Bus drivers from hell: Time to control? | Bangkok Post: learning

About road safety

11 people dead in most recent bus crash, passengers told driver to slow down, couple minutes later bus hit pole, driver dead, bus in pieces, even more injured.

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COMMENTARY

Hell bus drivers need reining in

9/07/2012
Saritdet Marukatat
Opinion-Editorial Pages Editor

....At 5.30am on Tuesday, a Koh Samui-bound Transport Co bus from Bangkok hit a power pole in Kanchanadit district in Surat Thani province, killing 11 passengers and leaving several injured, some of them tourists. The cause of the accident was predictable: speeding.

The accident was a shock. But what had taken place before that was even worse. The passengers on the bus felt something was wrong as the vehicle was going too fast. One scared passenger could take it no longer and told the driver to slow down.

The driver not only dismissed the request, but he pulled into a petrol station, turned to the passengers and told those who were not happy to get off the bus immediately.

Shortly after he resumed the journey, he lost control of the vehicle and the bus hit the electricity pole.

Bus accidents no longer seem to be headline news any more, as they are becoming routine. Last April, for example, there were two. The Bangkok-bound bus from Bang Saphan district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, run by Bang Saphan Tour, collided with an 18-wheel truck in Cha-am district of Phetchaburi on April 10. A bus worker died and 30 passengers were injured.

On April 21, the driver of a bus operated by Chackrapong Tour travelling from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani lost control of his vehicle. The bus crashed into a mountain side in Den Chai district, Phrae. Six passengers died and 23 were injured.

More accidents are inevitable as long as the ministry talks but doesn't act about the seriousness of this problem. When it cannot ensure that its own Transport Co service is safe and the drivers are not reckless, we cannot expect it to supervise its private partners. The ministry runs road safety campaigns in the media, but ironically one of its own agencies is part of the problem.

Still, not all private firms in partnership with Transport Co are bad. Nakhonchaiair, for one, makes an incredible effort to ensure the safety of its passengers. It's a simple process. It has equipped its fleet with GPS devices with staff tracking the buses on screen at head office in Bangkok around the clock. By doing this, all buses are being watched and any errant driver is ordered by the control room to slow down if he goes beyond the speed limit.

Other firms, including Transport Co, could quite easily do the same. But they haven't, or won't. The reason is simple: they don't want to spend the money.

That's a poor excuse. It should be a requirement for all public bus firms to install GPS in their vehicles for the safety of passengers. The equipment is not a magic pill to eradicate accidents, but at least it's one way to bring the drivers under control.

Making sure that all drivers of public buses and other vehicles are well behaved and act safely is not a glamorous policy compared with, say, building a high-speed rail link. But it is something that must be done quickly. "Transport Co plans to install GPS in all buses next year," the official said. What happened on June 29 is a good reminder. The sooner, the better.

(Source: Bangkok Post, COMMENTARY, Hell bus drivers need reining in, 9/07/2012, Saritdet Marukatat, Opinion-Editorial Pages Editor, link) 


 Road Safety Vocabulary

hell - in some religions, the place where some people are believed to go after death to be punished forever for the bad things they have done during their lives นรก

rein in - control

hell bus drivers need reining in

bound - going to this place
Koh Samui-bound bus - a bus going to Koh Samui

electricity pole - the high poles carrying electricity wires on them by the side of the road
power pole - Same as "electricity pole"
power - energy in the form of electricity produced in large quantities and used to operate lights, machines, and heating

predictable - people know what will happen before it actually happens

....At 5.30am on Tuesday, a Koh Samui-bound Transport Co bus from Bangkok hit a power pole in Kanchanadit district in Surat Thani province, killing 11 passengers and leaving several injured, some of them tourists. The cause of the accident was predictable: speeding.

vehicle - a machine that you travel in or on, especially one with an engine that travels on roads, e.g., a car, bus, van, truck, etc. ยานพาหนะ
could take it no longer - situation was too unpleasant to continue (so they did something, like complain or leave)

The accident was a shock. But what had taken place before that was even worse. The passengers on the bus felt something was wrong as the vehicle was going too fast. One scared passenger could take it no longer and told the driver to slow down.

dismissed - considered something to be unimportant or not good enough to be taken seriously แย้งกลับ โต้กลับ refused to accept that something might be true or important ปฏิเสธ
dismissed the request - say no, will not do what he was asked to do

petrol station - gas station
immediately - happening right after something else with no delay; right away ทันที

The driver not only dismissed the request, but he pulled into a petrol station, turned to the passengers and told those who were not happy to get off the bus immediately.

resume the journey - start the journey again; start travelling along the road again

control
lost control
lost control of the vehicle

Shortly after he resumed the journey, he lost control of the vehicle and the bus hit the electricity pole.

headline news - the most important news in big letters on the front page of the newspaper
no longer headline news anymore

routine - the usual series of tasks that are done as part or a job or work กิจวัตร
collided - when two cars, trucks or other vehicles hit each  other

