2 killed and 18 hurt in VIP bus crash in Thailand

[yingyo]

geeezus, every 3rd thaivisa email i get it delivers the news of a bus crash. Makes one start to question traveling in them.

I know, I know.

Time to get the train to Chiang Mai instead.

Oh right, they've all been cancelled due 15,746 derailments in the past 6 months.

Perhaps the people of Thailand just aren't ready to be in control of such concepts of Western technology as trains and motor vehicles.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Another day... another fatal bus or van crash.... Getting to be as regular as sunrise and sunset...

Looking at the photo, my wife says the bus company involved is something like "Chok Anan Tour" -- but that name doesn't mean anything to me.

Meanwhile, no mention of what happened to the bus driver. Wonder if he hit the road literally or figuratively, in this case..

When will the Thai people wake up and demand something better from their government?

[HOOD Robin]

VIPs don't catch buses.

You must be joking... it's FULL of them mostly with poo yai passengers... ! Flying over the roads in the right lane escorted by police with loud sirens like they do every day with other sort of vehicles, mostly very expensive and bullet proof cars.....

[aveabeeror2]

a) a refrigerated truck? Really?

some of you are really using this to boil a political - soup on it? That is disgusting!

c) RIP the victims.

Was wondering how long before we got a RIP. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[ghworker2010]

I try to sit in the middle of any bus as I know how easy it is for these crazy drivers to have head on collisions. RIP to the deceased.

[Just1Voice]

Just for the he-ll of it, I'm going to set up an Excel spread sheet and keep track of tour buss and mini-van accidents, with columns for Dead & Injured totals for Nov & Dec. At the end of that time, I'll add 10% to the death totals to include those who died a day or more later in the hospitals, which are never reported. Should be interesting to see the numbers.

[Raybo]

Most US states have mandatory seatbelt laws for front and rear passenger, with a stiff fine

For noncompliance.

Perhaps such a program could at least help in Thailand.

I know there will be Tea money exchanged, but still it may help.

The biggest problem, some thais think their 1,2, or 3, Amulets they wear will make everything ok.

My pen rai.

Chulai 6768

[Larry001]

Was it just a week ago, that Madame Yingluck said "Your safety is our main concern!!"

Hope those who died didn't suffer!!

Yes, it was certainly the PM's fault that this bus crashed.

Perspective.

Yes, the PM and Govt need to take some responsibility as they do in other countries. They introduce and enforce laws to minimize this occuring. Victoria in Aust reduced their road toll from 1200 per annum to around 300 per annum through policing and safety measures being introduced. That is all part of the responsibility of modern day Govts

[maximillian]

Most US states have mandatory seatbelt laws for front and rear passenger, with a stiff fine

For noncompliance.

Perhaps such a program could at least help in Thailand.

I know there will be Tea money exchanged, but still it may help.

The biggest problem, some thais think their 1,2, or 3, Amulets they wear will make everything ok.

My pen rai.

Chulai 6768

Yeah, seatbelts inside a bus or a car is fine and normal.

But who cares of the 20 to 24 People on the back of a pick-up or up to a hundred workers on a construction vehicle ?

TiT !!! Wake up, please.

[DGIE]

Maybe one of the drivers was a driver of bus # 71. How I wished that the temperamental driver will meet what he deserves when he is alone.

[Carrerakiss]

what else to say ? it has became a habit and it will be strange NOT to have any road accidents .... Daily basis issue .... trains , vans, buses etc ..... just how many dead people the government will accept before to act strongly on road safety ?

Someone asks that question every time there is a thread on a road accident.....so that's daily. The answer is obvious. A very great many. In fact, there probably is no limit.

[trainman34014]

Was it just a week ago, that Madame Yingluck said "Your safety is our main concern!!"

Hope those who died didn't suffer!!

Yes, it was certainly the PM's fault that this bus crashed.

Perspective.

Yes, the PM and Govt need to take some responsibility as they do in other countries. They introduce and enforce laws to minimize this occuring. Victoria in Aust reduced their road toll from 1200 per annum to around 300 per annum through policing and safety measures being introduced. That is all part of the responsibility of modern day Govts

This is all very well if you have a population that respects most laws and a Police force that actually upholds them. This is Thailand....land of lawbreakers and an inept Police force.

[Carrerakiss]

Was it just a week ago, that Madame Yingluck said "Your safety is our main concern!!"

Hope those who died didn't suffer!!

Yes, it was certainly the PM's fault that this bus crashed.

Perspective.

In fact she is to blame

She runs the current government and they have yet to address the issue of driver training proper safety standards and enforcement of a proper driving code. Until the government acts in a correct fashion these type of accidents will continue

Time for the people in power to take action instead of being solely concerned about bring home the a hole from dubuy

The government govern the country. They have absolutely no power to get the police to do things, any more than they can get the army to do any thing. That's Thailand, so many private fiefdoms making money for their members.

[bangon04]

A fish trunk?

" KHAOSOD English" .... well almost...

[bangon04]

Lucky it was a VIP bus. If it had been a peasant bus who knows how many more casualties there would have been..

[ratcatcher]

Was it just a week ago, that Madame Yingluck said "Your safety is our main concern!!"

Hope those who died didn't suffer!!

Yes, it was certainly the PM's fault that this bus crashed.

Perspective.

