BKK-Khonkaen bus crashes after driver 'dozes off'

[homsiam]

If you go buss take the 99one company from the state.But there vill newer be 100'% shure when travel on buss.Take a taxi then 50-50% of the acident

[hullupullo]

I post this earlier in that other buscrash topic. Yes, gold class bus

https://twitter.com/aodbu/status/435164410353442816

[HOOD Robin]

Very good they installed HUNDREDS of GPS systems on those busses !!!

[petertucker48]

So many drivers falling asleep in Thailand.

How come I never hear of this happening in the UK?

Whiskey???

Should also consider how much time the drivers are allowed to rest/sleep between shifts.

Is it the drivers/bus companies or law enforcement that are at fault or perhaps a bit of each.

[jmor159]

Why is there no technology to warn bus and lorry drivers when they are about to fall asleep? This is a major problem all over the world and I wouldn't have thought it would be difficult to invent a piece of equipment to monitor a driver's breathing pattern say and wake him/her up before falling asleep! Having owned a minivan company for a few years, I know full well that tiredness is a big problem for professional drivers.

The technology is there, there are several versions with a variety of costs, but that is the issue, the cost.

This problem is the subject of a lot of active research, but there are no reliable methods yet. Any biometric research is inherently difficult: sleeping breathing patterns won't be detected until the driver is well and truly asleep. Many researchers are trying to monitor eye gaze and have reasonable success in determining when a driver is not looking where he should be, but they are still far from perfect, so they definitely don't justify the cost. You could spend a lot to install one - and the driver would still not be alerted to stop in time.

[mijan24]

So many drivers falling asleep in Thailand.

How come I never hear of this happening in the UK?

Whiskey???

It's many a decade since I used a long distance bus in Britain and the last time, in 1977, the coach from Glasgow to London had 2 drivers.

Something wrong here - Nakonchaiair bus service from Bkk to KK employs two drivers they change about 30 minutes south of Korat.

More involved here than driver being tired - who knows we never will thats for sure.

When we came up from Bkk only 1 week ago the driver from Korat to KK spent the majority of his time on the phone.

[Asiantravel]

The first photo is an NCA Gold Class Bus.

The next photo is from the article. Notice the yellow striping.

As a person who has travelled on NCA so many times ( not NCT as the article claims ) I'm really sad that it seems you are right.

I liked to believe that this would somehow never happen to an NCA driver.

Those yellow lines are indeed quite unique and you can tell by the size of the windows in the first picture that it's a Gold Class Bus

And if you look at the timetable on their website for Bangkok to Khon Kaen there was indeed a Gold class bus that departed their terminal at 23:00 hours

http://www.nca.co.th/runway.php

Edited February 17, 2014 by Asiantravel

[mijan24]

Need for classification. NCA DOES NOT USE MOCHIT they have their own terminal about 2km away. The article says

"The bus was operated by Nakhonchai Tour Company. A passenger said the bus departed Mo Chit Bus Terminal in Bangkok at 23.00 last night with maximum capacity and was bound for Khonkaen province." NCA does own a tour company which may use Mochit. That company is http://www.nakhonchaitour.com/nct/

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but NCA actually leave their own depot in Bkk as you stated their first stop is Morchit for further pickups then off to KK they change drivers just south of Korat.

A regular NCA traveller am I.

[Asiantravel]

It's many a decade since I used a long distance bus in Britain and the last time, in 1977, the coach from Glasgow to London had 2 drivers.

Of all the bus companies in Thailand, Nakhonchai Air is the one I'd plump to use first. Their safety record and in-house regulations are pretty good and their buses are second to none. This is a rare event for them and while the driver may well have dozed off, it could also be possible that he had a heart attack or stroke at the wheel. I guess it depends on how good an autopsy is performed to establish cause of death. He was after all, 59, so not the youngest guy on their books. They also often run a relief driver on the longer routes, though not the 6 hour BKK-KK route I believe. Very unfortunate incident, but it would not stop me from using their services.

Nakhonchai Air ALWAYS changes the driver halfway Bangkok-Khon Kaen.

And mostly there is a spare driver stashed away somehere in the bus.

The picture above clearly shows a single decker bus, low profile, standard fare of Nakhonchai air.

The other company uses double deckers or semi double deckers, high profile.

To the question if there are "things" to check the alertness of the driver, there are.

here is just one example.

Optalert drowsiness monitoring glasses work by measuring the velocity of the operator’s eyelid 500 times a second using a tiny invisible LED built into the frame of the glasses.

Core to the success of this safety technology are two key measurements tracking the amplitude velocity ratio—essentially measuring how fast and how far a person opens their eyelid after they close it.

http://optalert.com/the-products/components/

[kiwijack]

The chances are pretty high that he'd a medical problem, heart attack, stroke,etc..

NCA is an excellent company and why wouldn't he let the other guy drive when he had the feeling that he needed a nap?-

[Gandtee]

I think I recall a system which focuses on the drivers eyes and sounds an alarm when he/she starts to doze off. Very Hi-Tec I would think, and if the companies are not willing to fork out for tachometers they certainly won't fork out for this, even if it is available.

