fredwiggy

What you don't understand, is that I do understand child development, not only from personal experience having 6 kids, but being one myself. Again, the most important times in a child's development are ages 0-5, with the years afterward bolstering that teaching, hopefully in a good environment. Yes, peers can change a teens thinking for awhile, especially if the child didn't grow up in a stable environment and look to the peers for how they should act. A child that grew up in a stable environment usually will be a stable adult, with some stupid acts of rebellion that might cause trouble. I don't see rage in her face at all. I see anger because Trump was busted, and he went to his usual deflection which angers most anyone who understands what he's all about. If you think you know Chinese people because you spent more time in Asia, think again. First hand experience is usually the best, depending on what that experience is. You can spend time with Asians living in the NYC metro area, which I did, and learn just as much about their culture if you ask the right questions to the right people. Living in Asia is of course the best way, but a teacher about any subject can come from anywhere on earth, if they're a good teacher. You, like a few others here, assume they know anything about anyone, especially here, where only a few words are thrown around. You don't. You have said yourself you spend most of your time indoors, and that doesn't expose you to much, while a person can spend a quarter of the time in the same area as you, and be exposed to much more because they are out in it. Don't assume I don't understand human nature, and that includes Asian women as well as western. This is what I spent years reading on, human psychology. You thinking people are that much different because they grew up in a different locale is wrong. You also keep thinking the US has changed so much, yet you haven't been there in 45 years. I could say, with a good degree of faith, that you know very little of what goes on there now and can only assume from seeing videos of things or by word of mouth, which is just opinions. Being "warped" into an American woman? What makes you think American women are warped? By seeing a few videos of Karens acting weird? I used to see Asian women as screamers because I only saw them on TV shows and news before I moved here. Funny thing, it was true as I've seen since I've been here these years. Women are the same, with a few quirks that are cultural, the world over. Same needs, wants, desires and unrealistic expectations. Suppressed a bit here, but not that much. I really don't think you know much about women at all, as you again, rarely get out much. There is rage in women in China just as much as in America. Some just are better at hiding emotions, at least in public. I'm sure you've never seen a Thai woman go off. I have personally, and she, my ex, was as scary as any women I've ever seen, or been around, and that's thousands. Beyond what my other ex did, and she was also nuts. She is dangerous, and one big reason I will take my daughter out of here, as I've seen firsthand her abuse on her other daughter.One last thing. have you ever had a child, and raised one? I think my experience in child development puts yours to shame, even if you have had any kids.

Both parties arrange a meeting to settle the differences peacefully, which is what civilized people do, teaching their children that fighting isn't the answer and trying to get along with or ignoring them is. Bringing guns to this meeting isn't a way to settle the differences but to use force if the other party doesn't give in and bow down to their control. A man kicking a woman is also another way of control, and showing how a coward settles arguments by interfering in another's dispute. This is how gangs operate, and why the US gets such a bad rap about gun use, while intentional homicides are higher here.

And you are as ignorant and as much of a skimmer as he. Read ALL of what a person writes BEFORE you comment. I know what he's mentioned about road safety, and have since I was a teenager. It isn't that hard to understand why accidents happen, but failing to understand that it's still on the driver first is what he's missing. In the US, there are much more involved classes on road safety when you go for your license, and you have to pass a bigger test, including a driving test. If those tests were given here, many would fail and not be given a license until they passed, which would mean they had a better understanding of what it takes to be a safe driver. Try your childish sarcasm elsewhere, as you haven't a clue to whom you're commenting about. Assuming is a bad habit.

You sound exactly like him, another one who assumes what others here know. What he's been saying all along we agree with, at least as far as some of the reasons why accidents happen here. What he misses is the human equation, where the driver is first responsible for their behavior on the roads. A good driver can adapt to any road conditions, and if they follow the laws already there, a responsibility of all drivers if they are given a license, there won't be the accidents or deaths daily that happen. If they can wear a helmet as a driver, they know all passengers should also, is but one example of thumbing their noses at a law they know about.

