Minivans must follow 20 point checklist in new "get tough" regulations

[Destiny1990]

Its a start however simply limit vans their speed till max 85 km and ban them from overtaking other vehicles on the highways would be a very welcome next step in order to make the roads more safe for us all.Maybe they will do it  after the next big crash with many casualties.So better do it now.

[fruitman]

2 hours ago, docspinoff said:

On a similar subject. I can,t understand WHY there is not a policeman on every set of traffic lights/junctions. Doing his job? He could stop and fine over 1000 people per day doing something against the law. Look at all that money they could take.?? . and may be they would also stop people especially cars driving and parking on the hard shoulder and multiple lanes at traffic lights  to keep it clear for ambulances .

 

 

Because he will get shot within 3 days, that's why.

[little mary sunshine]

Poor attempt to fool tourists as the carnage 

continues.

[gchurch259]

5 hours ago, whatawonderfulday said:

As always with Thai officials,  all talk no do. Always has been and always will be until the public are empowered to vote for those who care enough about their people and country rather than their own pockets.

 

And that is not going to happen anytime soon with the regime's focus of reverting to the feudal system of undemocratic governance coupled with, and this is the biggest problem,  ensuring that Thai children receive a woefully depleted educational curriculum more geared to brainwashing than educational enlightenment.

 

I have been here 13 years and have not seen good results in the election, only more of the same corruption, sometimes new faces, same ole corruption.

 

Good luck next time !!!!!

[gchurch259]

34 minutes ago, Captain_Bob said:

"The 20 point roadworthiness checklist includes .. brakes, tires, wheels, seat belts, doors, fire extinguishers and escape hammers. These rules will apply from this month." 

 

Really nice Baby, hope it is. Real woman !!

[Siameaze]

PEBSWAS: Problem Exists   Between Steering Wheel And Seat

[Get Real]

6 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

And how many points checklist for the idiots driving them ? 

1. Alcohol

2. Yaba

3. Other drugs

4. Driver license

5. Mental illness

6. Neurotic behaviour

7. Road rage capabilities

8, 9, 10 .....and so on....

The list might at the end be so long that nobody really can drive theese cars no more.....but then some smart dude just come up with that no checks of the cars and the 20 points are needed no more.

Edited January 18, 2017 by Get Real

[bkkgriz]

Enforcement of current traffic laws, proper driver training, and respect for other drivers is all that is needed. However, that means the police would have to do their job. The people in charge of licensing drivers would have to do their job. Drivers would have to learn respect for each other and think about how their actions on the road effect others. I do not see any of these things happening anytime soon. You can make all the checklists you want. It means f*** all if the will to change the status quo is not there. A complete change of driving culture is needed. I don't see that happening anytime in the near or distant future.

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, docspinoff said:

On a similar subject. I can,t understand WHY there is not a policeman on every set of traffic lights/junctions. Doing his job? He could stop and fine over 1000 people per day doing something against the law. Look at all that money they could take.?? . and may be they would also stop people especially cars driving and parking on the hard shoulder and multiple lanes at traffic lights  to keep it clear for ambulances .

 

One policeman on his own should never be allowed to book or fine anyone, nobody should ever be punished on one persons word. 

[gchurch259]

Some of the post are right, the problem with the mini vans are the drivers more than anything else. Yes, minimum equipment is required. But, that will not fix, speeding, reckless driving, alcohol, habanero an extreme impatience as well as "The get the hell out my way attitude" !!

 

I think no notice check rides by undercover authorities might help, as well as a "Hot line to report speeding and reckless driving".

[ricklev]

Some of the vans that go to Thammasat Rangsit have GPS.  It just means I have to listen to a constant beeping as the van drives 130 down the tollway.  Thankfully some of the drivers have muffled  the beeper so it's less annoying. 