[flyingdoc]

Let's wait for the post mortem if there is going to be one?

[kiwijack]

woops, wanted to add I couldn't agree more that more to this than suggested. I too have travelled hundreds of times BKK to Burirum and they always change drivers top of the hill plus another often resting on board.. Plus there is the hostess up front usually who would notice things?

My experiences have been exemplary over the years I have used them .

I won't be changing them as my exclusive mode of transport either. RIP and condolences to the Driver's family.

[gerry123]

Why don't they just ban night buses - that's when all the accidents seem to happen

Night bus night market night farming this is Thailand they do stuff at night its tradition so you will not stop it i think mainly came from pre air con days its just cooler at night

ok maybe no air con at the farm

[cnx355]

So many drivers falling asleep in Thailand.

How come I never hear of this happening in the UK?

Whiskey???

It's many a decade since I used a long distance bus in Britain and the last time, in 1977, the coach from Glasgow to London had 2 drivers.

NCA have 2 to 3 drivers on their routs. NCA has had the best safety record on buses in Thailand but unfortunately they have had two wreaks in the past few days. Before these wreaks it has been 10 years for them to have an accident.

The bus reported in the news is from Nakorn Chai Tour and a different company from Nakornchai Air.

http://www.nakhonchaitour.com/

http://www.nakhonchaiair.com/index.php

[Trembly]

So many drivers falling asleep in Thailand.

How come I never hear of this happening in the UK?

Whiskey???

It's many a decade since I used a long distance bus in Britain and the last time, in 1977, the coach from Glasgow to London had 2 drivers.

Of all the bus companies in Thailand, Nakhonchai Air is the one I'd plump to use first. Their safety record and in-house regulations are pretty good and their buses are second to none. This is a rare event for them and while the driver may well have dozed off, it could also be possible that he had a heart attack or stroke at the wheel. I guess it depends on how good an autopsy is performed to establish cause of death. He was after all, 59, so not the youngest guy on their books. They also often run a relief driver on the longer routes, though not the 6 hour BKK-KK route I believe. Very unfortunate incident, but it would not stop me from using their services.

They often have a relief driver come on at Khorat on the Bangkok - Khonksen route.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Asiantravel]

It's many a decade since I used a long distance bus in Britain and the last time, in 1977, the coach from Glasgow to London had 2 drivers.

NCA have 2 to 3 drivers on their routs. NCA has had the best safety record on buses in Thailand but unfortunately they have had two wreaks in the past few days. Before these wreaks it has been 10 years for them to have an accident.

The bus reported in the news is from Nakorn Chai Tour and a different company from Nakornchai Air.

http://www.nakhonchaitour.com/

http://www.nakhonchaiair.com/index.php

I think they made a mistake in the article because the photograph clearly shows a yellow stripe which NCA Gold class buses have while NCT don't have that

ADDITIONAL NOTE

It should be noted that this evening the story has been amended on the Khaosod English website and reference to Nakhonchai Tour Company has now been removed and substituted with Nakhonchai Air Company and the following message

Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly identified the name of the bus company as Nakhonchai Tour Company. It should have read Nakhonchai Air. The mistake has been fixed.

http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNU1qWXlORGd6TXc9PQ==

Edited February 17, 2014 by Asiantravel

[rogerdee123]

Those companies should get a couple of katoeys from Nana sitting next to the driver in every bus .... they could grab his willy and give him a big wet kiss on the mouth every time he even looked like he was a bit sleepy. I bet that would keep them awake ....

but also may give them a heart attack.

[stickylies]

there are several reasons for NIGHT-busses, important ones:

1/ it's cooler = better for engine

2/ many people here can't afford a day off, hence night is when they sleep = people lose less precious time

Edited February 17, 2014 by stickylies

[rogerdee123]

2/ many people here can't afford a day off, hence night is when they sleep = people lose less precious time

Are you talking about the driver ? or the passengers ?

[Rorri]

telecom, on 17 Feb 2014 - 15:37, said:

So many drivers falling asleep in Thailand.

How come I never hear of this happening in the UK?

Whiskey???

For a start, I think you need to check the difference in size, of the two countries, that may, well for a thinking person, enlighten you to the difference in distance Thai drivers drive. Having said that, in the great land down under, there is always two drivers, the buses also have a sleeper cab and the driver MUST have a rest, they also MUST have a log book which is frequently checked by the highway police.

[Rob8891]

telecom, on 17 Feb 2014 - 15:37, said:

So many drivers falling asleep in Thailand.

How come I never hear of this happening in the UK?

Whiskey???

For a start, I think you need to check the difference in size, of the two countries, that may, well for a thinking person, enlighten you to the difference in distance Thai drivers drive. Having said that, in the great land down under, there is always two drivers, the buses also have a sleeper cab and the driver MUST have a rest, they also MUST have a log book which is frequently checked by the highway police.

Apart from the distance factor, which I agree is considerable, your last point was correct but incomplete.... laws are enforced in the other countries.

[geriatrickid]

So many drivers falling asleep in Thailand.