"Being a good driver regardless of country involves understanding and adapting to the driving environment.".Your words from above............This contradicts what you've been saying all along, that it's more the infrastructure, police and roads to blame than the driver. I myself fit in as soon as I started driving in Thailand, even driving on the opposite side, as I knew this was the law here. Fitting in with driving on ANY road in ANY country means you understand the laws BEFORE you drive, and follow them as you drive. Driving isn't a right but a privelege, something taken for granted here because many start on scooters at 8 years old and think they're competent enough when they get a little older, even though they started out with bad habits. Foreigners that come here have been driving in their advanced countries for years, meaning they already know the laws of safe driving. This doesn't mean all of them, as there are idiot drivers everywhere and I make no excuses for them, as they also have no business driving. Being polite and respecting others, Kreng Jai, means you do it everywhere, and I, along with many foreign drivers, already do this. If Thai people, meaning the ones who are causing the accidents, understood this, they would not cut others off and drive recklessly around others. Again your words......."Apparently Unpredictable driving behaviour due to politeness or hesitation goes over the heads of foreigners when Thai drivers recognize and expect it"............If they recognize and expect it, they wouldn't drive like they do and cause so many deaths and accidents daily...

You're the naive one thinking it's me. You spout data about enforcement, infrastructure and road conditions but completely miss the fact that it's the driver's responsibility to drive safely, and that's their deal. Not the testers at the motor vehicle offices, not the police, not the road departments, nor anyone else. It's actually you that's cherry picking. It appears that you read a little of what others write, skim, and make a reply based on what you think is right and dismiss what others say, thinking we're wrong . Stop assuming. You have no idea how much I nor anyone else here knows. We see accidents and bad driving habits daily. This isn't lies. We all know about the lack of enforcement and bad roads here, as well as the lack of training drivers get. Your words earlier................"driving norms differ dramatically between countries, even when road rules appear similar"..............Thailand adopts most things from somewhere else, meaning the west primarily. They see how people drive and how tests are given, what laws work and what makes safe driving, how roads are maintained, signs that help drivers, yet they don't enforce these laws because of a lack of care here for life itself. If they cared, they would not let children drive scooters,have buses with children sitting on the top, let people drive 5 on a scooter, with adults wearing helmets and children without., etc etc etc. They know they should wear helmets and that children need to wear them also. This is ignorance of the law they know. That the police don't stop and fine them is another problem that contributes to more of the same, and deaths daily. But it's first, again, on the driver. Accidents happen here because of all of this, but it's still on the DRIVER to drive safe. Common sense is lacking here, in many areas, and driving is one of them. You make it sound like they have an excuse for driving bad because of their lack of training. Many here have taken driving tests, and seen what goes on in the classes. Videos are shown and people are on their phones, and miss the safety instructions, and are given licenses . Many don't drive with licenses. Ignorance of laws isn't anyone's fault but the person involved. Again, some of what you've said is right, and some is wrong. Bringing race into this is ignorance, and that's shows the intellectual equivalence of a teenager who doesn't know better. You can join the list of those here that assume they know others, or you can stop assuming and digest what others are saying.

How many foreigners have you asked to check if they have licenses? Remember, you said most. How many's vision have you checked? Their reflexes? Usually drunk? These statements are obviously prejudicial, and wrong, as you probably don't know but a few foreigners personally, and you base your comment of them? How many Thai traffic signs have you seen? I've driven here over 6 years, and follow the road rules, which are the same as in the US. Never a problem. I have driven in the US for 50 years, and yes, many aren't good drivers, and some shouldn't be on the road, but that's the few I've personally seen, so I can't judge others without knowing them and seeing them drive myself. Foreigners that get into auto accidents are news here, so that's what you see, ether here or on TV. The amount of locals that get into accidents is 99% of the accidents that happen daily, if not more, but you only hear about a fraction that happens because it isn't newsworthy unless people are killed, and then you'll only see a couple a day on TV, although 60 die a day, at least, and there are thousands of accidents you'll never hear about.

