Police suspect van driver might have temporarily fallen asleep while driving in Chonburi province

[webfact]

Police suspect van driver might have temporarily fallen asleep while driving

 

 

CHONBURI: -- Police suspected that the driver of an ill-fated passenger van involved in a road carnage on Monday which killed 25 people in Chon Buri might have temporarily fallen asleep while driving because no tyre traces were found on the road which would suggest that he applied the brake.

 

The fully-packed passenger van jumped the road island into the opposite lane and collided headon with an oncoming packed pick-up truck. Also the accident scene was not a curve as the road is straight, said Chon Buri governor Pakkathorn Thienchai on Tuesday.

 

As for the dead victims, he said that the provincial administration would compensate 700,000 baht for each victim.

 

Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisit, meanwhile, said initial findings showed that the van had been inspected in September and there was no problem with the gas tank. The fire which eventually engulfed the two vehicles might have been started from the ignition system, he noted.

 

The minister explained that vans were designed to carry goods, but, in Thailand, they were modified and used to carry passengers. He indicated that the ministry would consider limiting the number of passenger vans in the future.

 

Meanwhile, Pol Maj-Gen Pornchai Sutheerakhun, director of the Forensic Science Institute at the Police General Hospital, said that the institute had received 25 bodies from the deadly accident for identification.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/police-suspect-van-driver-might-temporarily-fallen-asleep-driving/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-01-04

 

 

[Thaiwrath]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

The minister explained that vans were designed to carry goods, but, in Thailand, they were modified and used to carry passengers. He indicated that the ministry would consider limiting the number of passenger vans in the future.

 

 

Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

[Sphere]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

...driver might have temporarily fallen asleep...

 

A power nap....sort of...? 

[Captain_Bob]

In their eyes your life is worth maybe the price of a 2nd hand car =(

Edited January 3, 2017 by Captain_Bob

[ezzra]

Have a replacement driver,  as they do with the big buses,

who's job will also be to monitor the alertness of the driver

at any time, proving of course he doesn't fall a sleep himself.....

[watcharacters]

 

 

 

How did the coppers ever manage such a complicated conclusion

[The man from udon]

An explosive ignition system.i thought you only had that type of device on a rocket.both the vehicles were over loaded and not in full control with the weight,that's what Partly caused this accident,oh and the driver having forty winks didn't help.nothings going to change,next case.

[Nemesis7]

Vans truly scares me. So many accidents still they are so reckless in driving 

[boooker]

It is beyond expectation as to why Drivers on commercial side not being more tie up and monitored thru license training.

Kids death in school buses...driving on speed...driving drunk....driving careless...driving maniac..and so on..a truely character of policy missunderstanding comes to ine word lazy.....development country is a stage far away still in the shoes of third world .

The Prize for a life is zero

[NanLaew]

There was a comment on a local television channel that the minivan driver was on his 5th round-trip within a 30-hour period. Video of him having water and coffee at an undetermined 'pit stop'.

 

The minivans are a largely unregulated industry with no discernible government oversight. The greedy driver can blame the greedy owner for forcing him to drive extra hours but  at the same time, the greedy owner benefits from the greedy driver who denies his physical limitations. I am pretty sure that the Ministry of Transport does have some sort of bureaucratic paper trail where anyone can buy a second-hand minivan (or two) and operate an inter-provincial bus service. I assume that this also requires some form of registration fee before a license is issued. I guess it ALL comes down to greed.

[manhood]

As nothing has a consequence in this country all ever you can hear and read from thai officials is just bla bla bla...

 

ohhh soooo many got killed on the road...wow we are doing better in the future with thais created by 4.0 education plan!

[Emster23]

Temporarily asleep.... permanently dead, along with passengers. Limiting number of vans as solution evidence they are purposefully ignorant of what the problem is, at least in these sorts of cases. It's the absence of regulation and enforcement of standards for drivers. Jeez!

[Searat7]

The article claimed that vans were not meant to be used for passengers which I find to be a ridiculous statement but I always thought that they carried too many people and that there should be space for luggage in the rear. They really need to leave look at the safety of the gas tanks mounted in the rear too.

