At least 19 people died Tuesday morning at about 4 a.m. when a Bangkok-bound chartered bus collided with a truck and burst into flames.
According to police, the
truck driver was on his way to a factory when he dozed off at the wheel
and lost control of the vehicle.
The crash comes a day after reports that
a tour bus making its way to Bangkok from Phang-nga province crashed in
the southern province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, injuring 22.
For people who live in
Thailand, news headlines highlighting passenger bus and mini-van
accidents have become an almost weekly occurrence.
The country has one of the s worst road-safety records, according to figures from the World Health Organization.
Government concern
With Thailand welcoming more than 22 million visitors in 2012, according to Tourism Authority figures
released in January, the country's safety record is an ever-present
issue for foreign governments looking to stop their citizens from being
included in Thailand's deathly road statistics.
Several countries,
including Australia, the United Kingdom and United States, have issued
warnings to tourists and expats against the bad road conditions and lax
enforcement of safety measures in the country.
Last week, the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) released its annual "British Behavior Abroad″
report, which analyzes assistance provided by consular staff from April
1, 2012 to March 31, 2013. In it, Thailand is singled out as a
destination where many British citizens require help.
"Thailand has seen a
significant increase in hospitalizations and deaths, despite fewer cases
worldwide," says the FCO report. "Road traffic accidents, many
involving young people on mopeds ... [are a factor] attributed to the
increase in cases."
'Poor safety standards'
The FCO's
official advisory on Thailand also points to "serious accidents
involving other vehicles including cars, coaches and mini-buses" as
being a risk to its citizens.
"Many accidents are due to poor vehicle and driver safety standards," reads the advice.
"Motorcycles or scooters for hire in beach resorts are often unregistered and can't be used legally on a public road," it adds.
Earlier this year, the FCO launched a website aimed at keeping British nationals safe while driving in foreign countries.
Part of a new road
safety campaign, the site was developed in response to reports of a high
number of road traffic incidents affecting British tourists and expats
in popular destinations, such as Thailand, Australia and Spain.
"In Thailand, a country
with 50,000 British residents and over 870,000 British visitors per
year, there were 68,582 road traffic incidents resulting in 9,205 deaths
involving both Thai residents and tourists in 2011," says the U.K.
government post announcing the new campaign.
"In contrast 1,901 people were killed in road accidents in the UK in 2011."
'Laws disobeyed'
The U.S. Department of State has a similar warning on its Thailand travel advisory page, updated in March 2013.
"Speeding, reckless passing, and failure to obey traffic laws are common in all regions of Thailand," warns the advisory.
"Commercial drivers
commonly consume alcohol and amphetamines. Bus crashes occur frequently,
especially on overnight trips, and sometimes result in fatalities.
Congested roads and a scarcity of ambulances can make it difficult for
accident victims to receive timely medical attention."
According to the World
Heath Organization's most recent report on global road safety
statistics, in 2010 Thailand had an estimated 38 road traffic deaths per
100,000 people, making it one of the world's deadliest places to be on
the road.
"Helmet-wearing campaigns," would help to reduce the carnage on the country's roads, said Avi Silverman, from the Make Roads Safe
campaign, along with "better road infrastructure -- safe crossing
points and more pavements -- properly enforced speeding legislation,
better post-crash care and better coordination among regional countries
all suffering the same problem."
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