Bangkok tollway accident kills pregnant woman

[SOTIRIOS]

....selfish nature leads to accidents on the road....

....how many cars cut in at the last possible second....to get ahead of the other vehicles....to not have to wait their turn...

...I don't know who is at fault here......but the driving style described is very popular, unfortunately....

....my condolences....

[tingtongteesood]

One time I got in a van and had to sit in the front next to the driver. I put on the seat belt and he got agitated and undid it, I put it back on and he undid it again getting quite angry and saying something angrily in Thai I couldnt understand. He started driving and I put it back on again. He wasn't happy and I told him to F' off and got out as soon as there was an opportunity. What the hell is wrong with these idiots !?

[cup-O-coffee]

Instead of turning this thread into another Thaibashing thread, can't we just agree on, a very sad accident, that could have happened anywhere in the world!

Life changed in a splitsecond for the poor womans husband, and even for the driver of the other car.

Smart comments here doesn,t make it any better!

Regarding freeway driving, I will bash them all day long. I am not a politically correct person when it comes to a life and death situation. Driving on freeways with Thais is a life and death situation. It means you have to pucker your ass and keep your eyes on the road in front of you, your rear-view mirror and wing mirrors.

I feel sympathy for the deaths; but to use these deaths as some sort of distraction from lunatic behavior on the parts of all of them (yes, all of them) is not going to wash with me. Yes it is sad, but why not report at the same time the hundreds of other fatalities which more than likely occurred at about the same time this did?

Do you want to focus on the consequences of sheer stupidity, or focus on the reasons that bring them about? I thought so.

Driving safe means trying not to die and trying not to involve others in your driving habits. It's that simple. Thais do not understand this, and "The Thai Mind" truly becomes defined when they get behind the wheel or handle-bar of a vehicle and get anywhere near a road.

Be it a bus, a truck, a pickup, a sedan, an SUV, a compact, a motorbike, a push cart, a bicycler, a pedestrian...

Drive slow in a fast lane.

Drive fast in a slow lane.

Obstruct any lane

Veer without notice.

Straddle the white line like a drunken idiot

When entering a curve, straddle the white line like a drunken idiot

Enter a lane without notice

Drive right on the separator line and obstruct two lanes.

Don't look, ...don't ever ever look... just go.

Drive with one hand on the wheel and the other holding the phone to your head

Don't use your directional indicators, just go.

When merging onto a lane, come to a complete stop and ease into fast approaching traffic without notice.

When slowing down to make a turn, come to a complete stop and go as slowly as you can into the turn.

When taking the exit on a freeway, slow down a much as you can whilst making the exit

When you see someone trying to get around you, plug the hole, even though you are driving slow in the fast lane.

Whatever you do, do not let anyone get in front of you, even if it means they will be further down the road and out of your life in seconds

Don't fix your taillights. Let them remain in a non-functioning state so traffic behind you can't see you.

Don't use your mirrors because they are confusing, and simple minds cannot understand spatial skills.

Park anywhere you want... even in the lane.

When someone is approaching you from behind in the fast lane, and you are driving at 80 KPH, don't do anything. Make them go around.

At bottlenecks, cram into the space as much as you can and absolutely do not give an inch

Don't obey traffic lights

Don't stop at intersections, just go

Always be first

Everyone do absolutely anything you want, and do not pay attention to anyone else.

Get angry at people who don't approve of your unsafe and dangerous behavior

I could go on and on.

These items and more can and will be evident in only the first 10 kilometers of driving on just about any freeway you choose.

And let's not even go too deep into the way these lunatics get licensed to kill drive. It is a mockery of the developed mind. Just like any test or exam in Thailand, it is all about the score and not the content and meaning of the content; ...just getting that goddamned "PASS" so they can experience the joy of driving without any skills, knowledge or experience and put everyone's lives at risk.

The rest of the world? I think not.

Your post deserves a little in depth reality to what is happening right now, primarily in Thailand and any banana republic out there where self-gratification comes first, and FACE means everything, even if it means someone dying; and people do die. They most certainly do.

[Hedghog]

These type of accidents occur,worldwide on a daily basis.

Hardly newsworthy.

