We took our daughter to a driving school last saturday, she has never driven a car or rode a motor cycle before and never shown any real interest in doing so. On saturday they showed her how to hold the steering wheel and use the accelerator & brake then took her around the enclosed driving circuit for an hour or so, yesterday they had her drive around the enclosed circuit by herself. Today she will again be driving around the enclosed circuit all day then tomorrow they are going to get her to look at the road rules on their computer for the day. The following day they will take her onto city roads for the first time then the next day they will give her a licence or at least test her for it with only the one day of reading the road rules and only one week of driving instruction with one day in traffic, this totally explains why thais cannot drive and do not know the road rules. I have already told my wife and our daughter she will not be allowed to drive our car as there is no way she will have enough knowledge to do so safely, this is a total joke and obviously just a money grab by the driving schools. She is at university and will not be driving a car until she starts working in the local hospital(doctor) so I hope to be able to take her for many more lessons before she actually gets her own car, maybe if new drivers were actually taught properly and taught the road rules properly we wouldnt have as many road deaths(wishfull thinking?), looks like the driving schools are not going to be making any difference to thai drivers at all

Actually, your daughter is over-qualified for driving compared with a great many Thai drivers who never saw a driving school from inside and just paid to get their licence - if they have one that is...

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Why don't you hire a private instructor?

Anybody who even looked at the traffic and driving "skills" here shouldn't be surprised about the useless driving license test.

Why ever are you sending her to a driving school? You say you have a car so why aren't you teaching her to drive yourself? I took 3 months to teach my kids to drive and both have become competent drivers both here and abroad.

13 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Why don't you hire a private instructor?

Anybody who even looked at the traffic and driving "skills" here shouldn't be surprised about the useless driving license test.

I went to a driving school and told him i wanted some lessons on the roads.. paid for it and after that i felt ok to drive here in Thailand with the car. I already drove a motorbike but needed a bit more car experience as even in the Netherlands i did not often drive a car. I actually had not driven a car for many years 10 or so when i took the tests.

2 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Why ever are you sending her to a driving school? You say you have a car so why aren't you teaching her to drive yourself? I took 3 months to teach my kids to drive and both have become competent drivers both here and abroad.

she doesnt want to learn with me as she thinks I will be too hard, she says this way is easier for her. I cant force her but once she gets her licence I will not let her drive our car till she has driven me around for many hours so till I am confident she will be ok. In Australia I taught my other daughter to drive a manual and she was really good, got her licence first pop, will wait and see with this one

My wife and daughter had 10hrs driving with school in Chiang Mai, car had duel controls. Both took the test together and passed.
Then they learned to 'drive' with me beside them .

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In 2015 I did a motorbike license from scratch at the DLT.

After this two day experience I am even more afraid of traffic in Thailand.

 

First day, people walking in, doing eye sight/reaction tests, listening to some tutoring/videos.

Next morning doing a multiple choice theory test on a computer.

In the afternoon circling on the yard ("traffic kindergarten") with the bike/scooter.

Biggest challenge being a 15 cm wide elevated concrete strip about 5 m long.

Driving over it without stopping or feet down.

Passed.

Now out to the street and learning by doing or crashing.

 

And yes, your daughter is overqualified after this school

I used to work with a Thai lady in Sri Racha port. Her driving instruction consisted of driving around the office car park and port facilities with her boyfriend.

 

She took her test, passed and the very first time she drove a car on the public roads......crashed.

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Why don't you hire a private instructor?

Anybody who even looked at the traffic and driving "skills" here shouldn't be surprised about the useless driving license test.

Where would you find a driving instructor in Thailand? Hardly any Thai should even be allowed to drive

1 hour ago, bangsaenguy said:

Where would you find a driving instructor in Thailand? Hardly any Thai should even be allowed to drive

If you don't trust the Thais hire a foreigner.

This is not about an official instructor. It's about someone who knows how to drive and, more important, who is able to teach other people how to do this with patience.

Personally I would try to find a good Thai driver. Because such a driver knows very likely how typical Thais drive.

Here is one example: a road with three lanes all going in the same direction with a left and right bend. If you follow the official rules you have to stay in your lane. If you drive like typical Thai you just drive straight ahead and ignore the lines. I think this is what new drivers should learn. They should learn what they can expect from other drivers and how to best manage such situations.

I.e. I drive in situation like that never in the middle lane to avoid trouble.

 

Having passed the UK test for cars and  bikes first time and seeing the appalling driving here I taught  my Wife to drive over a  couple of months starting with mirrors indicators  signals, no way I would let her go out without that training first.

17 hours ago, roo860 said:

car had duel controls.

pretty appropriate for Thailand, Machetes or pistols??????

When my wife started driving school, she was told that she had to get a drivers license before she was allowed to drive on the city roads!! So after the theoretic test + a basic practical test with parking and reversing, she got her license with 0 experience driving. So Thais basically get a confirmation that they are fit to drive before they've actually ever driven on any road! Yes, this explains the madness you see out there.

22 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Why don't you hire a private instructor?

Anybody who even looked at the traffic and driving "skills" here shouldn't be surprised about the useless driving license test.

I would agree if your suggestion is for another country but you are talking about Thailand where the private instructor most likely comes from the same system the reason the government hasn't been able to curb the problem since none of the suggestion from outside has been taken except for the money.

The ops better off taking the initiative and teaching her what he knows better than anything a school or instructor can offer.

 

My gf said she had owned a driving license and a car a few years ago but was afraid she had forgotten how to drive !

So, we went out to a quiet area ( new housing estate under construction ) and I let her take the wheel.

