Imagine your sense of calm being shattered by screeching tires and the thunderous crash of metal… On December 5, a double-decker behemoth of the road, owned by Srisiam Dernrod and operated by the rambunctious Transport Co Ltd, danced a fatal waltz with nature and lost. This iron giant tipped into the embrace of roadside trees along Highway No. 4 (Phetkasem), slumbering between kilometre stones 331-332 in the charming pocket of Moo 7 Huay Yang sub-district, nestled within Thap Sakae district of the picturesque Prachuap Khiri Khan province, tragically claiming 14 lives and inflicting pain on 32 more souls.
Now, let’s talk turkey – safety is no joke! The first course of action is to chain those pesky double-decker buses down with a speed limiter – the hero we didn’t know we needed. These limiters will keep our mechanical friends from getting too excited and racing beyond speeds that are, well, safe and sound for everyone.
Next up, it’s all about grooming these beasts to perfection with regular inspections by qualified mechanics – and we’re talking at least every six months. It’s like taking your pet to the vet, but for buses, ensuring they’re purring just right and fit to hit the roads!
The Department of Land Transport is rolling up its sleeves and diving deep with a suitcase full of measures to keep a hawk-eye on these double-decker chariots:
- A prod at the bus operators’ business dealings – because if they can’t toe the line with safety norms, what on earth are they doing?
- Let’s get techie with GPS trackers and biannual check-ups, surprise roadside pop-quiz inspections, and the all-important pre-trip checkups.
- An intricate spider web of safety nets to catch any signs of risks and reel them in before they spiral out of control.
- The ‘no-go zone’ policy for double-deckers in treacherous territories like our unpredictable mountain roads.
- Updated RSVP lists on these double-decker soirees – they’ve got to cut down on the guest lists, keeping passenger numbers lower and safer.
- How about a sprinkle of extra safety features? Side-impact protection is on the menu too!
The eggheads at the Land Transport department are banking on these schemes to slash those pesky accident rates and wrap our road leviathans in a bubble of safety. Sure, the Prachuap Khiri Khan crash response initiative is garnished with good intentions, but it’s merely the amuse-bouche of a full safety banquet.
Meanwhile, the department is whispering sweet nothings into the ears of bus operators and passengers, hoping to woo them into a waltz of safety awareness. Let’s turn it up a notch with grand campaigns and a dose of good ol’ education.
Keep in mind, even after putting the brakes on registering new double-decker guests back in 2016 – citing a penchant for tipsy acrobatics on slopes and a concerning accident rate – there’s still a full house of these towering entertainers performing across our nation’s highways and byways.
But fret not, with these savvy steps we’ll be transforming our double-decker rides from rolling hazards to paragons of the pavement – so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the view from the top… safely, of course!
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