At least 27 dead in north Thailand bus accident: police

[Cricketnut]

Never seen a country where brakes fail so much,am sure pads , discs an fluid were checked regularly eh?

And how does one prove brake failure in a ravine 150 metres in depth with the bus a total wreck in such a short period of time? Sorry but it wasn't the drivers fault and on and on, how bout using gears in slowing down the bus? Sorry can't Dai that either as that would bring the driver culpable for neg driving causing death. Is there such a thing as accountability to such and other matters in Thailand! I think not...

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[TechnikaIII]

"Officials say roughly 60 percent of traffic accidents in Thailand are caused by human error, with poor road and vehicle conditions posing additional hazards."

They really only believe it to be 60%? Probably closer to 99%, the machines dont fail all that often, its probably in the high 90's all over the world. I feel bad for the victims, maybe since these are government empoyees the government might start thinking a bit harder on the rules here. Then again, its probably never going to happen

"the government might start thinking a bit" ... nope. Only the death of an immediate family member will induce more thought, and then only from the affected government individual. Otherwise, none of them give a shit. End of story.

[scotinsiam]

I came across a bad car accident last week, 1 car involved and a (now broken) concrete telegraph pole. Later that morning I was passing it again and had one of the Thais in the car take a photo so we could use it at our daily morning safety meeting to try promoting safety on the road......They are all educated (Thai Engineers) and had zero concern about the fate of the occupants but were all worried about ghosts near the accident. I give up on these idiots.

[Cricketnut]

I came across a bad car accident last week, 1 car involved and a (now broken) concrete telegraph pole. Later that morning I was passing it again and had one of the Thais in the car take a photo so we could use it at our daily morning safety meeting to try promoting safety on the road......They are all educated (Thai Engineers) and had zero concern about the fate of the occupants but were all worried about ghosts near the accident. I give up on these idiots.

then try learning Thai Buddhist beliefs. Don't give up, rather educate and submerge your self in thai culture and then truly you will be of some help keep trying....

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[zyphodb]

Never seen a country where brakes fail so much,am sure pads , discs an fluid were checked regularly eh?

Face, face, face....

[Munger]

The accident, like all similar accidents, is very sad and most likely an avoidable tragedy. Quite why it's necessary to condemn Thailand and Thai people as sad, corrupt, 3rd World etc etc is also sad. Why live (or visit) here if it's such a horrible place?

Pathetic. Only a very sad Thai apologist could think of posting a pathetic reply. Even "Berkshire" would avoid this thread.

[scotinsiam]

I came across a bad car accident last week, 1 car involved and a (now broken) concrete telegraph pole. Later that morning I was passing it again and had one of the Thais in the car take a photo so we could use it at our daily morning safety meeting to try promoting safety on the road......They are all educated (Thai Engineers) and had zero concern about the fate of the occupants but were all worried about ghosts near the accident. I give up on these idiots.

then try learning Thai Buddhist beliefs. Don't give up, rather educate and submerge your self in thai culture and then truly you will be of some help keep trying....

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE 8.2 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

LOL, my health insurance won't cover a labotomy

[brewsterbudgen]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

The accident, like all similar accidents, is very sad and most likely an avoidable tragedy. Quite why it's necessary to condemn Thailand and Thai people as sad, corrupt, 3rd World etc etc is also sad. Why live (or visit) here if it's such a horrible place?

The rose-coloured glasses are cheap?

My glasses are not rose-coloured. I'm well aware of this country's many shortcomings and find the carnage on the roads very upsetting. For three years I drove regularly, around Bangkok and monthly trips to Surin, and it was a scary experience. I'm quite happy to no longer have a car, although taking taxis, motorbikes and buses has its own risk. There are many other aspects of life here that are annoying, disturbing and that present some risk. But I still to choose to live here as the good things about life here and the decent Thai people I work with and am friends with, outweigh the negatives and the risks.

I sincerely hope Thailand's attitude towards road safety (and many other things) changes and if I could do anything to speed up change, I like to think I would do so. But posting insulting and reactionary posts on ThaiVisa isn't going to that.

