Van collision with truck leaves 11 dead

[Fred white]

According to another site the govt has approved raising the speed limit to 120 on four lane roads which will increase the carnige

[toofarnorth]

1 hour ago, trainman34014 said:

No worries....the New 'High Speed Train' will wisk all these people to the Borders much quicker and safer.    That is; if the driving cabs are not full of empty Beer Bottles, the driver is not on Yaba and he can actually keep his eyes open for the entire journey !

Can't wait for the excuses by a train driver.  Rails wet , bald tyres , rolled back and brake failure .

[Fred white]

1 hour ago, Hank Gunn said:

Okay, so you obviously don't know the expression "I'll bite". It's a figurative term, meaning I'll reply to your attempt at trolling/baiting for a response. (Notice the fishing references?) If someone makes a statement that is borderline crazy (i.e. "trolling") that most people wouldn't typically reply to, often someone's response will start with, "I'll take the bait", or "I'll bite". So to be more clear, I didn't mean I was literally going to bite anything. I meant that your statement "When thai police set up road blocks/checks they are condemned on here as pointless. What would your strategy be?" implying that said roadblocks (as they're currently implemented) actually have any efficacy in making the roads here safer, is absurd.

 

If you read the rest of my post you'll see I said, "Typically all the BIB do is extract fines for lapsed or nonexistent registration,..." which is quite true. Granted I've only lived here two years, but I've never seen these roadblocks catch any drunk drivers. They are almost always deployed at the end of the month (when their "payments" are due) and pretty much always used to fine people with no/expired licenses and/or registration papers. Further, I'd be willing to bet that a majority of these roadblocks in Thailand that "are condemned on here as pointless" are for the same purpose (i.e. NOT for catching drunk drivers). Hell, I've seen people riding their motorbike and cars/trucks down the shoulder of the road in the opposite direction of traffic, less than a hundred meters of these "checkpoints" and the BIB do nothing. If they just started with those lazy @$$ drivers, that would at least be a start to making these roads safe.

 

You say you know a number of foreigners who've been stopped. I'm a foreigner and I've been stopped a couple of times in my two years here. So what. They checked my license and registration and I was on my way. If they actually went out and "policed" (note the word used as a verb and not a noun) the roads here, that would have a much greater effect on making the roads safer here.

 

You say "its a nonsense to say they won't have an effect" and I think most thinking people on this forum would disagree. If they were so effective, why are Thailand's roads some of the most dangerous in the world (and have been that way for many years)?

I've been driving here for almost 2 years all the check points I've been through I have never had my license checked

[KiChakayan]

6 hours ago, Filipplenoir said:

Visa renewal

Or TM30 ?

[Rossco64]

11 dead in one accident!!! how good is that?? NOT!!! Obvious the Thai way of education on the roads isn't working!!  Driving skills here are just so wrong,and seeing a lot of the vehicles here are just a death trap.. Get the Police off their arse and out on the roads , enforce road law,  But then again it is one way of culling the population. What is the average a year here now about 20,000 dead and that doesn't count the ones that make it to the hospital then die

[cheapcanuck]

Horrific crash. RIP

[wisperone]

Lets face it, under present leadership, this situation is never going to change. And it probably wouldn't with a regime change either.  It seems the Thais have become so anesthetized to road kills that it is a way of life.

 

Who do I really feel sorry for? The unsuspecting tourist who comes to Thailand without a bit of knowledge about the hazards of being on Thai roads. It's a shame that this doesn't get picked up in the international media somehow since it carries such danger. Buying a airline ticket could come with a warning of just how dangerous roads are.

[Fex Bluse]

3 hours ago, GalaxyMan said:

If ever there was a country that absolutely needed a totally driverless car system, it would be Thailand. Even at today's level of the technology, the death rate would plummet.

And, the bonus for the Thais is that they could customize the AI to always kill the foreigner if the only choice was between a foreigner and Thai. 

