There does now seem to be a definitive lack of willpower by the traffic police, to protect all persons using the roads. Even more so, the buses keep crashing, minibuses keep crashing and who do they pick on the most, the Chinese tourists.
Phuket have you not learnt that killing the golden money goose has caught your B@(($ in a vice? Tighten up safety, your island is looking like a slaughter destination..

Posted by Duncan on July 26, 2015 12:41

Does nobody ever check their vehicles tyres here?
I have seen so many vehicles driving on smooth tyres. Tread is what keeps you safe in the dry AND in the wet.

Posted by Duncan on July 26, 2015 12:56

Many more deaths in crashes elsewhere? Really! Editor I think you are like the rest of the people in authority! Maybe there should be some kind of corporate manslaughter rules where people are accountable! Then things may change!

Posted by Anonymous on July 26, 2015 13:02

Mr Editor, is it not a bit of a understatement to say that buses and drivers on Phuket could be improved a lot?
Not daily, but at least weekly, for already a long time(!) all these accidents happen. What are so far the Phuket authorities doing to tackle all this bad driving, busses all the time with no good brakes ( always the brakes, yes?). Never hear police check the tourist bus drivers on alcohol/drugs use. Is the Governor aware of that? All the foreign Consults are.
Just to say many more death elsewhere is not helping all the just arriving tourist on Phuket busses,speed boats, etc, etc. There is simply no conduct of safety on Phuket. (' Elsewhere' is no excuse). Why the busses and drivers on Phuket NOT improve? That is the issue!!

Posted by Kurt on July 26, 2015 13:18

It is a bloody shame. Nothing less.
Absolutely not needed to happen.
Is the bus driver already arrested and waiting trial in the monkey house? Or just take statement and relax home?
Is the bus owner coming up with paying hospital bils + lost holiday compensations, or not insured.?
It is a total disgrace.

Posted by Kurt on July 26, 2015 13:23

Duncan,
Tread makes no difference to traction in dry weather. Excluding road surface temperature, in wet weather, the depth of tread and the design profile matched to expected speed to enable water removal from the road to tyre interface is where tread makes a difference.

Posted by MoW on July 26, 2015 13:39

Mr Editor, what kind of comment is that on Anounymous?
Commenters drive safe, not flip, have profile on their tires, adjust speed to weather circumstances. Many have basically higher driving education than the 'you can buy Phuket driving license'. Most of us have also First aid road accident training done.
Actually, we are at danger on Phuket roads as well with all these thai idiote flip over drivers. I not like to read you are softening this big problem. ( now again many tourists in hospital, completely not needed.) Wait your report on alcohol/drug test driver, and the car condition. Many thai drivers have not even the needed driving license for their cars, and no thai authority cares. Let us wake up, and make the thai aware that this has to stop. Any car flip-over is 1 to much, completely criminal.

Posted by Kurt on July 26, 2015 13:39

Now, Singapore island is the same size as Phuket island. Anyone you can do research about number of road ( flipping) accidents on both islands and compare. Also compare police actions and convictions of drivers of both countries?
We are now AEC-2015, so reasonable to compare, right?

Posted by Kurt on July 26, 2015 13:48

Ouch, at least it looks like no one lost their life which is a good thing.

Hopefully these constant accidents involving the Chinese will circulate on social media in China and people will stop coming.

Posted by Discover Thainess on July 26, 2015 13:49

Ed

That would be the "unrealistic" alternative....

Posted by Discover Thainess on July 26, 2015 14:26

That stretch of road is pretty dangerous. Coming down that hill, you pick up speed and the left lane is very bumpy. Needs resurfacing (for many years).

Posted by GiantFan on July 26, 2015 15:00

@ Giant Fan. You are quite right sir. There is a very nasty uneven patch of tarmac in the left hand lane. A bit of rain could be a tricky encounter. As Duncan says, tread is important on a tyre. For MoW tread is important in the dry too. We are not driving on smooth racetrack toppings where slick tyres work well at low pressures but on real changable tarmac.
Be safe everybody, we live on an island, no beed to race around here.

Posted by Graham on July 26, 2015 16:47

@Duncan...Preventive maintenence in Thailand?...your joking aren't you?

Posted by sky on July 26, 2015 17:52

@Duncan tread only improves grip in the wet think of the old days of F1 slick tyres were used in the dry.

Posted by Mr Top Chap on July 26, 2015 20:30

Graham,
Smooth or rough road conditions makes no difference and as for the trade off low tyre pressure verses increase in rolling resistance it is irrelevant unless the tyre is being used at the extreme edge of the rubber compound's design and temperature limit. In this situation, discussing the performance of a worn down commercially available tyre verses the same tyre with sufficient tread in dry conditions, on the same road and with the same tyre pressure, there will be no measurable negative difference.

Posted by MoW on July 26, 2015 21:29

In the meantime, the council of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea of London made a new law that will make it a criminal offence to accelerate rapidly,rev your engine or blast out loud music.
Even leaving your engine running, playing loud music , sounding your horn or driving in a convoy could also get you into trouble


Yes, borough of Chelsea and Phuket island are very different worlds, but still Phuket assumingly is trying to attract 'quality tourists" ( I have no idea what they exactly mean with that), so one may put hypothesis that residents of Chelsea and Kensington are among those "quality visitors" which Phuket is aspiring for.

Traffic rules and habits on Phuket is clearly very distinctive to those that are envisaged by the municipal council.

But may be if conduct on roads and around roads on Phuket would be closer to the cited standard, it would attract more residents of addresses with fancy postcodes SW NW W?

Posted by Sue on July 27, 2015 01:13

Due to the high taxes on import of buses, most of them are more than 20 years old. Looking at their exhausts it easy to understand the engine conditions (a lot of dense smoke). The rest (brakes, circuit, component) can't be better. They must pass a test every years but like I listened, authority can't reject, how should be, the most of them: can't show that since yesterday government let dangerous buses going around illegaly in the island... Creepy..

Posted by dave on July 27, 2015 10:16