Seven people killed, 24 injured when double decker bus crashes in Phetchaburi

[tuanku]

Double decker buses

we will ban them

we will regulate them

we will conduct tilt tests on them

we will not licence any new ones and phase out the old ones

Over and over and over and still nothing gets done.

How hard can it be? even the RTP can recognise a dd bus when it rolls up at a checkpoint!

[Redline]

Waiting for the driver to turn himself in for faulty brakes errrrr wet road....whatever..."the sight of blood makes me sick". Just make a little effort!!!!

[Bangkok Barry]

. I see a 'clamp down coming'...

Self-styled VIPs (MPs) do not ride the bus, even VIP buses, so they don't care. Until some poor relative who can't afford a Merc dies in a crash. Then they might do something.

[Bangkok Barry]

It will never end. There is no hope for anything to change - there is no will to change, the government can't or won't enforce the existing laws and employers will keep hiring ill trained drivers for, as we all know, it's all about money and the hell with the people.

It is not up to the government to enforce the law. They make the law. The police are the ones who enforce it, but that is too much effort so they don't.

[masuk]

Again the slaughter will never cease ! surely any Government with a bit of power can do something about this hideous situation !

Do the drivers of trucks and buses here have a driver's log book? same as most western countries, to keep a check on rest periods, driving hours?

Or maybe this will happen when motorbike helmets are totally compulsory. There seem to be a large number of fatal accidents involving drivers sleeping at the wheel.

[jesimps]

Thais don't have the common sense gene. For some reason or other they're born without it. This type of thing therefore will continue to happen.

[LUSHGOAT]

Some of these bus drivers are not fit to even use a wheel barrow. I traveled in one once and the driver was an absolute lunatic I had to shout at him to slow to hell down even in traffic. More laws need to be enforced to control this carry on. R.I.P TO all the deceased.

Edited May 23, 2016 by LUSHGOAT

[joboss]

The bus looks like one of those cheap Thai made death traps!

Only death traps if they crash. Otherwise comfortable and the tickets are a reasonable price.

[MockingJay]

We all can type until our fingers bleed and nothing will change to the better when it comes to road safety in Thailand... All one can do is to refrain from entering a bus or mini van in Thailand EVER and go by plane, or drive with your own or a rental car instead, and instruct every single person you know (except your personal enemies of course) to do the same...

Edited May 23, 2016 by MockingJay

[MockingJay]

The bus looks like one of those cheap Thai made death traps!

Only death traps if they crash. Otherwise comfortable and the tickets are a reasonable price.

...and the latter might be the exact reason why there's so much havoc involving buses! If drivers were paid well, not allowed (or forced?) to do double shifts, get ample sleep, etc. all this would not have happened! On top of this - CCTV streaming cams should be installed and co-drivers sleeping or loafing around and not paying attention should be laid off immediately along with a report, name and picture of him to all other bus operators, urging them to not employ that person. Bus drivers causing accidents should have their license revoked and be banned from public transport for life... Then, when their livelihood all of a sudden is on the line, knowing that one slip will have them eating Mama soup for the rest of their life, maybe then, something will change. But I doubt it (see my previous posting)...

[oldlakey]

We all can type until our fingers bleed and nothing will change to the better when it comes to road safety in Thailand... All one can do is to refrain from entering a bus or mini van in Thailand EVER and go by plane, or drive with your own or a rental car instead, and instruct every single person you know (except your personal enemies of course) to do the same...

When I visit Thailand which is normally 5/6 times per year my first choice of transport is the train it is safer

I know but I am never in a hurry and I know most people need to use the roads daily just be lucky

[Psychic]

If a commercial aircraft left Suvarnabhumi and crashed killing everyone aboard it probably wouldn't take long till the cause was investigated and corrected.

Yet that is exactly what is happening on the roads here. A planeload of deaths every two days.

I can't even imagine what the injury total is.

I never took the Thai driving test, for anyone who did, do they question things like braking distances, driving to the road and weather conditions, the two second rule for following and why in Gods name is it illegal rather than mandatory to have daylight running lights?

[Lupatria]

Again the slaughter will never cease ! surely any Government with a bit of power can do something about this hideous situation !

If you have time, do some research and find out who the owners and stake holders of most of the bus companies are...

[aussiandrew]

Not a good 24 hours for everyday Thai people. RIP

[TKDfella]

The bus looks like one of those cheap Thai made death traps!

Yes, I offer wonder why some of these death traps are labelled as V.I.P.

...because they were built by Very Irresponsible Plonkers?

Nah...VIP means Ventral intraparietal Process, in this case, lack of; or Vandalism In Progress; or etc. Seriously, a preventable killing of innocent people. R.I.P.