[gemini81]

Of course this does not excuse the guy if he was speeding, but should the doors of those minivans go open so easy ? Is the minivan faulty and accident prone ? No seatbelts in those minivans are bad enough but if those doors open easy during impact its even more so a deathtrap.

Must have been real bad for the husband to see his wife get flung out and die.. poor guy. If the car driver was speeding I hope they really get proof and prosecute him.

You are not a Thai national.

The car driver already knelt and apologized to the victims husband.

This is enough to forgive him for his wrongdoing.

Later he will pay a 1,000 baht fine for speeding and everything will be forgotten until Buddha and his Karma will get a grip on him.

RIP to the woman and her baby,

Didn't know you were a God who can determine who is or is not forgiven.

Driving like a dick with no regard for human life ought to face wrath in court too, don't you think?

Edited October 1, 2013 by gemini81

[pacovl46]

Of course this does not excuse the guy if he was speeding, but should the doors of those minivans go open so easy ? Is the minivan faulty and accident prone ? No seatbelts in those minivans are bad enough but if those doors open easy during impact its even more so a deathtrap.

Must have been real bad for the husband to see his wife get flung out and die.. poor guy. If the car driver was speeding I hope they really get proof and prosecute him.

She might have been sitting in the front of the van. Besides, if you hit the back of a car fast enough it will bend the frame of that car out of shape which in turn might cause the door to open up.

[pacovl46]

I cant understand why people thai/farang call them mini vans when they are a mini bus

Because by definition a van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or people.

In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs (such as pick-up trucks). There are vans in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the classic van version of the tiny Minito much larger vehicles such as the Mercedes Sprinter, Ford E-Series, and Nissan commercial vehicles. Vans run up to about 4 tons and are classified as Light Duty Trucks (North America) or Light Commercial Vehicles (Europe).

[tragickingdom]

It is pretty clear that minivans should be banned from transporting passengers as they are completely unsafe. The rubbish that the Japanese car manufacturers are making seem to have doors that are opening, no airbags or safety features at all. Life is cheap. Today a pregnant lady, tomorrow school children and Toyota cs are just making money.

[isaanpaul]

These are the kind of storys on here you dont really want to come accross.

Hey mister lee b I do now understand why you have such a white face in your picture:

You are a TV member since 01/04/13 and made 1.158 comments in this time = 6 months = about 6/7 comments a day!

If you are going for a record I say you are on track,but if not my advise is:leave the pc alone and get some sunshine

enjoy the good things in Thailand

isaanpaul

[FarangTalk]

And let's not even go too deep into the way these lunatics get licensed to kill drive. It is a mockery of the developed mind. Just like any test or exam in Thailand, it is all about the score and not the content and meaning of the content; ...just getting that goddamned "PASS" so they can experience the joy of driving without any skills, knowledge or experience and put everyone's lives at risk.

Good post.

Every day I spend in Bangkok I see idiocy. Yesterday while walking to the gym I was nearly hit by a taxi who nearly ran over my toes. He stopped nearby so I gave him a piece of my mind. Futile I know, but it made me feel better. Later that day I saw a taxi almost go through a red light nearly hitting a 6/7 year old kid while crossing the road.

You nailed it with the ignorance and arrogant self-entitlement, it's what I have been saying for years. Many of these people are just not ready for the responsibility of driving. The problem here is, unlike the West, they are not weeded out.

People who make excuses for this type of behaviour are just as bad as the ignorant perpetrators IMO.

[Halion]

Instead of turning this thread into another Thaibashing thread, can't we just agree on, a very sad accident, that could have happened anywhere in the world!

Life changed in a splitsecond for the poor womans husband, and even for the driver of the other car.

Smart comments here doesn,t make it any better!

I agree , a tragic and sad loss of life which as you state could hapen anywhere in this world, however ,it is only seldom that accidents happen without cause. There is normally always a root cause or a series of combined causes that promulgat the accident..

Things which are broken need to be fixed and this responsibility lies within the hands of the Government.

The majority of the causitive factors lay fully at the feet of this country's administation.

The myriad of these dangerous minivans and taxi's and smoke belching busses is down to the failure of the Government to provide safe and adequate public transportation.

The lack of social responsibility of road users with regard to conditions and traffic laws is again the Government 's responsibility.

