Minivan, bus and road accidents

[Nereus]

Cambodian workers die in road crash

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews ... road-crash

Published: 25 Apr 2014 at 12.07Online news:

Seven Cambodian migrant workers were killed when the pickup truck they were travelling in crashed into a tree in Chon Buri province early Friday, police said.

The pickup truck was carrying about 20 passengers. It seemed one of its tyres burst, sending it out of control. It hit a tree and then flipped over into a ditch in Nong Yai district in Chon Buri province early Friday morning, Pol Col Somneuk Haanta said.

Five of the passengers died on the spot and two more died in a hospital, he said. Seven others were hurt.

Police were trying to find the driver, a Thai, who fled the scene.

Earlier this month, nine Cambodians on their way home for Songkran died in a passenger van crash in Chanthaburi province.

Thailand has more than a million migrant workers, mostly from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

[Spitfire]

Yet another reckless young driver in Daddy's car.

Seems he went kamikaze style through a check point on a highway at night.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 32454.html

Kids these days are out of bloody control............unbelievable really.

[Gérard]

Yet another reckless young driver in Daddy's car.

Seems he went kamikaze style through a check point on a highway at night.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 32454.html

Kids these days are out of bloody control............unbelievable really.

Not really a highway, but near Sai Tai Mai bus station on Ratachanonee road which is a big avenue of BKK...

[Gérard]

And this is another one :

[Gérard]

A trailer truck trying to overtake a pickup in BKK..

[GLCQuantum]

A few tips for Minivans...

1. Tell them that you want the front seat. This ensures that you have legroom and a proper seatbelt (notice how the driver and front passenger survive more often in a crash). You may need to wait for the van after the next but... what is 30 minutes to you for your safety?

2. NEVER take a night van. The driver has probably been driving since the morning. Could have been drinking and... of course it's just worse in the dark. If you need to get to BKK in the evening - Take a Taxi for fecks sake... it's a couple of thousand at most.

3. When the van comes, speak with the driver (about your stop, favourite football team, nice girl walking along... anything!) it will become quite clear pretty soon if he's been drinking or on something. If this is the case, obviously, wait for the next van. They come so frequently that you can easily skip a bus if you're not sure about the driver without losing a lot of time.

4. If you see the driver doing more than 110 (another good reason to take the front seat) ask politely for him to slow down. If he does it again ask politely again... if he does it a third time tell him (politely) that you're calling the police.

5. Ask people behind you to please put on their seatbelt (strap) and explain that if there was a collision they would break your back from the force. If they aren't happy, let them take your seat and he/she can fly into whoever is in front after that.

6. Ask the driver to use speaker phone on the telephone when it rings. If he refuses to do so call the police.

7. If there are no seatbelts in the vehicle ... avoid it like the plague. It's not a registered van.

8. As westerners, avoid the back seats. They will fit four people in there sometimes (really) and our larger frame doesn't allow it.

9. Check the driver while he's driving. Is he tired? Is he drifting off? Is he rushing ( see no. 4). If so, just get out. In Thailand you can be in the middle of nowhere and still make it home ok. You may meet some nice people along the way too.

10. NEVER bring children onto a minivan. We may be willing to 'risk' it a little but it's massively irresponsible to bring a child on them. We have a choice... they don't. If you have child, it's a taxi or your own car - public transport is not acceptable. Unless you have no moral code, of course.



Edit: Just thought.. not many, if any, of the drivers speak English so tomorrow I'll post the simple requests you can ask/tell them to do in the Thai lingo. Easy sentences which could save your life. Can't do it now as one eye is closed and the othererer is seeing double... (sue me... 5 day holiday)

[dalmatiandave]

I've got a tip, don't use minivans

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[GLCQuantum]

I've got a tip, don't use minivans

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

Is the best tip of all.

For some (including myself sometimes) it's unavoidable and financially ridiculous to be taking a long distance taxi 5 times in a week. Many places have no taxis running up and down the street. Hua Hin doesn't have ANY taxis on the roads which is why you should use HHForum's very own taxi service (BB please insert link to said taxi service here ) rather than buses and minivans.

[dalmatiandave]

I've got a tip, don't use minivans

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

Is the best tip of all.

For some (including myself sometimes) it's unavoidable and financially ridiculous to be taking a long distance taxi 5 times in a week. Many places have no taxis running up and down the street. Hua Hin doesn't have ANY taxis on the roads which is why you should use HHForum's very own taxi service (BB please insert link to said taxi service here ) rather than buses and minivans.

Can understand your needs. I have taken a minivan twice from Pattaya to Hua Hin and the first time the guy was doing about 160 kmph all the way weaving in and out of traffic. The second time the guy was doing 160 kmph all the way weaving in and out of traffic one handed while making mobile calls. My protestations went unheeded and all the Thais looked worried. Not again for me.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

[Gérard]

Minivan are not safe, but big buses are dangerous too :

[Big Boy]

Just seen this on the web, which I believe is saying 5,000 Baht fine for not wearing seat belts on buses.

[usual suspect]

The hostess got full marks from me last month when as the HH-Airport bus was backing out of it's bay she came down the aisle, & in quite a firm manner TOLD everyone to fasten their seatbelts.

well done to the bus company for implementing this well before any law came into force..

[dalmatiandave]

The hostess got full marks from me last month when as the HH-Airport bus was backing out of it's bay she came down the aisle, & in quite a firm manner TOLD everyone to fasten their seatbelts.

well done to the bus company for implementing this well before any law came into force..

The driver also gets breathalysed before his first drive of the day.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

[GLCQuantum]

In red are some simple Thai sentences for use on the minivan. Please understand that I don't know the 'proper' way to write the words (transliterate) in English. Just getting it as close to how it sounds for me...

There are better ways to say these... just a simplified version which gets the point across.

A few tips for Minivans...

1. Tell them that you want the front seat. This ensures that you have legroom and a proper seatbelt (notice how the driver and front passenger survive more often in a crash). You may need to wait for the van after the next but... what is 30 minutes to you for your safety?

'Kem Kaat' in Thai is seatbelt (the same as the belt for your trousers). Easy sentences include: Ow (yaak daaii) kem kaat dee dee (I would like a proper seat belt) or Yaak nang naa (l)rot (I would like to sit at the front.)

4. If you see the driver doing more than 110 (another good reason to take the front seat) ask politely for him to slow down. If he does it again ask politely again... if he does it a third time tell him (politely) that you're calling the police.

Kor-toort khrap. Kgap (l)rot chaa chaa noi. (Excuse me, please could you drive the car slowly). Kgap (l)rot leow bai (You're driving too fast).

5. Ask people behind you to please put on their seatbelt (strap) and explain that if there was a collision they would break your back from the force. If they aren't happy, let them take your seat and he/she can fly into whoever is in front after that.

Sai Kem kaat noi (please wear your seatbelt)

6. Ask the driver to use speaker phone on the telephone when it rings. If he refuses to do so call the police.

This one's a little more difficult. I need the likes of our 'Vincent' to put it across in a better simplified version.

Haam lap turasap, daai maai...man antaraii! (could you not pick up the phone - it's dangerous) burt (as in the name... means open) speaker/siang noi .

Edit: When I've put a 'K' and a 'g' together it's because... to me it sounds like something between the two. Not a hard 'k or 'g'.

[Gérard]

I would be very surprised if that "karaoke" language could be understood by a Thai driver...
Approximative pronunciation, no tones, makes it really difficult to understand, if not impossible.