richard_smith237

Once my son started school, one thing I vowed not to do was to place him in the daily school transport (van service) & this is at a top tier international school. Nevertheless, I don’t trust any driver with my Sons safety, no car seat, no seatbelt enforcement… (theoretically there is but his friends who use the transportation say they don’t use them - then there is the aspect of putting your kid in a car with such a lowly education person (negative judgment I know - but I don’t know who they are). Before a school trip at his previous school I asked of the transport arrangements with specific questions about safety / car seat use etc - my questions were forwarded to the transport company (Montri)… … one of the responses shocked me (about DUI testing)… their answer… ”we test our drivers daily & if they are over the legal limit for driving they will be suspended for the day” This response highlighted the true disconnect with genuine safety concerns & appropriate responses.. - get drunk, get the day off !!! The school attempted to absolve themselves of the responsibility & ignore this concern - ultimately it was ‘one of’ the reasons we moved to a more professional school.

That would be a first, since I've never lost or had anything pinched from me in my life. All 3 easily replaced, along with the safest place for all three is with me. IMO - the safest place for the passport is my safe... ... Carrying anything around encompasses additional risk of loss - Passport is in the safe 100% of the time unless I need it. I used the say the same thing... I've never lost anything or hand anything pinched from me in my life... .... Until I did... (lost my wallet)... have also caught two attempts to pick-pocket me (Prague and Barcelona).... Aren't you living in the Kanchanburi area ??? ... hence the comment about Kanchanaburi surfing... IMO - the safest place is my

A mercedes is not a luxury car in my country. It is a brand the drug dealers drive A Mercedes is not a luxury car in my country, its what the hair-dressers drive on hire-purchase.

20m is a long walk in the Thai heat - I'm surprise a hi-so exposed herself to the sun for as long as it took to throw the litter over the bridge, but a 20m walk - Imagine the change of skin shade she may have encountered had she risked that distance !!!!

That doesn't avoid problems... 'it records them' when you have problems !!! .... and either exonerates you... or suddenly gets lost (or data deleted) if you are at fault !!

In Indonesia, thats called the Jakarta Millisecond... 'the time it takes for a light to turn green and the cars behind to start hitting their horn'.... Thankfully Thailand is not like that... the drivers pull away from the lights slowly and with caution because there is always someone 'jumping' the red light... All drivers know this and understand the 'slowly-slowly-cautious' approach when entering a junction after the traffic light turns green.

Yep.... Son in a baby seat, Wife semi-conscious the passenger seat, breathing... quicker to just carry them to the car and rush to hospital than call and wait for an ambulance. Fortunately, with the hazard lights, and frenzied flashing of the lights it seemed most people were 'alert enough' to notice that this was not a normal situation and I found that many gave way... At one point, on Sukhumvit, I recall going around all the traffic waiting to turn right, then pulled across the front of them and pushed / forced my way into the on coming traffic to turn right across them - hand up to apologise, but flashing and hazards still on... others gave way, as if they knew this was not a normal situation... I was quite surprised (positively) by the response... ... I half expected to get pulled over by a Policeman... I'd have shouted (in Thai) 'Hosptial' - they'd have got the message and I'd then expect an escort... ... none of that happened, but I was able to 'slice through traffic' and no one seemed to put up an objection and try and block me for which I was quite grateful... ... had someone tried to block me in that situation, I'd have done my best to get around them, but ultimately I may have ended up scratching or damaging our cars... (I'd worry about that later - priority #1 - getting to ER (and getting into an accident that would slow us down on the way).

For Mr Confused..there is no such thing as an International Driving/Driver's Licence. A colloquialism... Obviously they are referring to an IDP (International Driving Permit)...

100% agree... So many similar incidents and incidents which lead to an accident are caused by a 'dual fault'.... i.e. two separate parties... both parties behaving poorly, both driving badly etc... In so many of these news reports we see how easily something would be avoided if just one of the parties rose above the issue.... In this case - the guy was trying to get his wife to the hospital in an emergency - but the Thai driver reacted to his forceful driving... That would have been the end of it, but then the American driver reacted back in retaliation further escalating a situation instead of getting on with his task.