The condition of much of this countries road surface is yet again their responsibility.

The failure of road traffic law enforcement by the Government controlled RTP is yet another parameter that is failed and seriously flawed.

THIS IS NOT thai bashing it is meerly a statement of fact that exist without resolve in this country which would appear to be in denial regarding accountability or responsibility at almost every level. Meanwhile the public including this young pregnant mother are the victims of their lack of action.

There are so many things that simply do not work or are broken and no restorative action other thanlip service are pending.

Mighty oak trees from little acorns grow, however you first have to plant the seed.

[MMarlow]

Good post.

Every day I spend in Bangkok I see idiocy. Yesterday while walking to the gym I was nearly hit by a taxi who nearly ran over my toes. He stopped nearby so I gave him a piece of my mind. Futile I know, but it made me feel better. Later that day I saw a taxi almost go through a red light nearly hitting a 6/7 year old kid while crossing the road.

You nailed it with the ignorance and arrogant self-entitlement, it's what I have been saying for years. Many of these people are just not ready for the responsibility of driving. The problem here is, unlike the West, they are not weeded out.

People who make excuses for this type of behaviour are just as bad as the ignorant perpetrators IMO.

Odd post.

What you seem to be saying in your first paragraph is that you were walking to the gym and you weren't hit by a taxi that (obviously) didn't cause you any injury at all. So you berated the driver.

Later you saw a taxi that didn't go through a red light and didn't hit a child crossing the road.

Very strange.

[FarangTalk]

Good post.

Every day I spend in Bangkok I see idiocy. Yesterday while walking to the gym I was nearly hit by a taxi who nearly ran over my toes. He stopped nearby so I gave him a piece of my mind. Futile I know, but it made me feel better. Later that day I saw a taxi almost go through a red light nearly hitting a 6/7 year old kid while crossing the road.

You nailed it with the ignorance and arrogant self-entitlement, it's what I have been saying for years. Many of these people are just not ready for the responsibility of driving. The problem here is, unlike the West, they are not weeded out.

People who make excuses for this type of behaviour are just as bad as the ignorant perpetrators IMO.

Odd post.

What you seem to be saying in your first paragraph is that you were walking to the gym and you weren't hit by a taxi that (obviously) didn't cause you any injury at all. So you berated the driver.

Later you saw a taxi that didn't go through a red light and didn't hit a child crossing the road.

Very strange.

Not strange at all. The point is I was witness to two and almost a victim of one near-misses within the space of a normal afternoon because of idiotic arrogance by Thai drivers. Both of them in this instance taxis.

4/10 for your bait attempt. Must try harder.

[belg]

anybody has an idea why there are no seatbelts in taxi's?

aren't they standard delivered cars ?

or here in thailand, mai pen rai, so save costs, taxi's are made in factory without seatbelts?

26.000 deaths on the roads yearly, anyone does better / worse in the world ?

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

Of course this does not excuse the guy if he was speeding, but should the doors of those minivans go open so easy ? Is the minivan faulty and accident prone ? No seatbelts in those minivans are bad enough but if those doors open easy during impact its even more so a deathtrap.

Must have been real bad for the husband to see his wife get flung out and die.. poor guy. If the car driver was speeding I hope they really get proof and prosecute him.

You are not a Thai national.

The car driver already knelt and apologized to the victims husband.

This is enough to forgive him for his wrongdoing.

Later he will pay a 1,000 baht fine for speeding and everything will be forgotten until Buddha and his Karma will get a grip on him.

RIP to the woman and her baby,

He may or may not face criminal charges and receive a 1000 Baht fine, however your comment about being forgiven because he knelt down is your point of view only

How do you know the victims husband forgave him? How do you know if the apology was sincere? How do you know if the husband will or will not take the driver to civil court for compensation?

If you think things like this are forgot about here just because somebody apologizes then you are very much mistaken and to be honest it's a pretty stupid comment

Perhaps you could take a moment out of your busy schedule and give this a good look over.

http://www.teachagora.com/seminars/Languages/154/Understanding-Sarcasm.html

the first comment was just a stupid dig at thai culture, your reaction however takes it to a whole other level.

personally however badly the guy fuxxed up. kudos to him for prostrating himself in apology. It doesn't change anything, but shows an admirable acceptance of his responsibility.

