5 dead, more than 20 injured in bus-truck head-on collision in Kamphaeng Phet

[kiwikeith]

And so the carnage continues. Won't they ever learn?

They learn easy " me go first, get out of my way no need to worry about overtaking on blind corners or hills just remember me go first , no-need to remember any other road rules thats all you need in LOS.

[Tomtomtom69]

So after all these months they still haven't finished upgrading this road. No wonder everyone heading from Bangkok to Lampang/Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai is driving along the Nakorn Sawan-Phitsanulok-Uttaradit-Den Chai road now as there are barely any construction works going on there. However, heading to Mae Sot unless you want to do a huge detour, going via Kampaeng Phet is the only way.

[Tomtomtom69]

taking the bus in thailand is a false economy if ever there was one.

life too short to save money by taking the bus.

if i cant afford to fly or drive, i cant afford to go.

As a former commercial pilot with over 10,000 hours flying my feeling is the same for taking the airplane.

The only way I will travel anywhere is by taking the car and driving myself.

And even then I try to figure out when there is the least amount of heavy traffic on the road.

Thais aren't the same people today as they were when I first came here sixty years ago.

Of course that does not only pertain to Thailand, it's the same in all the countries of the world I have worked and lived in, including my own country Holland.

For someone who has phobia of flying, is there a way to ease her anxiety? There are some people who prefer to travel on land rather than flying, not because they can't afford so.

Well that's one aspect, but consider that you can't just fly anywhere you want. There are only so many airports. Consider someone who wants to travel to Kampaeng Phet, where the accident occurred. The only way there is by road. There is no airport nearby, unless you count Sukhothai or Mae Sot, both well over 100km away. However, even if you flew into either airport with Sukhothai being the closer one of the two, you'd still have to travel by road the last stretch to KP.

Also, how about if you're headed from Nakorn Sawan to Tak? Or from Phichit to Khon Kaen? Or from Ubon to Chiang Rai? Not everyone starts their journey in Bangkok. So travel by road is the only way then. However, I agree that driving is safer than going by bus, although not everyone has a car or can afford to rent one.

[Asheron]

It's not a secret that that thai people are "special kind of stupid" when they sit behind the wheel. My "best" encounter was drivin in the night time (was like 24:00 so pitch black and no street lighting) and a truck without ANY kind of lights on was driving against me and when i flashed my head lights he flashed his but didn't turn them on. I literally have hundreds stories like this from just 3 years of driving in Thailand but after driving for almost two decades in Sweden i can't even recall one "you just went full retard" incident.

[chrissables]

I don't think their driving habits will ever improve. I've been driving here since 2001 and I really think instead of getting better they are getting a lot worse. The wife and I just yesterday made a trip from Lampang to Mae Sot and by the time we returned I was worn out from the near misses,the road construction, and the just plain idiots driving. The road from Tak to Mae Sot has been greatly improved since 2001. It used to be 2 lanes most of the way and was white knuckle driving, never knowing what awaited you at the next curve or hill. They've added many passing lanes for the big slow over loaded trucks to move over to, but quess where these dorks drive, yes in the passing lane because they've ruined the left lane forcing you in that rough left lane to pass them. I think that will be my last trip up that road, from now on, even though it's a lot farther, I'm going to Mae Sai for boarder runs and shopping.

When you arrive a Tak, head North towards the dam, road 1107, and take a left on road 1175. This is a lovely scenic road to Mae Ramat and then South to Mae Sot. It's a bit longer, but a lovely and safe road.

[Tomtomtom69]

I don't think their driving habits will ever improve. I've been driving here since 2001 and I really think instead of getting better they are getting a lot worse. The wife and I just yesterday made a trip from Lampang to Mae Sot and by the time we returned I was worn out from the near misses,the road construction, and the just plain idiots driving. The road from Tak to Mae Sot has been greatly improved since 2001. It used to be 2 lanes most of the way and was white knuckle driving, never knowing what awaited you at the next curve or hill. They've added many passing lanes for the big slow over loaded trucks to move over to, but quess where these dorks drive, yes in the passing lane because they've ruined the left lane forcing you in that rough left lane to pass them. I think that will be my last trip up that road, from now on, even though it's a lot farther, I'm going to Mae Sai for boarder runs and shopping.

