Following a horrific crash in Chon Buri on Monday that killed 25 passengers, the government announced that it was taking measures to control passenger vans and plans to replace them with minibuses on some routes by 2019.
Dr Thanapong Jinawong, chief of the Road Safety Policy Foundation, said that while controlling passenger vans was a step in the right direction, the problem should be tackled at the root by reforming the management of transport operators.
Studies show that passenger vans that go on long-distance routes are more liable to have accidents than those going short distances, because drivers are more likely to get tired when driving for long periods. Also the vans are not designed for long journeys.
Authorities should ensure that minibuses are safe for long-distance journeys as well, and the management of transport operators should be reformed or similar issues with the minibuses will arise.
Most passenger vans are run by small operators and they pay drivers according to the number of passengers they take and the number of rounds they make. This forces drivers to spend long hours behind the wheel to make more money and this leads to accidents.
The Foundation for Consumers’ Safety, also hailed the government’s measures to tackle the problem and suggested that passengers themselves should monitor the speed of the vehicle to prevent accidents.
The Foundation added that the high number of accidents involving passenger vans is nothing new. It has been a major problem for a long time, and it’s good that the government is more serious about tackling this issue by abolishing passenger vans and replacing them with minibuses.
However, before these vans are replaced with minibuses in 2019, the government must ensure that the existing vans are safe for passengers and that no new vans are registered.
GPS and speed-control devices should be installed in all vehicles, allowing passengers to warn the driver directly if he is driving too fast.
However, despite Thailand’s strong transportation laws, there was a problem with enforcement.
The authorities need to be stricter and transport operators should put the safety of passengers ahead of profits.
The Thailand Development Research Institute said passengers were part of the problem, as few wore safety belts during a journey.
According to research, only 19 per cent of van passengers in Bangkok and 47 per cent of van passengers in other provinces wear a seat belt, even though the law requires all passengers to use seatbelts during the journey.
This indicates that passengers don’t take their safety seriously and are ready to put their lives at risk. Therefore, safer transportation would begin with making passengers aware of their safety and getting operators, drivers and other road users to make safety their first priority.
(Source:The Nation, Thailand)