Agreed,... especially IF he was on a 'genuine emergency run'.... But in this case, he didn't need to ram her (which he didn't) as there clearly was still room to go around to the left (which he did)... Its clear he'd lost his temper... the incident looks 'tit for tat' to me and there was an initial 'incident' before the incident we see in the video. It seems the American man tried to aggressively overtake the Thai woman in tunnel and used the horn... and she didn't let him in, they both stopped and the American man got out and hit the car (causing damage) and tried to get into the car... ... the both then drove on, her overtaking him and blocking him, so to try and stop him (becasue he'd already caused damage hitting (punching her car) - this was the part caught on cam...

Yup... its been an issue for a while... ... and there have been warnings about it all over Thailand for a while... On this forum too...

I can't believe a Thai hi-so in a Mercedes would disrespect Thailand and her environment in such a manner..... This lady either wasn't Thai.... ....or the 'trash' was not trash, but fish food and she was earning merit through kindness in feeding the fish... ... All just a misunderstanding...

Can we please have the 'obligatory comment'.... .... "A Mercedes its not a luxury car, its a taxi in my country !!!"....

Please no... One of the good things about driving here is the relative absense of 'horn use'... In other countries the use of the horn is exhausting unnecessary noise (think Indonesia - where even being a passenger is exhausting because of all the horns - its as dumb as the overuse of the whistle)... So.. from my perspective - Hats off to the Thai's who do not get involved in this incessant horn-smashing.... Seems that you behaved like an erratic nutcase... Remember, you can't re-educate all those around you so its better to chill than to get irate.... Additionally, even when you do get angry and become unhinged, here is always someone angrier, more unhinged and more likely to be weaponised than you. I used my horn very sparingly and when I have, I try to make it a shorter 'pap' rather than an abusive 'blast' and even then I've seen other drivers being visibly angry, just by the shift in their driving style from 'oblivious and careless' to 'highly erratic and completely nutty' (as if they are completely unable to control their anger at being 'told off' by a stranger in another car (such is the fragile nature of some characters on the roads).

What is commented on the Facebook page of the Phuket Times: https://www.facebook.com/PhuketTimeNews/posts/844182321165945?ref=embed_post So, is the Thai woman blocking the path of the American because he has already damaged the car in an incident that was not caught on any earlier video... Or, is this the incident caught on video where the American hits the car and causes a dent ? - but that is in response to her blocking the road ?

It's in 3 posts above yours by lordgrinz Yup - he'd added it after I'd posted asking if there was a link. This doesn't exactly exonerate the American... Neither does it paint the Thai lady in a favourable light... She was deliberately blocking him... He still has space to go around her, but instead chose escalation instead of getting on with his emergency journey. In short - both appear to be juvenile triggered tools.... ... and, as someone else mentioned, it was red light ahead, so he wasn't getting very far, but that little stop 'cost him' a few positions when the cars on the inside (left) were still moving... His anger became a greater priority than the emergency. Her anger became a greater priority than being a reasonable human being. BUT - the American was charged for damage - What damage ???? Why wasn't she charged with deliberately blocking traffic ???

I wonder if this was a foreign 'Seacretor' would they be under charges by the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment for dropping torpedoes and risking marine life etc ??

These issues are often just cultural differences that have been exaggerated due to the inability to communicate... this combined by those in many area's of high tourist footfall becoming jaded by the 'hand that feeds them'... ... Without all the tourists many in the area would be poor rubber famers etc - it can be quickly forgotten once familiarity has bred contempt. Many find some other nationalities abrasive and rude, especially en masse and ones the frustration slips in, redeeming qualities are no longer observed having been displaced by confirmation bias. ------------ I recall being at a beach restaurant, lots of Chinese tourist around. One of the Chinese girls at the next table (casual beach seating on mats), gets up, comes to our table and takes the tissue-roll, goes back to her table and puts it down there. So, I get up, with a smile, go to their table, take the tissue-roll back and put it back on my table - and thats that. - I thought it extremely rude that they would do so a thing, but also figured, no big deal, its just another culture and they behave differently.... ... a while later, the same group of women have my Son in their lap and are playing nicely with him (he was about three years old at the time)... They couldn't speak a word of English, the language barrier is sometimes the cause of many of these issues usually borne of an innocuous but innocent misunderstanding. Similarly - I'm having a snooze on the beach... and a Chinese lady stands right next to me and decides to shout for her friend 30m away at the waters edge - Startled, I sit up, turn around and look at the woman stood 1m from me and tell her to 'shut up' !!! (which obviously she doesn't understand, but I'm irritated)... I do the 'shush - finger to lips thing, and then the 'hands together - sleeping thing'... She does the 'hands up - apology thing'.... ... Yes, the Chinese (and other nationals) can be gruff, uncouth, loud and inconsiderate - but none of it is intentionally rude, its just naïve and innocent ignorance most of the time and thats about it.