Bus accidents no longer seem to be headline news any more, as they are becoming routine. Last April, for example, there were two. The Bangkok-bound bus from Bang Saphan district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, run by Bang Saphan Tour, collided with an 18-wheel truck in Cha-am district of Phetchaburi on April 10. A bus worker died and 30 passengers were injured. On April 21, the driver of a bus operated by Chackrapong Tour travelling from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani lost control of his vehicle. The bus crashed into a mountain side in Den Chai district, Phrae. Six passengers died and 23 were injured.

inevitable - will happen in the future, for sure; certain to happen  unavoidable  ที่เลี่ยงไม่ได้ ซึ่งหลีกเลี่ยงไม่ได้
ministry - a government department dealing with an area of activity กระทรวง

talks but doesn't act - say you will do something, but do not do it
seriousness of problem

ensure - to make certain that something happens or is done รับรอง ให้ความมั่นใจ ให้การยืนยัน
cannot ensure service is safe

reckless - done without being careful (without protecting you and others from harm) สะเพร่า
drivers reckless

partners - the companies owning part of the joint venture หุ้นส่วน
private partners - companies that are working with the government

supervise - to be in charge of an activity and to check that everything is being done correctly ดูแล ควบคุม
supervise its private partners

campaigns - a long series of events staged to achieve a goal or to promote something (for example, an "anti-smoking campaign")
media - radio, television, newspaper, the Internet, considered as a group สื่อ

road safety campaigns in the media

ironically - when the situation is the opposite of what you would expect

ironically one of its own agencies is part of the problem

More accidents are inevitable as long as the ministry talks but doesn't act about the seriousness of this problem. When it cannot ensure that its own Transport Co service is safe and the drivers are not reckless, we cannot expect it to supervise its private partners. The ministry runs road safety campaigns in the media, but ironically one of its own agencies is part of the problem.

in partnership with - working together with

incredible - surprising or difficult to believe อย่างไม่น่าเชื่อ
effort - the energy and enthusiasm that people put into an activity; an attempt to do something ความพยายาม
makes an incredible effort - works very hard to do something

makes an incredible effort to ensure the safety of its passengers

simple - easy to understand; not complicated ง่าย,ไม่ยุ่งยาก, ไม่ซับซ้อน
process - a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ

a simple process

GPS devices - electronic things that tell you where you are (or where the thing that the GPS is attached to is on the map)

fleet - a group of ships, buses, trucks ,etc  ขบวนเรือ
equipped its fleet with GPS devices

staff - workers, employees พนักงาน
staff tracking the buses on screen at head office in Bangkok around the clock

errant - a bus driver not following the rules (doing something that he should not do)
errant driver

control room - a special room where a certain activity is managed and coordinated while it happens

beyond the speed limit - going faster in your car than the law says you can; breaking the speed limit 

Still, not all private firms in partnership with Transport Co are bad. Nakhonchaiair, for one, makes an incredible effort to ensure the safety of its passengers. It's a simple process. It has equipped its fleet with GPS devices with staff tracking the buses on screen at head office in Bangkok around the clock. By doing this, all buses are being watched and any errant driver is ordered by the control room to slow down if he goes beyond the speed limit.

reason - an explanation of an event, why an event happened เหตุ ; เหตุผล ; สาเหตุ
the reason is simple

excuse - to give a reason why you were bad
a poor excuse - not  good reason

install - put a piece of equipment somewhere and make it ready to be used ติดตั้งอุปกรณ์
vehicles - machines with an engine used to carry people or goods from place to place ยานพาหนะ

install GPS in their vehicles for the safety of passengers

eradicate - to get rid of completely or destroy something bad กำจัดจนหมดสิ้น
eradicate accidents - end accidents, eliminate (no accidents anymore)

Other firms, including Transport Co, could quite easily do the same. But they haven't, or won't. The reason is simple: they don't want to spend the money. That's a poor excuse. It should be a requirement for all public bus firms to install GPS in their vehicles for the safety of passengers. The equipment is not a magic pill to eradicate accidents, but at least it's one way to bring the drivers under control.

glamorous  - something that people like to hear about (because it involves something big, expensive, may help them or involved celebrities)
policy - a plan of action to guide decisions and achieve outcomes (See Wikipedia) นโยบาย
glamorous policy - a policy that people like to hear about (because it involves something big, expensive, may help them or involved celebrities)

link - to connect เชื่อม
high-speed rail link

official - a high level government employee

reminder - something that helps you remember something (something you have to do, for example)
a good reminder

Making sure that all drivers of public buses and other vehicles are well behaved and act safely is not a glamorous policy compared with, say, building a high-speed rail link. But it is something that must be done quickly. "Transport Co plans to install GPS in all buses next year," the official said. What happened on June 29 is a good reminder. The sooner, the better.

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