Edited January 18, 2017 by ricklev

[Pattaya28]

""Doors"" 

[Happyman58]

20 Point checklist

1 must have engine

2 must have tyres (bald or good dont matter}

3 must have Windscreen

4 Driver must have license( if not that ok 200 bahrt fine drive off sir)

5 Mini van must have seats for 10 ( but the if you can get 20 people in thats great)

6 Driver must know the road rules

7 doors must be able to open

8 drivers must not drive for more than 18 hours

9 Lights must work ( If not driving in the dark ok)

10 Drivers must drive to speed limit(140 klm great speed)

11 Service log book must be filled out( if not we take your word it has been done)

12 Drivers must have special license to carry people (if not get one later we believe you)

13 Minivan brakes must work ( if not that ok to)

14 Drivers must be courteous to passengers( Its ok to just dump them beside the road)

15 Mini vans must have mirrors( How else can you do your face up if you dont have them)

16 Indicators must work( Thats ok if they dont )

17 Mini van must have service done ( No worries if they dont who cares)

18 Drivers must not be texting when driving( but if important then that ok to)

19 Drivers must be sober( That means they can walk before they drive off)

20  Minvans must have GPS ( lol)

 

Abide by these rules and it all should be fine

[toenail]

I do not want to be one of those "farang pessimists" but... in Thailand nothing is enforced... good talk but no action. First replacing the vans with a larger mini-bus is not the solution. It is the idiot drivers or the "set-up" where they are financially compensated in how many trips they complete in one day. Next... do Thai officials think the GPS tracking is going to work? Hell, the government cannot even get the CCTV cameras in the city to work.  No accountability in this country which is keeping Thailand from making progress in the 21st Century.

[elgordo38]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

escape hammers.

Really sounds a bit ominous. Maybe a breathalyzer for the driver to just in case the passengers think he is drunk. Being locked up in a tin can with a dubious driver at the wheel? hmm.  

Edited January 18, 2017 by elgordo38

[TechnikaIII]

"The regulations regarding road worthiness and GPS will apply to vans plying routes from Bangkok to the provinces."

 

Nakhon Sawan to Mae Sot. I stopped using this route because every single one of the five times I went there by van or bus, I was witness to carnage on the road. 

The last and final was in a van, driven by the worst you can imagine. he attempted to pass a bus on the inside, not seeing a fully laden cane truck parked in the lane. Only I saw it because I was on the seat by the door. Everyone else was buried in their mobiles. I yelled out "NO!!", saving our lives.

And get this: No more than 20 minutes later we came to a build up and slow down. Another van, which had left the Nakhon Sawan bus depot no more than 20 minutes before us, had done exactly what our driver tried to do.

The front three rows were crushed into one, body and vehicle fluids still dripping onto the road.

Our driver didn't even stop. The other passengers looked out briefly and moaned a little at the horror scene.  

Only yesterday, a Thai friend said to me (over another issue) ...

 

"Don't think too much"

[kannot]

5 hours ago, LennyW said:

So they are not all being taken off the road within the next six months then?.......as previously promised??

That was yesterdays promise.............tomorrow it  will be a 19  point  plan, then every day after 18-17-16-15 etc etc

[Mike555]

I can just see Somchai doing his "pre-flight" 20-point check...

1 of 4 tires not ready to blow up? Close enough! Check!

8/10 seatbelts installed, with 2/10 in working order? Close enough! Check!

LPG tank inspection passed? Almost. I'll fix that leak next month. Till then, I have this amulet. Check!

[trainman34014]

7 minutes ago, kannot said:

That was yesterdays promise.............tomorrow it  will be a 19  point  plan, then every day after 18-17-16-15 etc etc

 Absolutely correct; they cannot implement any plans involving the required levels of law and order as there simply is not the will to do anything that doesn't involve collecting money.

 

Two weeks without an accident involving less deaths than it takes to wake up social media and it will all be business as usual.

[realenglish1]

Enforced for 6 months and then forgotten as are the headlines 

[Khon Kaen Dave]

Yes i agree with the op about how will it be policed.How will it be certified? Will there be a cerificate like an MOT? And how often will it have to be renewed? This rationale makes the whole operation open to corruption,like getting a bent MOT.

Words in the wind,i fancy,words in the wind.Like every,bloody thing else here concerning laws.

[maxpower]

[Xobtsiwt]

