Drivers In Thailand

[khunphilip]

Thai Drivers possibly ony one 2 in 10 can drive half decent it is very easy to get a license here when my wife learn to drive after 4 2 hour lesson her instructor said 1000 baht and he would get her a license no way would I let her out on the road alone however alot of problems is the way they think no forsight when I drive try tobe aware of whats going on around me but with motorcycles coming at you from everyway right way wrongway you have to eyes everywhere mind you if you drove in U.K. there are plenty of ######s there to and they have all passed a test

F.T.P

[stroll]

Yes, T.i.T., it is not logical, the rules are flexible and there are plenty of idiots(like anywhere else).

What I appreciate about driving here, though, is the absence of redfaced, hooting, fingerpointing yobs compensating for their frustrations in other areas of their lifes. It's just a few expats displaying this attitude here.

[otherstuff1957]

I'm not going to defend the drivers here. I'm still trying to figure out what the rules of the road are . One thing that I have noticed is that I haven't seen as many accidents here as I did back in California. Yes, I know that Auto accidents are one of the major causes of death in Thailand, but I rarely seem to see any of them!

[Axel]

Otherstuff, very good comment.

Feel, however, you drive here, you expect the other one to be an idiot.

In California and in Europe, of course, everybody sticks to the lane, follows the rules for right of way and so on.

In Thailand, I not even expect somebody to stop for me just because a have green.

The major accidents are on the country roads, often drug- and alcohol-induced.

[lungbing]

Thai drivers are not only ignorant on the roads. We have two little girls 7 & 8 at school here. When we pick them up at 4pm (having parked well away from the school) I am fedup with dodging trucks and motorbikes driving at speed through the school at 4pm through all the children and across the playground to get as near to the classsroom as possible. The headteacher sent a letter home saying all cars were banned, that lasted two days.

I once saw a motorbike rider park right across the foot entrance to our sports stadium, then sheepishly have to move his own bike because he himself couldn't get through into the stadium. It wouldn't have been so bad, but his was the only vehicle there! They are in their own little world with no concept of anyone else. It's not malicious, they don't bugger you about to annoy you, they don't even know they are doing it.

Derek

Khon Kaen

[p1p]

Don't you love these police here. Great Leader made suggestion that all motorcyclists should ride with headlights on. Police therefore set up road checks and extract tea money from those travelling unenlighted (sic.). Helmet-less riders are ignored if they display sufficient lumination.

[RDN]

I was hoping to be enlightened on how the professional drivers survive despite all the idiots who must give them near-death experiences several times a week.

Maybe they have their eyes tested and - like me - wear glasses. I assume bad eyesight is not just a farang phenomenon and so assume that vanity, or lack of a bridge on their nose, is the reason you will not find many Thai drivers wearing prescription glasses.

In Phuket there appear to be 10 lanes of traffic on the major road from Phuket City to Rawai.

1. Bikes in the bike lane

2. Cars in the car lane

3. Bikes in the bike lane travelling in the wrong direction because the driver is too fukcing lazy to cross the road. This is really good at night because even with dipped headlights, the dipping pushes the beam straight at the oncoming traffic.

4. Bikes in the car lane overtaking the cars.

5. Bikes in the car lane waiting to turn right.

And then of course there are the same 5 lanes on the other side of the road.

It usually takes me about 15 or 30 seconds to re-adjust each trip to Thai driving. It used to take a lot longer, but the mind does get acclimatised to even the strangest of environments.

There are a few simple rules I would say every farang should learn:

1. Never overtake faster than 5 kph.

2. Be aware that bikes and cars rarely turn at 90 degrees - usually 45.

3. Try to assess what the bike or car is going to do by its position on the road - ignore indicators unless you see them coming on.

4. Never move away or go through a green light without looking.

5. If someone comes up fast behind you, let him overtake. If you don't, he will pass you on the left.

6. Don't fight the traffic - they are the ar5eholes, and they will meet another ar5ehole one day soon.

[RDN]

I'm not going to defend the drivers here.  I'm still trying to figure out what the rules of the road are  .  One thing that I have noticed is that I haven't seen as many accidents here as I did back in California.  Yes, I know that Auto accidents are one of the major causes of death in Thailand, but I rarely seem to see any of them!

