Minivan, bus and road accidents

[buksida]

Another van-train crash in Kanchanaburi

Another accident involving a tourist van and a train in Kanchanaburi province within the space of a week has left six people injured.

The latest incident took place on a railway crossing in tambon Tha Makham of Muang district on Sunday.

The van carrying six female doctors and medical staff from Camillian Hospital in Bangkok was crossing the track at a spot where barrier and warning lights had been broken, when a train full of local and foreign commuters collided with the middle part of the vehicle.

The van was bounced off the track by the impact and six passengers on board sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The van driver, Laur Chadadum, 52, was taking the six women to make merit at a Buddhist temple located in the district at the time of the crash.

Mr Laur cut in front of the train and passed the crossing slowly. He appeared not to see the aprroaching train nor hear the sound of its whistle, said Pol Lt Col Chuvit Chareonnak, an investigator at Muang Kanchanaburi police station.

The crossing once had barriers and warning lights but they had been broken for a long time. Further investigation is underway, the officer said.

The train was en route from Bangkok’s Thon Buri station to Nam Tok station in Sai Yok district of this western province.

The accident followed a similar crash between a passenger van and a train travelling on the same route on a railway crossing in Sai Yok last Monday. A woman tourist on board the van was killed and 10 other people were injured in the incident. The van driver was also reportedly unaware that he was driving past the track because there was no barrier or warning lights.

Source: Bangkok Post

[margaretcarnes]

Those passengers had a very lucky escape indeed. How a driver can apparently fail to realise they are crossing a railway line defies belief, but does seem quite common? Or are they so tired/high they really don't realise?

I also agree with Dannie Boy that the police don't seem to do much to try to catch speeding and dangerous drivers. I've seen one or two places where patrol cars park on the roadside on the way down to Ranong, although what they are doing in their cars is anyones' guess. But I don't think I've ever seen them on the expressways etc unless they've been part of a motorcade, or doing spot checks on logging trucks.

[STEVE G]

I know that these mini-vans can be dangerous, but to keep things in perspective there are huge numbers of them on the road. Just between Hua Hin and Bangkok there are four different companies so that must be something like over a hundred departures a day in both directions.
When you consider all the services in Thailand between different cities, the total number of them on the road at any one time has to be astronomical.

[buksida]

You might want to hold that thought Steve, another one in Kanchan ...

Van driver dies, 5 hurt in accident
KANCHANABURI - The driver of a passenger van was killed and five other people injured in a crash in Kanchanaburi on Monday morning.

The Bangkok-bound van collided with a 10-wheel truck in Tha Muang district about 5.20am as the lorry changed lanes to make a U-turn on Saeng Chuto road, according to Pol Lt Col Therdthai Thananarong, an investigator of the district police station.

A preliminary investigation found the van was speeding in an outside lane, overtaking the 10-wheeler when the truck moved to change lanes. The passenger van ran into the truck (pic below).

The van is privately owned and operates under a route concession with the Transport Co, running between Bangkok and Kanchanaburi.

The body of Damoen Janaprom, 56, was found on the driver's seat in the van, the officer said.

It was the second fatal accident in three days involving a passenger van operating under a Transport Co concession.

A van travelling from Bangkok to Rayong crashed and the CNG tanks then exploded in flames in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri on Saturday, killing seven passengers, after the driver lost control and slammed into a U-turn sign at high speed.

Driver Chuchart Phochai was injured but is out of danger, according to Bang Lamung police. He was charged with reckless driving causing death.

Source: BKK Post

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Wow, those are some really gory and depressing pics.

[Nereus]

Here is where it all starts! What do you call "parents" that allow this to go on?
.............................................................................
10-year-old street racer nabbed

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews ... cer-nabbed

Published: 3 Mar 2013 at 14.55 Online news:
Police detained 27 illegal street racers, commonly known as Vanz Boys, in Chon Buri's Muang district on Saturday night, including one who was only 10 years old.

Pol Col Surapong Thaiprasert, superintendent of Muang Chon Buri police station, said a team of 70 police officers and 30 police volunteers were deployed to crack down on the street racing gang in different areas of the city.

The team seized 22 motorcycles and caught 27 street racers, 18 of whom were under 17 years old. The youngest was a 10-year-old boy.

The Vanz Boys were charged with riding motorcycles without due care and attention, riding without a licence and illegally modifying their vehicles.

The teens were later picked up by their parents.

[Nereus]

I know that these mini-vans can be dangerous, but to keep things in perspective there are huge numbers of them on the road. Just between Hua Hin and Bangkok there are four different companies so that must be something like over a hundred departures a day in both directions.
When you consider all the services in Thailand between different cities, the total number of them on the road at any one time has to be astronomical.

Yes, may well be the case. If so then all the police have to do is just concentrate on the vans. All the tea money they can wish for everyday, on every major road in the country.

[Bristolian]

Enforcing the law is of course part of the solution as is putting penalties in place that really deter. However this is not the whole solution.

People in Thailand want a cheap, cheap, cheap service and on the margins that these operators run you need to pack them full and run them hard. You can not waste money on seat belts or other safety measures. You can not afford to employ decent drivers or train them properly; you certainly can not afford to reduce the number of route circuits completed each day or the maximum hours that a driver can be behind the wheel

You basically get what you pay for and therefore what you deserve. Legislate, Regulate and police the system but you also have to be prepared to pay more, if you really want safety.

