Re: ''19 die as lorry driver falls asleep'' BP, July 24.
Until the Transport Department introduces stricter rules for lorry and bus drivers, and enforces them, this type of tragedy will keep occurring.
The introduction and the enforcement of the use of tachographs in large vehicles (goods as well as passenger) has proved worldwide to be effective against this type of tragedy.
One sees many accidents in Thailand where lorries have just simply ''run off'' a perfectly straight road for no apparent reason and I suspect drivers falling asleep are the main cause of such incidents.
Also there should be better training for HGV and bus drivers that includes not only driving but ensuring load security and balance. Thai lorry drivers should be held fully responsible for the roadworthiness of their trucks and the security of their loads. As a former European truck driver I can assure you that eight hours driving daily with the occasional 10-hour weekly session is enough if concentration is to be maintained. Also a break after a 36-hour week is necessary for safety.
BRIAN STOCKS
Train up your drivers
A horrendous road accident that kills 19 prompts the transport minister to make a knee-jerk reaction _ order an improvement in safety measures for buses and trucks. Not one word is mentioned about the archaic driving licence system that exists in Thailand. The procedure is: Tell the difference between green and red, have the ability to put your right foot on the brake pedal, answer some multiple choice road law questions on a computer screen, reverse park your vehicle then do a three-point turn and proceed to the cashier for your driver's licence.
Many Thai drivers, even with driving licences, do not have experience on the open road and that is shown by the high number of road accidents.
What is needed is stringent driver training.
BRIAN FORLONGE
Not Plodprasop again!
Re: ''Opponents step up dam study pressure'' (BP, July 23).
Plodprasop Suraswadi is back in the dam business again, and so soon! Apparently he has failed to heed numerous suggestions in this publication and many others that he focus his efforts elsewhere.
But (and shame on him), he has also failed to listen to local residents in the areas affected by his proposed dam work and knowledgeable environmental activists who are calling for an EIA.
If you wish to be remembered fondly for your government service Mr Plodprasop, why not be sincerely attentive to the people you are constitutionally required to serve?
MICHAEL SETTER
Bang Saray
Toothpastes make killing
I see many advertisements on TV extolling the virtues of modern toothpastes and dental care. All products are apparently recommended by dentists which surely begs the question: ''Is there a tooth/gum care product not recommended by dentists?'' The answer must surely be no!
It seems as though all of these dental healthcare products kill 99% of known bacteria. Is this good? I seem to recall that such natural microbial flora were called commensals and an important part of our health. Certainly dental and gum care is important, there's no denying that, but to have wholesale indiscriminate killing of a natural part of our personal life must surely be questioned. I realise that under certain conditions many of the microbes in our bodies can become pathogenic and cause disease which is when control and treatment enters the equation.
Is bad breath the reason for such drastic treatment? Are there other methods of of controlling bad breath? Can diet help?
HUGH ANGER
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