"The driver was drunk" say tourists as Bangkok bound tour bus overturns in the south injuring seven

[elgordo38]

7 minutes ago, Wallander4 said:

Are drivers of minivans and buses recruited from a mental hospital or maybe rehab center for drunks ?

Its the same the world over. There are no longer wage offers the mantra is "how cheap will you work" Next

[jaywalker]

5 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Thai Public Transport drivers drunk. Thats not exactly news to most of us is it?

I wasn't driving, my mate was, but he has done a runner. Seriously? And I don't know his name. Classic.

In total contradiction to what the witnesses said.

The only thing that puzzles me is why the Police didn't apparently breathalyse him immediately.

One does not have to search too hard to see why Thailands roads are the second most dangerous in the world.

 

They should put breathe monitors on ALL public transport BEFORE the driver even fires up the engine. Seal the driver & assistant driver up front (so some Yo-Yo can't blow for them) & make them blow every 1 hour to keep the engine running.

 

I think they call it an Ignition Interlock Device.

 

http://www.nefsc.org/DUI/IgnitionInterlockDevice.aspx?gclid=CKbAqd2DqNICFYFbhgodbZ4EBQ

 

https://guardianinterlock.com/blog/breaking-cost-ignition-interlock-device/

Edited February 24, 2017 by jaywalker

[jaltsc]

5 hours ago, dotpoom said:

I havn't seen that myself and frankly don't understand why two words like "drink driving" should be critized.....

What really puzzles me about this story is the passengers on the bus are determined that the driver was "guzzling" booze all the way while driving the bus and swerving all over the road........could not one of them have called the police?.....not a mention if any of them tried to take some action.

And risk a defamation suit that the whistle blower will surely lose?  As absurd as it sounds, the best action in this situation is to get off and try your luck with another bus and driver. 

 

Without proactive action from the top (Laws and Enforcement) this will never change. 

[edgarfriendly]

28 minutes ago, Wallander4 said:

Are drivers of minivans and buses recruited from a mental hospital or maybe rehab center for drunks ?

the same place they find the taxi drivers, tuk tuk drivers, mor-cy drivers & garbage truck drivers.

 

anyone whos taken the driving license test here knows exactly why the road is filled with such awful drivers.

 

add alcohol, caffeine & amphetamine to the mess and guess what???

 

protip; people die

Edited February 24, 2017 by edgarfriendly
added 'such'

[jaywalker]

1 hour ago, sstuff3 said:

There is no way I would have just sat there and watched the driver drink and drive. At the very least I would have demanded he stop the bus so I could get off. I've exited taxis in Bangkok before because I felt unsafe by the drivers erratic behavior.  My safety comes first and foremost. Hard to believe no one demanded him to stop if they truly saw him "guzzling beer all the way"

I was on a moto-taxi from Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya back home once after a day on Koh Larn back to East Pattaya, off Khao Talo (about 3 km) for 100 baht.

 

The guy was waving thru traffic up S. Pattaya Rd & ANSWERS HIS PHONE!

 

I told him to stop! And proffered 40 baht for his troubles & jumped off the bike.

 

I had about 300 baht in my hand as I found a couple twenty's.

 

He forgot all about his phone call and tried snatch all my money and started trying to kick at me.

 

Simple LOGIC... Passenger SAFETY FIRST!

 

Does not seem to be a concept they can relate to.

 

 

 

[jaywalker]

4 minutes ago, jaltsc said:

And risk a defamation suit that the whistle blower will surely lose?  As absurd as it sounds, the best action in this situation is to get off and try your luck with another bus and driver. 

 

Without proactive action from the top (Laws and Enforcement) this will never change. 

 

They have a bazillion laws on the books, it's the enforcement part that will never happen.

[Ceruhe]

1 hour ago, Card said:

The same as 'the authorities won't listen' - exactly the reason why Thais don't bother complaining? So what's the difference between Thais not bothering to complain and farangs not bothering to complain?

Because we are guests in this country and not citizens? Not saying that "we" shouldn't be able to voice our opinions and so forth, but it's not "our business" so to say. It also stands to reason that we have no pressure that we can exert like a country in terms of sanctions to be on a more extreme side. Since planning ahead isn't a Thai thing, we can only spread the word and hope they run out of business eventually, but that takes time if it even makes it to that stage. There are many things wrong in this country, suppoedly everyone you talk to knows about it too (farang and thais alike) but nothing is done to change it. It's fairly easy to just keyboard warrior out some frustration knowing that nothing will change anytime soon to begin with or actually sink some serious time (and/or possible legal consequences through activism) going into a battle that you know from years of experience (benefit of the doubt) won't change in your lifetime.

