Thai truck driver who knocked down and killed British couple fined just £18

[englishoak]

Time to overview the courts ludicrous judgements causing someone's death is worth a lot more than £18

Make people understand that negligence has real consequences,

sickening but normal here

[Kooweerup]

All I can say is disgusting. The judicial system needs a complete reform.

[Kooweerup]

All I can say is disgusting. The judicial system needs a complete reform.

[Kooweerup]

All I can say is disgusting. The judicial system needs a complete reform.

[bangkoklasse]

It is what it is, no point in getting too worked up about it, there's nothing anyone can do or say that will make the victims come back to life, nobody knows if the driver is suffering from PTSD either, it's very quick to judge indeed, the sad thing is that in comparison to the Western Laws, it's low, but a 1000 baht to a poor Thai is quite a lot of money.

You are kidding or? 1000 baht is a lot of money for a Thai that kill two people ?

[crobe]

My all simpathy with the victims families and I hope these young brave guys rest in peace.

BUT.

I know exactly those road where they suffered this fatal excident.

Those road is noway for bicycles.

In TH when drivers get a bit crowded traffic they start a new line immediately, and this new lane is the emergency lane.

The police don't care this, they do it also. Every-one do this especially.

We may say this is not good, what kind of moral this, but in Asia this is the traffic custom, do you like or don't, this is the fact. You have to know it when you start a trip like this. If some-one plans to long swim in ocean must to know about shark situation. This case is same.

Just imagine. 2 bicycles move in emergency lane, but cars and trucks also use it for moving, the first car can see the bicycles and turn over them, the second already almost hits them and the third will hit them sure.

If some-one asks me before about this plan I tell: sure you will die if you would like to use the "highway" emergency lane for bicycle moving.

Sorry to say but this is the fact, and this case was not the first to western bicycle tour guys, and sorry again but not was the last.

Sad story.

You do not show any sympathy for the victims, instead you try to defend the culprit in a typical knee-jerk reaction of blame the victims if they are falang , just to show how 'superior" you are in your knowledge of Thailand. I hope you feel good now that you can show people how smug you are.

The facts of the case are that the driver of the pickup swerved into the cyclists, who by the police account were not in any way at fault as you are trying to insinuate.

If the road is not suitable for cyclists then there should be a sign saying so, should there not - or are you just trying to shift the blame.

As to "this is the traffic custom in Asia" it is not, as thee cyclists ad already been through 22 countries without such an incident, this is the custom in Thailand due to the fact that driving laws are neither enforced, or in this case sufficiently prosecuted to encourage other drivers to take more care.

That is why Thailand has the worst driving safety record in Asia.

Edited May 27, 2014 by crobe

[worgeordie]

9 pounds for each victim,another slap on the wrist,makes you think the

driver had connections of some kind,this does not seem like justice to

me.

regards worgeordie

[peterdk]

I know a Thai girl, that by the worst possible luck, through no fault of her own - in a curve, was hit / hit in an oncoming ( in the wrong lane obviously ) motorbike with no lights, that then skid into a tree, where the injuries was sustained. The driver eventually died in the hospital.

She had to fork over 200k all in all, police and family.

So when the norm is that you need to pay 100k per life to families, where is the 200k for the UK family ?

Or does this only apply when a Thai person dies ?

[Thai at Heart]

I would imagine the monetary fine here in Switzerland is a bit more than 30 Francs.

Yes it is, but my salary is also more than 9 Swiss Franc a day...

There was a post a couple of years back. One of the members had run over a chicken that hatched a champion fighting cock. The owners demanded more than that disgusting fine as compo. Your defending this guy is sick sick sick. Newspaper reports at the time said his head was down as he was searching for his frigging hat!

Well you don't know whether it was an accident or not. But really in this day and age, what is the point in a 1000 baht fine. It probably costs half of that to process

[Tomtomtom69]

It is what it is, no point in getting too worked up about it, there's nothing anyone can do or say that will make the victims come back to life, nobody knows if the driver is suffering from PTSD either, it's very quick to judge indeed, the sad thing is that in comparison to the Western Laws, it's low, but a 1000 baht to a poor Thai is quite a lot of money.