You are right in some of what you say, about the enforcement and roads, infrastructure,but you're wrong thinking I'm off in my assessments. It isn't bias when you see things personally firsthand. It isn't racist when you tell things as they are. It's observation, and mine mirrors many others here. This topic is about perceptions and reality, something I've talked about many times, and you're still missing it, maybe because you refuse to believe you're wrong in some thinking, and others have more experience than you do in some things. This is the definition of perception..... per·cep·tion /pərˈsepSH(ə)n/ noun noun: perception; plural noun: perceptions the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses. "the normal limits to human perception" .................That's what I've been saying all along. I and others here have that ability. reality is what actually is happening, meaning the same thing. We are seeing how people drive here, daily, for years, and things haven't changed and only gotten worse. Personal observations are real. We aren't hallucinating when we see locals cut people off, drive recklessly, go into oncoming traffic instead of taking the safer approach and going in the next lane, driving with up to 6 on a scooter, driving without helmets or having children operate motor vehicles illegally. It's reality. There is some agenda you seem to have, where you think what you say is right and we are all wrong, as it is hardly just me that observes these things happening. Where do you think data comes from? People. .

Spidermike is right on in what he said. This is what I also replied to you. I have personally seen locals, every time I'm driving here, with no exceptions, taking risks that I didn't see but rarely when I drove in the states, Mexico, and Canada. I once, just for the hell of it, counted infractions when I drove the 30 kilos to the nearest big city from where I live. This is a two lane each way country road before the town limits. I saw 37 where any Texas policeman would have pulled them over and ticketed them. These included speeding, cutting people off, driving with more than two on a motorbike, no signaling, passing on the right, going into oncoming traffic to pass instead of using the next lane, weaving in and out of traffic, following too close, and not wearing helmets, although in Texas this is legal (isn't here). All were Thai drivers. You also keep on putting the race card into this, and this has nothing to do with what race or nationality they are. This is observation from someone that puts more miles annually on a vehicle than most other people besides over the road truckers. If I see a foreigner doing things wrong, I think exactly the same. They are unsafe, reckless, incompetent, careless and or selfish drivers. This is something a driver should learn when taught,and tested, before they get a license, and has nothing to do with roads, police, infrastructure, or anything else besides obeying traffic laws and caring about the safety of others and yourself, along with anyone riding with you. People all over drive without licenses, but here they put 8 year olds on scooters, and I see this all the time, both in my village and on roads to town and in town, but I never see these children pulled over. They say 10 children die here daily on the roads, and many of them shouldn't be driving anyway. This is a lack of caring from parents, if they actually have any around, and having less money is not an excuse for not wearing a helmet or driving under age. There are accidents daily worldwide, and bad drivers everywhere, but again, this is what I observe along with many others here, and the stats back this up. Not everyone here that gets into an accident does so in a faulty vehicle, is drunk while driving, or driving on a bad road. There are people with Mercedes that run over people on scooters, pull in front of them, making an illegal or rushed u-turn, bump them and have them fall, or hit them head on. This we see every week here, on the news, and that's only a fraction of what goes on here yearly.

That doesn't say Christians are waging war. Arms dealing is done by almost all countries, for legitimate reasons. Helping other countries fight maniacs is America's job, seeing all countries live there and should be helped, besides those that are waging war against others. We did sell arms to the wrong people at times, yes.

What Christians are waging wars now? Maybe individuals that are fighting terrorism, which is kinda necessary. And if we didn't wage war against Germany and Japan, we wouldn't be living as we are now.

No ones saying there aren't bad drivers all over the world. Stats show this. It's just that there are a lot more bad drivers here than anywhere I've ever driven, and the stats again show this. Again, Thailand doesn't have all the bad roads, lack of enforcement and bad infrastructure worldwide. It does have thousands that don't follow the laws already on the books. To get into a record book, you have to lead in something. That's where Thailand consistently leads, or is in the top 5 every year, and there are third world countries listed in the top 10, where total chaos in on the roads daily.