 

Just look how at the Taxi topic, fined 2'000 Baht for fraud and threatening a passenger with a 1 month suspended license, that's not a punishment to any degree, that's a slap on the wrist at best. Haven't read the details of this topic either, but chances are prettybloody high that this bus driver will be behind the wheel again next week as if nothing happened, we already learned that life isn't worth anything in this country, well, 1000 Baht or so if it's "serious".

 

Then there is your major difference in culture at least. Look at the west with their PC culture right now, they start whining and some trivial BS and people get fired left and right without any degree of logic or fairness. In Thailand you lose face or cause somebody to lose face and we know that besides money, face is all that matters here.

 

And finally to the answer you are looking for, "lazy" it is. Nevermind the "You will care once it happens to you too".

[Sooo Upto Me]

5 hours ago, dotpoom said:

I havn't seen that myself and frankly don't understand why two words like "drink driving" should be critized.....

What really puzzles me about this story is the passengers on the bus are determined that the driver was "guzzling" booze all the way while driving the bus and swerving all over the road........could not one of them have called the police?.....not a mention if any of them tried to take some action.

 

Exactly why would u just sit there & watch him drinking & not do anything?

Even if I think it's true. 

Bit strange this news item.

[Card]

17 minutes ago, Ceruhe said:

Because we are guests in this country and not citizens? Not saying that "we" shouldn't be able to voice our opinions and so forth, but it's not "our business" so to say. It also stands to reason that we have no pressure that we can exert like a country in terms of sanctions to be on a more extreme side. Since planning ahead isn't a Thai thing, we can only spread the word and hope they run out of business eventually, but that takes time if it even makes it to that stage. There are many things wrong in this country, suppoedly everyone you talk to knows about it too (farang and thais alike) but nothing is done to change it. It's fairly easy to just keyboard warrior out some frustration knowing that nothing will change anytime soon to begin with or actually sink some serious time (and/or possible legal consequences through activism) going into a battle that you know from years of experience (benefit of the doubt) won't change in your lifetime.

 

Just look how at the Taxi topic, fined 2'000 Baht for fraud and threatening a passenger with a 1 month suspended license, that's not a punishment to any degree, that's a slap on the wrist at best. Haven't read the details of this topic either, but chances are prettybloody high that this bus driver will be behind the wheel again next week as if nothing happened, we already learned that life isn't worth anything in this country, well, 1000 Baht or so if it's "serious".

 

Then there is your major difference in culture at least. Look at the west with their PC culture right now, they start whining and some trivial BS and people get fired left and right without any degree of logic or fairness. In Thailand you lose face or cause somebody to lose face and we know that besides money, face is all that matters here.

 

And finally to the answer you are looking for, "lazy" it is. Nevermind the "You will care once it happens to you too".

Sounds like you are making the same case for Thais not bothering as much as farangs not bothering. So what's the difference?

[smedly]

3 hours ago, Card said:

So you think that driving your own car is any safer?

 

First, airlines are public transport and they are safer than your own car. I uses the big public buses all the time and never been involved in a smash in 20 years - but several very near misses in a car and minibus. I would reckon the big buses are safer than the minibuses - not safe I agree but in a smash would be a better bet than your own car. It's the minibuses that are the problem - small, unregulated and driven by maniacs.

 

I would say that sitting upstairs in the middle of a 24 or 32 seater near the stairs in a government bus with a seatbelt on is about as safe as you can get travelling overland in Thailand. Not exactly safe I agree but safer than your own car in a smash.

my hero lol

[kiwikeith]

6 hours ago, dotpoom said:

I havn't seen that myself and frankly don't understand why two words like "drink driving" should be critized.....

What really puzzles me about this story is the passengers on the bus are determined that the driver was "guzzling" booze all the way while driving the bus and swerving all over the road........could not one of them have called the police?.....not a mention if any of them tried to take some action.

They will put up with lunatics driving as it is in the hands of bhudda.

They are frightened to complain as the driver will loose face and go faster.

This is what my Thai wife said when I pulled a ten seater driver up for being a lunatic after side swiping a truck and not stopping

[TSF]

13 minutes ago, kiwikeith said:

They will put up with lunatics driving as it is in the hands of bhudda.

They are frightened to complain as the driver will loose face and go faster.

