richard_smith237

But... Thai's are not stupid.... They are certainly not stupid enough not to know the laws that they 'should slow and stop at pedestrian crossings' and ride slowly / more carefully in area's with greater numbers of pedestrians on the roads.... Having worked here a lot with Thai's I can see how industrious they are, formal education may be limited across may facets of society, but that does not mean Thai's are stupid, far from it - they adapt very well and every Thai 'knows' to stop at a red traffic light.... or at a pedestrian crossing.... just as any foreigner (Westerner) does... .... The difference for both - on occasions such as this, both Thai's and foreigners who speed, drive / ride recklessly, don't stop at crossings and jump lights etc, don't behave this way due to any lack of education - they ride this way because they get away with it and are selfish - the foreigners who ride / drive like this are selfish, and so are the Thai's to ride / drive the in the same manner. There is no excusing Thai's for having a weaker formal education - they still know right from wrong, just as the foreginers do.

Agree.... There needs to be a complete cultural shift towards one of more responsibility and accountability.... Too much emphasis is applied on reactive penalisation than proactive enforcement - and the consequnces are the freefor all as people believe they are infallible. Kwiclo will soon be along with a 20,000 word thesis telling everyone else they are wrong and only he knows the answers with his usually pseudo-analysis which ingnores human factors... laziness and stupidity... ... but as with many others, the answers are fairly clear - better enforcement and instructions to take a step away from this 'Kraeng-Jai - face-saving' acts which absolve people from responsibility for their moronically dangerous or outrageously stupid road behavior....

Valid point - one could read more into this than perhaps exists... Writing the Sign like that in huge English Text implies the BiB believe this to be a problem with only foreigners... While I'm certain, many foreigners would be riding the wrong way down the one way street, they primarily do so for a couple of reasons a) They have adapted and are copying the Thai's... b) the know there is no enforcement, so why not ? .... One of the first sayings I learned here... "Always look both ways when crossing a one way street"..... Whenever out on the roads it is a 100% guarantee that I will see a Thai riding the wrong way down the wrong side of the road (into traffic)... 100%, its not a 'sometimes observation'... but that observation is one that can be mate every single time I step out of the house onto Thailands roads.... So... while I agree that this is a excellent step, its a drop in the ocean and one which I suspect comes with a health dose of sanctimony of the Thai Police force "we can't have foreigners breaking the rules, while the Thai moto-taxi riders etc do with with impunity because they're doing their job and don't have money"....

True that... I know area's such as Pattaya and Patong etc attract more loons... But, do you and your mates drive like that ? If such behavior was typical of all foreigners..... then you'd be an outlier not driving like a nutcase... in reality most drive reasonably, its just a few nutters who make the news that you seem to be calling 'typical'...

You do write some bo!!ox Gamma.... you studied at the University of Pisa ???

No... Its not 'typical'.... I know lots of foreigners here and none behave like this... neither do I, neither do you and most likely neither do those you know.... There is nothing typical about this... is just another example of a total ahole on the roads, they are in abundance here, Foreigners and Thai.... his very selfish and idiotic behavior has ruined a family's life.... he's in some very deep shyte - Death by reckless driving.

Valid point, but clearly the drunk d-head of a foreigner was also clearly creating a very real danger... ... anyone heard from Malcy today ???... he'll be blaming speed rather than the booze !!!!

One of you is enough ?

Yes. I mentioned the problem of atmospheric water vapor in reply to the member who suggested I row far out in a leaking boat, far out into the Andaman Sea, in order to see the stars. Its also too dangerous to avert our eyes from the ground whenever out and about in Bangkok... So I've no idea what the Bangkok sky looks like... ... the only time I look skywards is when on the ground floor in Baccarra !!!

A very odd comment.... don't you realise its possible to have a drink one day and then not the other and can 'operate your vehicle' ???

Have you been smoking the same stuff as Gamma again ?

Those people are more than likely human trash that are here on self-imposed exile from their home countries .....typically drunks, drug addicts, pedophiles, or common criminals hiding out in places most people avoid like the plague. Indeed..... I read it a lot on this forum... People bleeting on about the 'nanny state' and how they don't want to see our 'western' rules here.... What they fail to recognise is that they, their loved ones and those close to them for the most part have avoided being electrocuted or mown down on a pavement or while crossing the road because of sensible laws that have been put in place to protect everyone, are enforced and are respected by the majority of society.... ... those who make such statements as "don't bring the nanny state here" have simplified and dumbed down the concept of societal safety in lieu of an attempted 'wise crack' on these forums while missing the fact that such statements simply makes them look stupid.

The lack of stellar clarity in the tropics has more to do with the humidity than anything else. The clearest skies I have ever seen have been in the central step of Kazakhstan and also on the south Island of New Zealand.

100% agree... We get a ticket for doing 102 kmh on the expressway in Bangkok (100 kmh limit)... yet nothing is don't about the delivery pickups gunning recklessly through traffic on Sukhumvit road and elsewhere.... and then we have the loons on bikes speeding like this... Just recently another person was hit at the same crossing the ophthalmologist was killed... All the police do is fine those who have accidents, there is no active enforcement, just a reactive penalty... its exceptionally lazy policing.