I knew the scientific approach long before I moved to Texas in 1985. It's not prejudice pointing out the obvious. I'm not lying when I say I see daily infractions here of driving. What have I got to gain?

How is it deeply offensive? Are you Thai? if not, why are you sticking up for what's plainly obvious? Driving behavior is some ways shaped by societal factors. This doesn't give them an excuse for driving recklessly, incompetently or selfishly. That's plain bad driving habits and is why so many are killed here daily. A general lack of respect for road safety is incompetent behavior.The only way things will change here is if laws are enforced, education improves, testing is harder, and fines are levied immediately for offenses, as they are in western countries. You take a person's cash, it makes them think. You do it again, they think more. If they continue to break the driving laws, you take away the privelege. You get caught driving drunk,you lose your license for awhile.

You can't grossly misuse a fact. It is what it is.

No, it's plain observation, seeing that most drivers here are Thais. I had a Thai wife, and half Thai daughter, and a Thai girlfriend. Racist is what I'm not. It's not a generalization if it's ongoing, daily, for over 6 years.

Other countries use the same laws as here. Other countries have bad roads also. Other countries have scooter drivers. Response time has nothing to do with the accidents. It could mean the difference between a death and a life if they get there faster, yes, but it still has nothing to do with the accident happening. A good driver does adjust to road conditions. If you took all scooters out of Thailand, you would see accidents, and fatal ones, decrease substantially. There are more non scooter vehicles in other countries so the percentage of accidents of them is higher. You've said you drive here a lot right? Do you not see what goes on in daily driving here? I, and many others do. I again, have probably driven many more miles than you ever will, so I've seen more cases of both good and bad driving habits. This isn't my opinion, as that means little. This is first hand observations, and what I see here I didn't see anywhere else I've ever driven. This can be backed up by many others here, as I've seen posted for over 6 years, so I'm not alone. I drove in New Jersey for 30 years, right next to NYC, the most densely populated area in the US, and seen drivers do all sorts of things, but again, nothing to compare with here.

The authorities in most countries have adopted a scientific approach. There are tests, which here are lacking. There is enforcement of laws already , which is lacking here. There is road maintenance , which is terrible here and many other countries, especially developing and third world ones. There are signs everywhere, sometimes too many. Telling drivers to be responsible is part of education. People being people, they don't like to listen to authority, but then it's on them. If they don't follow the laws, they have accidents. You keep bringing the racist thing into an argument where no ones said anything about race. When one person says people here, not meaning all, are bad , incompetent, unsafe, arrogant, unskilled, or non caring drivers, not many would listen. When many others say the same thing,seeing the same behavior, more people listen, and agree. When stats back this up, it becomes more factual and less opinions. When a person spends twice or more time behind the wheel, they see more of what actually goes on , so their observations are more legitimate than a person who stays in their home in the village watching reruns.

There are more scooter drivers here than almost everywhere else, and 85% of accidents, including fatal ones, are scooter involved. The US has millions of more vehicles and drivers, so there will be more accidents, for much the same reasons, speed being the top one. Fatal accidents happen because of bad driving habits, and not the roads. You adjust if you're a competent driver. Here, they speed on bad roads, which makes fatal happen, a lot. I again, did not say all Thai drivers are bad. The percentage is just much higher than western countries, and there are bad roads in all countries, and lack of enforcement in some areas. I do look at why accidents happen, and have known this since high school. That doesn't change. First and foremost, it's on the driver.

Yes, people make mistakes everywhere, using the same laws, good or bad roads, lack of or strict enforcement. What's different here doesn't have anything to do with being racist. It's easy to see why things go haywire here, and not only on the roads. It's personal attitudes some people have , especially about driving. The blame starts with the drivers, and accidents stop if THEY did what they're supposed to do. You can have the best roads on earth, safest vehicles and police standing on every road at 1 mile intervals, and people here will still get into accidents. It's on them, first.