Edited October 1, 2013 by GirlDrinkDrunk

[yooper2001]

One time I got in a van and had to sit in the front next to the driver. I put on the seat belt and he got agitated and undid it, I put it back on and he undid it again getting quite angry and saying something angrily in Thai I couldnt understand. He started driving and I put it back on again. He wasn't happy and I told him to F' off and got out as soon as there was an opportunity. What the hell is wrong with these idiots !?

It is called saving face. The Driver was not thinking of your safety, he was only thinking that you insulted his driving ability. He looked bad in front of other thais

Farang must learn that thai culture is all about how things look to other thais. IT IS ALL ABOUT IMAGE

[peecee]

Instead of turning this thread into another Thaibashing thread, can't we just agree on, a very sad accident, that could have happened anywhere in the world!

Life changed in a splitsecond for the poor womans husband, and even for the driver of the other car.

Smart comments here doesn,t make it any better!

The Thai's deserve some bashing as their driving laws are so lax; seat belts should be used and drivers should pass a proper test, vehicles should be tested for safety and speed limits enforced by substantial fines. I could go on and on, but until government steps in with real rules nothing will change.

[cup-O-coffee]

These type of accidents occur,worldwide on a daily basis.

Hardly newsworthy.

True. Vague and ambiguous; but nevertheless true. How about this...

People die every moment!

[smutcakes]

Of course this does not excuse the guy if he was speeding, but should the doors of those minivans go open so easy ? Is the minivan faulty and accident prone ? No seatbelts in those minivans are bad enough but if those doors open easy during impact its even more so a deathtrap.

Must have been real bad for the husband to see his wife get flung out and die.. poor guy. If the car driver was speeding I hope they really get proof and prosecute him.

Where did it say anything about the door coming open, do you have any idea what a car crashing into a vehicle at 160 km ph looks like- i will let you know that at that speed you can be thrown out of the door, windows, anywhere- nothing to do with faulty minivans etc- why are you automatically looking for fault with the minivan, when in this case they seem to unfortunately caught up in this accident which could and does happen anywhere in the world.

Rest in peace to the unlucky ones.

[davejones]

Of course this does not excuse the guy if he was speeding, but should the doors of those minivans go open so easy ? Is the minivan faulty and accident prone ? No seatbelts in those minivans are bad enough but if those doors open easy during impact its even more so a deathtrap.

Must have been real bad for the husband to see his wife get flung out and die.. poor guy. If the car driver was speeding I hope they really get proof and prosecute him.

You are not a Thai national.

The car driver already knelt and apologized to the victims husband.

This is enough to forgive him for his wrongdoing.

Later he will pay a 1,000 baht fine for speeding and everything will be forgotten until Buddha and his Karma will get a grip on him.

RIP to the woman and her baby,

Stupid and insensitive comment. You obviously don't know many Thais if you think it's normal to think like you mentioned. Most Thais I know are outraged by bad driving and think most bad drivers should be locked up.

[robblok]

Of course this does not excuse the guy if he was speeding, but should the doors of those minivans go open so easy ? Is the minivan faulty and accident prone ? No seatbelts in those minivans are bad enough but if those doors open easy during impact its even more so a deathtrap.

Must have been real bad for the husband to see his wife get flung out and die.. poor guy. If the car driver was speeding I hope they really get proof and prosecute him.

Where did it say anything about the door coming open, do you have any idea what a car crashing into a vehicle at 160 km ph looks like- i will let you know that at that speed you can be thrown out of the door, windows, anywhere- nothing to do with faulty minivans etc- why are you automatically looking for fault with the minivan, when in this case they seem to unfortunately caught up in this accident which could and does happen anywhere in the world.

Rest in peace to the unlucky ones.

I am not sure you can compare this with a hit at 160km h on a stationary target. My physics tells me you have to deduct the two speeds to see the impact speed So that is certainly not 160km. More like 50km/h or so. This was why i questioned it as i think something should keep closed at those kind of impacts.

Why I was looking at the minivan because i mistakenly thought it was one of those deathtrap passenger minivans the ones that are notorious for not having seat-belts and a high death-toll. Those would not operate in the first world. But i was proven wrong it was not one of those.

