VIDEO: Speeding Thai minivan driver rages at foreign tourist who told him to slow down

[sambum]

5 hours ago, kev78 said:

He was only doing 80 mph...calm down! People in the UK drive in excess of 100mph all the time.

And if caught they will probably get penalised for it - unlike Thailand where the 'hiso's" get away with it. In the UK WHOEVER you are - get caught speeding and you pay the consequences!

From 13 Mar 2001:-

 

"Princess Anne was today convicted of speeding in her Bentley after admitting driving at 93mph in a 70mph zone in Gloucestershire. The princess was fined £400, ordered to pay £30 costs and given five penalty points on her driving licence."

[oldlakey]

7 hours ago, RabCNesbitt said:

I had a similar incident from Koh Lanta to Krabi Airport on a minivan - the driver was completely oblivious of any danger he could possibly be putting all of the passengers on the van into..... I sat there gradually getting more and more angry as he weaved in and out of the traffic, put his foot to the boards to get into every possible gap either to the left lane or the right, any 'open' road in front of him resulted in 'maximum speed' - I was amazed at his total lack of caution at any junction, inability to read the road ahead of possible dangers and lack of caution at traffic lights. Eventually my cold sweat and white knuckles got the better of me and I shouted "Slow down! - You're going to get us all killed!" He ignored my plea but constantly took his eyes off the road now to glare at me in the mirror..... Even more dangerous!

There were only farangs on the minivan and NOBODY backed me up.

I will NEVER take another minivan in Thailand again - this is not the first time it has happened. Definitely these idiots are not helping the image of Thailand as a tourist destination!

Be safe out there!

Well Rab you certainly write far better than you speak

[oldlakey]

5 hours ago, kev78 said:

He was only doing 80 mph...calm down! People in the UK drive in excess of 100mph all the time.

Hush my man, we only do it sometimes

[JAZZDOG]

The underlying factor to all this is corruption. Corruption on all levels over decades has lead to complete lack of respect for the rule of law. It results in the notion that one can do whatever they want with impunity including violence and murder based on perceived loss of face. This whole concept that because someone gets their feelings hurt being corrected or criticized gives them a right or mitigates violence is caveman mentality that should never be accepted in a civilized society. Bottom line is Thailand has to make great strides to approach the level of a civilized society. 

[watcharacters]

On 9/2/2018 at 9:10 AM, NanLaew said:

...but never complained so much about the dangerous driving and risk of death?

 

Hence my unsympathetic post in another, minivan related tragedy thread. The cocals make they're travel choices solely based on budget and expediency... and every time they get out of a minivan unscathed, they make the little invisible inner wai to whatever deity they reckoned was looking out for them, carefully note the minivans rego number to share the last 2 or 3 digits with their fellow, bi-monthly, good luck hunters.

 

"locals make they're travel choices solely based on budget and expediency."

 

What else would you suggest they do?        I think they're just basically screwed by circumstances.

 

[Fex Bluse]

1 hour ago, The manic said:

Sad. Time for you to go back to where people share your values.

What's sad is this simple-minded remark made thousand of times on this forum. The remark is of no value. You have no idea, for example, if I'm happy with my situation. 

[oldlakey]

5 minutes ago, The manic said:

If you dont know the answer to that you might not know the answer to the question: What is a pedant?

I know what a  UK Motorway is, but I have never heard it described  " as a high speed motorway" because to my knowledge there is no low speed motorways

I try to be correct, but the same as you I sometimes get it wrong 5555555

Not in this case though

[mommysboy]

Best drivers in the world! How dare the farang make such a ridiculous scene.

[thai006]

dont take minivan only   u know there a going so fast so ...

[oldlakey]

6 minutes ago, The manic said:

Not everybody from this forum originates in the UK and not familiar with the term motorway thus by adding the term 'high speed ' was a way of differentiating the high speed aspect of motorways from other roads. Yes I understand you. You think pedantry is a form of intelligence and think point scoring helps with your low self esteem. Well done. You are a clever boy!