[cardinalblue]

That is what I was thinking...90% of accidents are due to human error of some sort..

BS on blaming road conditions...steep windy wet whatever you adjust your driving behavior..

In the latest accident how do they know brake failure w/o inspection? My guess bus is still at bottom of ravine 24 hours later...is it based on driver comments?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

It's pretty hard to call these kind of episodes "accidents".

They're crimes of commission and omission by the various parties involved and responsible.

[Scott]

Off-topic, inflammatory posts and replies deleted.

[namdocmai]

It is time they make a tv-program where they show the worst drivers of the Nation. Just drive around and film what happens on the roads and broadcast it, maybe then the Thai will understand it and learn how to drive.

[ravip]

Its deteriorating into a 3rd world country..

Where are you from - Thailand is a 3rd world country! It's only smoke and mirrors that gives the impression that it is 2nd world - anyone that thinks it is 1st world has mental health issues.

Seems many around are with severe mental health issues . the 'grade' of the world they originate from are suspect.

[laobali]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

The accident, like all similar accidents, is very sad and most likely an avoidable tragedy. Quite why it's necessary to condemn Thailand and Thai people as sad, corrupt, 3rd World etc etc is also sad. Why live (or visit) here if it's such a horrible place?

The rose-coloured glasses are cheap?

My glasses are not rose-coloured. I'm well aware of this country's many shortcomings and find the carnage on the roads very upsetting. For three years I drove regularly, around Bangkok and monthly trips to Surin, and it was a scary experience. I'm quite happy to no longer have a car, although taking taxis, motorbikes and buses has its own risk. There are many other aspects of life here that are annoying, disturbing and that present some risk. But I still to choose to live here as the good things about life here and the decent Thai people I work with and am friends with, outweigh the negatives and the risks.

I sincerely hope Thailand's attitude towards road safety (and many other things) changes and if I could do anything to speed up change, I like to think I would do so. But posting insulting and reactionary posts on ThaiVisa isn't going to that.

... the good things about life here ... outweigh the negatives and the risks ...[and] many other aspects of life here that are annoying, disturbing ...

I think the "rose-coloured glasses" expression means exactly that.

No one said it's such a horrible place to live.

You already know you can't speed up change even if you'd like to. So you live with it, preferring to think about the positives for you. Fine.

[kannot]

Never seen a country where brakes fail so much,am sure pads , discs an fluid were checked regularly eh?

You gotta be joking "nothing is checked regularly"

Coupled with just 'get your self a rag and a shifting spanner and you a mechanic'

TIT

sarcasm,

[brewsterbudgen]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

The accident, like all similar accidents, is very sad and most likely an avoidable tragedy. Quite why it's necessary to condemn Thailand and Thai people as sad, corrupt, 3rd World etc etc is also sad. Why live (or visit) here if it's such a horrible place?

The rose-coloured glasses are cheap?

My glasses are not rose-coloured. I'm well aware of this country's many shortcomings and find the carnage on the roads very upsetting. For three years I drove regularly, around Bangkok and monthly trips to Surin, and it was a scary experience. I'm quite happy to no longer have a car, although taking taxis, motorbikes and buses has its own risk. There are many other aspects of life here that are annoying, disturbing and that present some risk. But I still to choose to live here as the good things about life here and the decent Thai people I work with and am friends with, outweigh the negatives and the risks.

I sincerely hope Thailand's attitude towards road safety (and many other things) changes and if I could do anything to speed up change, I like to think I would do so. But posting insulting and reactionary posts on ThaiVisa isn't going to that.

... the good things about life here ... outweigh the negatives and the risks ...[and] many other aspects of life here that are annoying, disturbing ...

I think the "rose-coloured glasses" expression means exactly that.

No one said it's such a horrible place to live.

You already know you can't speed up change even if you'd like to. So you live with it, preferring to think about the positives for you. Fine.

Fair enough. Maybe my glasses are a different colour after all! I tend to think positively about most things. Even Thailand, although I would avoid taking an overnight bus if at all possible.

