Phuket visa run van wipeout: 3 dead, 7 injured

[Borzandy]

My condolences to the families of those who lost there lives,  and we could say thank you to the immigration to impose this sort of visa.

[Bangkok Barry]

4 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Its not just Phuket, the whole of Thailand is the same...
I reckon less than half the accidents make any form of news story, so the true carnage is much greater than we ever see in the media (Thai or English)

 

 

Where I live, on a long straight road with no obstacles, nothing, there have been 10 accidents, some fatal, in the last two years within 300 metres of my house in Kalasin Province. Only one, in which a lorry plowed into the back of a pickup waiting to make a right turn and killed two people, made the news. So yes, I agree with you. Another time a motorcyclist was too lazy or stupid to look behind before turning right and was hit by a van coming up behind = one dead, one with a leg amputated. Another time a car ended up sailing through the upper reaches of a tree opposite my house. How do they do that? Thai drivers are able to defy the laws of physics, somehow.

[LivinginKata]

1 hour ago, Phuketboy said:

Still amazes me why anyone takes these visa run buses when it is so easy and much safer to fly out to do visa run.  RIP to the unlucky souls who lost their lives.  

 

This type of visa run is so much cheaper than flying and DIY ... that's why they stay in business.

[Ace of Pop]

Visa Run isn't a good idea,just a Money Tree..never saw what Thailand apart from the Min Buses gained by it. I used to fly out,spend money in a neighboring country,blow a load of cash there n come back pissed off at the stupidity of the jouney


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[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, IamNoone88 said:

It will never end. Each day and every day, the mini-van drivers cause fatal accidents. No where else in the world does this happen. Well done again.

 

I take it you have never been to Central or South America?  Imagine an old recycled US 'School Bus' taking corners so fast you are literally stuck to the wall - there no guard-rail on the road, and you have a 100Meter+ cliff out the window.  I've seen people lay down so they don't see what is out the window.  Over the drivers head is written in Spanish, "God bless this bus."

Edited December 21, 2016 by JackThompson

[phycokiller]

this is why I prefer to overstay

[LivinginKata]

4 minutes ago, Ace of Pop said:

Visa Run isn't a good idea,just a Money Tree..never saw what Thailand apart from the Min Buses gained by it. I used to fly out,spend money in a neighboring country,blow a load of cash there n come back pissed off at the stupidity of the jouney
 

 

So so many previous topics here on Thaivisa suggesting that Thai government via Immigration just charge a fixed fee to renew shorter term visas ... Makes so much sense but hey TIT ...

Edited December 21, 2016 by LivinginKata

[craigt3365]

44 minutes ago, tropo said:

I'm glad my visa run days are over after having endured many scary visa run trips to the Cambodian border.

One of the good things about turning 50! LOL

[jesimps]

I've lived here now for ten years. During my first month, I took a minibus back from Koh Chang. I reckon I was lucky to make it back to Pattaya alive and promised 

myself then that I'd never use one again. So far I've kept that promise.

 

[mcfish]

A lot of these vans are converted commercial vehicles with bugger all impact protection except for the driver.

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[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, fruitman said:

What's the use of going over the border and coming back an hour later? Why not make it possible to pay at the immigration to get that stamp?

 

 

This is Thailand, they don't have the mindset to do anything that makes sense like your post, and now and probably not for the first time their love of inconveniencing people has had bitter consequences. 

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, sebastion said:

I'm Sorry to say that I'm not surprised or even shocked.
This is inevitable and will happen again.
Visa runs is a blight on the immigration system. A corrupt avenue for cash.

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Good post, your last sentence especially.

