drive slower

[brokenbone]

another day, another painful accident, and i have come to the realization

that even the most flawless driving can not spare me.

its not that slower driving will prevent accidents

with current misinterpretations of right of way, with all that entail,

but the pain experience correlate with momentum,

which itself is derived from speed.

 

you just can not take for granted others will respect your right of way,

we need to adjust to the fact this is not a given parameter,

im convinced now, i cant prevent accidents, i can only

do my best to limit the fookin pain, and that path is either a car or drive slower

[VocalNeal]

I was recently in Australia with my daughter driving. We can to a urban junction , stopped and drove across while the other car simply sat there. My daughter commented that Australians don't understand the convention at a four-way stop. Which by the way is first in, first out.

 

In your cases you should be able to tell by looking at the other drivers eyes.

[scubascuba3]

Yes speed is key, i see many falang going too fast passing risky junctions or overtaking when they shouldn't. We know thais do it.

 

Luck is a big factor though, you could do everything right and someone just pulls out in front of you

[Moonlover]

11 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

In your cases you should be able to tell by looking at the other drivers eyes.

Through the blacked out windscreen? I actually find this to be a very common problem in this country. Drivers cannot make visual gestures to each other because of the dark windscreens.

 

[Puchaiyank]

Driving in Thailand is not for the faint of heart.  Many times I have watched as a gaggle of cars and motorcycles weave in and out of traffic...all speeding...to the next red light.  I learned to take the path less travelled to reduce the stress of chaotic driving in Thailand...

[transam]

It took me a couple of years to adjust to driving slower in LOS.....????

[DannyCarlton]

1 hour ago, brokenbone said:

im convinced now, i cant prevent accidents, i can only

do my best to limit the fookin pain, and that path is either a car or drive slower

I have taken the opposite tack to avoid accidents. I drive everywhere "pedal to the metal" and leave all the morons way behind me. Works for me.

[DannyCarlton]

46 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Luck is a big factor though, you could do everything right and someone just pulls out in front of you

Always drive with a Buddha amulet dangling from your rear view mirror. Works for me.

[OneMoreFarang]

I think it's not so much about speed. It's about expecting the unexpected all the time.

Sometimes speed is good, because it brings you fast far away from all the others.

I ride bikes in Bangkok now since about 20 years without any accident with more than walking speed. Obviously it can also happen to me. But I think most of the time I avoid trouble by anticipating all the bad things which others might do. And in doubt I don't do anything which could go wrong.

[Orton Rd]

I have an unpaid chauffeur called the wife, no way I am driving here far too stressful.

[cornishcarlos]

31 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

I have taken the opposite tack to avoid accidents. I drive everywhere "pedal to the metal" and leave all the morons way behind me. Works for me.

 

 

 

[brokenbone]

6 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I think it's not so much about speed. It's about expecting the unexpected all the time.

Sometimes speed is good, because it brings you fast far away from all the others.

I ride bikes in Bangkok now since about 20 years without any accident with more than walking speed. Obviously it can also happen to me. But I think most of the time I avoid trouble by anticipating all the bad things which others might do. And in doubt I don't do anything which could go wrong.

in this case, the car in front of me shifted lane to the left,

i carried on business as usual  but a car traveling in the opposite direction

decided to turn over my lane. this can not be anticipated,

its just a fact there is suddenly an obstacle in my path and i got less then 2 sec

to brace for impact. less speed= less skidding on asphalt in my calculations

[worgeordie]

When I first came here,a flash of the  headlights ,I thought he was letting me through,

as they do in the UK, but here it means I am not stopping for you, then there's

the hazard lights on ,meaning I am going straight ahead ! 

regards Worgeordie

[Presnock]

a couple of years ago, there was an editorial by a well-known Thai about driving in Thailand.  He said that he went to college in the US.  He said that what he sees here in Thailand is that Thai drivers drive a vehicle as if there is no other vehicle on the road, thus they feel they are always in the right of way.  He likened them to the horse and carriage times when blinders were put on the horse so he wouldn't be affected by anything going on around him.  A problem I note is that it seems many car/pickup drivers learned all their driving habits on a motorcycle.  Therefore, no signal of turn, cutting across lanes with no feel for right of way, etc.

In Bangkok, motorcycle drivers are taught to stay on the left side of the highway but as one Thai I know says, every time he comes to CM he immediately sees motorcycles on every side of every lane.  I also don't understand the fact that many Thais refuse to wait in a queue at a stoplight, zooming up a turn lane and then forcing their way into the lanes going through the stoplight!  worse every day

 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Puchaiyank said:

Driving in Thailand is not for the faint of heart.  Many times I have watched as a gaggle of cars and motorcycles weave in and out of traffic...all speeding...to the next red light.  I learned to take the path less travelled to reduce the stress of chaotic driving in Thailand...

