thaiexpat21 Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 The government has set lower speed limits on such vans so they have done something - but the number has greatly increased in recent years because they provide a value service. But that will mean more cowboys are likely as good drivers are all employed. About the only non charter use I have had was the Hat Yai to Penang run a decade ago (where the smell changed me to using hired taxi service). But to suggest it is death as some on here seem to preach is just nonsense. It may not be in our safety zone but it is not certain death either. Nobody said it was certain death did they ? What has been said is the RISK factor is too great and should be avoided. yes/no Calculating a risk requires knowledge of the total number of van journeys and the total number of vans which "crash". Claiming a "risk " is too great without knowledge of what the "risk" actually is amounts to scaremongering speculation. I went up country a few days ago and one of these vans was glued to my bumper, I was doing about 100kph, road to narrow to overtake, that situation WAS a risk to me AND his passengers yes/no. Noooooooooooooooo crash but the risk WAS there. yes/no. Or is OK in your opinion cos there was no crash there was no risk.yes/no ? Here you are "evidence " that driving is hazardous ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAaCjsDU2bM Your tale is but an anecdote ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallGuyJohninBKK Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 (edited) Claiming a "risk " is too great without knowledge of what the "risk" actually is amounts to scaremongering speculation. I'm sure everyone inside this van and all the others who end up like this and worse appreciates your wisdom about "scaremongering speculation." Read what the driver says below and see the details about the hours he had been driving, with little rest/sleep. And then repeat and repeat and repeat... It's not just that there are "accidents"... I don't call these "accidents." There are countless crashes here because the system by the way it operates, and the lack of any enforcement to stop it, perpetuates them. Four tourists hurt in Phuket minibus crashEakkapop Thongtub Driver Anan Thongnak inspects the wreck of the minibus. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub PHUKET: -- Four Chinese tourists were slightly injured at 6:30 this morning (October 14) when the minibus in which they were travelling to the airport crashed off the road and ended up on its side on the central reservation of Thepkrassattree Rd. After toppling over the bus slid on its side into a sugar palm tree, leaving it with a badly bent body. The driver, Anan Thongnak from Nakorn Sri Thammarat, admitted that he had been working long hours and was “dizzy”. “I do 12 trips a day. This was the first one today. Yesterday’s last one was at 2 am this morning,” he said. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/674452-four-tourists-hurt-in-phuket-minibus-crash/ Edited November 10, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 For sure accidents happen every day anywhere, the difference is that a guy or gal behind the wheel makes the decisions to cause or not cause an accident . Same with all risks in life, but for me, I would not put my trust in van drivers here. Tooooo many scares. I personally, as a civilian, during my life have saved 3 peoples lives, on a fourth I failed, but I was in control of my actions and weighed up the risks to achieve saving life The folk I saved were numnuts doing daft stuff . Bit like many van drivers here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gk10002000 Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I just did a visa run with BBTS travel in Bangkok. The vans were really new. The drivers were better than average. We drove over to Poi Pet crossing leaving Bangkok Sukhumvit at 0500. That road is not too bad and the drivers in the opposite direction seemed to move over a bit as we passed vehicles. I admit there was one passing where a tour bus in the oncoming direction came as close as possible without nicking our side mirrors. Add a little suction effect as sometimes happens on the seas with passing ships and things could have gotten nasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallGuyJohninBKK Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Did the van have seatbelts? If it did, did any of the passengers use them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gk10002000 Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Did the van have seatbelts? If it did, did any of the passengers use them? the van I took on my Bangkok to Poi Pet trip had seatbelts. I used them. Nobody else did. The van I took back in October from Pattaya to Ban Pakhaad did not have seatbelts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesly1988 Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 A car ecident can happen anywhere think nothing to do with via run. Otherwise their is a good company that do visa runs in Bangkok to Cambodia. Otherwise you can always take the train See -> http://www.wesleytravels.com/blog/thailand/visa-run-bangkok-to-cambodia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 A car ecident can happen anywhere think nothing to do with via run. Otherwise their is a good company that do visa runs in Bangkok to Cambodia. Otherwise you can always take the train See -> http://www.wesleytravels.com/blog/thailand/visa-run-bangkok-to-cambodia Do you personally know the driver ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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