Asleep at the Wheel: Tour bus crash in Prachuap kills 2, critically injures 5 – driver admits to dozing off. PATTAYA, Thailand – A deadly early-morning crash on Thailand’s notorious Highway 4 has once again exposed the grave risks faced by both Thai and foreign travelers using long-distance tour buses. A double-decker air-conditioned bus en route from Rayong to Don Sak in Surat Thani veered off the road around 4:30 a.m. on June 4 and slammed into a power pole before toppling into a central ditch, leaving two passengers dead and five in critical condition. Surveillance footage captured the moment the bus, which appeared to be traveling smoothly, suddenly drifted off the highway with no other vehicle involved. The crash occurred in front of the King Rama VI military camp in Mueang district, Prachuap Khiri Khan. The impact destroyed the front end of the bus, shattered multiple windows, and tore open the roof. Passengers described feeling the vehicle sway moments before the collision. Authorities confirmed the vehicle was carrying 28 passengers in total. The driver, 51-year-old Thossaporn, admitted to dozing off behind the wheel. He was the second driver on the trip, having taken over after a rest stop in Hua Hin. He has been detained by police, who are conducting alcohol and drug tests. He faces preliminary charges of reckless driving causing death and injury, with further charges pending toxicology results. No Safety on Thai Roads: Yet another tour bus tragedy leaves lives shattered. Thirteen injured passengers were hospitalized, five of them in critical condition. Others have since been released, and provincial transport authorities have arranged transport to help passengers return home. This tragedy is part of a disturbing pattern in Thailand, where long-distance bus accidents occur with alarming frequency, often due to driver fatigue, speeding, or poor vehicle maintenance. Despite repeated promises of reform, safety standards on many bus routes remain woefully inadequate. With no national limit on consecutive driving hours and inconsistent enforcement of rest breaks, tour buses continue to pose serious risks. In the absence of robust oversight, lives — Thai and foreign alike — remain in constant jeopardy on the country’s roads. Tourism advocates and safety campaigners are once again urging the government to overhaul the commercial transport system before more lives are needlessly lost. 28 on Board, But No One in Control – Tourists’ lives in constant peril amid failing bus safety standards.   Tourism and safety advocates call for urgent reform of Thailand’s commercial transport system amid recurring deadly bus crashes.