2 killed and 18 hurt in VIP bus crash in Thailand

[timewilltell]

I was also driving down that stretch of road last week when it was fairly dry and three weeks ago in the heavy rain. Given it is the main north south highway it is in an atrocious condition with huge potholes in places and kilometers of road with a surface that is so uneven it is hard to keep a vehicle driving in a straight line.

These atrocious road conditions are A direct result of corruption where the budgets are diverted and maintenance just does not get done. Then there are the trucks that drive with dark weather sheeting tied down the back which become almost invisible in the dark and the more so if it is raining, especially when a fair proportion, maybe 40% or more have either no working lights at all on the back one light in the centre which just confuses the driver behind as to what vehicle it is!a motorbike maybe?, or lights that are so caked with mud they shine like a torch with exhausted batteries. These trucks sail through the police checkpoints of which at least two are semi permanent - the result of more corruption as the police refuse to check these vehicles even for the most obvious, and I read somewhere that the transport companies just pay a retainer for the police to turn a blind eye.

Couple that with drivers who refuse any lane discipline driving in the right hand lane, buses, trucks and. The mad minivans speeding at 120 - 140 Khmer and weaving in and out on this largely unlit road and just a modicum of thought will indicate the problems and result in little surprise at the number and horror of all these accidents.

Why do the Thais tolerate all this corruption - it seems hard wired into their psyche yet is so terribly damaging.

[Valentine]

Will they ever learn? No, because life is cheap here- at least the life of others.

To learn you need a brain. Thai people haven´t. They are still on the monkey stadium. Sit on the floor, eat with the fingers. Driving some faster thing than a buffalo is too much for them.

Thais have sat on the floor eating for countless generations & is also a social occasion both preparing & eating. IMO your comment puts you on the monkey level rather than the people you so rudely criticize. You should know that serious traffic enforcement is a low priority here as is proper driver education hence the highly tragic road toll.

[socksy01]

object lesson in the value of fitting seat belts and wearing them in transit. horrible accident.

Any VIP bus I've been on from Udon Thani to Pattaya or BKK have had seat belts fitted but in my experience only some foreigners, me included, wear seat belts but not Thai's

[FarangTalk]

Ensuring the safety and well-being of Thais; one may as well order 75 million straight jackets, because that is the only solution I see at this point. Otherwise, forego the straight jackets and these lunatics will continue to kill themselves in this lunatic fashion and the real sympathy should be held for those who feel that sympathy is deserved.

Step back and take a good look at the entire system and infrastructure; from the family unit (yeah, right!) all the way up to the top of Parliament; including everything in between, such as the Ministry of Licensing, Land, Education, Science and Engineering, all Law Enforcement agencies, Immigration, Business, Bean-Counting, etc. etc.

You will not find one gram of accountability or responsibility.

Hence, you have a country where people of all ages are generously tolerated to "pin-ball" their way through life without being held responsible or accountable for absolutely anything they do at a knee-jerk moment.

Does this tiny, miniscule consequence being reported today come as any real surprise to us all?

When it comes to complaining and moaning their woes, Thais spend their entire lives describing the water whilst the truth drowns in a sea of lies and avoidance.

Having sympathy for Thai lunacy is almost becoming a superstitious past time. I gave up believing that if I did not have any that I would cease to be a decent person. That turned out to be a falsehood because common sense and logic told me I was wasting my time.

Absolutely spot on.

[cup-O-coffee]

Will they ever learn? No, because life is cheap here- at least the life of others.

To learn you need a brain. Thai people haven´t. They are still on the monkey stadium. Sit on the floor, eat with the fingers. Driving some faster thing than a buffalo is too much for them.

Thais have sat on the floor eating for countless generations & is also a social occasion both preparing & eating. IMO your comment puts you on the monkey level rather than the people you so rudely criticize. You should know that serious traffic enforcement is a low priority here as is proper driver education hence the highly tragic road toll.

I think gintis0604 is a few steps ahead of your solution and nearer the truth than your gullible trust in Thais being able to "work it out". The brain development it takes to engage in traffic enforcement and proper driver education are usually superseded by a stable foundation of intelligence, common sense and logic; the grandfathers which inspire the need for the former. Without these... well... gintis0604 is spot on, albeit in a harsh manner.

[transam]

While not dismissing any lose of life due to road accidents and such, we must remember

that this is a nation of 60 millions plus with hundred of thousands of roads users of all shape

and kind at any given moment every day, accident do and will happened at any given moment,

however, better road education and road rules enforcement will not be a miss....

Hardly ever hear of a bus/coach crash in the UK, here, every week. Numnut, non trained drivers have lives in their hands and nobody in control of these businesses cares.