Where have you been hiding yourself? I've had to drive through blood trickling across the road, seen cars on top of bikes, bikes on top of bikes, heard the bang and seen a two bikes tangled up, seen a stupid farang let out the clutch, do a 360 degree spin and fall off his bike in front of me. If it wasn't for the muscles and tattoos he had I would have laughed in his stupid face. I saved the laugh for later.

One of the most important rules of the road is "if a vehicle is occupying a strip of road, then it is his piece of road." It doesn't matter if it is at traffic lights that are red and he has gone through them, or on a dual carriageway - and it's on your side of the road because he's taking a short cut. It's his road if he's on it.

[Martin]

otherstuff1957's "I'm still trying to figure out what the rules of the road are....", and RDN's "Any bit of road is his, if he is on it" got me thinking. Then I remembered an early posting saying "The bigger car has the right of way".

Could it be that the rules of the road are not the ones we are used to, as thought out, written down, enunciated clearly in the booklet 'The Highway Code', and learnt word-perfect by us (and we prepared to give examples) otherwise the Driving Examiner wouldn't even take us out for the 'driving demonstration' part of our Driving Test?.

Could it be that, like 'rubber time', what a Thai driver may do is decided 'culturally' (as well as by 'idiocy', in many cases)?.

I am remembering back a few years to my first year here. We didn't have a car, and Thong used to get a neighbour to bring her to the airport to meet me when I flew in from Bangkok. He is no idiot. Albeit in a slightly different way, he is every bit as capable as I am. In fact, he may have had more 'intellectual horsepower' than me when he was born, and he certainly developed it by 'travelling a much rougher road' in boyhood, adolescence, and youth.

But I found him very hard to ride with. I was wincing and cringing time after time, thought he was an appallingly bad driver, and was relieved to survive and get home. Yet he has never had an accident, and he drives some quite long journeys, often at night. He must be doing things that the other drivers expect him to do. In England, he would be 'rear ended' every hour (or less).

I come back to my original posting----there must be something that professional drivers know about Thai road behaviour that we don't.

I am still hoping that somebody can/will tell us how the professional drivers are chosen by the big companies, to get some clues to enlighten us about how they manage neither to mangle nor to get mangled (except when their luck runs out).

[stroll]

Further to my apparently somewhat unsatisfactory attempts at explaining the existence of accident-free truck drivers being a recurring phenomenon, I'd like to add 2 more points:

1. The driver sits higher up in trucks and can assess the situation in advance, while holding a cigarette in one hand and a can of beer in the other. The speed at which they are going is selfevident proof that truckdrivers are a species on god's 'positive discrimination' list, so don't laugh when I suggest amulets work.

2. Children are trained from an early age to avoid moving objects stronger than themselves, such as dogs, drunks, buffalos, motorbikes and the like. Later, when they become skilled at walking straight without supervision, they are given special training assignment to cross highways on their bicycles in company of a few peers or on their own. At a later stage one might add any number of the above mentioned objects to further refine truck dodging skills.

Again, this dramatically reduces traffic accident statistics, self evident to all but the most narrowminded farangs.

I hope I have answered your questions.

With kind regards,

Traff.Pol.Captain Stroll, ban nork devision

[john b good]

Thai drivers are not only ignorant on the roads.  We have two little girls 7 & 8 at school here.  When we pick them up at 4pm (having parked well away from the school)  I am fedup with dodging trucks and motorbikes driving at speed through the school at 4pm through all the children and across the playground to get as near to the classsroom as possible.  The headteacher  sent a letter home saying all cars were banned,  that lasted two days.

I once saw a motorbike rider park right across the foot entrance to our sports stadium, then sheepishly have to move his own bike because he himself couldn't get through into the stadium.   It wouldn't have been so bad, but his was the only vehicle there!   They are in their own little world with no concept of anyone else.  It's not malicious, they don't bugger you about to annoy you, they don't even know they are doing it.