Have you thought that they may feel the same about you What do you think Thai's and Indian's think about Swahili speakers ??? ... or Timon (the Meerkat) and Pumbaa (the Warthog) from the Lion King... whose catchphrase is...

Any link to the vid ?

Thanks - that significantly changes things... He's trying to get his wife to hospital and another person 'insulted' (angry) by his forceful driving blocks the whole road... ... I think it would take a great deal or resolve not to 'get out of the car' and tell the other person to get out of the way... In that case one would be tempted to 'drive and push the other car out of the way (if the emergency was severe and potentially life and death). And, in that case, the woman should also be charged with 'dangerous driving' blocking the road etc.

I used my Passport last week - and I still couldn't state with absolute certainty that my passport is in perfect condition and has no tears in it... I can't state that for my Second Passport, nor my Sons Passport, or my Wife's Passport... going through the passport looking for slight damage is not something I've ever done (but perhaps should). You manipulated the situation to suit a bias... The Passport was not 'tampered with'... it had a small tear that had previously gone unnoticed. In the past, I have travelled with a tear in my Passport (ID page) and it went unnoticed or unbothered by everyone, I only noticed when renewing my passport. This was a 'non-issue' turned into a major event by a jobs worth.

Where did you get that information from ? Because, IF the the Thai Driver [Ms Sand] pulled the car across and deliberately blocked the road, that significantly changes the optics - but I don't ready anywhere (in the Op or linked article) that this is the case... It does appear that she was irritated by the American Driver [Mr Sunny] forcing his way through traffic (in an emergency) and it appears she fought for position in a 'tit-for-tat' manner that some juvenile drivers attempt when they are pasted or someone has nudged / pushed out in front of them in heavy traffic.

So... 1) American Man (Mr Sunny) driving his wife to hospital in a huge hurry due to a medical emergency. 2) Overtakes vehicles (he's in a hurry, its medical emergency). 3) Thai Lady (Ms Sand) doesn't like being overtaken (abruptly) and tries to take back 'her place' 4) This forced Mr Sunny to brake hard and his unwell wife 'bumped' inside their vehicle. 5) Enraged, the medical emergency suddenly became less important than teaching another driver a lesson and Mr Sunny attempted to confront Ms Sand. Now: Where is the property damage ? Did Mr Sunny get out and hit and damage the car physically ? **on this, I've been in a situation whereby I had to rush my Wife to Hospital in Bangkok traffic... 'Hazard lights on'... flashing main lights repeatedly, I pushed through traffic, went through red-lights (cautiously - slow moving traffic anyway)... arrived at the ER.... grabbed the porter, bundled my wife into a wheel chair... took my son out of his car seat and followed my Wife into ER.. Forgetting about the car, my keys were brought to me about 10mins later (the staff had parked it for me).... - In this situation the last thing on my mind was getting out and confronting someone and wasting valuable time... This guy [Mr Sunny] may be quite a loose cannon - but it would also appear that Ms Sand is a clearly terrible driver and seemed to deliberately impede someone who was clearly in a hurry - did she see him hustling to get through traffic an 'brake test' him ? thus angering him ? Either way, getting out of a car and attempting to confront or attack another driver is a toolish thing to do.... but so is deliberately impeding someone (if thats what she was doing... its also possible she was simply oblivious to the world around and driving as if she were the only person in the world, which can also be infuriating for nearby road users).

How many more times do you imagine needing to do that ? is it worth the hassle of getting the Yellow House Book ? Another point to consider - IF your DLT accepts the Yellow House Book as proof of address or not, as its been reported on here: Some DLT's do not accept the Yellow House Book. Regarding obtaining Certificate of Residence from Immigration - is that something someone could do on your behalf ?