When you arrive a Tak, head North towards the dam, road 1107, and take a left on road 1175. This is a lovely scenic road to Mae Ramat and then South to Mae Sot. It's a bit longer, but a lovely and safe road.

You mean at Ban Tak. That's about 18km north of Tak city. Yes that's a good road, although a bit winding in parts but most of the road has been resurfaced. However, there are a couple of army checkpoints and they are amongst the strictest checkpoints I've come across. One guy (very friendly though) will stop you guaranteed, will ask for your licence, where you are going, check your car etc. which rarely occurs on the Mae Sot-Tak road which has far more traffic.

Mae Sot-Tak, I've driven that road countless times. It's getting better because they are now upgrading the whole stretch to 4 lanes, that is, all the sections which have yet to be upgraded. The first 20km out of Tak is already 4 lanes, as is the last 15 or so km before Mae Sot. In between there are 2, 3 and 4 lane sections going through the national park. They have put a few orange marker thingys in the middle of the road on the narrow stretches to prevent overtaking, but many vehicles just ignore them, drive through and damage them and overtake anyway. There is a curve there that has claimed 100 lives in just a month. Yes, 100 lives in a month!! I'm assuming that was the result of 2-3 bus accidents each with 30 or so victims. While this is by no means an average, I think there are certainly a few, if not a couple of dozen fatalities on that road every month making it one of Thailand's most dangerous and notorious roads. However, it is no great challenge for experienced and careful drivers who drive according to the Thai style, without the blind overtaking maneuvers of course.

[chrissables]

I don't think their driving habits will ever improve. I've been driving here since 2001 and I really think instead of getting better they are getting a lot worse. The wife and I just yesterday made a trip from Lampang to Mae Sot and by the time we returned I was worn out from the near misses,the road construction, and the just plain idiots driving. The road from Tak to Mae Sot has been greatly improved since 2001. It used to be 2 lanes most of the way and was white knuckle driving, never knowing what awaited you at the next curve or hill. They've added many passing lanes for the big slow over loaded trucks to move over to, but quess where these dorks drive, yes in the passing lane because they've ruined the left lane forcing you in that rough left lane to pass them. I think that will be my last trip up that road, from now on, even though it's a lot farther, I'm going to Mae Sai for boarder runs and shopping.

When you arrive a Tak, head North towards the dam, road 1107, and take a left on road 1175. This is a lovely scenic road to Mae Ramat and then South to Mae Sot. It's a bit longer, but a lovely and safe road.

You mean at Ban Tak. That's about 18km north of Tak city. Yes that's a good road, although a bit winding in parts but most of the road has been resurfaced. However, there are a couple of army checkpoints and they are amongst the strictest checkpoints I've come across. One guy (very friendly though) will stop you guaranteed, will ask for your licence, where you are going, check your car etc. which rarely occurs on the Mae Sot-Tak road which has far more traffic.

Mae Sot-Tak, I've driven that road countless times. It's getting better because they are now upgrading the whole stretch to 4 lanes, that is, all the sections which have yet to be upgraded. The first 20km out of Tak is already 4 lanes, as is the last 15 or so km before Mae Sot. In between there are 2, 3 and 4 lane sections going through the national park. They have put a few orange marker thingys in the middle of the road on the narrow stretches to prevent overtaking, but many vehicles just ignore them, drive through and damage them and overtake anyway. There is a curve there that has claimed 100 lives in just a month. Yes, 100 lives in a month!! I'm assuming that was the result of 2-3 bus accidents each with 30 or so victims. While this is by no means an average, I think there are certainly a few, if not a couple of dozen fatalities on that road every month making it one of Thailand's most dangerous and notorious roads. However, it is no great challenge for experienced and careful drivers who drive according to the Thai style, without the blind overtaking maneuvers of course.

