go after.... as if that would make a real difference.,

Bring it on. Yeap. Another ten bus annihilations this very holiday period. Probably not enough. Make it 20 @ 1000 lives in two days.

What does it take to make the political process stand up?? The Thais ""democratic"" system to wake up? To simply make their systems work?

There are systems in place here, they have the laws and they can be policed, and these laws often are at times then just fade for sheer lethargy or and couple of hundred baht.

I have been here seven years and I am sickened by the frequency of this shit and how it even changes me. I have never learnt that divine ambivalence needed to survive here.

A thing for death. In truth, a concept falangs have poste haste and that the thais just accept.

Edited July 23, 2013 by wasntme

[boomerangutang]

"The truck crossed from the opposite lane of traffic and hit the bus," said local police officer Lieutenant Colonel Assavathep Janthanari, adding that a pickup truck behind the bus had also been involved in the crash."

Read again:

This has nothing to do with the safety standards of the bus or the pick-up truck,

If a cement truck is crossing the lane from the opposite direction, no safety standards can help you anymore.

The only safety that could have avoided this tragic accident would have been safety barriers in the middle of the road.

But that would have only shift the accident to the other side of the lane.

There is another safety issue: the cement truck driver was falling asleep at the wheel. When I feel drowsy while driving, I do something reasonable about it: like pulling over and resting. Why did that driver not have the smallest bit of common sense to do that? Too late for such a question. Tragedy.