 

Thailand 4.0

[Fex Bluse]

1 hour ago, Badrabbit said:

Nothing will ever change, no one cares unless there is money to be made and even then they don't care, death from accidents is accepted here!

 

Sent from my SM-G610F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

Yes, C̶h̶i̶n̶e̶s̶e̶̶̶̶ Thai style. 

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, Fred white said:

I've been driving here for almost 2 years all the check points I've been through I have never had my license checked

I've never had a licence check in nearly 20 years, stopped so many times I've lost count for road tax sticker check and the mandatory upcountry highway checks for who knows what? 

Guess at least one advantage of being farang. 

[PRM]

Looking at the truck and the van, it is clearly high speed, as the driver of the truck has also said.
I live close by and saw the cars this morning. 
The road is deing widened from two to four lanes at site and the speed limit is reduced to 60Kh.

[Hank Gunn]

2 hours ago, Fred white said:

I've been driving here for almost 2 years all the check points I've been through I have never had my license checked

Which kind of proves my original point that these roadblocks are little more than revenue generators for the BIB and have little to no effect on enforcing laws with the intent to make these roads safer.

 

In the two years of living/driving here, I've only been through maybe 3-4 of these checkpoints, and typically all I've done is slow down so the cop can see my up to date registration on the windshield. Almost always, I've never even come to a complete stop before the cop waves me through. I've just had my license checked the one time here.

[simtemple]

8 hours ago, Ramdas said:

Here we go again ???? not a day that goes by without an accident causing death and destruction  ????????‍♂️

Does anybody in the government care ?! It doesn’t look like they do otherwise they’d enforce rules and regulations as they do in other countries..

I don’t think speed is always the cause of the accident, since even when they drive slow ( while they’re on their phone or watching a tv ) Hence not paying attention what’s around them, it’s a prefect formula that lead to another accident..

Too bad innocent people have to be affected by Thais careless and stupidity on the wheels ☹️

Ford/Volvo road safety reseach shows that distraction/fatigue are primary causes of road fatalities. Car camera evidence shows that stupidity is also a major contributing factor.

 

 

[nong38]

Whenever I look at these vans I think they do not look like a strong safety cage to me and then who wears a safety belt? They really are not safe here, its a risk you take when you climb in. a risj people seem willing to take.

Drivers take too many journeys, take too many risks with other peoples lives.

[Handsome Gardener]

5 hours ago, Hank Gunn said:

Okay, so you obviously don't know the expression "I'll bite". It's a figurative term, meaning I'll reply to your attempt at trolling/baiting for a response. (Notice the fishing references?) If someone makes a statement that is borderline crazy (i.e. "trolling") that most people wouldn't typically reply to, often someone's response will start with, "I'll take the bait", or "I'll bite". So to be more clear, I didn't mean I was literally going to bite anything. I meant that your statement "When thai police set up road blocks/checks they are condemned on here as pointless. What would your strategy be?" implying that said roadblocks (as they're currently implemented) actually have any efficacy in making the roads here safer, is absurd.

 

If you read the rest of my post you'll see I said, "Typically all the BIB do is extract fines for lapsed or nonexistent registration,..." which is quite true. Granted I've only lived here two years, but I've never seen these roadblocks catch any drunk drivers. They are almost always deployed at the end of the month (when their "payments" are due) and pretty much always used to fine people with no/expired licenses and/or registration papers. Further, I'd be willing to bet that a majority of these roadblocks in Thailand that "are condemned on here as pointless" are for the same purpose (i.e. NOT for catching drunk drivers). Hell, I've seen people riding their motorbike and cars/trucks down the shoulder of the road in the opposite direction of traffic, less than a hundred meters of these "checkpoints" and the BIB do nothing. If they just started with those lazy @$$ drivers, that would at least be a start to making these roads safe.