Yes, at Ban Tak.

I have been stopped and also waved through. It is a bit winding, but a nice safe road when compared to the main route with all the deaths. 100 in a month!

I am never in a hurry if in that area, so better to enjoy the views and be a bit late is my style.

[sambum]

Headline... 5 Dead.

From the story "The head-on collision killed both drivers of the bus and truck and two other passengers, who include a Myanmar man and a woman."

I may be old and I know my math skills are not what they used to be, BUT, 2 drivers killed, plus 2 passengers. Last time I checked, 2+2=4 not 5.

I do wish Thai reporters would check their facts, and proofread the stories.

... and the road carnage continues.

You are just reading it wrong, it is both of the bus's two drivers and the trucks one driver, plus two passengers, actually now three passengers as one died on the way to hospital, so it is now six dead.

No, not reading it wrong - it's just been written "wrong"! Why didn't the reporter say "both bus drivers and the driver of the truck" and it would have saved a lot of confusion.

[naboo]

One problem is that they are remaking parts of the highway (I'm not sure how far but it's over 30km) so instead of being 2 lanes in each direction with a buffer area between there is just one lane in each direction, they are not doing one side of the highway at a time so you must change lanes at several places and at some areas it's back to using all the lanes.

This is the road where there are numerous stretches of road works, forcing cars to use a single carriageway. There is a lethal lack of signage. My last trip down this road was scary (to say the least); People should have been aware that it is unwise and extremely stupid to overtake on these stretches - but every man Jack was trying to use it as a raceway. The near misses were incredible and I saw two pick-ups in the ditch. It would help if there was frequent signage and bollards in these situations but off course, being Thailand, there is no (or very little) safety measures in these areas. A disaster waiting to happen. It happened.

To add to the above two comments, I travelled this section of road twice in October. The signs around the road works are virtually non-existent, there was a section where three lanes of the contraflow had become two,outside lane merged into middle but I was travelling in the opposite direction, I styed in my lane and suddenly realised I was now in the lane coming the opposite direction.

Memorable as one of the most dangerous sections of road I have ever driven. I was driving at night, no street lights, no signs, no cones and no clear indication in parts as to where I was supposed to be driving. And people were overtaking like idiots of course.

[simonuk]

This surely is a more important issue than Facebook likes etc ..Decent training , proper licensing , enforcing the law , drink drug testing for drivers , good road signage , liability for employers etc.

How about they take a look at how other nations do it ? Oh but this is Thailand ...The planets collective knowledge and experience is irrelevant here.

The government is garbage ,, the people who run the country are utterly ignorant. consistently failing to address important issues , simply obsessed with protecting their own positions through bribes and shortcuts..

Wonderful people under the control of a selfish, self-serving, manipulative elite.

Edited February 17, 2016 by simonuk

[Shawn0001]

Headline... 5 Dead.

From the story "The head-on collision killed both drivers of the bus and truck and two other passengers, who include a Myanmar man and a woman."

I may be old and I know my math skills are not what they used to be, BUT, 2 drivers killed, plus 2 passengers. Last time I checked, 2+2=4 not 5.

I do wish Thai reporters would check their facts, and proofread the stories.

... and the road carnage continues.

You are just reading it wrong, it is both of the bus's two drivers and the trucks one driver, plus two passengers, actually now three passengers as one died on the way to hospital, so it is now six dead.

No, not reading it wrong - it's just been written "wrong"! Why didn't the reporter say "both bus drivers and the driver of the truck" and it would have saved a lot of confusion.

I didn't mean that it was a correct sentence, just that you weren't correctly interpreting (a.k.a. reading) what they intended us to understand.

[Ks45672]

The "need" to over-take.

Why ?

The "need" is always there.

Why ?

Late ?

Late for what ?

Commercial drivers are often paid per journey so they try and make as many runs per shift as they can.... Also run overloaded to save money

An 18 wheel rig against a double decker bus sounds horrific as neither of them can swerve to get out of the way without tipping over

There's a video of similar crash in China on YouTube..... Scary..