Not just one culprit in bus crash horror

It seems the 18 holiday-makers who were killed on Wednesday night when a double-decker bus crashed in Nakhon Ratchasima were victims of careless driving. Most people think the driver Kritsana Chuthachuen deserves condemnation. Yes, he confessed to driving too fast when the bus hit a central barrier before swerving and colliding with an oncoming truck. On top of that, he is a drug user, having taken amphetamines during the doomed trip. Further checks found he had been charged with drug offences between 2002 and 2013.

But, in my opinion, coming to such a conclusion is too easy. By looking at this as an isolated case involving a “bad guy” — Mr Kritsana the driver — without mentioning the other culprits is useless and will lead us nowhere.

The other culprits in this case are the state system and transport authorities involved in the registration of public transport drivers. Why were further checks made only after the crash and not when Mr Kritsana applied for the job? His drug background should have disqualified him in the first place.

This speaks volumes about how farcical the screening and selection system of people in the public transport sector is.

In fact, this deplorable system should be blamed for other crashes. Remember the accident involving a passenger van that killed so many in Ban Bung in early 2016? The driver who nodded off behind the wheel took all the blame. It was found later that he had made as many round trips as possible due to high demand in the festive season and, of course, to earn more money. But he was too exhausted to drive in the end and just fell asleep. That would not have happened if transport officials had cared enough about human limitations. A big “if”.

What I can assure you of is that violating road safety measures, a result of weak or zero enforcement, is simply rampant in this country.

This is my own first-hand experience. In 2016, I took a trip to the tourist town of Chiang Khan in Loei with a group of friends. We chose to use the interprovincial bus service as recommended by locals. We were told air travel was not so convenient as Loei has no airport so we had to use a shuttle service from Udon Thani airport. The total travel time, including the requirement that we arrive airport at least one hour before check-in, was not so different. At the same time, they said this bus company was safe and had a good track record.

So, we travelled by bus. It left Mor Chit bus terminal at 8pm and it was was due to arrive at the destination, downtown Chiang Khan, at 5am — an eight-hour drive for the 580-km route. Everything was fine, the bus staff members were helpful and the vehicle was new. The only worry: There was only one driver throughout the trip, instead of two as required by law. I found that out after the bus was more than halfway when it stopped for a quick break in Chaiyaphum. Needless to say, I was in a panic.

It’s fortunate that the driver was a good one and very experienced. But driving single-handedly on such a long trip is not a good idea. What if he fell asleep? But there were no checks at any point on whether the bus had changed drivers. And no one seemed to care about the law, even the transport authorities.

Some may chastise me for not protesting or making a scene by getting out of the vehicle. But it’s no fun to be left in the middle of the night in a place you are unfamiliar with, surrounded by strangers.

Needless to say, luck played a bigger part in our safety on the trip and, with this kind of transport system, a driver like Mr Kritsana can get such a job.

Besides, it’s not just about the driver making a trip safe. A vehicle’s condition is another important factor.

But the wrecks of crashed vehicles give us a clue as to how unsafe such vehicles might be.

The authorities seem complacent and boast about their success in reducing double-decker bus heights from 4.3 metres to 4m. That may not be enough given the fact that most serious crashes have taken place when a driver has tried to negotiate a slope or a curve.

In addition, the extent of the damage to a vehicle after a crash could mean it’s not just height that is the problem. It’s time we paid attention to the body of buses. We all know double-decker vehicles are locally assembled. Is there crash testing?

In the aftermath of a crash, state authorities, starting from Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, repeat that same, old mantra like a broken record about how this country needs to tighten road safety measures. What measures?

All the measures are useless as long as we fail to recognise the real culprits.