 

You say you know a number of foreigners who've been stopped. I'm a foreigner and I've been stopped a couple of times in my two years here. So what. They checked my license and registration and I was on my way. If they actually went out and "policed" (note the word used as a verb and not a noun) the roads here, that would have a much greater effect on making the roads safer here.

 

You say "its a nonsense to say they won't have an effect" and I think most thinking people on this forum would disagree. If they were so effective, why are Thailand's roads some of the most dangerous in the world (and have been that way for many years)?

I couldn't be arsed to read all of that given the first paragraph was the most inane thing I've read for a while. I know what it meant there was no need for the 5000 word (or felt like it)explanation.

 

Second paragraph - I already know you will have absolutely nothing to back that up - nothing. Regurgitated old wives tales.

 

So you've never seen a roadblock catch a drink driver ? so at each roadblock you stand with the police and monitor each person stopped and action taken right ? I mean how would you have the faintest clue who's been stopped for what ? 

 

The last paragraph ? of course most people on here would disagree as it's a predominantly anti thai forum - they are not going to stamp out the horrendous figures overnight - but if they do nothing the whingers get agitated, when they do something the whingers get agitated ! 

 

 

[Handsome Gardener]

4 hours ago, jerojero said:

Newbie irrelevant nonsensical post.

Yet another 'non newbie' post with nothing of substance.

 

Where does it not make sense ? 

[Handsome Gardener]

1 hour ago, Hank Gunn said:

Which kind of proves my original point that these roadblocks are little more than revenue generators for the BIB and have little to no effect on enforcing laws with the intent to make these roads safer.

 

In the two years of living/driving here, I've only been through maybe 3-4 of these checkpoints, and typically all I've done is slow down so the cop can see my up to date registration on the windshield. Almost always, I've never even come to a complete stop before the cop waves me through. I've just had my license checked the one time here.

How much did you hand over in cash each time at these 'revenue generators' ?

 

Oh wait you've answered - nothing - 'revenue generators' that don't produce revenue, how weird is that ?

 

I've been stopped probably 100+ times at checkpoints - handed over zilch, not one baht. 

 

Stop making it up

[MaxYakov]

A "driver watch" should be assigned and sitting in the front passenger seat. His or her only responsibility is to closely monitor the driver and even take control of the vehicle if necessary.

 

I ditched a visa run van north of KK hitch-hiked because I didn't like how the driver was driving - speeding, tailgating, not driving defensively. Took a Nakhon Chai Air bus from KK the rest of the way into Bangkok - it was heavenly, except they kept A/C too cold for me.

[webfact]

GPS on chartered van involved in Sa Kaew smash had been disabled

By Thanapat Kijjakosol
The Nation

 

 

An inspection of the chartered van, which collided with an 18-wheel truck in Sa Kaew’s Wang Somboon district early on Sunday resulting in 11 deaths and four injuries, revealed that the speed-monitoring GPS device had been disconnected prior to the crash.

 

The van, bearing the registration 34-0405 Bangkok, also was found to have exceeded the 90km/hour limit on six occasions (between 92km/hour to 106km/hour) since leaving Bangkok for Chanthaburi’s border checkpoint as it travelled through Chachoengsao, Prachin Buri and Sa Kaew, according to the Department of Land Transport's GPS Center.

 

The information was revealed by Sa Kaew Transport Office's specialist Suriya Chucherd who joined officials from the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office and the Road Accident Victim Protection’s Sa Kaew branch office in inspecting the scene. He said the van was installed with a GPS device as required by law but that signal was disconnected from time to time.

 

The last signal was detected in Sa Kaew and showed that the van was travelling at 85 km/hour before the signal was lost. The authorities suspect the GPS device was cut to allow the driver to speed. The 18-wheel truck's GPS device showed it was running at to 48km/hour before the crash.

 

The van, which was transporting Lao workers for visa renewal to the Chanthaburi immigration checkpoint, crashed at around 4am on the Sakaew-Chanthaburi Road. The accident was originally thought to have been caused by the van driver Sansern Sathongkhan, who died in the crash, falling asleep at the wheel, sending the van into the opposite lane and into the path of the oncoming truck.

