Thread: Seven Dead as Van Slams Back of Truck in Ayutthaya

Thai PBS News
June 27, 2015

Seven passengers were killed and three others seriously injured when the passenger van they were travelling in from Sukhothai rammed at the rear of a 10-wheel truck on Asian Highway in Bang Pahan district of Ayutthaya on Friday night.

One survivor of the van crash known only as Kamlai told the police that all the victims are her relatives who are traders at Sukhothai market. They took the van together to Bangkok to buy goods for selling at home.

She said the van left Sukhothai at 10 pm and stopped over in Phitsanulok to have a tyre replaced. The stopover and tyre replacement took time, thus forcing the driver to drive faster to get to Bangkok in time, she said.

She said she was sleeping but was awakened by a loud bang and impact, and the van rested by the roadside protective railing.

Police said seven passengers died, five of them women, and three were injured. Two injured passengers were admitted to Bang Pahan hospital and another to Ayutthaya hospital by Po Teck Tueng charity foundation rescue workers.

The police said the driver might be sleepy while driving speedily, causing the van to skid and rammed at the rear of the truck before banging on the roadside railing.

more photos here: Seven died in passenger van crash on Asian Highway - Thai PBS English News

What a terrible waste of life, I realize there are many commuter vans in Thailand, but this happens way to often.
If the driver was speeding to make up time, shows the intelligent's of some, not that it's restricted to Thai's. Always better to be late than sorry.
My wife insist she uses vans for travel, I don't, I consider tour type buses a little safer. I don't know how you over come this problem, but better driver log books might be a start.

Better driver education and instruction might be a start.

I don't know how you over come this problem,

it is an easy problem to overcome, after all there are many other countries with safer roads and with more responsible drivers, regulating authorities and police.

the thais in their blinkered stupidity dont even realise that there is a problem.

Poor sods

Seat belts removed for good luck?

wasnt it made a legal requirement last year for all mini vans to be fitted with seatbelts?

^Only for a 24 hour period!

Originally Posted by taxexile

a legal requirement

Bangkok Post
June 27, 2015
Writer: Sunthorn Pongpao

AYUTTHAYA — Seven people were killed and another three injured when a van crashed into an 18-wheeler on a highway in Ayutthaya in the early hours of Saturday.

The accident took place at the U-turn between Km 37 and 38 on the Asia Highway in Bang Pahan district, at 3am, said Udomsak Khao-noo-na, a rescue worker at the scene. The spot where the accident took place was already known as the 100-body U-turn among commuters due to its high fatal-accident record.

The Toyota Commuter van with a Bangkok licence plate was found at the scene, with its front smashed into the concrete partition on the Bangkok-bound lane. Seven people inside, five of them women, were dead, and the other three were injured. All were from Sukhothai province.

Three of the dead victims who have been identified were Tawatpong, the 38-year-old driver whose family name remains unknown; Kanchana Panpak, 25; and Lamai Makcharoen, 48.

Kamlai Kongpuang, one of the survivors, said the passengers in the van were relatives. They were vendors at the Muang Sukhothai fresh market travelling to the capital to buy goods for sale.

There was no sign of the other vehicle involved in the crash at the scene except for a spare tyre for a heavy truck. Police are looking for the driver of the truck.

full article: Seven die in Ayutthaya crash | Bangkok Post: news



Looks like a typical u-turn along Asia Road in this day time Google Earth street view, but that night it was the scene of yet another massacre on Thai roads. Possibly a combination of a tired van driver speeding along while half conscious, and a large truck moving over in the darkness at a snail's pace to make a u-turn, and we're reading about the unfortunate results. I've passed that point many times in commuter vans when I lived in Lopburi. Some have been replaced by flyovers, but too many of these dangerous u-turns still exist on the highway.

How many have to die before they take out those ridiculous center divider openings for U-turns and put in U turn bridges? That road is deadly even for an awake and competent driver.

^ Think of the expense of replacing U-turns with bridges/underpasses/roundabouts. Hell you could buy 3 subs with that money....

You're looking at it the farang way Troy, Thais think " imagine how much of that construction money could be syphoned off".

...known as the 100-body U-turn...

Change that to "107-body U-turn" now, or wait until a nice round figure like 1000? Better check with the local monk, what's more auspicious.

Another reminder to the Government to build a proper and reliable Rail network like most other countries have.

These mini-vans are death traps and are a nuisance on the roads.

^
I was at Impact Arena a few days ago for the Car Show. This is what's coming.

^^

The worst I have seen was two blacked out Vans doing a run from Hua Hin back to Bangkok.

There was a conference on at the time and they were transporting Hi-So's back and forth.

The speed they were traveling at left the Visa runners in their dust.

Absolute madness. March this year.

^^^ I don't agree mini vans are a death trap, but to improve them, proper driver instruction, maybe speed regulators, with seat belts that must be worn, DASH LIGHTS TO INDICATE SEAT BELT'S UNDONE.
Oh I nearly forgot, get the F#@&*ing police to enforce the law.

^ I understand all your points but do you really believe your suggestions will be enacted?

Build a proper rail system and you will see these death-trap vans off the road with far more efficient, environmentally friendly and safe national human transportation.

I cannot wait until they finish the fast rail system from Bangkok and Pattaya.

Sad news. RIP.

Hate those hoon van drivers - most of them drive so aggressively always intimidating other drivers. One thing I don't miss about Thailand (driving).
Must admit, not much better here in NZ though.

^^^ Will my suggestions be enacted, no, I guess not, well not in the near future anyway.

^^ In NZ there are enforced regulations. Commercial drivers must have a logbook and they can be checked any time. There is a special police section who are tasked to enforce the regulations. There are heavy penalties on drivers and companies who are caught breeching the regulations. Most commercial drivers have probably been through some sort fatigue training, which entails recognizing the signs of driver fatigue and what to do to mitigate them.

Enforce a Tachograph for trucks over a certain weight and vehicles designed to carry more than so many people. It's not exactly new tech...

The Uni I attended had them fitted to their mini-bus fleet back in the late 80's. (this was voluntary at the time rather than a legal requirement)

Get your act together General P and make a name for yourself. Inheriting the EU rules for Tachographs may be the best thing you ever do to save Thai lives.

Originally Posted by terry57

There was a conference on at the time and they were transporting Hi-So's back and forth.

The speed they were traveling at left the Visa runners in their dust.

You hit an interesting part of the problem there, the passengers tolerate it.

Certainly any of the Thai hiso's (unlike normal Thais) could have told the driver to slow down and they apparently did not. I would expect a hiso could get the driver sacked easily with phone call, and even those idiot drivers would know it. The ability to link behavior to consequences does not seem to exist here.