Video of Thai bus driver dangerously overtaking truck causes outrage

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

Having been in two bus crashes some years ago and having driven and ridden on Thai roads foe many years I have some experience. It is basically a big game of "Chicken". Whoever has the biggest vehicle "owns the road" and everyone must get out of the way.

Until a real driving test is introduced, and the laws are enforced the car-nage on the roads will continue.

[Artisi]

Many years ago I used to do "eye in the sky" traffic reporting from a helicopter and I can tell you that the only safe road is an empty road. Three lanes, all going the same direction, nice day, could not believe that one numpty took out the cars either side of him and then rolled! I used to chat with the traffic cops in between reports and they tell some pretty amazing stories about human stupidity,,,,,,

of course anything is possible...however the rule is that out-of-control cars moving in more or less the same direction are likely to cause much less damage than cars travelling towards each other.

Not likely to cause less damage, will cause less damage--simple laws of physics.

The force of the impact in the same direction is the difference between the speed of the two vehicles whereas impact in opposite directions is the sum of the two speeds.

[William C F Pierce]

I have travelled the south/north route many times and never had to give an address or show passport. So I can't see how the bus company will trace and interview passengers. It's just a face save PR exercise by the bus company.

Edited March 12, 2016 by metisdead
Bold font removed, again. Please stop using bold font when posting.

[metisdead]

A troll post containing a link to an article in violation of the following has been removed:

All suspects in lese majeste cases, national security cases, violators of NCPO orders will face court martial. In the past, discussion of the lese majeste law has been allowed, but due to increased scrutiny by the government this will no longer be permitted on Thaivisa.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/878797-updated-notice-to-members-posting-in-thailand-news/

[whiterussian]

You see a lot of passing on curves in Thailand. Head ons just waiting to happen, kinda like Russian roulette!

It's the ones that come head on while you're picking your nose, or momentarily distracted..

Can't help thinking a Thai Gatso franchise would help... printing out whiskey money...

[jacko45k]

And since when has it become acceptable to endanger life because you are flashing your headlights.

It is like using your hazards, you obviously know you are doing wrong and it is a deliberate act... fines should be doubled!

Although coming around corners and finding overtaking vehicles on your side of the road is commonplace. Replace the roads with dual carriageways and guess what, now it is just vehicles going the wrong way.

Edited March 12, 2016 by jacko45k

[Kawapete]

Like mentioned already, this is unfortunately normal to the extend where one just pulls out in the dirt without thinking much about it anymore.

I drive every weekend between Bkk and Samroy Yod mostly on motorcycle and have seen it all too often. There is no consequence of wrongdoing and therefore it newer ends.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts have been removed.

[aussieinthailand]

The Bum who posted that is dumb ,plenty of room on his LHS. Like most of those Dash Cam Clowns they drag as much out of nothing for their You Tube posting

So if the person with the dash cam had a family on a motor bike on his LHS then what?

What if it was your family in the car? or the bus and the car didn't move quickly enough??? so now WHO'S THE BUM? TROLL.

Well Ace of pop, people have dash cam's for this reason and clip sent in so others can comment and kick the asses of the BIB to do something and have the usual "crack down" that lasts for a week then back to same ol same ol. your mum would be so proud.

[apetley]

uh okay, there is no loss of life, not in a corner, the car has doubled in a straight line, it has ample room to grow, and the road is clean ...

It is widely extended to three.

I had the case with a good car, just have to push and continue driving

Lemmings springs to mind. One overtakes so the rest follow.

[selftaopath]

Proof of mental condition of the average thai driver.

This happens hundreds of thousands of times every single day.

And absolutely nothing is done about it. Also proof of mental condition.

Something definitely can be done but would require a functioning police force and a will to enforce traffic laws.

Honestly I don't understand the Thai government's "none approach" to enforcing traffic laws. The BIB shake down some cars/bikes for cash, but a lot more money could be gotten if legal tickets/fines were given. And the number of dangerous situations would be drastically reduced. ????? Must be Thai logic involved. lol lol ?????

