Minivan, bus and road accidents

[usual suspect]

Another needless loss of life. One person only 30 yrs old & 2 of her workmates just 27 yrs.
Those poor folk, all three of them (dare I say) KILLED by the actions of this 'driver'.
The annoying factor is that I'm sure something could be done to combat the way these mini-vans speed everywhere, harass other motorists, putting lives at risk day & night.

R.I.P. THOSE POOR FOLK..

[buksida]

Agree, spend any time on the road at all and you'll see that these minivans and the assholes that drive them are just mobile time bombs.

Shame we don't have proper traffic police here.

[lomuamart]

We've got to go up to BKK a couple of times soon and I'm going to try out the airport bus the first time as a method of getting into central BKK.
I've used it before from Swampy and whilst it might take us longer, I'll feel a lot safer than being on the minibuses.

[charlesh]

The latest seems to be not a regular mini van for hire but a company van. God knows what qual's he has ?
I noticed that I was the only person to put on the seat belt in my latest journeys during June! I had to take the external wrapping off of the buckles as they had never been opened.

[buksida]

Nine die when van hits parked truck
Nine passengers were killed and seven others seriusly injured when a Prachin Buri-Bangkok van rammed into the rear of a 22-wheel truck parked on one side of the Min Buri-Ban Sang road in Bang Khanak area of Chachoengsao's Bang Nam Priew district early on Monday, police said.

Pol Lt Sakchai Chanthana, the duty officer of Bang Khanak police station, said the accident occurred about 4.50am. The van, carrying 16 passengers, departed from Prachin Buri about 4am and was heading for Victory Monument in Bangkok.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews ... ine-killed

[bsdk1960]

when you lokked at the pictures the truck is not parked in the side its half way om the road and without tail light,a van with 16 people, possibly speeding and accident can happend.
I don't like driving when its dark with all these trucks,car and motorbike without lights on the roads.

may they resty in peace and the injured get a speedy and full recovery.

[DSB]

From the look of the pictures, this was a two lane road, and the truck was parked half way accross the carraigeway. The van driver, even if he was going at the legal speed, might have been blinded by oncoming traffic with full headlights, plus the fact that the truck had no rear lights on - I think the van driver had no chance.

[buksida]

'Ghost' buses a risk to all
The tragic mini-van accident in Chachoengsao in which nine people were killed and several others injured Monday reflects the lack of public safety surrounding this mode of transport, an activist says.

Sawanee Chumchalieo, from the Foundation for Consumers, said the vehicle that crashed was illegally operated and known as a "ghost bus" _ a van not registered for public transport.

Drivers of these vans tend to work for a firm which has a concession from the authorities. In this case it was the Transport Co which failed to protect inter-city commuters, Ms Sawanee said.

Registered vans under the 1979 Land Transport Act must display yellow licence plates, while illegal vehicles carry a black or blue plate _ the type issued to privately owned vehicles. According to Ms Sawanee there are 8,000 registered vans and several thousand illegal ones.

Full Story: Bangkok Post

[Takiap]

Slightly off topic, but also involves public transport........


Every single day when I go and pick the kids up from school, I notice several taxis (the pick-up variety with two benches) collecting kids from the various schools along the way. These taxis are so overloaded that are barely even making proper contact with the road. This is not only evident just by looking at the front end of the vehicles, but also by the fact that even a slight bump in the road causes the vehicles to drift.

Now, I cannot actually believe that so many taxi driver are willing to risk the lives of so many school kids every single day, and that just for an additional 50 or 60 baht.

I also can't believe that the parents of these kids are willing to allow their kids to be put in such a position on a daily basis. Surely they must know it happens.

Next, I can't believe the actually schools don't take action in one form or another.

Lastly, why is it that the MIB choose to ignore such a potentially dangerous offense. After all, there's money to be made from stopping them and fining them.

[buksida]

2 hurt as passenger van rear-ends bus
The driver of a passenger van and one passenger were injured Tuesday morning when their vehicle crashed into the back of a bus in Chachoengsao's Muang district, police said.

