Two-vehicle shunt puts Phuket traffic lights out of action

[webfact]

Two-vehicle shunt puts Phuket traffic lights out of action
Eakkapop Thongtub

The car after the smash.

PHUKET: -- A two-vehicle smash caused traffic chaos on Thepkrasattri Rd yesterday afternoon (June 2) when one of the vehicles demolished the traffic signal controller at the Khao Lan intersection in Baan Lipon.

Thaya Thepnoo, 22, told police he was driving his car south, approaching the lights, when they turned amber. He slowed down but was rear-ended by a pick-up truck, which shunted his car into the traffic light control box, putting the lights out of action.

Manin Dechaweerakarn, 51, the driver of the pick-up, who works for the Phang Nga Provincial Electricity Authority, said he was not that familiar with the road and was not aware of the “new” lights, which were in fact installed a year ago. He admitted causing the accident.

Luckily, no one was hurt.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/two-vehicle-shunt-puts-phuket-traffic-lights-out-of-action-46633.php


-- Phuket News 2014-06-03

[Payboy]

Manin Dechaweerakarn, 51, the driver of the pick-up, who works for the Phang Nga Provincial Electricity Authority, said he was not that familiar with the road and was not aware of the “new” lights, which were in fact installed a year ago.

Also that White sedan wasn't stopped there last year.

[steelepulse]

Driver from Phang na just assumed the white car would run the light, so the truck driver accelerated accordingly.

[NomadJoe]

Driver from Phang na just assumed the white car would run the light, so the truck driver accelerated accordingly.

A reasonable assumption.

The first thing I do when I see a light turning red is check my mirrors. I am forced to run red lights here all the time because I can see the vehicles behind me have no intention to stop. It's necessary for survival. Good thing the LTD has just added a couple extra hours of instruction. Should end all that nonsense.

[MMarlow]

Driver from Phang na just assumed the white car would run the light, so the truck driver accelerated accordingly.

A reasonable assumption.

The first thing I do when I see a light turning red is check my mirrors. I am forced to run red lights here all the time because I can see the vehicles behind me have no intention to stop. It's necessary for survival. Good thing the LTD has just added a couple extra hours of instruction. Should end all that nonsense.

It's fair to assume that if you really do run red lights "all the time" because of your ESP that tells you what the following driver has in his mind it is only a matter of time before you cause an accident. Bear that in mind next time you risk other people's lives.

[stevenl]

Driver from Phang na just assumed the white car would run the light, so the truck driver accelerated accordingly.

A reasonable assumption.

The first thing I do when I see a light turning red is check my mirrors. I am forced to run red lights here all the time because I can see the vehicles behind me have no intention to stop. It's necessary for survival. Good thing the LTD has just added a couple extra hours of instruction. Should end all that nonsense.

Strange, I never had to run a red light because of that.

[JetsetBkk]

Don't those lights have a countdown time on display?

If so, there's no need to "run the light", or brake sharply.

But, maybe the display wasn't working properly.

[NomadJoe]

Don't those lights have a countdown time on display?

If so, there's no need to "run the light", or brake sharply.

But, maybe the display wasn't working properly.

Most do, many don't, and many that do don't work.

[DaveHKT]

Ok, I can accept that a vehicle pile up knocked out these lights. Can someone explain why all the other traffic lights are not working, surely it can't be because of accidents?

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[I Like Thai]

Driver from Phang na just assumed the white car would run the light, so the truck driver accelerated accordingly.

A reasonable assumption.

The first thing I do when I see a light turning red is check my mirrors. I am forced to run red lights here all the time because I can see the vehicles behind me have no intention to stop. It's necessary for survival. Good thing the LTD has just added a couple extra hours of instruction. Should end all that nonsense.

Try doing it after they turn amber, don't wait until they go to red. Maybe you should sign up for the extra hours of instruction yourself.

[NomadJoe]

A reasonable assumption.

The first thing I do when I see a light turning red is check my mirrors. I am forced to run red lights here all the time because I can see the vehicles behind me have no intention to stop. It's necessary for survival. Good thing the LTD has just added a couple extra hours of instruction. Should end all that nonsense.

Strange, I never had to run a red light because of that.

A reasonable assumption.

The first thing I do when I see a light turning red is check my mirrors. I am forced to run red lights here all the time because I can see the vehicles behind me have no intention to stop. It's necessary for survival. Good thing the LTD has just added a couple extra hours of instruction. Should end all that nonsense.

It's fair to assume that if you really do run red lights "all the time" because of your ESP that tells you what the following driver has in his mind it is only a matter of time before you cause an accident. Bear that in mind next time you risk other people's lives.