In fact she is to blame

She runs the current government and they have yet to address the issue of driver training proper safety standards and enforcement of a proper driving code. Until the government acts in a correct fashion these type of accidents will continue

Time for the people in power to take action instead of being solely concerned about bring home the a hole from dubuy

The government govern the country. They have absolutely no power to get the police to do things, any more than they can get the army to do any thing. That's Thailand, so many private fiefdoms making money for their members.

".......so many private fiefdoms thiefdoms making money for their members."

[JoeThePoster]

Phetkasem Road, the main expressway route along southern Thailand

I can think of a lot of words to describe Phetkasem Road, but expressway isn't one of them.

[redutedog1]

Bus companies pushing for their last dollar ( Baht ) run the driver till he drops

[metisdead]

A nonsense nitpicking post has been removed as well as a troll post.

[SjaakNL2013]

It's sad for the people who died or got injured.......but every bad new have some good news.

The good news in this is that the their was not a brake failure. Remember progress can go in little steps, very little steps.

[noitom]

I was on the same road last night driving back from Chumphon to Ranong just a few minutes behind the bus and although I did not witness the accident itself I was caught up in the pandemonium and the traffic backlog that ensued. The scene of the accident was on a very tight corner by the waterfall in Kra Buri where the entire stretch of road has no street lighting and there is very little room for opposing traffic. The police and a few ambulances where quickly on the scene as the accident occurred about 1km from Kra Buri hospital but as we continued our journey home (via a back road before rejoining Petkasem road) we seen countless ambulances and rescue trucks racing dangerously to the scene from Ranong which is 60 km away.

The Petkasem road running from Chumphon to Ranong is very very dangerous for those who do not know how to traverse it (especially at night) and is known as the road of a thousand bends. The vast majority of the road is unlit and some of the bends are notoriously tight causing many accidents to occur to those who are not aware of the dangers. There is also an increased danger at the moment due to roadworks being done to increase the width and quality of the roads. The bus driver and the fish truck driver would have been aware of the dangers but traffic from Chumphon to Ranong was surprisingly light last night and I think that the bus driver was maybe taking advantage of the empty roads to quickly arrive back in Ranong.

JAF

This is not a strip of highway/road that the elite business class Thais care about. It is running through poor Thai country and just totally gets ignored. Don't look for more lighting and better/wider paving in the future. It will be ignored for many years to come.

[skorchio]

Well at least the mention of safety belts is on the increase, in the article at least a passenger comments on it, which he will probably also do in the Thai language news,

thereby increasing awareness positively, even if only a little bit.

These big VIP buses usually drive very fast.

Before the apologist come in force, we know accidents happen everywhere, but it is clearly very common here.

..crystal

is it company policy to squeeze as many trips out of one bus and driver per shift. that is crystal as well.

yeah, crystal Meth more likely .....

[johnnytuc]

I sometime wonder, what is the point of all these posts which I guess are read 90 percent by Falangs and expat, Thais don't even know what's going on, nothing will ever be done, unless tourist boards of other countries explain the horrendous dangers of travel here and the corrupt society where the baht means more than life. Don't understand the post re 60 million, the facts are 38.1 deaths per 100,000 the uk which has similar population 2.75 per 100,000 .??

I haved lived here 7 years now and in that time I have never seen a police vehicle , on the move actually pull over a vehicle for any violation, only road checks, never never when traffic is moving, someone tell me why?

[MMarlow]

Just for the he-ll of it, I'm going to set up an Excel spread sheet and keep track of tour buss and mini-van accidents, with columns for Dead & Injured totals for Nov & Dec. At the end of that time, I'll add 10% to the death totals to include those who died a day or more later in the hospitals, which are never reported. Should be interesting to see the numbers.

Nah, won't be interesting at all, don't bother. Where are you going to get these stats to which you're going to add an arbitrary 10%?

[peecee]

Was it just a week ago, that Madame Yingluck said "Your safety is our main concern!!"

Hope those who died didn't suffer!!

Yes, it was certainly the PM's fault that this bus crashed.

Perspective.

In fact she is to blame

She runs the current government and they have yet to address the issue of driver training proper safety standards and enforcement of a proper driving code. Until the government acts in a correct fashion these type of accidents will continue

Time for the people in power to take action instead of being solely concerned about bring home the a hole from dubuy

Time for a u turn & ban the u turns!

[skorchio]

VIP - Very Injured Passengers.

It seems flying is the safest form of travel in Thailand. The few times I have drive Phuket to HuaHin, there has always been one or more near-death experience per sector. I ffffing hate it

[attento]

So, what is the safest mode of transport for long distances here ?

[moe666]

The usual I want Thailand to be just like the place I came from. We all know the risk here if you cannot handle it go back to that safe paradise you came from

[tingtongfarang]

I sometime wonder, what is the point of all these posts which I guess are read 90 percent by Falangs and expat, Thais don't even know what's going on, nothing will ever be done, unless tourist boards of other countries explain the horrendous dangers of travel here and the corrupt society where the baht means more than life. Don't understand the post re 60 million, the facts are 38.1 deaths per 100,000 the uk which has similar population 2.75 per 100,000 .??

I haved lived here 7 years now and in that time I have never seen a police vehicle , on the move actually pull over a vehicle for any violation, only road checks, never never when traffic is moving, someone tell me why?

Have never seen it also, traveling the roads here i see people doing dangerous and illegal things every few minutes, police here just have money collecting points on the road....they have no interest in enforcing traffic laws.

[DocN]

a) a refrigerated truck? Really?

some of you are really using this to boil a political - soup on it? That is disgusting!

c) RIP the victims.

Was wondering how long before we got a RIP. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

...and your problem with that is...?