[LannaGuy]

CCTV undoubtedly enforces better driving and these dashcams will help too but Thais will be Thais and best to assume all those on the roads are morons and drive with focussed intent

[dbrenn]

Insane driving like this happens all the time here. Some Thai males have this psycho macho streak, short man syndrome or whatever, which comes out in the way they drive. I was on a bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai a few years back, and made the mistake of sitting at the front, where I could see out. Terrifying. The bus was overtaking around blind bends and nearly collided head on with several vehicles. A truck was forced of the road - as we passed it I caught a glimpse of it running off the road and down a steep slope. The bus didn't stop, so no idea what happened to the truck in the end.

[jamesbrock]

Proof of mental condition of the average thai driver.

This happens hundreds of thousands of times every single day.

And absolutely nothing is done about it. Also proof of mental condition.

Something definitely can be done but would require a functioning police force and a will to enforce traffic laws.

Honestly I don't understand the Thai government's "none approach" to enforcing traffic laws. The BIB shake down some cars/bikes for cash, but a lot more money could be gotten if legal tickets/fines were given. And the number of dangerous situations would be drastically reduced. ????? Must be Thai logic involved. lol lol ?????

You are correct, but it all boils down to greed, and those in power having their collective snouts well and truly in the trough.

The reason Thailand is arguably the most dangerous country in the world to drive or ride, the reason there is so much organised crime that we now have an 'indefinite crackdown,' the reason there is an ever-growing list of increasingly-violent attacks across the kingdom, the reason Bangkok is rated 173 out of 230 cities across the globe for personal safety for expats, the reason there is such a massive human trafficking problem, the reason Thailand is the hub of sex-tourism despite prostitution being illegal - is, as you so rightly pointed out, the woefully incompetent, completely ineffectual Royal Thai Police farce.

Now, I'm not saying all police are terrible, but when a country's police force is so seriously underfunded that the members have to purchase their own weapons and equipment, where almost all of the rank and file officers have to resort to petty corruption, coercing bribes from the public or extorting money from traffic law violators, in order to make ends meet, one can never expect a professional police force with the highest of ethics. Indeed, one unfortunate consequence of the low salaries (officers holding a bachelor’s degree or better receive an initial salary of only 8,340 baht, while those with a sub-bachelor education receive a mere 6,800 baht) is the so-called ‘Harsh organisational value’ of RTP, i.e., the tacit attitude among police officers toward misconduct, fraud and collection of protection money. Not only do lower level officers see this behaviour as normal, they admire those senior officers who amass fortunes from illegal conduct.

Furthermore, when a country's police force is structured in such a way that this harsh value culminates in unfair appointments, which in turn can be linked to the centralised structure of the police force, there is very little hope of having a safe, law abiding society.

Thanks to the centralised structure of the RTP, high-level officials in the central office can appoint officers at the regional level. Moreover, since there are more officers at the commissioned level than at lower levels, with the former being granted power to hire or fire the latter, the reasons for promotions or demotions are unrelated to work performance, but rather to the personal relationships of officers with higher-ranking officials. Worst of all, ‘harsh value’ has led to the conspicuous purchase of positions within the agency, with the asking price for each position being revealed openly. Once those who bought their way up start working in their new positions, they will undergo a ‘payback’ period during which they tend to take bribes from illegal business operators to make up for the money ‘invested’ in buying their higher positions. This is why one can see illegal businesses such as casino or brothel-running on the high streets at the centre of cities such as Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.

One of the stated reasons why the average salary of Thai police officer is so low is the sheer size of personnel - at roughly 250,000 personnel, giving a wholesale pay rise to ensure all earn enough to meet rising living expenses of, say, 5,000 baht per month, would cost the government an additional 15 billion baht (420 million USD) annually - enough to wipe out the kingdom's cash reserves in a little under four years. Of course, if this increase resulted in an effective police force able to stamp out corruption, not just within itself, but over the entire public service, the savings would be immeasurable.

