A Foreigner and 5 five other passengers trapped inside bus after crash

[webfact]

A foreigner trapped inside a bus, along with five other passengers in a crash

By Khaosod Online



BANGKOK: -- Interprovincial bus skidded off the road in Kalasin province before sliding into a Gas Station, leaving 6 passengers including a foreign man and a driver trapped inside.

Mr. Piyanat Areethawat, 27, the driver, said that he had to make a quick turn as a truck crosscut his bus. The bus then drifted off the road into the direction of a gas station, before hitting into a sign post in front of the place.

Reportedly, three people were severely injured, while the rest were slightly harmed.

A foreign man who was trapped inside the bus along with other passengers was later identified as Mr. Klaus Peter Buhrig, 56, whose nationality is yet unconfirmed.

Police said they are still suspicious with Mr. Piyanat′s statement and would continue to investigate about the incident thoroughly.

Source: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE16SXhNakExT1E9PQ==

-- KHAOSOD English 2013-10-31

[coma]

I think the police think what I am thinking ? He didn't have enough .

[AloisAmrein]

Again? Road safety in Thailand is far below international standards. Dangerous to travel in this country. TAT should force better safety standards (not only on the road, in train travel also). Nearly every week derailments.

[brimacthai]

I travel NCA between Surin and Bkk regularly. One thing I like is that they change drivers 1/2 way through the trip.

[Lobo4819]

Soon, the newspapers here will have to devote a daily column to bus crashes, another to train derailments, and yet another to painted-over aircraft logos. I used to travel by bus a lot, but no more. I used to enjoy riding the trains sometimes, but no more. It's getting more and more like the old "demolition derby" shows in the US, where drivers drove around smashing into each others cars to see who could be the last one driving.

[RogueLeader]

A foreigner trapped inside a bus, along with five other passengers...

Dude...

[jes]

Never ending story. Daily with these busses and minibuses.

[Globeman]

Again? Road safety in Thailand is far below international standards. Dangerous to travel in this country. TAT should force better safety standards (not only on the road, in train travel also). Nearly every week derailments.

How would the TAT, which is basically a marketing department of the govt for tourism, force better road and rail safety?

[petedk]

Soon, the newspapers here will have to devote a daily column to bus crashes, another to train derailments, and yet another to painted-over aircraft logos. I used to travel by bus a lot, but no more. I used to enjoy riding the trains sometimes, but no more. It's getting more and more like the old "demolition derby" shows in the US, where drivers drove around smashing into each others cars to see who could be the last one driving.

I was thinking the same.

How about making a template?

An Intercity bus from .......... to ....... crashed today killing ........ people"

It's sad to read these stories every day. I guess they'll never stop.

[technologybytes]

TAT should force better safety standards (not only on the road, in train travel also).

TAT ?? It's really nothing to do with TAT, you can't expect a nation to care nothing for the safety of it's own people but make changes for the sake of visitors...can you ??

[happyinthailand]

Klaus Peter Buhrig. How many nationalities could it possibly be?

[tingtongfarang]

Klaus Peter Buhrig. How many nationalities could it possibly be?

So many possibilities.

[GeorgeO]

Again? Road safety in Thailand is far below international standards. Dangerous to travel in this country. TAT should force better safety standards (not only on the road, in train travel also). Nearly every week derailments.

How would the TAT, which is basically a marketing department of the govt for tourism, force better road and rail safety?

TAT is probably the biggest cash cow in the the Thai government. If they say they want to see changes made, changes will be made....!!

[edwinchester]

Again? Road safety in Thailand is far below international standards. Dangerous to travel in this country. TAT should force better safety standards (not only on the road, in train travel also). Nearly every week derailments.

 

How would the TAT, which is basically a marketing department of the govt for tourism, force better road and rail safety? 

By lobbying their own government for better transport standards to go with their claim to be a first class tourist destination.

[Colabamumbai]

From what I can read on the bus it is the Roi-Et Kalasin Roi-Et bus running hourly.

[Andre0720]

Regarding road safety, I think the roads, they are safe enough...

But some people on these roads,,,,some people....hummmm

[JoeThePoster]

Mr. Piyanat Areethawat, 27, the driver, said that he had to make a quick turn as a truck crosscut his bus

Poor fella, let's all pool together and buy a new bus for Khun Piyanat.

[wileycoyote]

Terrible,hopefully everyone will be OK

[drdoom6996]

I suppose the police think the foreigner caused the crash. We foreigners are very dangerous you know.

[SlyAnimal]

I think that lately all of these crashes which are appearing in the news papers etc, aren't necessarily just because Thai bus drivers are crashing more frequently. But rather, the newspapers are deciding to report on them more often now. Perhaps a new reporter in the Isaan area (Most of the crashes reported seem to be in isaan, particularly in/near RoiEt province), or maybe the bus companies haven't paid their usual fees to avoid the media spotlight?