READ ALL OF WHAT I WRITE AND STOP SKIMMING!

Your words... "A Safe System approach recognizes that people make mistakes, so roads, vehicles, and policies must be designed to reduce the consequences of those mistakes."........... Explain how so many get into fatal accidents on straight, dry highways, driving safe vehicles and not drunk. You can have all the proper signs, intact roads, and less drivers on the road and still people will get into accidents. The point you're still missing. It is the DRIVERS responsibility first. No ones saying all Thai drivers are incompetent. Many see that it's many that are either incompetent, arrogant without care or ignorant of the listed laws .Any of these failures leads to accidents. There are bad drivers everywhere, as we all can see from stats worldwide. What everyone who cares sees, is that more fatal accidents happen here than almost anywhere else, and it's been going on for decades, and many of these accidents are happening on good roads, in daylight, with safe vehicles. Drivers follow the laws, accidents decrease or are eliminated.

READ what I write before commenting. I did not say road safety was just about bad drivers. I AGAIN, agreed with things you listed. What you are MISSING, is that I said it's still the DRIVERS responsibility first regarding road safety.

I have no flaws in my posts. You're missing the point. I'm agreeing with you that it's a number of factors involved. What you seem to not understand is that it's still the drivers responsibility first that ensures safe driving, and not the police, roads, infrastructure, crash investigations, stats, data or anything else. I'm not saying all Thai drivers are bad. I'm saying many more are than in other countries which have the same laws and road conditions and policing. What am I overlooking? I listed everything you did, and added personal observations which many farangs here have also. We see how they drive here. We come from countries where others drive, some bad also. Stats show how bad things are here. Are you thinking the people aren't more at fault here than the police, infrastructure or crash investigations? I never said road safety was as simple as seeing more. Again, don't assume that you know more than others here.

I've been driving over 50 years, and many more miles than the average person. Do you think I don't have a proper understanding of road safety systems? That's another of the many assumptions I see here daily. Thinking you know more about this is also an assumption on your part. Road safety is about all things I mentioned. It's not just one factor, but it still boils down to one main thing. It's the driver who is responsible for their own driving, and not anyone else. If they know how to drive safe, from training, education and care, there is one less incompetent person on the road causing problems, and one less for the police to worry about. Accidents happen because people take risks, meaning driving without enough skills to be a safe driver, drinking or doing drugs before driving, not driving a road safe vehicle, not being aware of other drivers around them, or caring if they are, If the road is unsafe, it means you go slower until the road is repaired. There is no need for emergency response if an accident didn't happen, which again, is still on the drivers. Cultural attitudes mean nothing. Road laws are much the same all over. If you follow the laws, there are less accidents. If all followed the laws, there are no accidents. No fatalities or injuries, no court dates or fines. It all goes back to the responsibility of the driver. There are again, bad drivers in all countries, which is obvious. Thailand doesn't have all the world's bad drivers. They just have a lot more than most. If you drive Thailand every day, like you say, you will see what goes on here, just as I and others do. I see foreigners driving carelessly, mostly on motorcycles, but I see a much higher percentage of locals making bad decisions and erratic driving than foreigners. Most are on scooters but many in cars and trucks. I don't see people in the US going around someone in the fast lane, into oncoming traffic, to pass someone who's doing the speed limit, to get around them, instead of taking the safer route in the next lane to pass. I see this all the time here. That's arrogance and or ignorance. I do see motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic sometimes in the US. Here you see it all the time, at all speeds. Again, it's not just one thing that makes the ending results here in accidents, but it's still the driver who's responsible. You can put 10 good drivers on a very bad road and they can drive without accidents. You can also put 2 bad drivers out of 10 on a excellent road and you will have accidents. Driver responsibility, first and foremost.