This is what my Thai wife said when I pulled a ten seater driver up for being a lunatic after side swiping a truck and not stopping

This is so true, seen it a zillion times, complain to a Thai about something and it doesn't stop but increases.

[hobz]

Clearly this is due to motorbike drivers not wearing helmets.

The only reason the bus driver was drinking was due to the stress caused by seeing all the motorbikes without helmets.

The solution is simple, crackdown on motorbike drivers without helmets. Set up more checkpoints where only motorbike drivers are checked for helmets.

[HHTel]

In the UK on all public transport and many other commercial vehicles there is a sign on the back giving a number to call to report bad driving (or good driving).  Never seen the like here.

[joeyg]

10 hours ago, smedly said:

anyone that uses public transport of any kind in this country needs their head looked at

Which mode of transportation is safer on the roads?

 

[nikmar]

2 minutes ago, joeyg said:

Which mode of transportation is safer on the roads?

 

 

 

A tank. 

[joeyg]

Just now, nikmar said:

 

 

A tank. 

Why didn't I think of that.  How's the ride?

[joeyg]

2 hours ago, smedly said:

my hero lol

The stats say you are more than 10 times likely to be killed in a car.  Albeit older stats, I figure the percentage hasn't changed much.  Can I be your hero too... 

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.510.2596&rep=rep1&type=pdf

[joeyg]

In the article it says 26% of road deaths were from drunk driving?  How many here do it I wonder.

 

1 Never

2 Rarely

3 Daily

4 Really couldn't care less if I kill someone or not

 

I see a poll in the future.

 

[sambum]

"But the driver challenged police to check him out and even denied that he was driving at the time of the accident. He said it was a mate of his behind the wheel called Chatchawan who was driving. He didn't know his surname."

 

Even though some of the passengers had seen him swigging! And his mate that was supposedly driving, fled the scene. Oh, and he didn't know his surname.

 

Something smells a bit like b******t here! 

 

Why wasn't he breathalyzed as a matter of course - especially as some of the passengers reckoned they'd seen him drinking? And he reckons he wasn't driving, but those self same passengers had seen him drinking, driving, and swerving all over the road? And none of the passengers mentioned his "mate" who had been doing the driving (whose surname he didn't know) and mysteriously did a runner after the accident?

[Ceruhe]

2 hours ago, Card said:

Sounds like you are making the same case for Thais not bothering as much as farangs not bothering. So what's the difference?

That it's their country and not ours, if you need to boil it down to that. Their issues, their responsibilities, their agency.

[Card]

Everybody is affected.

Sent from my Lenovo Z90a40 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[The manic]

11 hours ago, smedly said:

anyone that uses public transport of any kind in this country needs their head looked at

Millions of people use public transport here! I would hate to live in fear as you apparently do. 

[dcnx]

So the police didn't test him for booze?

 

Those pesky foreigners better get out of Thailand fast before defamation charges are filed and the Computer Crime Act is used for posting lies about Thais on Facebook.

[joeyg]

8 minutes ago, The manic said:

Millions of people use public transport here! I would hate to live in fear as you apparently do. 

Stats are you're ten times more likely to be killed in an auto than a bus.  Just sayin'.  Motorcycle almost 30 times I posted the link earlier in the thread.

Edited February 24, 2017 by joeyg

[malt25]

1 hour ago, nikmar said:

 

 

A tank. 

Tank you for that.

[dunroaming]

Truthful account of the facts?  Not in the land of secrets and lies.

[geisha]

A taxi I'd reserved came to pick me up from a Phuket hotel. He was drunk, staggering. obviously I didn't get in. A second time , I realised too late leaving Karon direction Patong. I was terrified, managed to get out after a while and hitched a lift back. Next to where the taxis and tucs parked in Kata beach there was always a pile of empty Chang bottles. They are ignorant dangerous thugs . 

[smedly]

2 hours ago, The manic said:

Millions of people use public transport here! I would hate to live in fear as you apparently do. 

I fear nothing - I do however have a leaning towards self preservation and increasing my odds, there is no getting away from the fact that Thailand has one of  (if not the worst) public transport records on the planet - in the UK you might have "one" notable bus accident every 12 months - here in Thailand it is almost daily, I used to record them in a list but gave up as there were so many and those are only the reported incidents probably less than 30% of what is really taking place 

[smedly]

3 hours ago, joeyg said:

Which mode of transportation is safer on the roads?

 

one you can control yourself and not relying on some drunked up stupid maniac

 

If I die on a Thai road it will only me to blame and I have traveled over 90,000km on Thai roads and neighbouring countries