Why do people keep saying that? 1000 Baht is a drop in the ocean as a fine or deterrent for poor driving, leading to accidentally killing 2 people. That amount only buys about half a tank's worth of diesel fuel for an average 75-80L fuel tank capacity pickup truck, a full tank's worth is about 2000 Baht. Sorry, but for killing 2 people (even though it was obviously manslaughter) the fine ought to be something more realistic, like 10,000-20,000 Baht (which is still fairly low). Even the poorest people in Thailand are able to easily come up with just 1000 Baht, they just ask a few family members or neighbors to chip in if they haven't got anything in savings. Thailand isn't that poor anymore (where do people come up with the idea that no Thais have any money?? Besides the fact that it's incredibly naive and offensive and BTW do you guys not realize that there are like 20 million cars, trucks and buses on Thai roads?!)...

Anyone who drives a car, any sort of car (particularly in Thailand) is by definition NOT poor (although that doesn't mean they are bleeding with money either, coz they could be driving a bomb, but still...the cost of running a car is relatively high). Not to mention the fact that fuel and car prices in Thailand are higher than in the USA, car prices in particular are significantly higher than in most western countries, where salaries and living costs in general are much higher. I've also seen the account balances of factory workers withdrawing money at ATMs, who are normally earning only say 400-500 Baht a day, and quite a lot of them have saved up 20000-50000 Baht based on their account statements. So in that sense 1000 Baht is still only 2 day's worth of wages. Somehow if we compare that to say Switzerland where some of the commentors are from, even if the average wage for a similar worker is say 125 CHF per day, would the fine thus only be 250 CHF for a similar incident occurring in Switzerland? Think about that for a minute...I personally am quite sure the fine would be more like 10,000 CHF or something like that.

In Vietnam for example, drivers of cars are usually charged more than drivers of motorcycles when purchasing goods at markets, mom and pop stores etc. because it is assumed they have more money than drivers of motorcycles. I'm always told when in Vietnam by my local friend that we should park well away from the stores we are visiting otherwise our wallets could be taken for a ride. Of course none of that applies if shopping at a shopping mall.

[Deez]

and he'll be out doing it again already

says who? Do you know the driver? Did you follow him since the accident and examine his driving pattern? Seen any other accidents he had? Did you care to read that he had a "previous good character" meaning no accidents before this tragic event?

bunch of bashing <deleted myself> on here...

Wow…you are one of the most ignorant people ever to post on here. And that is saying a lot. I actually feel sorry for you

[Tomtomtom69]

I know a Thai girl, that by the worst possible luck, through no fault of her own - in a curve, was hit / hit in an oncoming ( in the wrong lane obviously ) motorbike with no lights, that then skid into a tree, where the injuries was sustained. The driver eventually died in the hospital.

She had to fork over 200k all in all, police and family.

So when the norm is that you need to pay 100k per life to families, where is the 200k for the UK family ?

Or does this only apply when a Thai person dies ?

What this report doesn't state is whether the driver had to pay 100k to the family and 100k to the police. There's probably a significant chance he did have to fork over a significant amount of money. Normally the driver of the larger vehicle is at fault in an accident here in Thailand and many other developing countries. Even though the official fine was only 1000 Baht based on outdated amounts mentioned in the criminal code, the ACTUAL amounts paid by the driver BEFORE the court case could be many times higher.

Last year along the infamous Burma road, driving between Mandalay and the Chinese border town of Muse the car we were traveling in was hit by a truck. What happened was the truck was traveling on the left and our driver insisted on passing on the right (which is the normal custom in Myanmar as driving is now on the right hand side of the road, never mind that our car and most others in Myanmar still have RHD steering). It was on a mountainous switchback curve, coming down the mountain from Pyin Oo Lwin heading in the direction of Hsipaw. We sustained some damage to our rear bumper, which became loose and had to be fixed with a rubber inner tube to hold it up above the ground, to prevent it from dragging as we drove along. The truck driver IMMEDIATELY and without hesitation gave our driver a chunk of money, probably at least 200 USD worth of Kyat for the repairs. This is because not only was the truck driver driving a bigger vehicle than ours, but also because he was at fault. The truck driver saw me too and certainly didn't think he could get away with not paying. In the event of something as serious as a death caused by negligent driving, I'm quite sure that any amount asked would be paid quite quickly.

