The March 20 highway accident in Saraburi province in which 29 passengers were killed and 34 injured has prompted authorities to consider imposing stricter safety rules on public buses and their drivers.

Suchart Klinsuwan, acting director of the Department of Land Transport (DLT) Engineering and Safety Office, said the unit was planning to require all public buses to undergo checks twice a year to qualify for licences, instead of the current requirement of an annual check.

Earlier, this was opposed by bus-operators due to the higher cost, but the Muaklek tragedy in Saraburi underlined the need for more stringent rules.

The sub-standard condition of the bus due to its long service and improper maintenance was blamed for the accident, along with an incompetent and irresponsible driver.

Suchart said the department was also studying limiting the number of years of service for public buses. The bus in the Muaklek accident was over 30 years old.

He said another tentative plan was to set up a professional training centre for public-bus drivers, who would be awarded a special certificate upon completion of the programme.

Researcher Dr Phichai Thaneerananont of Prince of Songkhla University's Faculty of Engineers said many public-bus drivers were not professionally trained. "Almost half of them learn to drive by themselves, and one-fifth of them are former bus boys. We also found that 80 per cent of them had experienced at least one accident," he said, citing a recent survey on bus-drivers.

Moreover, bus-drivers usually have low bargaining power when dealing with the bus companies' bosses, said another researcher, Dr Somprasong Suttayamully of Suranaree University of Technology (SUT)'s Accident Investigation Unit.

"In the Mueklek accident, we found that the driver had been told by his company to do whatever was necessary to continue the journey from the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani to Bangkok, even though the driver had reported serious mechanical problems. The bus company didn't act on the driver's complaint. It should have sent a replacement bus, but it didn't," Somprasong said.

The SUT researcher also found that it had been impossible to open the emergency exit of the bus in the Mueklek accident and there had been no equipment to break the glass windows, nor any fire extinguishers.

Over the past decade, statistics show Thailand has on average 3,500-4,000 public-bus accidents annually, with 2003 registering a record high of 4,509 cases. That means that there are 10 bus accidents, including minor ones, daily. According to research funded by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, road accidents cause damage amounting to Bt8 billion per year.

Researcher Phichai said the situation had slightly improved in the past two years but the new concern was that accidents in the provinces were growing rapidly.

His findings show that the condition of buses and their drivers are the two most important factors as far as accidents are concerned. "We need better standards on both. For instance, there should be a professional institute to train public-bus drivers and then certify them. Those with certificates should get better salaries.

"We should also have some sort of certification on public vehicles' safety so the public know which companies they should use when they need a bus," he said.

Regular maintenance and thorough inspection of the vehicles are also important. "We should turn this accident into an opportunity, as in Australia when two major bus accidents, in Grafton and Kempsey, prompted authorities to improve their bus-safety standards."

"The two accidents killed 57 passengers, so the government decided to review Australian Design Rules, resulting in more stringent safety rules, covering emergency exits, materials used for public buses, seat strength and other things," he explained.

While costs will rise for operators, investment in safety features will pay off. He cited bus-operator Nakhonchai Tour Company and cargo company K-Line as examples. They have invested substantially in more safety measures in their businesses, including installing black boxes in every bus, a GPS satellite monitoring system, training for drivers and a reward and punishment system for good and bad drivers.

"Nakhonchai said it was able to recoup the investment in a year. Prior to that the firm had to pay around Bt2 million per year on accidents and related expenses.

"The K-line case has yielded similar results. We just need the authorities to issue practical safety standards. We also need carrots and sticks, heavy punishment if rules are broken."

Dr Wittaya Chartbanchachai of Khon Kaen Hospital's Accident Centre said response to highway accidents also needed to be quicker.

Meanwhile, the Department of Land Transport is urging the government to unify two separate laws covering private vehicles and public vehicles so that enforcement is more effective. Many private vans are now used for public transport.

Kamol Sukin

The Nation