[rebo]

Using the brakes to slow down while descending any kind of gradient

is a no no,the heat builds up and the brakes fail when you need them,

brakes need to be cool as possible to work properly ...

Do they have Tachographs fitted in buses?

Two days ago I took the bus on he the steep, narrow road from Loei to Phitsanulok. The experienced driver drove very carefully, slow, and used the engine brake all the time. 4 and a half hours for the entire 225 km (less than 50 km/h). Felt very safe all the time. Tachograph on board, but speedometer not working at all ...

I cycle up/down Doi Suthep at least once a week and see clearly the people who constantly stay on their brakes downhill are mostly from Bangkok or Isaan (flat land). I guess they simply were never tought about engine braking. No wonder with virtually non-existing driving schools in Thailand. So it's clear where to focus on ...

[dcsw53]

Officials say roughly 60 percent of traffic accidents in Thailand are caused by human error, with poor road and vehicle conditions posing additional hazards.

Thank God, I thought for one horrible moment we did not know why. So that's all right then, but what is the strategy to overtake the Dominican Republic, I think we should be told.

[bangon04]

Government officials, maybe this will cause some real action to be taken for once instead of the usual PR which is put out. RIP

You're right! They are now devoting extra resources into crackdown on illegal parking in Bangkok....Real Action...

[bangon04]

Never seen a country where brakes fail so much,am sure pads , discs an fluid were checked regularly eh?

Face, face, face....

How about " country where the rail infrastructure remains weak."

That is a very polite face-saving way to describe Thailand's rail system...

[kimamey]

I dont think Thai drivers ,not only bus drivers know you should save

your brakes going down hills by using your gears.

Using the brakes to slow down while descending any kind of gradient

is a no no,the heat builds up and the brakes fail when you need them,

brakes need to be cool as possible to work properly.but this is Thailand

an unfortunately this will not be the last bus crash,they go to fast,and

don't seem to know how to control a vehicle properly,do they have

Tachographs fitted in buses ?, if not they should,it would tell how many

hours the driver had been at the wheel,the speed and lots of other things.

regards Worgeordie

I agree....I would bet that the brakes on these "brake failure" bus and truck crashes were fine until they were ridden into failure by the drivers. On most of the mountain highways here you can smell the smoking brakes of the trucks and buses long before you can ever see them. So what is the remedy? It would seem that educating the drivers would be the best way to avoid this, but this is much easier said than done.

So sorry that people have to go through such grief and suffering, thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families.

I think this happens with other vehicles as well. One of the problems seems to be that on vehicles that are automatic transmission and particularly if the driver is used to somewhere flat like much of Isaan think 'it's automatic so I don't need to do anything'. I'm sure many don't know how to use a low gear in an automatic or think it's necessary. As well as the smoking brakes you see them going wide on corners for the same reason.

RIP

[balo]

Why do we not hear about the same tragic accidents in Cambodia , or Laos ? Roads are even worse than here and from what I have experienced myself , plenty of crazy driving on the roads.

Edited March 25, 2014 by balo

[nomimusic]

Was wondering if they took the injured to the same hospital in Tat that they took the survivors of the fire at the refugee camp that killed at least 20 people in Tat the same night? What an evening for those of that community. Many lives effected. It must have been like a war zone for Tat. Rip to those who perished.

Edited March 25, 2014 by nomimusic

[robertthebruce]

I came across a bad car accident last week, 1 car involved and a (now broken) concrete telegraph pole. Later that morning I was passing it again and had one of the Thais in the car take a photo so we could use it at our daily morning safety meeting to try promoting safety on the road......They are all educated (Thai Engineers) and had zero concern about the fate of the occupants but were all worried about ghosts near the accident. I give up on these idiots.

then try learning Thai Buddhist beliefs. Don't give up, rather educate and submerge your self in thai culture and then truly you will be of some help keep trying....

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE 8.2 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thai Buddhist beliefs ??? , was it not just last week that one of the Monks was done for ''Molesting a child'' ?? and another one swaning of on a private jet ???... , i could go on and on....

Temples, translate to ''Donating Money'' as for ''Ghosts'' ??? need i say more..

Just being realistic about it all...

