According to a recent and worrying report, accidents involving public buses in Thailand increased by 46.5% in 2023.
According to Thailand's National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), buses account for the largest proportion of these incidents, accounting for 73.0% of cases.
These accidents are caused by driver error and aging, poorly maintained vehicles.
In addition, dangerous modifications to vehicles have exacerbated the risk.
Public transport remains essential, particularly in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, where more than 968 million journeys were recorded in 2022.
However, a worrying rise in the number of deaths and injuries has been reported, with public bus accident fatalities increasing by more than 105% compared to 2022.
The main contributing factors to these accidents are dangerous driving practices, such as speeding, overtaking and driving while tired.
An alarming 81.1% of incidents are attributed to driver behavior, aggravated by poor working conditions.
Drivers often experience emotional stress and lack of rest, which further affects their performance.
Vehicle safety is another critical issue.
Many public buses are aging and poorly maintained due to high operational costs, making necessary improvements financially unfeasible.
Tourist bus fire in Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
Additionally, substandard modifications, such as improperly installed compressed natural gas (CNG) systems, pose significant risks.
A 2023 inspection in Thailand found that more than half of buses equipped with CNG tanks did not meet safety standards.
See: Thailand: 5% of CNG buses fail safety checks
A tragic example occurred on October 1, 2023, when a school excursion bus caught fire on Vibhavadi Street in Bangkok, killing and injuring many.
See: Thailand: 20 children killed in CNG school bus fire
Investigators discovered that the bus was equipped with 11 CNG tanks, far exceeding the safety limit of six, and that five tanks were unregistered.
See: Thailand: Terrible revelation in the bus fire that killed 20 children
This incident highlights the persistent lack of compliance with safety regulations.
Despite repeated assurances from authorities to prevent further tragedies, lack of enforcement and accountability continues to cause loss and injury.
Finding sustainable solutions requires stricter laws and a stronger commitment from transport operators to put passenger safety before profit.
Thailand also needs to combat corruption in its agencies, as recent events have highlighted the fact that unsafe buses can pass safety tests in exchange for bribes.
See also:
Thailand: 50 foreign tourists narrowly escape bus fire
Thailand: Grief and anger at cremation of children killed on bus
37 foreign tourists injured in bus crash in Thailand
Source: ASEAN Now
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1 comment
There is still this problem of widespread corruption which is the causal basis of most of these accidents, and which ultimately causes financially higher material losses for the managers and owners of these passenger transport companies than the fact of passing the obligatory checks and respecting the safety standards!!!
As for the resulting human losses, with the tragic deaths, in appalling circumstances, of adults and children, it seems that this is at the bottom of the list of major concerns of the managers of these road companies who disregard the safety and value of human lives placed in their irresponsible hands, without forgetting the responsibilities at all levels of the political authorities and administrative and technical offices responsible for applying and enforcing the legislation in force and the obligatory technical checks, often evaded by the payment of murderous bribes...
Clearly, imbecility and idiocy (see medical definitions in the dictionary) have no limits in this country for certain people, and the sanctions (when they are applied legally speaking) are often derisory compared to the despair of the bereaved families...
This increase in bus and coach accidents is a sad result, which alone demonstrates the inertia, incompetence and poor management of this public transport sector by all the authorities responsible for it...
Here again, there is no shortage of work, starting with the fight against corruption, which is definitely undermining the entire hierarchy of public administrations, all departments combined!!!
And it is very likely that we only know the tip of the iceberg!