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

It is a bit too early to tell who was at fault. Could have been a faulty vehicle, an animal on the road, a sleepy driver, a reckless driver, bad weather, or lack of driving skill. But, we do know two parties who are definitely at fault. Little P, and the immigration department. They know how dangerous these roads are. They know a small number of people doing visa runs will die, or be badly injured. These visa runs are an antiquated policy, in drastic need of revision. I presume they were originally designed as a way to stimulate the economy, as much revenue would go to the mini van operators, the airlines, hotels, etc. One could even be as cynical as to say that these visa runs would help support the hospitals too. But, the time has come to revise this policy, and eliminate these dangerous, environmentally disastrous, and completely unnecessary visa runs. This service should be available IN COUNTRY. Period. Anything else is irresponsible, and contributes to the mayhem. So what about the minivan operators who thrive on this? Let them get into something else, or use their vans for more productive use. 

 

For now, the fault of these deaths rest squarely on an administration which is completely lacking any creative juice, and most definitely lacking the desire to make life easier for tourists and ex-pats. 

The Thaivisa post of the month here.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, Phuketboy said:

Still amazes me why anyone takes these visa run buses when it is so easy and much safer to fly out to do visa run.  RIP to the unlucky souls who lost their lives.  

 "it is so easy and much safer to fly out to do visa run".

Great idea, now how can I fly from Phichit to Maesot? I can't, but I can get a bus south to Bangkok then a plane from Bangkok to Maesot, same back again.

It is so easy, isn't it? Not to mention the expense.

[Poppadom]

I took this company for my first and last package visa run. After that I just  arranged on my own. Typical careless minivan driving style was the top reason why. Others being quality of food/accommodation in Penang and half a day in a minivan one way...

[cnx355]

Just look at most accident sites.  Very rare to see brake marks on the pavement...Most Thai drivers, even professional truck and bus driver, do not anticipate . They just keep driving....No slowing down, no braking no changing lanes....

 

That explain why the vehicles are so badly damaged and you have a lot of dead people. What I see in city road accidents are car damaged like the one we see on   highways.

 

Just look the next time you see an accident site.....

[NoshowJones]

39 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

So so many previous topics here on Thaivisa suggesting that Thai government via Immigration just charge a fixed fee to renew shorter term visas ... Makes so much sense but hey TIT ...

Yeah, not much makes sense in this country.

[louse1953]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

It is a bit too early to tell who was at fault. Could have been a faulty vehicle, an animal on the road, a sleepy driver, a reckless driver, bad weather, or lack of driving skill. But, we do know two parties who are definitely at fault. Little P, and the immigration department. They know how dangerous these roads are. They know a small number of people doing visa runs will die, or be badly injured. These visa runs are an antiquated policy, in drastic need of revision. I presume they were originally designed as a way to stimulate the economy, as much revenue would go to the mini van operators, the airlines, hotels, etc. One could even be as cynical as to say that these visa runs would help support the hospitals too. But, the time has come to revise this policy, and eliminate these dangerous, environmentally disastrous, and completely unnecessary visa runs. This service should be available IN COUNTRY. Period. Anything else is irresponsible, and contributes to the mayhem. So what about the minivan operators who thrive on this? Let them get into something else, or use their vans for more productive use. 

 

For now, the fault of these deaths rest squarely on an administration which is completely lacking any creative juice, and most definitely lacking the desire to make life easier for tourists and ex-pats. 

You make sense about in country visa of some sort.I will never die in a mini bus because it is a rule of mine,never ever enter one.Big is better and if we all did that,they would be out of biz.

[KOZMO]

18 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Its not just Phuket, the whole of Thailand is the same...
I reckon less than half the accidents make any form of news story, so the true carnage is much greater than we ever see in the media (Thai or English)

 

 

Just wait till NEW YEAR  !!!!!    

[fxe1200]

".... Heavy rain was blamed ..."

 

I just get sick when I read that.

[louse1953]

8 minutes ago, cnx355 said:

Just look at most accident sites.  Very rare to see brake marks on the pavement...Most Thai drivers, even professional truck and bus driver, do not anticipate . They just keep driving....No slowing down, no braking no changing lanes....

 

That explain why the vehicles are so badly damaged and you have a lot of dead people. What I see in city road accidents are car damaged like the one we see on   highways.

 

Just look the next time you see an accident site.....