[FarangTalk]

While not dismissing any lose of life due to road accidents and such, we must remember

that this is a nation of 60 millions plus with hundred of thousands of roads users of all shape

and kind at any given moment every day, accident do and will happened at any given moment,

however, better road education and road rules enforcement will not be a miss....

Hardly ever hear of a bus/coach crash in the UK, here, every week. Numnut, non trained drivers have lives in their hands and nobody in control of these businesses cares.

Numnut Wrapparondapol?

Edited October 30, 2013 by FarangTalk

[biplanebluey]

They talk a lot but do nothing, there are enough BIB running around who could be taken for bus inspections but instead they watching gold shops, if the transporation departement just would control as much as possible busses for just one week laying out high fees for disobeying laws regarding safety and put the bus out of service just at the roadside, the operators would change their minds quickly especially when the paxes start complaining. Run a bus in Germany having no functional seat.belts and your bus would be held at the control point until it is repaired or a substitution comes by. It is a desastrous year regarding accidents for Thailand.

Exactly----its an easy problem to solve---- they just cannot be bothered,and that's a fact !!!

[angsta]

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

You are deluded and an awful speller.

Where is Dubuy exactly?

Edited October 30, 2013 by angsta

[ableguy]

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

If they go for driver training it will be just. Another means of making money , 1000 baht you pass, this is Thailand the only. God is money.

[Bpuumike]

I don't have any figures but looking at the volume of bus traffic through Mo Chit alone I think it will be a statistically low number of bus accidents.

[salapau]

I only opened this topic to say that I've had enough of this, nobody does anything. VIP coach crashes, bus crashes, mini bus crashes, muggings, murders, rip offs, trains derailed, coaches built incorrectly etc. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I'm pleased to say that I leave this law abusing country soon, no regrets.

[Bpuumike]

Ensuring the safety and well-being of Thais; one may as well order 75 million straight jackets, because that is the only solution I see at this point. Otherwise, forego the straight jackets and these lunatics will continue to kill themselves in this lunatic fashion and the real sympathy should be held for those who feel that sympathy is deserved.

Step back and take a good look at the entire system and infrastructure; from the family unit (yeah, right!) all the way up to the top of Parliament; including everything in between, such as the Ministry of Licensing, Land, Education, Science and Engineering, all Law Enforcement agencies, Immigration, Business, Bean-Counting, etc. etc.

You will not find one gram of accountability or responsibility.

Hence, you have a country where people of all ages are generously tolerated to "pin-ball" their way through life without being held responsible or accountable for absolutely anything they do at a knee-jerk moment.

Does this tiny, miniscule consequence being reported today come as any real surprise to us all?

When it comes to complaining and moaning their woes, Thais spend their entire lives describing the water whilst the truth drowns in a sea of lies and avoidance.

Having sympathy for Thai lunacy is almost becoming a superstitious past time. I gave up believing that if I did not have any that I would cease to be a decent person. That turned out to be a falsehood because common sense and logic told me I was wasting my time.

Absolutely spot on.

Sort of verbose, but quite so.

[Bpuumike]

Took the Nakonchai air vip bus many times to bangkok and back. a 900 Km trip there and back These busses Always have seatbelts. Up to you if you use m or not. I never had come at the place of destination quicker than another time, so i have to conclude they never try to drive quicker at some times to save time. 2 weeks ago the bus was late 3 hours due to the weather an d flooded roads in bangkok , but still did the same time, and no rush. Travelling with Nakonchai air feels pretty good i have to say. I still have seen enough coaches turned over and what not along the way , and trough time, so don't know about the other companies and their policies The road conditions here are pretty well and the whole way is all 4 lane roads but the last 30 km's, so that is a difference from the road where the accident happened, but another driver slamming in to you is a hard thing too avoid i think.

Have always felt safe with them.

They use 1 driver who knows the roads Kalasin to Korat and a second for the descent from Korat and then on into BKK.

[MJP]

Took the Nakonchai air vip bus many times to bangkok and back. a 900 Km trip there and back These busses Always have seatbelts. Up to you if you use m or not. I never had come at the place of destination quicker than another time, so i have to conclude they never try to drive quicker at some times to save time. 2 weeks ago the bus was late 3 hours due to the weather an d flooded roads in bangkok , but still did the same time, and no rush. Travelling with Nakonchai air feels pretty good i have to say. I still have seen enough coaches turned over and what not along the way , and trough time, so don't know about the other companies and their policies The road conditions here are pretty well and the whole way is all 4 lane roads but the last 30 km's, so that is a difference from the road where the accident happened, but another driver slamming in to you is a hard thing too avoid i think.

Have always felt safe with them.

They use 1 driver who knows the roads Kalasin to Korat and a second for the descent from Korat and then on into BKK.

Yup, all the Thai's I know who use the buses use Nakonchai Air with confidence. They avoid the others when possible.