If you finally understand, why not put the shovel down then you can begin to heal

There is only a 10 MPH differential between the motorway and the single carriageway road

Edited September 3, 2018 by oldlakey

[Nyezhov]

25 minutes ago, oldlakey said:

If you finally understand, why not put the shovel down then you can begin to heal

There is only a 10 MPH differential between the motorway and the single carriageway road

You ought to drive one of those roads where its signed at 70mph (means 80) then drops down to 35 on ya with a cop sitting right there. Yikes

[bergan]

10 hours ago, Petchou said:

I mean some foreigners are so dumb that their opinion doesn't really matter.   we see this every day.

Every country consists of people on both ends of the IQ, EQ and SQ scales, but as far as foreigners in Thailand goes I would say ignorance and a flawed sense of superiority (through deeper pockets) is a bigger problem. A bit of humble pie would go a long way in many cases.

 

In the case of this driver, it's highly likely that he is paid shit wages working for a company (as opposed to owning the minivan himself) and under pressure from his employer (or a desperate need to make more money) to get there and back as quickly as possible. Not that it would excuse his behavior in this case (nor his driving), but the current policies and wages putting a lot of people under tons of pressure, when the cost of living is rapidly increasing, certainly does explain how someone can easily go over the edge (and why they drive like this, the reward is often greater than the risk).

 

That being said, you often get what you pay for in this country. A packed minivan is a relatively cheap way to travel, but it comes with the risk of drivers like that.

 

 

 

 

[MRDave]

On 9/2/2018 at 4:17 AM, ChrisY1 said:

I wonder if many foreigners know what Thais think of them?

We do. But we don't care as its our money.

[waders123]

On 9/1/2018 at 5:35 PM, LomSak27 said:

That ultimate concern ..... it might tarnish the image of Thailand .....      

 

Had an Air Asia minivan driver - or subcontracted by them doing the same from Mukdahan to Nakorn Panhom. There was no reason too. They had phoned ahead and their was an hour to wait or more when we got to the airport.

That said, he nearly got in a accident twice because of his speed. Both things you could see about to happen  but because of speed had a tough time avoiding it. I felt like we had a very good chance of dying before we got on the flight.

 

Another day in Thailand.

A similar thing happened to me and my friends.  Took a van with the driver hell-bent on not having to stop at any intersection and would drive fast on the side/ditch and go into the cross lanes to keep on going while the light was red.  We made it but I don't know how;  we then had to wait about 1 and half hours for the ferry to the Island.  Never again will I take a shared van that I don't have control over.  This driver was bragging to his fellow drivers, when we got there, about him having the fastest time in getting there!  Even the Thais on the van were complaining to each other but NOT to the driver or the travel staff.  Needless to say, I did not get in his van on the return trip even though they tried to get up to take his have.  None of the people that rode with him would travel back with him.  He was very mad but we were already leaving on another van.  This mentality and disregard for professionalism in the driving industry is catching up to Thailand and it will slowly have to stop, however, a lot of lives with be lost before it does.  

[sambum]

7 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

So, does the British taxpayer pay for her ticket?

Probably - but the point is that she actually did get fined, which is a good PR exercise in itself. To be honest, if her fine was  commensurate with her income it would have been much more. but it doesn't work that way. unfortunately.

 

7 hours ago, oldlakey said:

 

 

[hobz]

On 9/2/2018 at 8:16 AM, Briggsy said:

Being told you are doing your job poorly in front of others = Perfect example of loss of face.

 

Result = Anger

 

I am just surprised there was no violence.

Hehe yeah it is surprising with no violence. But think about it! How many foreigners come to Thailand and cause faceloss everywhere?Must be thousands of cases of  "faceloss caused by tourist" every week in Thailand. yet relatively few cases of violence. This is why we love Thai ppl. They are not prone to violence and they are usually very polite and well meaning. Good hearted. Just like most ppl in the world.

Edited September 3, 2018 by hobz

[CharlieH]

Several bickering posts removed.

 

 

[luk AJ]

Every country consists of people on both ends of the IQ, EQ and SQ scales, but as far as foreigners in Thailand goes I would say ignorance and a flawed sense of superiority (through deeper pockets) is a bigger problem. A bit of humble pie would go a long way in many cases.
 