• 1. Must have brake on at least one wheel.
• 2. Ditto tire on one wheel, with at least 2 microns of tread on it.
• 3. Gear shift must be at least as tall as driver when seated.
• 4. Cat with beckoning paw obligatory on dashboard.
• 5. Pass-around plastic payment tray should measure at least 10cmx6cmx3cm, and have no concealed compartments.
• 6. Catch on sliding door to passenger compartment must be checked every 10 years.
• 7. Curtains should be embroidered.
• 8. And fraying.
• 9. Absolute limit of twenty stools for extra passengers to sit in passageways.
• 10. Riders on rear seats must bring own soft furnishings.
• 11. Passenger sitting in single seat next to sliding door must not be more than 45 years, have both legs intact and at least 20/20 vision.
• 12. Engine inspection tri-annually to ensure no supercharger fitted surreptitiously.
• 13. Windshield must have at least 40 stickers, ten of which must be clever Thai jokes, aphorisms or sexual innuendos.
• 14. Due to overwhelming volume of passenger complaints, "Essence of Somchai" is now removed from the list of permitted air fresheners.
• 15. Old tax disks should not be scraped off with screwdrivers.
• 16. Driver shall be affixed to seat with shackles for duration of scheduled journey due to danger of 'Fleethescene' illness, a common complaint in Thailand. In addition, he or she must undergo an anger-management course every six months.
• 17. Yearly check under seats for rebar, crowbar, 2x4 and etc.
• 18. Inside of windshield should be wiped with oily rag every six months to ensure superior reflexes.
• 19. Signage inside windshield must be in Thai only, with at least two letters missing per word.
• 20. Voltage of illumination of said signage should be no more than 3 watts, due to danger of Driver Dazzle.

 

Any van driver contravening above regulations shall undergo four-year refresher course at BMTA Driver College, Moo Baan Khap Rot, KwaenTam Ruat, Minburi.

Edited January 18, 2017 by Xobtsiwt

[SaintLouisBlues]

9 minutes ago, Xobtsiwt said:

• 1. Must have brake on at least one wheel.
• 2. Ditto tire on one wheel, with at least 2 microns of tread on it.
• 3. Gear shift must be at least as tall as driver when seated.
• 4. Cat with beckoning paw obligatory on dashboard.
• 5. Pass-around plastic payment tray should measure at least 10cmx6cmx3cm, and have no concealed compartments.
• 6. Catch on sliding door to passenger compartment must be checked every 10 years.
• 7. Curtains should be embroidered.
• 8. And fraying.
• 9. Absolute limit of twenty stools for extra passengers to sit in passageways.
• 10. Riders on rear seats must bring own soft furnishings.
• 11. Passenger sitting in single seat next to sliding door must not be more than 45 years, have both legs intact and at least 20/20 vision.
• 12. Engine inspection tri-annually to ensure no supercharger fitted surreptitiously.
• 13. Windshield must have at least 40 stickers, ten of which must be clever Thai jokes, aphorisms or sexual innuendos.
• 14. Ditto, rear window should obscure driver vision as far as is feasible.
• 15. Old tax disks should not be scraped off with screwdrivers.
• 16. Driver shall be affixed to seat with shackles for duration of scheduled journey due to danger of 'Fleethescene' illness, a common complaint in Thailand. In addition, he or she must undergo an anger-management course every six months.
• 17. Yearly check under seats for rebar, crowbar, 2x4 and etc.
• 18. Inside of windshield should be wiped with oily rag every six months to ensure superior reflexes.
• 19. Signage inside windshield must be in Thai only, with at least two letters missing per word.
• 20. Voltage of illumination of said signage should be no more than 3 watts, due to danger of Driver Dazzle.

 

Any van driver contravening above regulations shall undergo four-year refresher course at BMTA Driver College, Moo Baan Khap Rot, KwaenTam Ruat, Minburi.

21. Amulet swinging from mirror; alternatively bowing buddha miniature on dashboard

[Oziex1]

Oh good the well heeled Chinese will like this, when they come.

 

They are coming aren't they?

[wombat]

6 hours ago, jacknorman said:

The regulations regarding road worthiness and GPS will apply to vans plying routes from Bangkok to the provinces.

 

What about all the minivans who travel within the provinces

when old mate gets through selling this lot of GPS I'm sure some more can be found

[Beats56]

What a bunch of BS. Maybe they should have a 20 point inspection on the lunatics driving them vans!

 

[Revolutionary]

So GPS tracking. How is that going to control anything other than where the vehicle is?? Nothing about how many hours the driver has been driving? How about some real policy and policing as mentioned in most of the other threads. Ongoing inspections mandatory, police actually doing inspections on the road. Mandatory safety driving course, speed regulators and driver log books. Oh well back to fantasy land. 

[BsBs]

Without even reading the news completely I know it's ridiculous and useless.

 

But why only in this country ?

 

They should install a 20 points inspection of the brain of people who control this country, maybe more useful...

 

 

Edited January 18, 2017 by BsBs

[Artisi]

Is it the 1st April already - boy the time has really flown past.