Not ESP; my eyes, my experience, and the knowledge that this is a common way to get run over here as evidenced by this and other cases I have read in the media over the years. A few years ago a friend of mine was so traumatized after seeing a school girl get eviscerated by an 18-wheeler at the Tesco Lotus intersection he had to leave Thailand for good.

I have been riding here daily for 13 years collision free, and longer in the states, and have completed both the beginner and advanced riding courses back home, as well as several emergency vehicle operation courses. I have ridden from one end of Thailand to the other and beyond. Do not lecture me on rider safety and do not accuse me of risking other people lives. I live rider safety, and running newly red lights when you don't want to is a necessity here at times if you want to stay alive. If you had had the close calls I have, when cars, bikes, or lorries shot past me and through a red light I stopped at with mere millimeters to spare, you would understand. Sometimes the car behind the car behind me runs it too. Incredibly common here. Back home yellow lights are timed in such away to reflect the speed of the vehicles, and allow enough time to respond. Here they are mostly a standard 3 or 4 seconds regardless of the average speed of the road users.

[steelepulse]

If you live in a glass bubble here and have never seen everyone speed up to make the light, then probably it's best to stay off the road. The countdown timers don't make things better as riders/drivers see that they have a few seconds left to make the light and they accelerate, not brake. If you happen to be a conscientious driver, you are aware of this and take appropriate measures not to get hit or run over, whatever those maneuvers might be. No need to substantiate a move that keeps you alive and accident free, for those of you substantiation police that don't believe anything unless they read about it in the local rag.

[madmitch]

Driver from Phang na just assumed the white car would run the light, so the truck driver accelerated accordingly.

A reasonable assumption.

The first thing I do when I see a light turning red is check my mirrors. I am forced to run red lights here all the time because I can see the vehicles behind me have no intention to stop. It's necessary for survival. Good thing the LTD has just added a couple extra hours of instruction. Should end all that nonsense.

I stated exactly this in a post some time ago and I too had a comment stating that it was wrong to do this by none other than former moderator Katabeachbum!

I try to drive here as much as possible as I would in the West but when you have a minibus a couple of feet behind you and there's an amber light you are not going to slam on the brakes. There are times when you have to use common sense and "local rules" apply.

[NomadJoe]

Driver from Phang na just assumed the white car would run the light, so the truck driver accelerated accordingly.

A reasonable assumption.

The first thing I do when I see a light turning red is check my mirrors. I am forced to run red lights here all the time because I can see the vehicles behind me have no intention to stop. It's necessary for survival. Good thing the LTD has just added a couple extra hours of instruction. Should end all that nonsense.

Try doing it after they turn amber, don't wait until they go to red. Maybe you should sign up for the extra hours of instruction yourself.

You need instruction in comprehension. Do we really have to explain how stop lights work? I did not say I wait until they go red. That is why I used "-ing." Of course your actions depend on how far you are from the light. If I am still a ways off and see the green count down timer approaching green, that is a "light turning red", as is a yellow light. If you are going to be close to the intersection when the light goes red, you had better check your mirrors before stopping. I promise you the driver in the above photo didn't.

[Guest]

While riding with scooter I have had couple of close encounters with high speed cars passing me when I had stopped on red lights.

It's far better to adapt to the local way or driving/riding than try to follow the rules we would do in the farang-world.

We sometimes like to complain how slowly Thais seem to accelerate when the traffic lights turn in to green. I guess evolution has done it's work. Those who used to accelerated fast are no longer driving with us as they got hit by red runners.

[waoscar]

I spent 20 years DJ'ing in Australia and when travelling home late Friday and Saturday night you need to know that green

does NOT mean go it means check Left and Right then go. I have avoided a couple red light runners over that 20 year period.

Here in LOS it is like Saturday night in Australia every day and every night. Green means check left and right, it also means

to me, don't even think about launching on the Green (definitely don't do the Ausie, red other direction, 1, 2, go, trick).

Orange 100% means check rear mirror decide if stopping.

[stevenl]

Driver from Phang na just assumed the white car would run the light, so the truck driver accelerated accordingly.

A reasonable assumption.

The first thing I do when I see a light turning red is check my mirrors. I am forced to run red lights here all the time because I can see the vehicles behind me have no intention to stop. It's necessary for survival. Good thing the LTD has just added a couple extra hours of instruction. Should end all that nonsense.

I stated exactly this in a post some time ago and I too had a comment stating that it was wrong to do this by none other than former moderator Katabeachbum!

I try to drive here as much as possible as I would in the West but when you have a minibus a couple of feet behind you and there's an amber light you are not going to slam on the brakes. There are times when you have to use common sense and "local rules" apply.

Yes, I would agree with that and do the same. But still, never had this happen to me.