Van drivers ask PM to change new safety rules

[Notadoctor]

1 hour ago, lvr181 said:

"3. Wearing of seat belts should be the responsibility of passengers." That is true. How will the driver "enforce" the wearing of seat belts to a group of 13 or 15 passengers? Sometimes people need to take ownership of their own safety.

 

What worries me is the number of vehicles that do not appear to have seat belts fitted!! Taxis in particular. And then the authorities still want to fine the passengers for not wearing them! DUH!! Alice in Wonderland comes to mind when thinking of those who draft these rules. 

 

If they are not fitted, then FINE THE DRIVER TWICE AS MUCH!! In the meantime the passenger can make up their own mind whether they want to use that public service vehicle or not.

No - if you come in my vehicle you wear a seat belt or you don't come........if my vehicle is involved in an incident, the last thing I want is your loose body crashing around into me and my other passengers. One of the points of head rests is to stop front passengers from being head-butted by those in the back........

 

The problem is clearly demonstrates on this thread where most people are as ill-informed as the Thai authorities.

[Notadoctor]

Seating in any passenger van is flexible - it can be changed into many configurations......the problem is not just the weight of passengers and luggage it is what happens during an accident...loose bodies in careening vehicle are DEADLY but unfortunately there is no guarantee that seat belts - even if worn - are going to be effective - both the seat and the belt have to be correctly anchored and it the right position.....i think with prop0er enforcement systems in place there is little chance of this happening.

as said without a proper agency - Thailand has nothing that is effective - these kinds of dictums are little more than hot air.

[chang1]

True but if it is a step in the right direction then we should support it. The UK phased in the current belt laws over many years. I remember when I was one of the few people who wore a belt before you had to.

[digger70]

If they had a brain and were using that brain they would be dangerously in favour of the safety of the people they are transporting,But now they are so stupidly insane that they don't care about their passengers or the safety of anyone on the road/country.they should not be allowed on the road now,never mind about the new safety rules. 

[Dogmatix]

I sincerely hope a tough talking military government is not going to give in to this pathetic whinge. 

[Songlaw]

38 minutes ago, chang1 said:

If it does not make you happier, why not take 5 seconds to put a belt on when it is possible? Please don't take it personally as you are part of the large majority of people who will  not use belts until the law has to think for and force them to. 

 

 

Now I am forced to question your apprehension, in general. Take what, personally? I was not complimenting your inferential abilities. Let's try, presumption. Are you any more averse to that? Tell me something, what is the average amount of information it takes for you to form some of these brilliant conclusions? I'm thinking possibly even zero? I'm also guessing that you don't ask a lot of questions? Come on, help me out here. At the very least, stop attempting to think for me. You are out of your league, and it shows.

[Catkiwi]

How does limiting a 15 seater to  only be allowed 13 passengers make it illegal?? Retards....

[hobz]

54 minutes ago, Notadoctor said:

Seating in any passenger van is flexible - it can be changed into many configurations......the problem is not just the weight of passengers and luggage it is what happens during an accident...loose bodies in careening vehicle are DEADLY but unfortunately there is no guarantee that seat belts - even if worn - are going to be effective - both the seat and the belt have to be correctly anchored and it the right position.....i think with prop0er enforcement systems in place there is little chance of this happening.

as said without a proper agency - Thailand has nothing that is effective - these kinds of dictums are little more than hot air.

Yes, they would have to go after the companies that own the minivans and give them huge fines if even a single of their vans is not up to par... Sadly we know this enforcement will never happen.. and the companies will not take it upon themselves to fix it.. in fact, it's those companies that are now  complaining about paying to install seat belts... 

[SpeakeasyThai]

5 hours ago, Mr Freeze said:

The introduction of an iQ test for drivers wouldn't go  amiss 

A nice idea, but to set an IQ test one has to first find someone with an IQ fit enough to set a test!

[Songlaw]

40 minutes ago, Notadoctor said:

Seating in any passenger van is flexible - it can be changed into many configurations......the problem is not just the weight of passengers and luggage it is what happens during an accident...loose bodies in careening vehicle are DEADLY but unfortunately there is no guarantee that seat belts - even if worn - are going to be effective - both the seat and the belt have to be correctly anchored and it the right position.....i think with prop0er enforcement systems in place there is little chance of this happening.

as said without a proper agency - Thailand has nothing that is effective - these kinds of dictums are little more than hot air.

1

Finally, someone who takes into account at least some of the myriad issues that generally affect outcomes. Bravo, mate. For the benefit of my many fans,  "agencies," if you'll forgive the pluralization, is synonymous with "systems" in the preceding statement, which in turn is synonymous with "infrastructure." I point this out for a reason. Without sufficient infrastructure, your society will be, in essence, a building without a foundation. It used to amuse but now has become irksome that so many individuals relentlessly insist that Thailand put its socks on over its shoes. To make matters worse, the general apparently subscribes to this same sort of thinking. Don't get me wrong. Everyone is free to piss into the wind, to their heart's content. Just don't expect to get anything other than wet. 

[lvr181]

1 hour ago, Notadoctor said:

No - if you come in my vehicle you wear a seat belt or you don't come........if my vehicle is involved in an incident, the last thing I want is your loose body crashing around into me and my other passengers. One of the points of head rests is to stop front passengers from being head-butted by those in the back........

 

The problem is clearly demonstrates on this thread where most people are as ill-informed as the Thai authorities.

I understand (and agree) what you are saying but, the reality for most public vans/taxis is likely to be different.

 

 

Edited March 29, 2017 by lvr181
Additional wording

[FitnessHealthTravel]

I think everyone in Thailand has a 'Van' story. What gets me is why they'd want to not get safer. There is a maximum number of seat belts which dictates the number of passengers, doesn't it or does that make too much sense?

