How do you offer thanks to a driver who has shown you courtesy?

[Disillusioned farang]

17 hours ago, Rally123 said:

Never come across that phenomenon before. I give way to Thai drivers only for them to just sit there not knowing what to do. My missus keeps telling me to stop doing it as it confuses them.    

Yes I have found the same thing !  Is there actually a word for courtesy on the roads here ??? Lol   

[alien365]

It happens to me daily and I  just put a hand up and nod my head. I've noticed in Hua Hin (I don't live there) that westerners mostly seem very polite and let me in, or give me room to park so thumbs up to you guys. 

[MosMing]

18 hours ago, Rally123 said:

Never come across that phenomenon before. I give way to Thai drivers only for them to just sit there not knowing what to do. My missus keeps telling me to stop doing it as it confuses them.    

Exactly. When I give way to a Thai driver, it seems to take them forever to realise what I'm doing. I can't flash my headlights because it means the opposite here to what it does in the UK. So I sit there frantically waving my arm, hoping they'll be able to see through the tinted windscreen. Ironically, it's my Thai wife who tells me to give way.

[lvr181]

34 minutes ago, lvr181 said:

If the person is within talking distance - smile, thumbs up.

 

Within talking talking distance - smile, thumbs up and kob khun krap.

 

Too easy? 

Ooops.............Corrections.................

 

If the person is not within talking distance - smile, thumbs up.

 

Within talking distance - smile, thumbs up and kob khun krap.

 

Too easy? 

 

(Bad hair day 555)

 

[alien365]

19 minutes ago, MosMing said:

Exactly. When I give way to a Thai driver, it seems to take them forever to realise what I'm doing. I can't flash my headlights because it means the opposite here to what it does in the UK. So I sit there frantically waving my arm, hoping they'll be able to see through the tinted windscreen. Ironically, it's my Thai wife who tells me to give way.

If you are driving very slowly and making a gap you can still flash your lights. I've had it happen to me many of times and I never got attacked with a machete or murdered.

[NoshowJones]

You mean in Thailand? That is going to be very hard though not impossible I suppose, although I have come across Thai drivers showing courtesy to me as a pedestrian, I gave them a wave of appreciation, but in almost 13 years living here and driving cars and riding motorbikes, I did once see a motorcyclist indicate then bear to his right to make a stop while I was riding behind him. I was truly amazed.

Edited April 27, 2018 by possum1931

[Cake Monster]

I always smile and give a thumbs up

[pieeyed]

Nod your like a retard and carry on. 

[Acemaker]

22 hours ago, jvs said:

You nod your head or give them the thumbs up.

O/P , Financial Gain, (Tip)  is the reason he is being courteous to you this is Thailand, if you just give him the thumbs up he will give you the Finger as hes Driving off.    

[cnx355]

Quite difficult if your windows are heavily tainted..

 

He would not be able to see you.

 

 

[Lacessit]

If the OP wanted to find out how many Thai-bashers there are on TV, he's getting a pretty good sample.

[dabhand]

On ‎26‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 11:42 AM, tifino said:

A 'thumbs up' can in itself cause it's own problems, depending upon the background culture of the person receiving it! 

 

Safest wildcard option would be just to write a new Thread on the 'positive experience' 

Agreed.

Was driving around Athens in the early 80's and gave another driver a thumbs up for some kind act. Well, he made it plain he was not happy with that and I had to make a fast getaway to lose him. But it was a close call!!

Found out later that a thumbs up is akin to giving someone the middle finger in Greece.

[luk AJ]

Just a long honk will do


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Damrongsak]

On 4/26/2018 at 6:55 AM, wgdanson said:

But that means taking both hands off the wheel.

Had a bus driver do that on a mountain road.  He had to wai at a roadside memorial - a place where others had apparently run off the cliff.

[lvr181]

14 hours ago, cnx355 said:

Quite difficult if your windows are heavily tainted..

 

He would not be able to see you.

 

 

"Quite difficult if your windows are heavily tainted [sic].."