Until Thailand has a decentralised, properly-paid, corruption-free, properly-trained (preferably by Australian, NZ, or UK police), professional police force with the highest of ethics, it will never be a safe country to live, visit, drive, or do business, and the overt corruption in all levels of government will continue unabated.

And it is this greed, this overt corruption in all levels of government, that prevents those with the power to change the situation from actually changing the situation.

[Ace of Pop]

Whatever,you know the score ,so just be sharp ,it won't change in our lifetime,only the Schools can instill a new gen ,not regs the old never respected.Mindset Saves Lives.

[evadgib]

The 'what's all the fuss about' brigade might see things differently if they or their families fall victim to such wreckless behavior.

[tartempion]

Just happened to me this morning.

Work underway on road 22 to make 2x2, not open yet, all traffic on one side of future high way, work underway for lighting ( fixing poles etc) in the middle.

Down a hill a truck overtaking an other truck flashing his lights to tell me to get out of his way, WHERE? There is no room! Thus I had to brake and stop to give him enough meters to overtake the other truck. Sure I flashed my lights all the time. Idiot.

One minute later an other smart as overtakes me whilst a truck is coming in the other direction. Now it is the truck who is flashing his lights, I drive as much left as possible. All you can do is Sigh...and TIT.

[Jai Dee]

A couple of flame posts have been removed from this thread.

[kimamey]

"A spokesperson for Nakhon Chai Air Company reportedly told Thairath that the company is currently in the process of calling the driver in for a serious meeting and investigation."

So this translates as dismissal then?

It's certainly not acceptable behaviour although I suppose we've all made mistakes at some point whilst driving. It would be interesting to know why he did this. Did he underestimate how quickly he could overtake or is this what he normally does? I have to say if it was a misjudgement it was a big one as he was nowhere near past the vehicle on his left.

Mistakes happen everywhere but often, as in this case don't result in accidents. Sometimes this is luck but in this case it was the quick actions of the oncoming driver. More generally what's needed are cameras in the buses and possibly vans as well. That way a driver's overall driving performance can be seen rather than having to rely on others to provide evidence based on a few seconds of video as in this case.

Well done to whoever posted the clip as it might make a difference, particularly if others follow. I haven't travelled with Nakhon Chai Air for some time although my wife does quite often but I think they are one of the safer companies so maybe there's a better chance of action with them.

As someone else has said the police should be looking at this as well.

[joboss]

The Bum who posted that is dumb ,plenty of room on his LHS. Like most of those Dash Cam Clowns they drag as much out of nothing for their You Tube posting

And if there wasn't ' plenty of room ' LHS ?

Someone driving on their own side of the road has to react to an idiot driving on the wrong side of the road because if they didn't ... !

I agree 100% Ace of Pop is probably also an crazy driver if he thinks it acceptable behavior. If I am on my side of the road they should just not overtake and force me to the side even if there is enough room. Because next time maybe there is not enough room.

Therein is the problem.

"If I am on MY side of the road"

Do you own the road?

Time to have an attitude shift, start sharing the road and maybe you personally can help lessen the carnage.

[Thian]

Today on the highway from PAttaya to BKK there was an escorted colonne of 3 blue buses who had a Tourist policecar with running emergency lights infront and behind them.

They drove on the fast lane 130 km-hr where traffic signs said 90 is the max and it was very busy on the highway.

Who can they be if the tourist police escorts them this way is the question.

[jerome2]

Trucks do worse at night without flashing... its generaly the passed truck that flashes... which is confusing at night because it divert your attention from the one that will kill you... i had to go out on the grass at least 2 times per year

[asean]

If I can't book the 3/4 back left side seat I don't travel by bus.

[cumgranosalum]

Compared to the school minivans around here hes driving perfectly well

An aside driving to Monaco many years ago in my MG i drove through France on their 3 lane roads (the middle one is fair game for the brave) well until you are faced with a truck flashing its lights you then move over fast!