I therefore have my doubts that this driver would have been able to go to court and be fined only 1000 Baht AND didn't have to pay any compensation to the UK family. Somehow I highly, highly doubt that. What we also don't know is whether the truck driver's 3rd party insurance was valid and what they covered.

[Deez]

For those defending the driver here is a section of the original report "Investigating police think the accident was caused by a combination of the Thai driver speeding and his falling asleep at the wheel. The 25 year old driver from Udon Thai province claimed the accident occurred when he dropped his hat and bent down to pick it up. Police have charged him with careless driving and he's out on 300k Baht bail." So please stop with the "I defend the Thais at all costs - without even knowing the circumstance" crap

Don't tell Swiss 1960 this….he will start blaming the reporting and asking if you were there.

[daveAustin]

It is indeed ludicrous and anyone who starts on about driver character or this and that happens in friggi.n Europe should take a long hard look in the mirror. Put your family in the bikers shoes, now how does it look? Grow up!

Edited May 27, 2014 by daveAustin

[MMarlow]

and he'll be out doing it again already

Well if he does he won't be out for long. He was given a 2 year suspended sentence, you do know what that means?

[MMarlow]

Absolute madness!! Where on earth do these crazy laws and decisions come from! £18 pounds??? Disgraceful! Freed to murder without a worry about the poor people and their families he destroyed ....

"Freed to murder without a worry".

Apart from the suspended sentence he'll have to serve if he does. And the additional sentence for your imagined murder.

[farang000999]

why dont you guys organize a protest and take some action instead of just posting on the internet about it?

face it, this is just entertainment for you.

you don't care enough to sacrifice any of your time.

[MMarlow]

Did he flee the scene as is customary?

To disappoint you, no, he didn't.

[MMarlow]

Unless there is a comprehensive forensic analysis of how the accident happened then this is the outcome in Thailand, in the UK the Traffic police produce very detailed reports and analysis which if any blame is found is apportioned. Deaths caused on the highway have rarely resulted in a punitive sentence, we seem to kill cyclists once a month on average in London, few drivers are prosecuted. besides insurances companies pay out... Did this driver have any insurance, will the bereaved family get anything?

"Did this driver have any insurance, will the bereaved family get anything?"

As regretful as this accident was the issue of insurance is a 2-sided thing, presumably the unfortunate cyclists would have taken out sufficient insurance themselves before they undertook such a risky venture if they had any dependents.

[ClutchClark]

Amazing the young couple had pedaled through so many countries. I have often seen this type of hardcore cyclist and been amazed at their bravery. I used to love taking weeklong bicycling trips in the 60's & 70's and I would often ride to work and run errands in later decades. Bicycles provide a wonderful feeling of freedom.

Although its true the bicyclist has every legal right to be on the roadways, the simple physics of mass and force place them at such a disadvantage.

[MMarlow]

People who live here know the system. 100K per victim to the police, and 100k to the victim's family.

Some people who live here think that they know the system and tend to forever go on about the superior knowledge that they possess when in reality they are just Thai bashers who make unjustifiable assumptions and generalisations.

[ClutchClark]

My all simpathy with the victims families and I hope these young brave guys rest in peace.

BUT.

I know exactly those road where they suffered this fatal excident.

Those road is noway for bicycles.

In TH when drivers get a bit crowded traffic they start a new line immediately, and this new lane is the emergency lane.

The police don't care this, they do it also. Every-one do this especially.

We may say this is not good, what kind of moral this, but in Asia this is the traffic custom, do you like or don't, this is the fact. You have to know it when you start a trip like this. If some-one plans to long swim in ocean must to know about shark situation. This case is same.

Just imagine. 2 bicycles move in emergency lane, but cars and trucks also use it for moving, the first car can see the bicycles and turn over them, the second already almost hits them and the third will hit them sure.