 

The pavement (Sidewalk) ?......

 

 

 

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, brokenbone said:

you just can not take for granted others will respect your right of way,

we need to adjust to the fact this is not a given parameter,

im convinced now, i cant prevent accidents, i can only

do my best to limit the fookin pain, and that path is either a car or drive slower

Did you aim for a gap that you felt entitled to or did someone suddenly fill the gap that you felt entitled to keep?

 

TBH, the whole premise of 'Give Way' doesn't work here and never has. Probably never will either. Switching to 4-wheels after a life on 2-wheels may be risky as the gaps easily grabbed on a bike are mostly inaccessible to 4-wheels and until that learning curve is passed, could be fraught with accidents and near-misses. Driving slower is just about all one can do short of hanging up the riding boots.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, DannyCarlton said:

I have taken the opposite tack to avoid accidents. I drive everywhere "pedal to the metal" and leave all the morons way behind me. Works for me.

That's what rear view mirrors are for.

 

1 hour ago, DannyCarlton said:

Always drive with a Buddha amulet dangling from your rear view mirror. Works for me.

Again, that's what rear view mirrors are for.

[AlexRich]

It took me a long time to realise the pointlessness of high speed. Getting to your destination five minutes earlier (if that) is not worth the added risk. It doesn’t eliminate you from the stupidity of others but gives you a better chance of survival.

 

 

 

[DannyCarlton]

34 minutes ago, Presnock said:

I also don't understand the fact that many Thais refuse to wait in a queue at a stoplight, zooming up a turn lane and then forcing their way into the lanes going through the stoplight!  worse every day

One of my favourite games to play here. I'm waiting patiently at the stoplight on the line. Scooter slews in front of me and stops. I know that they will get away more slowly than me, forcing me to overtake them again.

 

I slowly edge up to their back wheel and start pushing them forward with my bumper. Blind panic from the Thais, making me split my sides with laughter.

[brokenbone]

16 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Did you aim for a gap that you felt entitled to or did someone suddenly fill the gap that you felt entitled to keep?

 

TBH, the whole premise of 'Give Way' doesn't work here and never has. Probably never will either. Switching to 4-wheels after a life on 2-wheels may be risky as the gaps easily grabbed on a bike are mostly inaccessible to 4-wheels and until that learning curve is passed, could be fraught with accidents and near-misses. Driving slower is just about all one can do short of hanging up the riding boots.

someone felt entitled to cross my lane, tbh i think i was hidden by the car in front

of me until he turned left, just as it was a surprise to me to see my lane

all of a sudden blocked by a car intending to turn into a soi.

either way this is too much pain for me to handle, let alone

i now cant do daily stuff like a shower, i think if i had kept at 20 km/h

my skeleton might not have shattered upon impact with asphalt

[richard_smith237]

12 minutes ago, brokenbone said:

someone felt entitled to cross my lane, tbh i think i was hidden by the car in front

of me until he turned left, just as it was a surprise to me to see my lane

all of a sudden blocked by a car intending to turn into a soi.

either way this is too much pain for me to handle, let alone

i now cant do daily stuff like a shower, i think if i had kept at 20 km/h

my skeleton might not have shattered upon impact with asphalt

 

Ouch - road rash, more painful than a broken bone !!! - hope you recover quickly. 

 

Whenever heading out on my bike I always try to consider 'dress for the slide not the ride' yet sometimes its just too hot to fully gear up all the time, thus we end up taking a risk. 

 

 

First and foremost is head and spine protection, but I'll admit to not wearing my jacket with spine protection all the time, again, we end up taking a risk whenever we take out our motorcycle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brokenbone]

19 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Ouch - road rash, more painful than a broken bone !!! - hope you recover quickly. 

 

Whenever heading out on my bike I always try to consider 'dress for the slide not the ride' yet sometimes its just too hot to fully gear up all the time, thus we end up taking a risk. 

 

 

First and foremost is head and spine protection, but I'll admit to not wearing my jacket with spine protection all the time, again, we end up taking a risk whenever we take out our motorcycle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

is there any elbow protection gear stylish enough to go with formal dress code,

or would it appear overly weird

[NanLaew]

44 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

One of my favourite games to play here. I'm waiting patiently at the stoplight on the line. Scooter slews in front of me and stops. I know that they will get away more slowly than me, forcing me to overtake them again.

