Vans are only a start to fixing road crisis
It took the lives of 25 people, including the drivers, of a passenger van and a pickup truck, in the worst road accident this year, to provide a saddening wake-up call for the government to do something in earnest to rein in passenger vans.
Most, if not all, passenger van drivers are notorious for speeding as if they are engaged in a car race. A friend of mine took a ride some time ago from Bangkok to Rayong and swore she would never use the passenger van service again. She said she felt as if the vehicle was flying as the driver was driving at about 140-150 kph, as seen on the speedometer.
A friend of a friend recalled a scary experience, sitting in the front row next to the driver of a passenger van. She said when she tried to put on the seat belt, the driver looked at her and asked: “Are you scared of death?”
For many passengers, a ride in a passenger van is like a gamble, but the stakes are not money but their lives. Yet there are people who are willing to gamble because they find the service is more convenient, if not comfortable, compared to buses.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha last week vowed to get tough with passenger van drivers, van owners and passenger service operators. For instance, he said if a van was found to be unfit to be on the road at a police checkpoint, the van will be stopped and impounded, and all passengers on board told to disembark and wait for the van owner or van service operator to send a new van in working condition to pick them up and take them to their destination.
The prime minister also said every driver must be required to keep a logbook to record his driving schedule and his departure and arrival times which can then be checked by inspectors.
Gen Prayut gave a three-month deadline for passenger van service operators to shape up or be shipped out. That is, before the Songkran long holiday when millions of people in Bangkok take to the roads and head for upcountry provinces, especially northern or northeastern provinces, for celebrations. It is a preventive measure to reduce fatal road accidents.
In case there are no laws to enforce the proposed measures, he will use the magic wand vested by Section 44 of the interim constitution to make them work.
Many ideas have been floated since the prime minister talked tough to rein in the passenger vans. Somchai Sawaengkarn, a member of the National Legislative Assembly, for instance, offered a few proposals. He suggested the maximum speed of the vans should be “locked” at 80-90 kph and if any driver was found to have changed the locking mechanism he would face heavy punishment.
Mr Somchai also proposed all existing passenger van concessions be scrapped and all vans be allowed to operate within a radius of 100km from their bases.
The Land Transport Department, meanwhile, is mulling a measure to phase out an initial 5,000 passenger vans over six months and replacing them with minibuses and buses.
All the measures proposed, such as minibuses, “locked” speed limits, safety belts and logbooks, among others, will help improve the safety of passengers. But if the drivers are lousy, irresponsible or have no regard whatsoever for the safety passengers, accidents will inevitably continue and passengers will be endangered even if the vehicles are road-worthy.
Good cars are no guarantee that they won’t get into an accident. Examples abound of expensive and “super” cars getting involved in fatal road accidents because the drivers were drunk while driving or speeding.
What matters most are the van drivers, many of whom are unqualified to drive public transport vehicles — not because they cannot drive, but because of their total disregard for the safety of their passengers and utter lack of any sense of public service.
Try to warn a driver that he is speeding. You might find yourself getting kicked out of his van. Or he may increase the speed to teach you a lesson for not minding your business.
If these van drivers are allowed to drive with their old attitudes, passengers will still be held hostage and their lives will be put in the hands of the most untrustworthy and irresponsible drivers.
Van owners and service operators too can take a share of the blame for accidents involving passenger vans. Their
thirst for profits is the main reason for adding more seats beyond the permissible limits on vans to accommodate more passengers without regard to safety. Ever heard the stories of van operators fitting new tyres to their vans for annual inspection by Land Transport officials and after having passed the inspection, replacing them with worn tyres?
Another chronic problem, not concerning just passenger vans but a host of other issues, results from lax law enforcement in this country. Take a look at the issue of crash helmets for motorcyclists and their pillion riders. Traffic police no longer bother to arrest pillion riders without crash helmets except during an anti-crime campaigns or public safety campaigns.
All the tough laws or regulations to rein in passenger vans will be meaningless if law enforcement officers do not do their jobs.
For many passengers, a ride in a passenger van is like a gamble, but the stakes are not money.