 

The 11 bodies of the Thai van driver and 10 Lao migrant passengers will be transferred to the Royal Thai Police's Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bangkok, a police source said.

 

Sa Kaew govonor Wichit Chatpaisit led officials to visit the three injured victims at the Sa Kaew Crown Prince Hospital, while the slightly-injured truck driver Subin Pengmoo was treated at the Wang Somboon Hospital. Wichit was able to visit only the male passenger Thaothat Pomprasert as two others - identified as Thatthasim Sisisik and Kedsana Silipon - were in surgery. 

 

Only eight of the deceased have been identified including the van driver Sansern and the names of the three others, two males and one female, remain unknown. The seven deceased Lao nationals were identified as Silisack Hatihasinh; Phannthayongsa Bouakheua; Douangmala Bouakheua; Kaisone (last name unknwon); Keokounnavong Sengdeuan; Sillphone Ketsana and Nhouyphathanah Lyvong.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30374940

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-08-19

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[legend49]

16 hours ago, poohy said:

RIP to Passengers

Sad to say they are Lao it wont get much news coverage in Thai press.

At least the worthless driver cannot do it again

The race issue rises again. If they had of been Thai maybe junta would have tried harder? As this is a daily event, the media should just make up a standard template to use , all they have to do is put in location and number of fatalities as nothing else will change.

[Happy Grumpy]

17 hours ago, seajae said:

and still the govt does nothing to stop this carnage,

Ban Thais from driving. 

[cardinalblue]

The thailand that I know and love...

[stereolab]

12 hours ago, toofarnorth said:

Can't wait for the excuses by a train driver.  Rails wet , bald tyres , rolled back and brake failure .

Wrong type of snow on the tracks

[helloagain]

17 hours ago, poohy said:

RIP to Passengers

Sad to say they are Lao it wont get much news coverage in Thai press.

At least the worthless driver cannot do it again

I agree at least driver died not to do again. Change visa rules so these visa runs will stop. That will save lives. 

[patrick1968]

RIP for 11 people that lost there life's 

[thailand49]

18 hours ago, Handsome Gardener said:

When thai police set up road blocks/checks they are condemned on here as pointless

 

What would be your strategy ? 

It isn't pointless, anything that help the problem is good the problem having checks is like 1% addressing the problem. Enforcement and education is 24/7 then the rules and laws must be applied throughout Thailand.

The government is the first in line to blame it starts at the top, the current system doesn't work when everyone is doing their own thing. In this case the problem is the Van company who put making money first instead of making sure standards are met by the drivers!

[newnative]

17 hours ago, Vacuum said:

This has nothing to do with the accidents. It's almost always the drivers fault.  Had they checked the brakes, tires, if the steering wheel was fastened properly, and not falling asleep, there wouldn't so much accidents. But these are Thai drivers and you can't expect too much. Maybe after 100 years or so, one can expect some kind of improvement.

   Yes, likely the driver's fault. But, also likely that if the passengers had been in a proper bus designed for passengers and not cargo, there might not have been 11 killed.

[Teacherduck]

18 hours ago, Handsome Gardener said:

When thai police set up road blocks/checks they are condemned on here as pointless

 

What would be your strategy ? 

But what do the road blocks do, nothing!!! They don't check cars roadworthyness (lights etc). I've been through many, they shine a torch inside and wave you goodbye, no licence check, no car licence check, nothing, just create a traffic jam. They wouldn't know what a "highway patrol" means. 

[saminoz]

15 hours ago, GalaxyMan said:

If ever there was a country that absolutely needed a totally driverless car system, it would be Thailand. Even at today's level of the technology, the death rate would plummet.

...unless the AI for the driverless cars is written by Thais.........!

[transam]

1 minute ago, saminoz said:

...unless the AI for the driverless cars is written by Thais.........!

You mean "programmed"....????