Your right.Thai pull out into traffic and then stop,maybe,if they see something.Most farangs,stop or slow,look,then pull out.I rekon it is straight out lazyness.Too lazy to put a helmet on,too lazy to do the strap up,too lazy to pull the helmet all the way down and too lazy to change gears at corners.

[mettech]

I have seen these visa run vans going like maniacs on the road passing even though incoming traffic this is why i got myself a car this is the main reason so i will get there and back.

This Jungle driving is present daily and we all have to be prepared for what ever.

[electric]

I'm sorry guys, but to use this story as an opportunity to slag off at the Immigration system is cynical in the extreme.

 

The vans' destination is really irrelevant to this tragedy. 

 

I see this, as yet again, another sad example of very unskilled, poorly trained drivers who refuse to adapt to changing weather and road conditions. 

 

Ultimately, the van companies must accept a very big proportion of culpability in these tragedies, as the mindset of many of their employees (van drivers) seems to be lunatic, with little thought to the very serious responsibility of transporting people safely to their destination.

 

Some very serious licensing overhauls at Govt level, need to take place to better regulate this industry. Until this happens, nothing will change, and the carnage will continue.

 

I feel well qualified to offer the above comments, as I did this exact same job for my entire working career in another country, but what I see here in Thailand really does scare the shit out of me. 

[madmitch]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

It is a bit too early to tell who was at fault. Could have been a faulty vehicle, an animal on the road, a sleepy driver, a reckless driver, bad weather, or lack of driving skill. But, we do know two parties who are definitely at fault. Little P, and the immigration department. They know how dangerous these roads are. They know a small number of people doing visa runs will die, or be badly injured. These visa runs are an antiquated policy, in drastic need of revision. I presume they were originally designed as a way to stimulate the economy, as much revenue would go to the mini van operators, the airlines, hotels, etc. One could even be as cynical as to say that these visa runs would help support the hospitals too. But, the time has come to revise this policy, and eliminate these dangerous, environmentally disastrous, and completely unnecessary visa runs. This service should be available IN COUNTRY. Period. Anything else is irresponsible, and contributes to the mayhem. So what about the minivan operators who thrive on this? Let them get into something else, or use their vans for more productive use. 

 

For now, the fault of these deaths rest squarely on an administration which is completely lacking any creative juice, and most definitely lacking the desire to make life easier for tourists and ex-pats. 

Great post with which I entirely agree but in your list of reasons for keeping the visa run you've forgotten the important one of increased numbers for the Tourism Ministry and TAT.

 

 

[FitnessHealthTravel]

More carnage on the roads and more people (foreigners) dead. RIP to the dead.

[PJ33]

I refuse to go by van for visa runs for exactly the reason that they drive like maniacs at speeds beyond belief. If booked a week or more in advance you can fly from Phuket to KL and back for not much more than a van run.

 

RIP to those lost in this horrific smash.

[lungnorm]

No such thing as visa runs in the Philippines, just go to the nearest immigration office and pay for an extention.

[mcfish]

No such thing as visa runs in the Philippines, just go to the nearest immigration office and pay for an extention.

Massive downside is you actually have to live there.

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[fruitman]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

This is Thailand, they don't have the mindset to do anything that makes sense like your post, and now and probably not for the first time their love of inconveniencing people has had bitter consequences. 

 

Yes i know, they don't care at all for me, even when i 'm married to a Thai lady. Those visaruns have advantages but i would like to pick the date myself according to my wife's agenda as well.

 

And if they treated me with more respect i might even bring in more money to invest but when the rules change about every year i sure won't do that.

 

I won't go in one of those visa-run buses, a flight costs a little bit more plus i can do taxfree shopping. Also it's great to be in other Asian cities for a while where they speak english and have their stuff organised and mannered.

 

Those minivans are the most rude vehicles on the roads and all Thai are scared to death for them.

[lungnorm]

5 minutes ago, mcfish said:

Massive downside is you actually have to live there.

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No worse than living in the land of smiles and in places its a lot better. There are no army, police and immigration jerks patrolling to catch you playing scrabble. Yes and you can actually see people smiling in public here, unlike Thailand.