In the case of this driver, it's highly likely that he is paid shit wages working for a company (as opposed to owning the minivan himself) and under pressure from his employer (or a desperate need to make more money) to get there and back as quickly as possible. Not that it would excuse his behavior in this case (nor his driving), but the current policies and wages putting a lot of people under tons of pressure, when the cost of living is rapidly increasing, certainly does explain how someone can easily go over the edge (and why they drive like this, the reward is often greater than the risk).
 
That being said, you often get what you pay for in this country. A packed minivan is a relatively cheap way to travel, but it comes with the risk of drivers like that.
 
 
 
 

You believe the driver would drive safer if paid double salary? Keep on dreaming


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies bickering about speed limits in the UK have been removed. 

[singhapour]

I've refused to ride in white vans or overnight buses since 2005. Just not worth the risk! Even when you tell the drivers, slow down, we're in no hurry, they make a joke of it. <deleted> that... In the situation above, I would have absolutely left the van and walked until someone picked me up. Even with my family. If the guy was dangerous before he blew up, he's even more dangerous after.

 

Tally with buses - 5 cross country overnight bus rides. 3 dogs hit. 1 cow hit. Have 2 friends who were in buses that crashed. One still has leg issues (broken and didn't mend correctly).

 

Today after schools let out, I saw a 'school van' with P1-P3 kids in it tailgating trucks and a bus and racing with a white van with the same multi-colored racing stickers on the back.

 

Here's a tip... if there's a multi-colored sticker on the back, the driver thinks he's in some racing club. Or, hell, maybe he really is. That's not the van you want to drive in.

 

 

[MaxYakov]

"Others said the footage will ruin the image of Thailand, particularly among tourists."

 

Can't have that happening, could we?

 

[Hooliganzone]

On 9/2/2018 at 10:22 AM, Somtamnication said:

Typical deaf member who cannot listen well. Yes, they did. He asked the Thais and they agreed with the driver. Sigh...

Sure the Thais agreed if not he would have got his sword or baseball bat out to them.

[Nielsk]

On ‎9‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 3:10 AM, Somtamnication said:

Typical Thais. They agreed with the driver. 

No they didn't  "But that wasn’t all. Many of the Thai passengers also complained the driver was rude, bad mannered and had they had been overcharged 150 baht for the journey. "

Read before You comment   !!

[murphya33]

He is lucky that the driver didn't take out his gun and shoot him on the spot.

[sambum]

30 minutes ago, Nielsk said:

No they didn't  "But that wasn’t all. Many of the Thai passengers also complained the driver was rude, bad mannered and had they had been overcharged 150 baht for the journey. "

Read before You comment   !!

Yes - Totally agree - one of my pet hates - people jumping to conclusions before they have read the post properly  - Grrr!

Edited September 5, 2018 by sambum

[Spidey]

30 minutes ago, Nielsk said:

No they didn't  "But that wasn’t all. Many of the Thai passengers also complained the driver was rude, bad mannered and had they had been overcharged 150 baht for the journey. "

Read before You comment   !!

No one disagreed with the driver, AT THE TIME. They all waited until they got home before they complained on the internet.

 

Understand what you are reading before you comment!

[Straight8]

On 9/2/2018 at 8:16 AM, Briggsy said:

Being told you are doing your job poorly in front of others = Perfect example of loss of face.

 

Result = Anger

 

I am just surprised there was no violence.

After all the accidents involving these "mini" vans in the past few years, I'm even more surprised foreigners still get in them.

 

That driver, what a moron.

[Straight8]

On 9/2/2018 at 9:08 AM, gyruss said:

Typical head into the sand comment, or rose colored glasses comment. You choose what it fits best...

Or "C" - All of the above.  ?

[cornishcarlos]

I got in one of these vans, for the first time in years, last month. I was pleasantly surprised that the driver had a device which alarmed at 90km/h and also alarmed every hour, to wake him up ?

So there is change happening, how many are changing is hard to gauge !!

[Straight8]

On 9/2/2018 at 9:16 AM, Artisi said:

Which Thai's might that be? 

The Thai's that use minivans. The driver said so himself.