My conclusion is that she was lying or has very little ( or none at all ) experience.

 

So, am teaching her to drive !

Could take a while !!

 

15 hours ago, bangsaenguy said:

Hardly any Thai should even be allowed to drive

Manure

The further shortcomings of Thai driving beyond the education and licensing regimes is explained by the culture that pervades the attitudes of a huge percentage of Thai drivers.  Possibly influenced by other eagerly emulated (as seen on T.V.)  Asian cultures where impatience, rudeness, queue jumping, pushing, shoving and ego are so important they, the huge percentages I see on the roads seem to be driven (pun noted) by obsessive personal ego!!!!!!     

"ME FIRST AT ALL COSTS" attitude with a healthy dose of "I'M IMPORTANT SO THOSE RULES DON'T APPLY TO ME."  Which seems so ridiculously paradoxical in the World's most strongly Buddhist country.

Additional factors are that:

(1) There is no consistent national initiative on road safety and road courtesy. 

(2) They have never seen a policeman do anything for road safety, only collect instant cash fines. 

(3) The religious influence that teaches that Buddhist/Animist lucky amulets prevent accidents/injuries and.....

(4) (confusingly)... The same influence that says their life and death is predetermined on their behaviour in a previous life, so helmets or seat belts can have no effect on their ultimate fate this time.  So why bother?

1 hour ago, thailand49 said:

On ‎11‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 9:18 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

Why don't you hire a private instructor?

Anybody who even looked at the traffic and driving "skills" here shouldn't be surprised about the useless driving license test.

I would agree if your suggestion is for another country but you are talking about Thailand where the private instructor most likely comes from the same system the reason the government hasn't been able to curb the problem since none of the suggestion from outside has been taken except for the money.

The ops better off taking the initiative and teaching her what he knows better than anything a school or instructor can offer.

I didn't have an official instructor in mind. Just someone who knows how to drive, who knows what to expect from other drivers in Thailand, and who can teach this.

It seems family members, boyfriends, etc. are often not the best teachers - all over the world.

Did they explain to her how to merge onto a highway.

"You stop and wait for car to come.  Then pull out in front of car.  Put one wheel on shoulder and one wheel on road.  Now accelerate to 10 kpm and drive for 1 kilometer.  Now speed up to 30 kph and wait for car behind you to pull up even with you then push him out of the lane. Now you on highway, accelerate to 150 kpm and  zig-zag between cars while flashing lights.  Excellent - you now Thai driver!"

23 hours ago, seajae said:

she doesnt want to learn with me as she thinks I will be too hard,

 

Bingo! That exactly explains why Thailand does not have proper tuition and test. Thais do not do hard and most would not be interested in learning properly.

On 11/6/2018 at 9:22 AM, PatOngo said:

Why ever are you sending her to a driving school? You say you have a car so why aren't you teaching her to drive yourself? I took 3 months to teach my kids to drive and both have become competent drivers both here and abroad.

I agree. He needs to get off his lazy butt and put in some personal effort instead of complaining how poorly driving schools are. Instead of paying someone else to do the job you yourself are qualified to do. Put your money back in your pocket and don’t be so lazy.

On 11/6/2018 at 9:22 AM, PatOngo said:

Why ever are you sending her to a driving school? You say you have a car so why aren't you teaching her to drive yourself? I took 3 months to teach my kids to drive and both have become competent drivers both here and abroad.

It’s a long time ago but, I remember my father teaching me . He told not to bother with first gear.  I wondered why he burnt out so many clutches over his 80 years ! 

Lol ... Learning to anticipate and act accordingly is the key...

I got my THAI car & Bike licence.. 

i loved the important info on Alcohol ... “ must not drive soon after drinking” that was It!!  So you can drink 20 beers so long as you wait 10 mins before driving home .... Got it!! 

On 11/6/2018 at 8:58 AM, seajae said:

this totally explains why thais cannot drive and do not know the road rules.

Some even don’t learn or don’t care even after years being in roads. 

 

On 11/6/2018 at 9:22 AM, PatOngo said:

Why ever are you sending her to a driving school? You say you have a car so why aren't you teaching her to drive yourself? I took 3 months to teach my kids to drive and both have become competent drivers both here and abroad.

Slightly different but the quickest way to a divorce is to try to teach your wife to drive.????

Indicators in great condition in thai vehicles because of

 

 useage ?

Why do you need a school, don't you know how to drive yourself ?!

 

 

I have driven with some good Thai drivers but they were old! knew the speed limits and how to negotiate a round-a-bout, no clutch slip ( 5 gears - use 'em). Like I said they were old, so no phones and they concentrated on the road and traffic. I suppose 3 good drivers after 8 years in Thailand is not too many!

Not knowing where you are I can confirm, that my two grown sons went through 40 hours of driving lessons in Bangkok; in two different schools close to home. 

The instructors told me (that's more than 15 years back) that they would have new cars with power steering and automatic gear boxes. I insisted on the odd old pick-up outside, no power steering and a manual gear box. The boys went through 20 double lessons, the first two of them I attended as well; theory was worked in at home and they did an actual driving test (and passed). 

I thought them myself how do drive off if you stop on a ramp (or on a bridge not having reached the top yet), driving backwards, parking (with water filled plastic bottles) as well as using the hand brake for certain maneuvers (like driving backwards up a parking ramp etc.). 

The driving schools in Bangkok learnt something, the basic training was good once I explained them to not please the student. 

Never had an accident they are responsible drivers with (meanwhile) driving skills so there is proven hope that they will pass on that to their kids ????