Sherlocke

I don't like the expression "driving defensively"as it can be misinterpreted, Driving decisively maybe?...expect the unexpected.....all these expressions come to mind, but they shouldn't need saying - All this indignation seems to stem from a "western" driver being shocked or surp[rised - well you shouldn't be - if you are you need to look at YOUR attitude to driving.

You can list driving habits of Thai people and make up lists of rules but they are worthless. You will never catagorise every "mistake" as in any other country .... the point is bad drivers will find driving in Thailand difficult - they are just as bad as many Thai drivers -

at the end of the day there is only one rule for driving - "There ARE no rules" - just common sense and reading the road.

So beer and larger louts? - well Thailand is an increasingly accessible and cheap destination, so this will be the result.

However..... there is another side to all this. Thailand's totally incompetent attitude to road safety and law enforcement - the corrupt , untrained and ineffective police who couldn't spot a drunk driver if he ran over their boots and ALSO the diabolical state of emergency healthcare in Thailand. If you have an accident here your chances of dying from shock are sooooo much hirer than most countries - there isn't even an AMBULANCE service! I don't think that holidaymakers really fully understand how tthe lack of these facilties make any accident in Thailand a lot more fraught with danger than many other countries.

Got a Lumix - brilliant! Don't buy one in Thailand they are all "grey" imports.

Main drawbacks are

No viewfinder - the screen is too pale in bright sunlight.

No good zoom

Accessories are REALLY expensive and would put the camera in the same price bracket as the Olympus Pen! (they are also not available in Thailand.

PS - there is definitely something fishy going on with the release of the PEN - only available through limited outlets in UK - will wait till the price tumbles.

THis topic is really a non-starter.

if you are a competent driver you will note the driving conditions around you and drive accordingly. ....and thats just about all there is to it

Being a competent driver has nothing to do with it I've been driving for 40 years without EVER causing an accident but I have BEEN in a few. Sometimes you just can't control the circumstances around you.

I was driving merrily along the other day and came upon the same curve in the road that is on my route to work when this idiot came flying around the same curve behind me, nearly losing control and drifted clear into the shoulder forcing me to make the choice between being run over, ramming into the guardrail and pole or riding my street bike like a motocross bike. I choose the latter and went sailing down into the drainage ditch, bouncing along the bottom of the ditch until I had slowed sufficiently to make my way back up onto the road. Thought time = split second. Margin for error = 1/2 meter between guardrail, culvert opening and slope into the ditch. The curve is a 90 degree built on the main thoroughfare which is something Thais love to do for some silly-assed reason.

A FINE EXAMPLE OF HOW NOT to drive in Thailand - of course you can't control your environment - that's the point. a competant driver anticipates and reacts - "driving merrily" is definitely a state of mind to be avoided when driving in Thailand.

PS - I love the way you casually claim never to have "caused" any accidents!

The roles of both parties must be investigated and made clear - there seems to be an assumption that the victim was an uninvolved innocent bystander?

It is also extremely likely - and becoming more and more apparent that the BIB are neither trained nor equipped to cope with the increasing number of crimes in what is an ever expending urban area. their treatment of "scenes of crime" as reported on TV is simply a joke....I would think that this was no exception

THis topic is really a non-starter.

if you are a competent driver you will note the driving conditions around you and drive accordingly. ....and thats just about all there is to it

Hold on a minute - WHITE smoke??? - could well be a sign that you are getting water into the chambers - this would mean a possible blown head gasket. It could also account for why your fuel lines seem OK.

Inefficient burning usually results in black smoke or some grey/white pluming perhaps at first

blue/grey is burning oil

I suppose they think this will raise the standard of education offered at Thai universities.....or is it more related to the fact that most universities in Thailand have an abysmal world ranking - why bother worrying about silly things like education standards teaching methods when there are far more important concerns - like interfering with the young female students....who incidentally are usually the best students anyway....

These sites have been and gone all over the world - they are totally ineffective and simply a portal for spite. How can there possibly be a connection between a set of random photos and safer driving??

It simply underlines how little these people know about road safety.

Wouldn't that all depend on the radius of the curve?

I too looked at the Esape - second-hand but as in the "Triton" post I'm interested in its 4WD system but can't get a straight answer.

Is it a modern traction control type or simply a basic kind with no diff locks etc.? - I don't see any modified for "off-road" use either.

Hi - i've been looking at the Triton and the Vigo.

3.2 and 3.0 respectively....and I'm REALLY confused about the 4WD systems on these models - can someone explain.

I'm looking for a FULL 4wd or permanent system that either has locking diffs back and front or traction control. No-one in any showroom seems to know the first thing about the 4WD on these vehicles.

I was under the impression that the 4WD Triton had the same "super-select" 4WD system as the Pajero Sport - this I believe has a form of traction control and does away with the need for locking or LS diffs.??

However when I looked at the Triton on sale in the showroom it did not appear to have this system - was it an older "run-off" model? - they were still asking the full price!

THe Vigo I hear mention of "Tor_Sen" diffs (torque sensitive) but are they standard?

On both models what is the difference between the 4WD on theautomatics and the manuals?

OK engineers - help me out here....or should I just get an old "Troupie"?