Without drugs, one less horror on the road
By The Nation

 

Avoiding another truck rampage like the one on Soi Ekamai shouldn’t depend on just fate

 

BANGKOK: -- An incident last week in which a truck driver reportedly high on drugs rammed his way down an Ekamai sideroad in downtown Bangkok – damaging more than 42 vehicles in his path – has offered lessons to learn and problems to fix. 

 

Mercifully, no one was killed or seriously hurt in the terrifying episode.

 

Police say the 27-year-old trucker refused to stop when traffic police wanted to pull him over for driving in a bus lane. 

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/opinion/today_editorial/30303035

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-12-29

He'll be back behind the wheel of a big truck soon enough.

 

If it's not the drugs, it's the alcohol, if not alcohol it's stupid pride and road

rage, if not all the above, if it's poor driving skills and shoddy maintenance

of vehicles that will continue to kill people on the road year in, year out...

no different to Aus, take the goee and the risk of a random police check, the schedules and pi** pore rates set by the companies and the late penalty means you have to run the gauntlet wether drugs, speed whatever, if you don't there is always another bloke ready to get behind the wheel and do it

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

 

If it's not the drugs, it's the alcohol, if not alcohol it's stupid pride and road

rage, if not all the above, if it's poor driving skills and shoddy maintenance

of vehicles that will continue to kill people on the road year in, year out...

Yep. In many regards Thailand is a lost cause. 

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

 

If it's not the drugs, it's the alcohol, if not alcohol it's stupid pride and road

rage, if not all the above, if it's poor driving skills and shoddy maintenance

of vehicles that will continue to kill people on the road year in, year out...

 

" If it's not the drugs, it's the alcohol, if not alcohol " .................. it's  caffeine

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/24/california-dui-caffeine-lawsuit-solano-county

Edited December 29, 20169 yr by Asiantravel

It is a Move up to be a Tour guide driving a Van

I have to totally agree with the Ezzra post.

My wifes sister has a " mini-mart " on a busy stretch of road between Pattaya and Bowin ( where a load of Industrial Estates are situated IE Amata , 304 , Etc Etc

On numerous occasions, I have sat outside that " Mini-mart " and witnessed Truck drivers and numerous minivan drivers buying Alcohol to drink when actually driving .( no licensing laws at these places )

For those of you that will say " how do you know they  drinking and actually driving " ' I will reply that you dont take the top off a 600 Ml bottle of leo, unless you are going to consume the stuff straight away as it goes flat.

And yes, they were the only occupants of the vehicles.

Ignorant beyond stupid

 

 

 

 

16 hours ago, ezzra said:

 

If it's not the drugs, it's the alcohol, if not alcohol it's stupid pride and road

rage, if not all the above, if it's poor driving skills and shoddy maintenance

of vehicles that will continue to kill people on the road year in, year out...

...and at the bottom line is the simple fact that Thailand has no will or desire to actually enforce their traffic laws.  Stupid driving isn't caught by setting up road blocks, it's caught by putting patrol cars on the streets and enforcing moving violation (like pulling over the guy who is weaving all over the road at high speed, placing them under arrest, and impounding their vehicle, imposing fines and jail sentences - sorta like they do in the West).  However, here in the Land of Stupid-driving, highway patrol cars are for escorting VIPs.  How on earth could they be diverted from such an important task in order to instil some basic fear in the driving public by actually imposing consequences for breaking traffic laws? 
So Thailand, enjoy your status are the Second Most Dangerous Roads in the World and The Most Dangerous Roads in Asia.  Hard work has it's rewards!  (...or maybe that's 'hardly working' has it's rewards.  Hummm )

14 hours ago, Asiantravel said:

 

" If it's not the drugs, it's the alcohol, if not alcohol " .................. it's  caffeine

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/24/california-dui-caffeine-lawsuit-solano-county

Amazing California!!!