My gf told me a while back that the train accidents might have increased because people are deliberately damaging the tracks in order to prompt the government to invest in the existing rail network (rather than just pumping billions of THB into the new Thailand/China rail connection when the current rail network isn't upto standard). Or perhaps it's the same accidents as usual, but more reporting.

As both train and bus accidents have been receiving a lot more attention lately, previously I think only the ones with multiple fatalities got into the media, now even accidents with just a few injuries get into the spotlight.

[offset]

I not see a report of a bus accident in the early hours of Monday morning near Saraburi perhaps the reporter not work at night

[Gonzo the Face]

Yes , no doubt the one foreign passenger trapped was involved in causing the crash. Why else , if you can follow another TV thread are the police cracking down on foreign drivers.

I forget so maybe someone can refresh my memory, wasn't that a foreigner driving that bus last week when someone took his picture eating from a box meal on the console while driving..... Hey police get on the ball . Better crack down on these foreign bus drivers. Maybe get the Thai drivers to set up a school and offer driving instructions to the dim-witted falangs.

[Fullstop]

A foreigner trapped inside a bus, along with five other passengers in a crash

Is it that time of the day already?

[slipperylobster]

Is the trapped tourist paying by the hour...?

[engr1dgf]

Again? Road safety in Thailand is far below international standards. Dangerous to travel in this country. TAT should force better safety standards (not only on the road, in train travel also). Nearly every week derailments.

It gets better and better each year (less and les deaths per 100,000 people) but Thailand is still ranked 6th in the world for the number of deaths per 100,000 people. The biggest percentage, by far, is motorcycles.

[farangbanok]

I travelled to Roi Et, via Yang tarat (Kalsin almost!!) and back in the past 2 days on my little 135cc scooter.

The many interprovincial buses that I saw en-route were all driven carefully and courteously ... I guess some people are just unlucky.

None of the buses I saw were driving fast or crazily, I overtook several between Khon Kaen and Roi Et.

In respnse to brimacthai I must agree that Nakhonchai Air are the safest way to travel. Not only is there at least one driver change between Khon Kaen and Bangkok, there is never the impression that they are racing any other vehicle on the road, in fact at times it is annoying that they keep "lifting off" on the accelerator!

Their schedules are realistic and possible, in fact the last time I went to BKK the bus was due in at 06.30 ... at 06.29 it pulled into the bay and the doors opened as the clock onboard displayed ... 06.30!

I wish a speedy recovery to Herr Klaus and the 5 "other passengers".

[Globeman]

Again? Road safety in Thailand is far below international standards. Dangerous to travel in this country. TAT should force better safety standards (not only on the road, in train travel also). Nearly every week derailments.

How would the TAT, which is basically a marketing department of the govt for tourism, force better road and rail safety?

TAT is probably the biggest cash cow in the the Thai government. If they say they want to see changes made, changes will be made....!!

Ummm... no it's not. The only significant money TAT takes in is in the form of its annual budget from the govt. Yes, it receives a few billion baht (a tiny fraction of the rice pledging scheme), that it then spends on promotional activities (yes, many of them misguided and pointless)... Television commercials cost a fortune... TAT takes out ads in major magazines around the world and domestically, pays for fam trips for foreign travel agents, creates brochures and such - that sort of thing. It has even less power than it did before the creation of the tourism and sports ministry a few years back. The TAT folks steer pretty clear of infrastructure-related projects, except to tell potential tourists about them when they are finally built.

But if you imagine that they have any clout with any other government department and are in any position to make demands of any kind, then you really don't know a lot about how these things "get done" here. You reckon the interior Ministry or Transport Ministry or Cabinet gives a flying toss what some marketing person at TAT thinks about the nation's infrastructure?

[barryofthailand]

I have to take the interprovincial bus from Korat to Bangkok twice next month. The company I use is pretty good although the last two times the driver was not wearing shoes, and was talking on the phone. The last time the driver was eating. I usually sit in a seat adjacent to the dirver so I can see him. This next time I will take a picture if the driver is eating or talking on the phone and send it to Channel three who are looking for stories like this.

[truckerjoe]

Things are certainly not improving on the Roads and Rails of LOS, figures compiled by the World Health Org. in 2010, showed Thailand at 38.1 reported road deaths per 100.000 inhabitants, With the USA at 10.4. Australia at 6.6. France at 6.4. Germany at 4.7 Sweden at 3.0 and the UK at 2.75.

Much room for improvement, especially in the passenger transport areas.

[samjaidee]

Again? Road safety in Thailand is far below international standards. Dangerous to travel in this country. TAT should force better safety standards (not only on the road, in train travel also). Nearly every week derailments.

So...

you think that the Tourist Authority of a country should take over the responsibilities of:

1) the rail network

2) the road network

3) all aspects of health and safety in Thailand

Which country do you come from, that follows these principles of governance?