How come I never hear of this happening in the UK?

Whiskey???

I suggest you take a hint from the current UK road safety campaign targeting driver fatigue called THINK! As per the UK MOT

Research suggests that almost 20% of (UK) accidents on major roads are sleep-related.

- About 40% of sleep-related accidents involve commercial vehicles

- Men under 30 have the highest risk of falling asleep at the wheel

Would you say that UK commercial drivers and men under the age of 30 are using whiskey? So why make the claim in respect to an incident in Thailand, where you have no knowledge of the facts?

[Nemesis7]

Bus-trains -cars -vans- ferries - lorries- truck- motor cycle - nothing seems to be safe on the roads anymore...too many reports of accidents all over Thailand. It's scary and sad too

[Rorri]

delgarcon, on 17 Feb 2014 - 15:41, said:

Why is there no technology to warn bus and lorry drivers when they are about to fall asleep? This is a major problem all over the world and I wouldn't have thought it would be difficult to invent a piece of equipment to monitor a driver's breathing pattern say and wake him/her up before falling asleep! Having owned a minivan company for a few years, I know full well that tiredness is a big problem for professional drivers.

You need to keep up with technology, there is in fact devices available, but of course, this is Thailand, not exactly a safety conscious nation.

[unanimosity]

Why is there no technology to warn bus and lorry drivers when they are about to fall asleep? This is a major problem all over the world and I wouldn't have thought it would be difficult to invent a piece of equipment to monitor a driver's breathing pattern say and wake him/her up before falling asleep! Having owned a minivan company for a few years, I know full well that tiredness is a big problem for professional drivers.

Not sure of the operational parameters, but some newer cars in the USA have this kind of feature available. Looks like you can order this as an aftermarket item from Amazon as well. But local drivers might prefer hitting the tree to losing face over needing an alarm so they don't sleep behind the wheel.

[rogerdee123]

So many drivers falling asleep in Thailand.

How come I never hear of this happening in the UK?

Whiskey???

UK has whiskey.

But the UK is not blessed with Thai bus drivers ...

[Barney R]

NCA is a world class bus company, the best in Thailand for sure, have been to KK from BKK many times with NCA they change drivers half way every time I have gone with NCA, shame this has happen with their bus and two crashes in the last few weeks, would still use them.

It's also possible at 59 he had a heart-attack. Speculations of falling asleep don't carry much momentum, with such a company of excellence.

I agree a heart attack that lead to the crash seems more plausible to me .

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

NCA have 2 to 3 drivers on their routs. NCA has had the best safety record on buses in Thailand but unfortunately they have had two wreaks in the past few days. Before these wreaks it has been 10 years for them to have an accident.

I saw mention of the other NCA crash on the Thai PBS website, but I didn't see any mention of it here on ThaiVisa.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/category/breakingnews/

An inter provincial bus with about 40 passengers from Ubon Ratchathani to Rayong skidded off the Highway 304 and overturned, injuring 32 people.

The bus belonged to Nakhonchai Air Trasport and was on Highway 304 from Chachoensao to Phanom Sarakham when the accident happened at about 3.30 a.m. today.

According to Chachoengsao police, the driver Prasert Bupacharoen said it was raining while he was on the highway to Rayong.

But as he arrived at the scene, he saw a truck lying on the roadside but with its trailer blocking the road ahead. He was shocked and quickly swerved to avoid hitting the trailer

The bus lost control, skidded and overturned on the roadside.

Fortunately nobody was dead but 32 passengers injured. All were admitted to Buddhasothorn hospital with bruises and cuts.

It's very strange. NCA has long had the reputation as the best long distance bus company in Thailand. Their service and staff have always been great. And you almost never hear about any of of their buses being involved in crashes -- until now.

Edited February 17, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[khwaibah]

NCA have 2 to 3 drivers on their routs. NCA has had the best safety record on buses in Thailand but unfortunately they have had two wreaks in the past few days. Before these wreaks it has been 10 years for them to have an accident.

I saw mention of the other NCA crash on the Thai PBS website, but I didn't see any mention of it here on ThaiVisa.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/category/breakingnews/

An inter provincial bus with about 40 passengers from Ubon Ratchathani to Rayong skidded off the Highway 304 and overturned, injuring 32 people.

The bus belonged to Nakhonchai Air Trasport and was on Highway 304 from Chachoensao to Phanom Sarakham when the accident happened at about 3.30 a.m. today.

According to Chachoengsao police, the driver Prasert Bupacharoen said it was raining while he was on the highway to Rayong.

But as he arrived at the scene, he saw a truck lying on the roadside but with its trailer blocking the road ahead. He was shocked and quickly swerved to avoid hitting the trailer

The bus lost control, skidded and overturned on the roadside.

Fortunately nobody was dead but 32 passengers injured. All were admitted to Buddhasothorn hospital with bruises and cuts.

It's very strange. NCA has long had the reputation as the best long distance bus company in Thailand. Their service and staff have always been great. And you almost never hear about any of of their buses being involved in crashes -- until now.

Both on runs from/to KK/Udon.