The accident ocurred on inbound Suwinthawong Road. The Bangkok-bound van ran into the back of the bus, which was about to make a U-turn.

The crash injured the van driver, Sorayuth Phummanote, and a female passenger who was not immediately identified. Both were being treated in hospital.

Full Story: Bangkok Post

[buksida]

Two die in tourist van-truck crash
A head-on collision between a van carrying 10 foreign tourists and an 18-wheel truck left two dead — a driver and an American national — and eight other passengers injured in Muang district on Sunday afternoon.

The nationality of the dead passenger was not immediately known.

The accident occurred in front of a PTT NGV gas station on Highway No 359 (Khao Hin Sorn – Sra Kaew) in tambon Sra Kwan at about 3pm, Thai Rath newspaper reported on its website.

Pol Lt Col Boonnark Trachoo, an investigator at Muang Sra Kaew police satiation, was quoted as saying that the fatal crash resulted from failed overtaking.

Full Story: Bangkok Post

[Frank Hovis]

Just when you thought mini vans couldn't get any less safe ...

http://www.bangkokpost.com/auto/autosco ... nbei-brand. © Post Publishing PCL. All rights reserved.

DFSK Thailand Co & Brilliance JinBei are to start manufacturing mini vans in Thailand.
They will retail at just 800K.

Current Toyota mini vans retail at just under 1M for the Hiace and 1.2 for the Commuter, these are based on the 5th generation HiAce platform from 2004 which has been upgraded during its lifetime to include better crash avoidance like ABS and EBD and improved crash protection with the last upgrades being applied in 2011.

The JinBei is also based on the Toyota HiAce platform but it is the 4th generation initially produced in 1989.

A step backwards in mini van safety in Thailand.

[Nereus]

Not a Minivan this time, but this defies comprehension:

Pickup truck crashes, 18 killed

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/3 ... ckup-crash

BURI RAM - A pickup truck packed with construction workers ran off the road and crashed into a tree in Ban Dan district in the north of Buri Ram on Monday morning, police said.

Police said 15 people died at the scene. The others, all seriously injured, were rushed to Buri Ram hospital, where three more people succumbed to their injuries.

The Toyota pickup, adapted to carry passengers, was initially reported to be carrying a total of 23 men and women heading to Ubon Ratchathani. It ran off the Buri Ram–Satuk road, part of Highway 219, in tambon Ban Dan of Ban Dan district. However, the number of people on the crashed vehicle was not immediately clear.

A staff member at Buri Ram hospital, who refused to be identified, said 15 died instantly at the scene, 11 injured were sent to the hospital and three of them died at the hospital, for a total of 26 people on one pickup.

Police and a rescue team rushed to the scene as soon as the accident was reported. Bodies were scattered on the ground outside the vehicle, with bodies still trapped inside the twisted wreckage.

The driver, Chavalit Thavornkham, 24, was killed instantly.

An initial investigation found that the truck left Samut Prakan to deliver the passengers to Ubon Ratchathani. It was not clear why it was travelling through north Buri Ram.

Pol Col Suthee Setthawong said the pickup was carrying construction workers. Many had no ID documents on them and were thought to have come from Laos.

Witnesses said the driver appeared to lose control and the vehicle veered off the road and continued for about 100 metres before ramming into a tree.

It was suspected the driver fell asleep on the straight road. Police found a methamphetamine tablet amongst his clothing and a bottle of alcohol in the pocket of the driver’s door.
.............................................
How do you get 23 people in a pick up?
According to the report the pickup left from Samut Prakan and was heading to Ubon Ratchathani. That cannot possibly be correct?

[Big Boy]

How do you get 23 people in a pick up?

I've seen quite a few packed on to the green songthaews during busy periods. The inner area crammed full and 7 hanging off the back. Were there ever 23 people crammed on board? Don't know, too packed to actually count.

I've often wondered what would happen if the standing area at the back snapped off.

[Nereus]

Well, it`s one thing to cram that many in a songthaew around town, but something else altogether if what is reported is correct. It is probably 300 Kms distance that has been reported. There is a photo of the remains and it appears that it may have been a 4 door pickup, not something with a rear area set up for passengers.