[oldsailor35]

Same old excuses, wet slippery road, driver not familiar with road. He is bus driver for goodness sake ! When i read all this crap i wonder how long a Thai bus driver would last in Europe. I notice from the pic that the bus was well built to Thai safety standards, it appeared to have crumbled like a cardboard bus would have.

[oldsailor35]

The bus looks like one of those cheap Thai made death traps!

Only death traps if they crash. Otherwise comfortable and the tickets are a reasonable price.

...and the latter might be the exact reason why there's so much havoc involving buses! If drivers were paid well, not allowed (or forced?) to do double shifts, get ample sleep, etc. all this would not have happened! On top of this - CCTV streaming cams should be installed and co-drivers sleeping or loafing around and not paying attention should be laid off immediately along with a report, name and picture of him to all other bus operators, urging them to not employ that person. Bus drivers causing accidents should have their license revoked and be banned from public transport for life... Then, when their livelihood all of a sudden is on the line, knowing that one slip will have them eating Mama soup for the rest of their life, maybe then, something will change. But I doubt it (see my previous posting)...

Don't get carried away ! The driver and relief driver (if there was one) will be on the road again in no time with another load of unsuspecting passengers.

[Norvid]

They say there is no perpetum mobile however, this statement is not entirely true. Thai killing roads are an exception from this law.

[Happy Grumpy]

Centuries of buffalo and carts, to powerful double-decker coaches and roads in one generation.

[Doc46]

What's the good of reporting this,,,nothing is getting done to get them Maggot drivers of the road ,the Government is as weak as piss.

[khomlong1]

And again, blame it on the rain. Yes, it is raining for the first time in history, so the drivers are not used to wet and possibly slippery roads. Good grief! Get a life!

[khomlong1]

Driving in the rain? Better stay in Bed and save some lives.

[Johpa]

But they are proud of, fixing the lottery price, and removing deck chairs, Human life means nothing!

Some of us have been around long enough to remember when they fixed the lottery and got caught on national TV.

[kingalfred]

These stories are no longer news to me. And the reason why? Because the country doesnt think these regular Bus crashes are a "problem"!

[FredNL]

Just another day in Thailand.

[ableguy]

In the UK there are measurable standards for the aggregate used on the roads.

Measurements for wear, polishability, smoothness / roughness etc are all taken before an aggregate is accepted for use on UK's highways.

This allows for maximum longevity and better grip on the roads in varying conditions. The UK's roads are far from perfect (a debate for another time), but I'd hazard a guess that the higher quality of grip prevents numbers accidents.

In Thailand I suspect they use 'any aggregate' which polishes easily and after rain these road surfaces become slick, particularly when it rains after a lengthy dry spell.

Anyone with half a brain knows this and adjusts their driving.

Those driving public transport seem to be unaware of this.

Perhaps the culture of using the guys who are too uneducated or dumb to carry out any other work and have them drive heavy vehicles, trucks, lorries, Busses and Mini-Vans is simply wrong. These guys need specific education... I see a 'clamp down coming'...

Driver education

Driver fatigue

Poor road conditions (slippy surfaces)

Poor road marking

Poor vehicle maintenance (breaks and tyres)

These are issues readily addressed in developed nations, addressing these issue here would potentially save 1000's of lives per year... IF only those in positions of decision making power even cared about this enough to think about it.

You see a clamp down coming, wow. Lived here seven years seen hundreds of clampdowns but nothing changes.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Why all the jumping to conclusions? Tragic road accidents happen in all countries...they're nothing unique to Thailand.

From today's San Francisco Chronicle...http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/California-bus-crash-leaves-dozens-injured-2-7938912.php

Are all the government officials in California incompetent and corrupt too?

Edited May 23, 2016 by OMGImInPattaya

[ableguy]

No doubt some Govt. person will give this some lip service about clampdown on this or that, utter verbiage all the time. If nothing is enforced what is the point?

All commercial vehicles should be fitted with a tachograph, and if travelling for 8 hours or longer then a second driver should be in the vehicle. Given how little these drivers are paid, it would hardly cost the operators a fortune.

If a total moron is driving a soap box guess what chances are it will overturn, the number of passenger vans and buses who love to drive six inches from my rear bumper flashing their lights or overtaking on the hard shoulder have made me swear off taking any form of public transport, it's a miracle the low cost airlines are not in the news the same as the vans. Hel even the trains are a death trap over 140 de railings last year..

[Berty100]

The bus looks like one of those cheap Thai made death traps!

Yes, I offer wonder why some of these death traps are labelled as V.I.P.

I think I read a government report a few years ago that 90% of those double deckers is not road worthy because their wheel base is too small for the height. The government is aware of it but can't take them of the road because that would hurt business.

[Berty100]

Why all the jumping to conclusions? Tragic road accidents happen in all countries...they're nothing unique to Thailand.

You're right, only Thailand has as many road deaths every week as my country had in the past 4 years