Op lots of correct answers here already, and some smoke... Firstly - Do you have an International Driving Permit (1968 version) to accompany your Home Country Driving Licence (which you mentioned is not in English). IF you DO have an IDP things get very simple and you can do all this yourself - what you need. 1) Copy of Passport ID page (x2) and Visa Page 2) Original Licence (Copy x2) 3) Copy of IDP (x2) 4) Certificate of Residence (from Immigration x2) 5) Medical Certificate (x2) x2 for everything even though some say its not needed, in some area's or with some DLT officers a copy is needed each for for applications are considered separate for Car and Motorcyclist licenses - its no real extra effort to 'double up'. There is no need to use an agent - they may save you some time in queueing but don't do much else. AND - that quote from the agent is also a pish-take rip-off. Costs - as this is your first Thai License - they will be 205 baht each for the 2 year temp license (for Motorcycle and Separate Car Licenses). After 2 years Temp license, you can then 'upgrade' to the 5 year Licenses which are 505 baht each.

I don't think its disrespect, selfishness, a lack of education or terrible character..... Its pure and simple indifference to the value of life.... other people simply do not enter into their psyche - the mind works a different way, thats all it is... not to overthink it - it appears selfish, disrespectful and terrible - but its not deliberate... ... I classify is as simple innocent ignorance - 'they' know no better, which is shame because it showcases an ugly facet of what otherwise is a very well natured polite caring and considerate society - something weird happens when they get in a car !

This - perfect answer.... Idea for a quick day trip... Take the Joetsu Shinkansen Tanigawa service from Tokyo Station or Ueno Station to Gala Yuzawa Station. (note - you have to take that specific Bullet train, others will not stop at Gala Yuzawa - the staff at the JR Ticket offices at either Tokyo or Ueno station will get you on the right train). A great option would be to stay over night... as you may need to spend more time 'getting up the mountain' to see more snow. Another Option is the train to Iiyama - then take a the bus up to Madara (or a 25 minute taxi). Madarao Kogen ski resort is has hand full of restaurants at the top of the bowl (near the bus stop area) so its a nice place to stop and there will defiantly be plenty of snow there. Its great to stay over night there - but again, it books up quickly.

They do...that the rider is being prosecuted means that they are enforcing traffic laws. WRONG...... 'they' [the police] are not 'enforcing traffic laws'... they are penalising those unfortunate enough to have been involved in an incident when habitually breaking traffic laws... Expand That is called enforcing the law! No... you are mixing up Penalisation vs Enforcement: Enforcement refers to the act of ensuring that laws, rules, or regulations are followed. It involves monitoring compliance, taking preventive measures, and applying necessary actions to make sure rules are upheld. Enforcement can include warnings, inspections, and legal actions, not just punishment. Penalisation specifically refers to the act of imposing a penalty or punishment when a rule or law has been broken. It is a consequence of non-compliance and can include fines, imprisonment, bans, or other forms of sanctions. At the moment there is no or very little proactive law enforcement in Thailand. There is only primarily penalisation 'AFTER' something has happened, after an accident or after someone has been hurt. This is not enforcement, its penalisation.

Proactively…. You’re being deliberately obtuse with this. Thai road policing is solely reactive after an incident - they don’t enforce the laws until an accident happens

He works on the rigs…. He will never have had a sick day in his life - rig workers are a different breed. If sick, it doesn’t matter you still work unless so unwell it would be dangerous. Too many softies will never know what that takes.

Their persistent defiance is not a demonstration of strength or principle but rather a transparent act of psychological reactance, an immature and mentally flawed transparent mechanism to compensate for their insecurities in an attempt to bolster their fragile sense of self-importance, all while cloaking it in the guise of resistance to authority.... ... We used to call them idiots sat on a bar stool and just turn away and ignore them - now they have a more permanent forum and that lasts longer than the 5 minute conversation we had with that nut job and that gives them a lasting platform for other idiots to join them... .... The result... Flat earthers and moon landing deniers... and a load of other science deniers stuck in the mud of their own stupidity.

Yup.... They're there 'enforcing the law'.... Watching them jump the red lights... thinking thats it... I saw you do that, I'm enforcing things here... see, another one just jumped the light... I'm enforcing things again, I saw him to that....

They do...that the rider is being prosecuted means that they are enforcing traffic laws. WRONG...... 'they' [the police] are not 'enforcing traffic laws'... they are penalising those unfortunate enough to have been involved in an incident when habitually breaking traffic laws... .... there's a difference and that difference is one of the reasons Thailands road stats are so damning.

MalcomB is going to going to soil is g-string at this one.... .... Do people not look when crossing the road ?????....... Really - in a country with such a terrible road safety record as Thailand, but not that, in ANY country, how can people walk out across the road and not look to see if anything is coming so they don't get mowed down by a speeding idiot ?.... (rhetorical)... This is a terrible testament to the disregard many motorists have for pedestrians across the nation, but also a terrible testament for the disregard many folk have for their own personal safety.... BUT - I do wonder how some Thai apologist fool (mentioned above) will attempt to polish this into a Thai was not wrong, farang always at wrong form of delusional rhetoric.....

If they are that clear - Show them !!!