[weka]

Instead of turning this thread into another Thaibashing thread, can't we just agree on, a very sad accident, that could have happened anywhere in the world!

Life changed in a splitsecond for the poor womans husband, and even for the driver of the other car.

Smart comments here doesn,t make it any better!

I agree , a tragic and sad loss of life which as you state could hapen anywhere in this world, however ,it is only seldom that accidents happen without cause. There is normally always a root cause or a series of combined causes that promulgat the accident..

Things which are broken need to be fixed and this responsibility lies within the hands of the Government.

The majority of the causitive factors lay fully at the feet of this country's administation.

The myriad of these dangerous minivans and taxi's and smoke belching busses is down to the failure of the Government to provide safe and adequate public transportation.

The lack of social responsibility of road users with regard to conditions and traffic laws is again the Government 's responsibility.

The condition of much of this countries road surface is yet again their responsibility.

The failure of road traffic law enforcement by the Government controlled RTP is yet another parameter that is failed and seriously flawed.

THIS IS NOT thai bashing it is meerly a statement of fact that exist without resolve in this country which would appear to be in denial regarding accountability or responsibility at almost every level. Meanwhile the public including this young pregnant mother are the victims of their lack of action.

There are so many things that simply do not work or are broken and no restorative action other thanlip service are pending.

Mighty oak trees from little acorns grow, however you first have to plant the seed.

I totally agree with this.

The failing of this country is that the authorities go out of their way NOT to educate people.

Example: Many on this forum are old enough to remember a time when seatbelt wearing was not compulsory in their "developed" western countries. What did we do? We didn't wear one, or we slipped over our shoulder but didn't make it click

Were we morons, nascar wannabees, or selfish self centered public nosepickers?

No, we just didn't know or couldn't visualise the consequences.

What happened next? - our governments blasted ads on tv. At schools we got demonstrations and visits showing us that seatbelts were a good idea. A whole generation of kids started to lecture their elders on the safety and reasons for wearing a seatbelt. The police enforced the rules and bingo! we now have the knowledge and (right it would seem) to hysterically abuse any society of people who haven't had the benefit of education, the benefit of social governance, and the benefit of a functioning police force.

We had to be taught speeding kills. We had to be taught about following distances. We had to be taught about aquaplaning.

Of course it seems incredulous that a car driver will slip on his seatbelt when passing a cop and slip it off after - hell my uncles and father would do that in the 70's, maybe you did.

Let's not be too quick to take the easy solution to our frustrations by denigrating other humans because....

You don't know what you don't know.

Lay off Somchai, and direct your frustrations at the real culprits here - the licensing system, the government and the scum of the earth that is the police - mostly a whole gamut of authority who doesn't give a flying <deleted> about the people, (actually, they do care. They care that there will never be equality or a questioning of authority).

The reason we don't drive like fools in our countries is because of fines, loss of licence and being able to visualise the consequences (learnt) - but mostly its because we don't want to get caught and pay money or lose the right to drive. Now be honest, if those consequences never existed, how would you drive?

How would you know any better?

And don't forget that in our lifetimes, we also had to learn what we take for granted today.

A sad story indeed,

ps ditto littering

Edited October 1, 2013 by weka

[ableguy]

Of course this does not excuse the guy if he was speeding, but should the doors of those minivans go open so easy ? Is the minivan faulty and accident prone ? No seatbelts in those minivans are bad enough but if those doors open easy during impact its even more so a deathtrap.

Must have been real bad for the husband to see his wife get flung out and die.. poor guy. If the car driver was speeding I hope they really get proof and prosecute him.

You are not a Thai national.

The car driver already knelt and apologized to the victims husband.

This is enough to forgive him for his wrongdoing.

Later he will pay a 1,000 baht fine for speeding and everything will be forgotten until Buddha and his Karma will get a grip on him.

RIP to the woman and her baby,

He may have to pay the 80,000 baht which is the going rate for a life.

[Munger]

Instead of turning this thread into another Thaibashing thread, can't we just agree on, a very sad accident, that could have happened anywhere in the world!

The standard reply from a slobbering" thai apologist",