Safety On Highway 4 To Malaysia

[GreenBag]

I plan on driving from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur in about 2 weeks time. I have been keeping tabs on the violence in the South via this Blog and other news sources. It seems most of the incidents have been in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. I have noticed no random acts of violence aimed at motorists traveling south on highway 4 to Malaysia. I would specifically like to hear from anyone who has made this trip recently or lives in this area. Is it safe? Normal Thai highway hazards are, of course, expected. I have driven in Thailand for more than 20 years, but mostly in the central and northeast regions.

[AJARNJACK]

Normally I woudn't reply to anything positive about Southern Thailand, because I moved here to get away from my fellow "farangs". Saying something positive might bring more of them down here and it wouldn't be comfortable for me because of the increase in the price of everthing that would follow. Fortunately for you, I will let you know that you are correct in assuming that the only danger is the other Thai drivers. The three provinces you mentioned do have more danger, but if you don't linger you won't have any problems there either.

I live in Trang and it's nice to see Buddhists, Christians, Muslim and Chinese temples in the area and the folks all get along. The reason I'm giving a positive report is because I'll be moving in a month and won't be here to see the prices go any higher because of foreigners living in the area. Have a great trip.