 

I slowly edge up to their back wheel and start pushing them forward with my bumper. Blind panic from the Thais, making me split my sides with laughter.

That's countering their being a dick head by becoming a dick head yourself. Not constructive IMHO.

 

I had the debate about being quicker off the mark in my 4-wheels than the average oik on their 2-wheels with a farang who assured me he was always fast off the mark. However, I reminded him that whereas he idolized Valentino Rossi and rode a Ducatti, I was talking about the local hoon on his girlfriends Scoopy. You know, the one that swoops in and parks dead-center in front of you before picking zits in the (optional) rear view mirror, or checking his messages or, by far the most common trait even on a traffic light with great big countdown numbers, suddenly getting all serious with staring at his own rear wheel or non-existent muffler. Typically this behavior starts less than 5 seconds before the green. Then there's the head-whip as everything around him takes off with the ensuing manic pumping of the selector to get a gear before weaving all over the shop as he gives it right-hand laldy.

 

I find it best to roll as far forward as possible at the traffic stop, if possible placing my back wheels inside any motorbike box that's painted on the road. Sod 'em. They get the 'front row on the grid' but most of them haven't a clue about a smooth, timely take off.

[JonnyF]

6 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Through the blacked out windscreen? I actually find this to be a very common problem in this country. Drivers cannot make visual gestures to each other because of the dark windscreens.

 

The blacked out windscreens are more of an issue than people think.

 

1. You can't see if a stationary car has someone in the drivers seat so you can't judge if it's simply parked or if it might start moving any minute. Especially annoying as Thais don't normally indicate before they pull out into traffic.

2. You can't see through the car in front to see what the car ahead of that is doing. Which would be especially useful seeing as the car in front of you is probably only 50cm from the car in front of him.

3. When people know they can't be seen, they drive more selfishly (blocking other lanes, pushing in etc.).

4. You can't see who (or how many people) are in the car so it's difficult to decide whether it's a good idea to get involved in a violent road rage incident.

 

Just kidding about number 4, but I think driving habits would improve if police enforced the laws on how dark the tint can be.

[Isaanbiker]

6 hours ago, transam said:

It took me a couple of years to adjust to driving slower in LOS.....????

It took me a couple of years in to adjust to riding with high speed in LOS..

 

    I only slow down when I see a U- turn coming. That's where the danger is. 

[kingofthemountain]

28 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

The blacked out windscreens are more of an issue than people think.

 

1. You can't see if a stationary car has someone in the drivers seat so you can't judge if it's simply parked or if it might start moving any minute. Especially annoying as Thais don't normally indicate before they pull out into traffic.

2. You can't see through the car in front to see what the car ahead of that is doing. Which would be especially useful seeing as the car in front of you is probably only 50cm from the car in front of him.

3. When people know they can't be seen, they drive more selfishly (blocking other lanes, pushing in etc.).

4. You can't see who (or how many people) are in the car so it's difficult to decide whether it's a good idea to get involved in a violent road rage incident.

 

Just kidding about number 4, but I think driving habits would improve if police enforced the laws on how dark the tint can be.

Totaly agree

and you forget it's more easy to use the phone (Even texting messages) during driving

when i am on my motorbike and a car is not far from ejected me from the road, i have to

come very near from their black window to see the driver inside is too busy on his (Or often ''her'') phone to even realize they are others users on the road,

a ''tok tok'' at the window and a sign from my part and they are like

a child caught at fault, they quick range the phone and do as if they don't see me lol

[mserror]

Speed is always important. Kinetic energy increases with the SQUARE of speed, and this translates to collision damage and braking distance.

 

(And those who do not wear seat belts also get to learn Newton's First Law of Motion.)

[digger70]

6 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

Always drive with a Buddha amulet dangling from your rear view mirror. Works for me.

Nah, unbelievable.  555   ????

[hobz]

There is one downside with driving slower, it's that you get frustrated vehicles behind you that will overtake you recklessly to make a point. Also driving slow means being stuck all the way to the left and being pushed out on to the curb where we have a bunch of obstacles ... With all of the above, I still think driving slower is best. 

[MAGA 2020]

7 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

Driving in Thailand is not for the faint of heart.  Many times I have watched as a gaggle of cars and motorcycles weave in and out of traffic...all speeding...to the next red light.  I learned to take the path less travelled to reduce the stress of chaotic driving in Thailand...

You just put your finger right up against the glass so they can see it