France hat this rural roads with 3 lanes (one in the middle for both directions, aka "Suicide-lane") back in the 80ies. It looked simple

road01.jpg

but obviously it was too dangerous. So they changed the system entirly to "2lanes / 1 lane" in turns. That's how it looks today:

road02.jpg

road03.jpg

This is NOT a satisfactory system and probably partly accounts for the fact that France still has unacceptable death rates on their roads

[cumgranosalum]

Today on the highway from PAttaya to BKK there was an escorted colonne of 3 blue buses who had a Tourist policecar with running emergency lights infront and behind them.

They drove on the fast lane 130 km-hr where traffic signs said 90 is the max and it was very busy on the highway.

Who can they be if the tourist police escorts them this way is the question.

The behaviour of bus convoys certainly shows that the Thai police have no understanding of eve the basics of road safety.......that fact they have convoys at all is deplorable......do you EVER see convoys in your home country these days???? (even military convoys?)

[cumgranosalum]

Many years ago I used to do "eye in the sky" traffic reporting from a helicopter and I can tell you that the only safe road is an empty road. Three lanes, all going the same direction, nice day, could not believe that one numpty took out the cars either side of him and then rolled! I used to chat with the traffic cops in between reports and they tell some pretty amazing stories about human stupidity,,,,,,

of course anything is possible...however the rule is that out-of-control cars moving in more or less the same direction are likely to cause much less damage than cars travelling towards each other.

Not likely to cause less damage, will cause less damage--simple laws of physics.

The force of the impact in the same direction is the difference between the speed of the two vehicles whereas impact in opposite directions is the sum of the two speeds.

Essentially you are agreeing with me - except there is nothing simple about te physics of a car collision.

[poohy]

its generally the passed truck that flashes...

That's true and he is correct doing that, indicting to the overtaking truck he can pull in

[Artisi]

Many years ago I used to do "eye in the sky" traffic reporting from a helicopter and I can tell you that the only safe road is an empty road. Three lanes, all going the same direction, nice day, could not believe that one numpty took out the cars either side of him and then rolled! I used to chat with the traffic cops in between reports and they tell some pretty amazing stories about human stupidity,,,,,,

of course anything is possible...however the rule is that out-of-control cars moving in more or less the same direction are likely to cause much less damage than cars travelling towards each other.

Not likely to cause less damage, will cause less damage--simple laws of physics.

The force of the impact in the same direction is the difference between the speed of the two vehicles whereas impact in opposite directions is the sum of the two speeds.

Essentially you are agreeing with me - except there is nothing simple about te physics of a car collision.

Yes, with the one exception as noted.

[jpinx]

of course anything is possible...however the rule is that out-of-control cars moving in more or less the same direction are likely to cause much less damage than cars travelling towards each other.

Not likely to cause less damage, will cause less damage--simple laws of physics.

The force of the impact in the same direction is the difference between the speed of the two vehicles whereas impact in opposite directions is the sum of the two speeds.

Essentially you are agreeing with me - except there is nothing simple about te physics of a car collision.

Yes, with the one exception as noted.

For all you "same direction is safer" advocates,,,,

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/903423-2-die-when-van-slams-into-truck-on-bhumibol-1-bridge-in-bangkok/

[Artisi]

of course anything is possible...however the rule is that out-of-control cars moving in more or less the same direction are likely to cause much less damage than cars travelling towards each other.

Not likely to cause less damage, will cause less damage--simple laws of physics.

The force of the impact in the same direction is the difference between the speed of the two vehicles whereas impact in opposite directions is the sum of the two speeds.

Essentially you are agreeing with me - except there is nothing simple about te physics of a car collision.

Yes, with the one exception as noted.

For all you "same direction is safer" advocates,,,,

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/903423-2-die-when-van-slams-into-truck-on-bhumibol-1-bridge-in-bangkok/

Well there is limit, and it the truck was doing 80kph and the van doing 160kph then it stands to reason the impact speed was 80kph, not quite as dramatic as hitting a stationery object but lethal all the same.