[STEVE G]

If so then all the police have to do is just concentrate on the vans.

I think one of the problems with that is related to the various owners some of these mini-van companies.

[Bristolian]

If so then all the police have to do is just concentrate on the vans.

I think one of the problems with that is related to the various owners some of these mini-van companies.

I guess that you mean certain corrupt politicians, police and army generals. But I'm only guessing!

[Nereus]

Transport Co to tighten safety for vans

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/3 ... y-for-vans

Published: 4 Mar 2013 at 18.00 Online news: Local News
Two accidents involving Transport Co inter-provincial vans have spurred the state enterprise to seek tougher measures to ensure the safety of passengers.

Transport Co managing director Wutthichart Kalayanamitr said on Monday the agency will call a meeting with the Land Transport Department and van operators running concessions this month as a result of the accidents.

The meeting will be held to ensure safe service by the van fleet owners, he added.

The Transport Co vans are equipped with Radio Frequency Identification Device sets to monitor their speed.

But Mr Wutthichart said that was not sufficient and Transport Co will order the vehicle owners to install Global Positioning Systems this year.

About 4,000 vans run on inter-provincial routes controlled by Transport Co. Illegal passenger vans also operate on many inter-city lines. They are popular due to their convenience and fast service. But that has led to accidents including two in recent days.

The driver of a passenger van was killed and five other people were injured in a crash in Kanchanaburi on Monday morning.

The Bangkok-bound van collided with a 10-wheel truck in Tha Muang district at about 5.20am as the lorry changed lanes to make a U-turn on Saeng Chuto road, according to Pol Lt Col Therdthai Thananarong, an investigator of the district police station.

A preliminary investigation found the van was speeding in an outside lane, overtaking the 10-wheeler when the truck moved to change lanes. The passenger van ran into the truck.

The body of Damoen Janaprom, 56, was found in the driver's seat, the officer said.

On Saturday, a van travelling from Bangkok to Rayong crashed and the CNG tanks then exploded in flames in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri, killing seven passengers, after the driver lost control and slammed into a U-turn sign at high speed.

Driver Chuchart Phochai was injured but is out of danger, according to Bang Lamung police. He was charged with reckless driving causing death.

The two fatal accidents both involved speeding. In Saturday's accident, a passenger said the van was travelling at 130 kilometres per hour against a speed limit of 90km/h.

Sarawut Lerspalungsanti, a researcher at the National Metal and Materials Technology Centre, said most public vans ran over the speed limit but said speed was not the only factor leading to accidents involving the vehicles.

"The behaviour of the driver is key for the safety of the van on the road. But it is not the only factor," said Mr Sarawut, who has conducted extensive research on the issue for the Road Safety Centre under the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.

Safety also came from the van's condition and the vehicle must not be fully loaded, he added.

A van is allowed a total weight of about 3.2 tonnes including the body, passengers, luggage and two CNG or LPG gas tanks.

But he suspected that not all owners strictly followed this regulation. Some added a third gas tank which is illegal, he said.

"Driving a van at its full weight limit is already risky because it is difficult to control the vehicle on the road, not to mention when it is overloaded," he said.

[Frank Hovis]

I thought all these Toyota Commuter/HiAce vans ran on diesel, so why the LPG tanks?
Do they remove the Toyota diesel engine and put something else in that does run Benzine/LPG or do they feed LPG in with the air to a diesel engine?

[PeteC]

I thought all these Toyota Commuter/HiAce vans ran on diesel, so why the LPG tanks?
Do they remove the Toyota diesel engine and put something else in that does run Benzine/LPG or do they feed LPG in with the air to a diesel engine?

We've been using one man for years and his Toyota van has both diesel and LPG. It's a normal diesel engine. He can switch back and forth from a control he has on the dashboard. I don't know how it works or what kind of plumbing had to be done. Pete

[barrys]

I thought all these Toyota Commuter/HiAce vans ran on diesel, so why the LPG tanks?
Do they remove the Toyota diesel engine and put something else in that does run Benzine/LPG or do they feed LPG in with the air to a diesel engine?

They also produce the Commuter with a petrol engine - costs more than the diesel version!
A conversion kit is then installed to enable the engine to run on CNG/NGV, which is what most of them do.

[Nereus]

I thought all these Toyota Commuter/HiAce vans ran on diesel, so why the LPG tanks?
Do they remove the Toyota diesel engine and put something else in that does run Benzine/LPG or do they feed LPG in with the air to a diesel engine?

We've been using one man for years and his Toyota van has both diesel and LPG. It's a normal diesel engine. He can switch back and forth from a control he has on the dashboard. I don't know how it works or what kind of plumbing had to be done. Pete

It is not possible to run a compression ignition (diesel) engine purely on CNG or LPG. It simply will not run on pure gas because it will not ignite. To convert to gas the engine is set up with usually two ECU controls. The gas component is around 60% of the fuel, and the injection of they diesel ignites the gas. The method is called "fumigation". It is not considered an economical conversion with small engines, so is usually only done on bigger truck type engines.

Even taking into account the subsidised diesel fuel, it works out cheaper to run on pure CNG / LPG using a spark ignition engine with smaller engines. With bigger engines other factors such as the type of load the engine is being used for come into it.