 

I told my girl to stop with the heavy breathing, it was tainting the windows. 

 

cnx355  sorry. - just my perverse sense of humour.

[csabo]

On 4/26/2018 at 4:20 PM, Rally123 said:

Never come across that phenomenon before. I give way to Thai drivers only for them to just sit there not knowing what to do. My missus keeps telling me to stop doing it as it confuses them.    

Haha you an me both! I call it the Thai Stand Off. They just sit there like it's some kind of trap! I am sure its impossible to translate "After you" to Thai. 

[Gecko123]

Pay it forward.

[bandito]

On ‎4‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 4:01 PM, jvs said:

You nod your head or give them the thumbs up.

or show him your middlefinger.

Giving a Thai the thumbs up is for the Thai an insult, be carefull by doing that.

[stevenl]

7 minutes ago, bandito said:

or show him your middlefinger.

Giving a Thai the thumbs up is for the Thai an insult, be carefull by doing that.

No. Thais are used to it and will understand it, some even do it themselves.

[jvs]

8 minutes ago, bandito said:

or show him your middlefinger.

Giving a Thai the thumbs up is for the Thai an insult, be carefull by doing that.

Never had a problem so far but your middlefinger will create an issue.

[bandito]

On ‎4‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 4:20 PM, Rally123 said:

Never come across that phenomenon before. I give way to Thai drivers only for them to just sit there not knowing what to do. My missus keeps telling me to stop doing it as it confuses them.    

Lots of times.

I had even a water truck blocking oncoming traffic at an U-turn so I could make safely the U-turn.

Also had once a ten wheel truck stopping and waving me over.

[bandito]

2 minutes ago, jvs said:

Never had a problem so far but your middlefinger will create an issue.

Will not as Thais don't know exactly the meaning of it.

The thumbs up sign is an insult and even one of the first things the Thai toddlers learn at school of not, never doing this.

[bandito]

8 minutes ago, stevenl said:

No. Thais are used to it and will understand it, some even do it themselves.

No, you're wrong it's an insult and one of the worst.

Even worse if you use the thumbs up sign and repeatingly make pressing moves.

Try it and see what happens.

[Rally123]

12 minutes ago, bandito said:

Lots of times.

I had even a water truck blocking oncoming traffic at an U-turn so I could make safely the U-turn.

Also had once a ten wheel truck stopping and waving me over.

We must each live in different worlds. Even queueing up taxes them. They will use the hard shoulder to overtake on the inside if there's a build up of traffic, And then we have Buriram town where they removed roundabouts because of their selfishness in not giving way to the right and basically driving like idiots.

[metisdead]

A post and a reply in violation of the following has been removed:

 

8) You will not post disruptive or inflammatory messages, vulgarities, obscenities or profanities.

[naboo]

Look at all these Thais insulting people.

[stevenl]

37 minutes ago, bandito said:

No, you're wrong it's an insult and one of the worst.

Even worse if you use the thumbs up sign and repeatingly make pressing moves.

Try it and see what happens.

Sorry, your'e totally wrong on both accounts.

[bandito]

12 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Sorry, your'e totally wrong on both accounts.

I am absolutely not.

I have two children (now grown up and one with her own family) who as toddlers learned at school not to do this, not ever.

The other insult is calling a Thai baa (crazy).

[stevenl]

37 minutes ago, bandito said:

I am absolutely not.

I have two children (now grown up and one with her own family) who as toddlers learned at school not to do this, not ever.

The other insult is calling a Thai baa (crazy).

My final word: yes, you are wrong. It is the same to kids as sticking out your tongue.

 

Look at the examples given above, or are Thaksin and the others not Thai enough for you?

[NanLaew]

On 26/04/2018 at 6:11 PM, watcharacters said:

 

Tinted windows?

 

Any hand gestures if I roll down window?

Smile and deferential nod, end of.

 

If you make monetary eye contact, bonus! But don't whine and post about it when they don't smile back.

 

Why do farangs have to make some of the simplest things so difficult?