[MJP]

Its deteriorating into a 3rd world country..

Definitely.

[Tokay]

And another bus accident last night in Phuket. 29 dead!!!! Should be breaking here soon.

It will never end.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I don't see the Phuket news yet, but I do see this:

Double-decker bus may be banned from hilly roads



BANGKOK: -- The Land Transport Department is now contemplating of implementing stricter controls for double-deck passenger buses running on unsafe routes in wake of numerous incidents involving such vehicles.

Land Transport Department director-general Adsathai Ratanadilok na Phuket stated that he has sent a team to investigate the site of Monday passenger bus accident in Tak province.

The team will take into consideration many factors such as the condition of the road as well as the condition of the wreck of the bus in order to ascertain the actual cause of the accident.

He stated that the team will be revealing its findings within the next 2 – 3 days.

But in wake of the many repetitions of accidents involving these type of vehicles, he said that his department was in the process of implementing protocols which will ensure that double-deck buses will not traverse risky or dangerous routes such as mountainous and extreme winding roads in future.

As of the present, there are all together 20,000 double-deck passenger buses in operation in the country.

MORE:

But don't worry.... according to the above article, the bus company involved had insurance, and their insurance carrier is paying out 50,000 baht for each of the deaths. Their policy has a maximum cap of 10 million and 300,000 baht per individual claim. That ought to be enough, right???

[brewsterbudgen]

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Why do we not hear about the same tragic accidents in Cambodia , or Laos ? Roads are even worse than here and from what I have experienced myself , plenty of crazy driving on the roads.

They certainly happen - but it's mainly motorbike acccidents. The are significantly fewer cars and buses on the roads than in Thailand.

[triffid]

Thailand has the money and means to enforce all sorts of improvements in its road, vehicles etc - as well as other social services such as state education & health. However the rich and powerful are not affected - they drive top-notch cars or take a flight, they use a handful of expensive Bangkok schools, universities and medical facilities, or go overseas. They prefer to spend the country's natural and manufactured wealth and taxes on Bkk facilities, toys for the armed forces, official luxuries etc etc. In fact they want the mass of people to remain ill educated - beyond the basic level that makes them competent factory workers, servants, etc. Among other things ignorance of the masses means they are more prone to accept their misfortunes as fate etc.

[techboy]

Another tragedy and yet again no reaction from authorities. I do not work for Fox news but I am not shy to say SHAME ON YOU THAILAND.

Again, again and again: No control + no authority + no standard + failed State + No police + corruption + laxity = TOTAL ANARCHY!

* Road Safety

* Tourism scams

* Poor Construction Standards

* Food poisoning (by abuse of chemicals and pesticides)

* Pollution (Oil slicks, illegal dumps etc...)

And so on and so on, just name it.

Thailand DECADENCE

What "reaction" do you expect from the authorities? At the time that this article hit what information do they have? What injuries and to whom? No, just tentative numbers. Why the brakes failed? No. You should have stopped at Road Safety. At least you have a statistic for it in the current article (although from what I have seen in other countries I do not believe that the numbers could possibly have been arrived at in a comprehensive fashion). If you are using anarchy in any other than a rhetorical sense then you do not know what it is. You support your statement with items such as pollution, tourist scams and shortcuts in construction- welcome to Earth. (BTW- you do not know what food poisoning is). A prime motivation for expats being here is because they feel safe and in spite of all of the malicious spin that the likes of you put on things you have chosen Thailand because you know that your bum is secure.

But let's deal with the article itself. The presentation on "deadliest roads" is an off topic rave composed of sensationalistic sophistry. It addresses traffic accidents due to careless driving and drunken driving. It mentions a previous bus tragedy without citing the cause. There is not one bit of historical information on accidents due to motor vehicle equipment failure. The accident occurred because "The brakes failed as the bus came downhill on a hilly road...". Furthermore you will note that the article steered clear of providing any evidence that the section of road where the accident occurred is poorly engineered.

You want "decadence" then take a look at miserable creatures who have degenerated to being at a loss for gratification unless they defame others. You like Fox News- you should work for them- Defamation is their dish.