[NanLaew]

The television commentary also confirmed the Minister of Transport saying that the families of the victims from the pickup would each receive 700,000 baht per victim. However, they are still waiting to see what the victims from the minivan will receive from the minivan owners.

[DD13]

A couple of years ago the goverment said if the van drivers didn't improve their driving......All  vans would be banned.......

 

Hey......you've just confiscated 2134 modern busses.....perhaps now is the right time to introduce a national bus service with properly trained and regulated drivers

 

Actions will speak louder than words

 

ps. This is not a criticism......but someone should do something to keep passengers and other road users safer

[12DrinkMore]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

As for the dead victims, he said that the provincial administration would compensate 700,000 baht for each victim.

 

Although this is very generous, I do not understand why they are handing out this money, funded by the tax payer.

 

They have no liability, and it sets a precedent for the next accident and the next one and the next one.

[A Skeptic]

He's permanently asleep now.

[hobobo]

...might have temporarily fallen asleep ...

 

And in a blink of an eye temporary became permanent.... RIP all innocent victims

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, ezzra said:

Have a replacement driver,  as they do with the big buses,

who's job will also be to monitor the alertness of the driver

at any time, proving of course he doesn't fall a sleep himself.....

In your dreams....
Any increase in labour or technology costs hard cash.... never in a million years will that happen here!

As for the post title: while the driver went to sleep temporarily he put 24 others to sleep permanently !!!!!!

[toofarnorth]

.......consider limiting passenger vans in the future.

 

What a good idea then the ones remaining can do double shifts , that is driving throughout the day then driving throughout the night.

[saminoz]

Until they really start to throw the book at the drivers, banning them from driving for a long, long time and, more importantly, hitting the owners with serious financial penalties including loss of license to operate (if they ever had one), then this idiocy will continue.

 

For the Transport Minister with the miniscule brain to say the are "considering" limiting the number of passengers in these mobile coffins, shows just what a backward, uneducated and clueless society this is.

[whatproblem]

Or just Thai driving 

[SOTIRIOS]

...what is the point of struggling to find 'an excuse'....

 

..so many accidents....nobody ever to blame....???

 

...as if 'falling asleep at the wheel of a passenger vehicle'....makes it 'okay'.....???

 

....really hard to follow this reasoning...

[Yahooka]

Have a replacement driver,  as they do with the big buses,
who's job will also be to monitor the alertness of the driver
at any time, proving of course he doesn't fall a sleep himself.....

.............. Or being busy eating, while checking his social accounts messages.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[onemorechang]

5 minutes ago, Yahooka said:

.............. Or being busy eating, while checking his social accounts messages.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

That,s  more like the truth.

coupled with speeding,     that would fit the sad bill.

 

[Mitker]

2 hours ago, 12DrinkMore said:

 

Although this is very generous, I do not understand why they are handing out this money, funded by the tax payer.

 

They have no liability, and it sets a precedent for the next accident and the next one and the next one.

 

coz it makes them look nice. That's all.

[elgordo38]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

He indicated that the ministry would consider limiting the number of passenger vans in the future.

And what good would that do. As one poster stated he took a van journey of 120 kms. and the van only had 13 seats yet 20 people were levered in. The van went through various checkpoints and never stopped or inspected and even if it were inspected would 500 bahts change hands and the van would be good to go? Laws without enforcement are useless. 

Edited January 4, 2017 by elgordo38

[Jonmarleesco]

'Police suspected that the driver of an ill-fated passenger van involved in a road carnage on Monday ... might have temporarily fallen asleep while driving because no tyre traces were found on the road which would suggest that he applied the brake.' Or didn't, as is much more likely. And temporarily fell asleep? Meaning he woke up?

 

'Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisit, meanwhile, said initial findings showed that the van had been inspected in September ...' 2016?

 

'The minister explained that vans were designed to carry goods, but, in Thailand, they were modified and used to carry passengers.' He seems blissfully unaware that pick-ups are neither designed nor intended to carry passengers at all, other than inside the cabin.

[farcanell]

Maybe no skid marks because the driver was committing suicide... oh sorry... it wasn't a farang driver.

[natway09]

However on further investigation was not so temporary!!!!!