If some-one asks me before about this plan I tell: sure you will die if you would like to use the "highway" emergency lane for bicycle moving.

Sorry to say but this is the fact, and this case was not the first to western bicycle tour guys, and sorry again but not was the last.

Sad story.

You do not show any sympathy for the victims, instead you try to defend the culprit in a typical knee-jerk reaction of blame the victims if they are falang , just to show how 'superior" you are in your knowledge of Thailand. I hope you feel good now that you can show people how smug you are.

The facts of the case are that the driver of the pickup swerved into the cyclists, who by the police account were not in any way at fault as you are trying to insinuate.

If the road is not suitable for cyclists then there should be a sign saying so, should there not - or are you just trying to shift the blame.

As to "this is the traffic custom in Asia" it is not, as thee cyclists ad already been through 22 countries without such an incident, this is the custom in Thailand due to the fact that driving laws are neither enforced, or in this case sufficiently prosecuted to encourage other drivers to take more care.

That is why Thailand has the worst driving safety record in Asia.

I did not detect any smugness in the first post...just simple observation. These cyclists made choices based on their expertise and personal experiences. Their choices placed them at high risk.

I do not swim where there is strong undertow. I do not golf in a lightning storm.

This is a tragedy for all parties.

[MMarlow]

For those defending the driver here is a section of the original report "Investigating police think the accident was caused by a combination of the Thai driver speeding and his falling asleep at the wheel. The 25 year old driver from Udon Thai province claimed the accident occurred when he dropped his hat and bent down to pick it up. Police have charged him with careless driving and he's out on 300k Baht bail." So please stop with the "I defend the Thais at all costs - without even knowing the circumstance" crap

Source: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/620209-driver-in-british-cyclists-fatal-road-accident-released-on-bail/?p=6128033#entry6128033

Perhaps you should stop your crap too without knowing the circumstances unless you know what the official outcome of the police investigation was regarding the accident. That was the original report of the incident prior to the investigation which suggested 3 possible causes. If you do know please let us know.

[Tokay]

That's about right, 500b is what a life is usually worth in Thailand.

Life is cheap in the land of smiles. Perhaps that's why they really smile, because they know how little they will have to pay for killing someone.

[noitom]

Thais place little or no value on human life.

[MMarlow]

I would imagine the monetary fine here in Switzerland is a bit more than 30 Francs.

Yes it is, but my salary is also more than 9 Swiss Franc a day...

He was found guilty of negligence by the court. If you accept the verdict, you should also accept that 1000 baht is inadequate. Even if the guy was a minimum wage 711 clerk that's only 3 days wages for 2 lives taken. We all know what "suspended sentences" equate to in Thailand.

"We all know what "suspended sentences" equate to in Thailand"

Yes, if he gets into trouble with the police again he starts his 2 year prison sentence. And if you accept the verdict you should accept the fine as laid down by statute.

[Munger]

and he'll be out doing it again already

says who? Do you know the driver? Did you follow him since the accident and examine his driving pattern? Seen any other accidents he had? Did you care to read that he had a "previous good character" meaning no accidents before this tragic event?

bunch of bashing <deleted myself> on here...

Wow…you are one of the most ignorant people ever to post on here. And that is saying a lot. I actually feel sorry for you

YUP, it sure is saying a lot. "most ignorant" for sure. Swiss1960, and all the other Thai apologists get a life .

[MMarlow]

but let a farang spill one drop of thai blood and there is hell to pay.

Such as?

[MMarlow]

and he'll be out doing it again already

says who? Do you know the driver? Did you follow him since the accident and examine his driving pattern? Seen any other accidents he had? Did you care to read that he had a "previous good character" meaning no accidents before this tragic event?

bunch of bashing <deleted myself> on here...

Wow…you are one of the most ignorant people ever to post on here. And that is saying a lot. I actually feel sorry for you

Why is he ignorant? The ignorant ones are 'kannot' for his daft irrational comment and you for not explaining what the ignorance was in Swiss1960s perfectly rational comment.

[balo]

The main roads in Thailand are no place for cyclists . If someone had warned them maybe they would have changed their minds and still be alive today .