Tour Bus Crashes Injuring 11 Tourists in Phetchaburi, Thailand

According to police, eleven of nineteen foreign tourists were injured when a tour bus ran off the highway and crashed into a power post in western Thailand early Tuesday.

The accident happened around 3.40 a.m. on the Phetkasem highway in the Khao Yoi district of Phetchaburi Province.

Monthathip Tour and Travel Company’s bus was transporting 19 foreign tourists, one of whom was a child, from Surat Thani to Bangkok. Ampol Sukpanklang and Pichit Withaya were the two drivers.

According to passengers, the first driver, Mr. Ampol, moved out of the driver’s seat to allow Mr. Pichit to take the wheel and continue driving without stopping the vehicle.

The tour bus went off the highway, into a roadside ditch, and collided with a power pole.

Eleven passengers were injured, but none were seriously. For treatment, the injured were taken to Bangkok-Phetchaburi and Mahachai Petcharat hospitals in Phetchaburi town.

The tourists’ nationalities and other details were not released by police.

Tour Bus Accidents Thailand

Bus accidents account for approximately 2.5 percent of total traffic accidents in Thailand, with an estimated 600-1,000 deaths among the 13,000 annual road tolls.

This figure, however, continues to rise due to the high number of serious and fatalities caused by a large number of occupants on the vehicle.

Between 2019 and 2021, approximately 3,000 people were killed in bus accidents on highways. More than half of these crashes involved a single bus, with overturning being the most common mode of failure.

The main contributing factor was errant bus drivers (82.3%) with over speeding (71.9%) being the number 1 cause. Three cases of fatal bus crashes were investigated.

The results showed that the 3 contributing elements: drivers’ errors, vehicle integrity and defects, and roadside hazards combined to lead to the crashes and their severe consequences.

Based on the findings of the investigations, 3 remedial measures to prevent tour bus crashes and reduce their subsequent impacts were recommended: 1) control of drivers’ competency and behaviours 2) improving vehicle safety 3) safety management of roadside hazards.

A comprehensive survey of main stakeholders, tour bus passengers, who consume bus service, was conducted throughout four major regions in Thailand covering Bangkok Metropolitan, Northern, North-eastern, and Southern regions, in order to identify and suggest possible future policies for improving tour bus safety.

According to the findings of the analysis, most users lack safety awareness because they are captive riders. However, the majority of passengers agreed that the main cause of the accident was due to the drivers’ risky behavior.

Finally, the study results contribute to the generation of valuable information for concerned authorities in order to place appropriate safety programs in a proactive accident prevention task.

 

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