[Redline]

So, is this so only 13 people can die at a time (excluding the other vehicles)?  What will the financial penalties be?  10,000 baht plus, a mandatory jail sentence (can be short), and 100 hours working with organizations that respond to deadly road accidents would help greatly.

[JGV]

The van drivers talk profit profit and profit - they overload with often 2 to a chair so I recommend the government enforce and teak away licences for offenders - it is time to toughen up on these charlatans

JGV

[natway09]

Thai male mentality never ceases to amaze me.

 

[Usual Suspect]

IMO the clue is written in the report by using the word 'van'..

..As most folk know, in the western world a 'van' is for hauling cargo, & here in the east that's just what's happening 24/7.

 The driver fills his van with 'cargo' & delivers as quick as possible..!

 There is little concern for human safety, it's all about speed+profit, & this is not gonna change very soon.

 Also..IMO no matter what laws this nation introduce towards 'van' safety, these laws will be ignored..

..(how many years has it taken to try govern the Thai fishing industry..??)

  TiT.

[Nice Boyd]

Screw them, they should not have acted like Jackasses, Maniacs

[Jim walker]

Is it's so difficult to remove two seats from the van and telephone your insurance and inform them that you are now driving a 13 seater van, if that's a problem then driving in traffic might also cause you a problem better just sell up and retire and save the public from any risk.  

[Bendi]

The stupidety of thais never stop to amaze me. 

[billybog]

I, myself, will just budget an additional $150 into my trip to take a large bus to airport...FLY to Cmbodia, stay overnight and fly back the next day.  I have taken the baht vans and last year was my last. this guy was rediculous. Bouncing us around like rubber balls back there. I wish tha jack Golf was still running the large buses every day out of bangkok. they were comfortable, roomy and could stretch your legs at any time.

[steve williams]

To the Thai Van drivers.... You bought the changes on your self by continually driving at excessive speeds,  erratic driving  behavior and killing your passengers

Get a mirror and take a good long look at yourselves take responsibility for your inaction and suck it up

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

12 hours ago, chivo said:

The excuses. A nation of children I tell you. 

A nation of greedy children with a lot of spoilt brats...

[wvavin]

So the final plot of this story is going back to where it came from.

[richthai]

No speeding?  Try 140 km/h on Highway 7 and 331.  GPS will go a long ways to ensure speed limits are followed.
 

In probably 100 rides I have yet to hear a driver advise/ask passengers to put seat belts on.  I use them and it's like they've never been used.  They are tight against the seat.

 

[Rhys]

the hub of excuses

On 22/3/2560 at 5:27 AM, off road pat said:

A Policeman's son again ??? maybe they should lock up all the Policeman's sons before they kill every smart guy in Thailand.

The victim was a University graduate with high markings !!!

 

13 hours ago, chivo said:

The excuses. A nation of children I tell you. 

 

[geisha]

Seatbelt s and GPS won't save lives as long as these lunatic murders are  driving! 

Pay good qualified drivers and the tradegies will stop. I take private cars down to Koh Chang, and everyone of them have been great ! I suppose anyone can drive a van in Thailand , qualified or not ? 

[Jonmarleesco]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

They asked for the 13-seat limit to be cancelled so their current 15-seat vans can be used legally. They also asked for the postponement on the requirement to have a GPS device installed on each van, which they claimed was unnecessary as congested traffic conditions prevent vans from speeding anyway. 

 

They are obviously more stupid than their driving gives cause to believe. Either that, or they think the general public and the PM more naive than the drivers are stupid.

[mettech]

Nice I was not aware they had log book for driving hours and what is the limit of driving hours here in Thailand???

Speed limit what is that???

Maintenance what is that???

Inspection stickers like every six months is there any??

Does the driver have driver license???

It is like going on a trip to do Visa run and on a crazy ride they want to beat the time and passes even on a incoming vehicle just light high beam flashing and perhaps every one be  safe  after this crazy driving.

get your own car you all have at least one chance to make it.

[Notadoctor]

19 hours ago, chang1 said:

True but if it is a step in the right direction then we should support it. The UK phased in the current belt laws over many years. I remember when I was one of the few people who wore a belt before you had to.

history of seatblets in UK  from wiki - "In the UK, a requirement for anchorage points was introduced in 1965, followed by the requirement in 1968 to fit three-point belts in the front outboard positions on all new cars and all existing cars back to 1965.^{[citation needed0}

 Successive UK Governments proposed, but failed to deliver, seat belt legislation throughout the 1970s. Front seat belts were compulsory equipment on all new cars registered in the UK from 1972, although it did not become compulsory for them to be worn until 1983. Rear seat belts were compulsory equipment from 1986. However, it has never been a legal requirement for cars registered before those dates to be fitted with seat belts"

 

There have been various national and EU regulations concerning public transport

 

In Thailand you can be pretty sure that any car made this e days has anchorage points - one would need to check the regs for public transport - in particular the "home-made" VIP buses which are little more than a caravan with a motor.

 

the fact is that wearing became law - not gradually but in 2 acts - front seats in 1983 and back in 1986

Thailand has laws about seatbelts but they are simply not enforced.

[spidermike007]

22 hours ago, superal said:

Could it be that there is an allowance for culling of the general population because that is the only motive through the lack of mitigation of the continuous carnage on Thai roads . 

 

Well, that is the extreme viewpoint, but perhaps not far from the truth. The reality is that the administration does not give one iota of concern to the road deaths. As long as they are not important people. And well connected, wealthy, powerful people do not use mini-vans and buses. So, they are protected. Just where Little P. wants them to be. Coddled. Looked after. For the masses, it is survival of the fittest.