Derek

Khon Kaen

"they don't even know they are doing it"

This is perhaps close to being the most indicative / salient comment in the thread.

They haven't got a clue that they are doing something (right or wrong)

"forgive them for they know not what they do"

AND, I didn't say that Thais are the worst drivers in the world. I said "they are close to being the worst in the world", and, I stand by that statement.

I am not claiming to be the only member / poster who has driven in several (many) countries but I can say that I have both received / undergone extensive professional driver training AND conducted driver training in other 3rd world countries.

Most participants have been receptive to the training and have the ability to drive in keeping with the recognised internation standards and expectations required of them.

This is not the case here in Thailand. Most Thai drivers seem unable to accept / or come to terms with the fact that Thai driver / driving standards are amongst the lowest in the world and have difficulty (most finding it impossible) in modifying their driving skills.

That said, I accept that some (for example Shell Oil Co., drivers) do demonstrate the ability to drive in accordance with internationally accepted standards. This is much to the credit of Shell which is a company that is concerned with keeping it's international reputation intact and at the highest possible level. There are other similar international companies (BP being just one) with the same expectations.

And a Shell / BP driver should he arrive at his destination ahead of time won't get praise (or congratulatory "wais") for his fast trip but at best a real bollicking and at worst his final pay slip.

If a company says "you drive my way or you take the highway" most drivers will come to the party and for those that can't / don't then thay are to be found looking for another line of work.

You generally get exactly what you demand. Demand too little and thats exactly what you will get.

I remember my driver / interpreter (in a state of the former Soviet Union) asking why are we coming "here" and telling them how to drive. The answer was clear and simple "because we are paying you to do as we ask". Giorgi had difficulty in accepting this edict and shortly after resigned (it was too hot in the kitchen)

There ain't no magic formula in achieving high driver standards. It's simply a matter of having clear "road traffic laws / regulations, the police ensuring these laws and regulations are met, and training, education, and more training"

When my wife learnt to drive the driving instructor when asked what the fee would be for her drivers licence responded with "Baht 105 to sit the test OR Baht 850 and she will get her licence" (After a few months the car resembled one that had been in a number of "demolition derby races" She has improved a little but initially she couldn't drive for siht.

The pursuit of mediocrity is one which is fairly easy to achieve.

[Insight]

Yes, T.i.T., it is not logical, the rules are flexible and there are plenty of idiots(like anywhere else).

What I appreciate about driving here, though, is the absence of redfaced, hooting, fingerpointing yobs compensating for their frustrations in other areas of their lifes. It's just a few expats displaying this attitude here.

Yeah, sorry. Guess I'm guilty of that now and again, but only rarely.

Whenever I loose my rag at other drivers with my girlfriend in the car, she puts her scouser wig on, waves her hands around and shouts out "calm down, calm down".

Not really - she tells me to "jai yen yen" - same thing.

One moment I lost it, and with good reason, was driving back from Nakhorn Sawan to Bangkok. Two lane dual carrigeway, I'm in the left lane, there's a gap with a car behind in the right lane.

Check again a few seconds later, same size gap with car behind. I indicate and start to move. The b*stard in the car behind now decides this is a good time to speed up, start flashing his lights and beeping his horn.

"Okay, you win" I think, and wait for him to go past. He doesn't. I wait a minute, he's pulled back to create the same gap!!!

I indicate and try to move out again. He, again, does the same thing!! Foot down, horn beeping, lights flashing! Muthaf*ker!!!

This time, rather than give up on the manouver, I also start beeping my horn and continue moving out into that lane. He backs off, but of course, he stays right up my a*se while I'm overtaking this wagon - guess that goes without saying. Tosser.

[Insight]

Don't you just love those old, beaten up pickups with no lights, driven at 15Kmph by a buffalo with a farmer or two in the back.

[JimGant]

In the States, many trucking firms put a sign on the back of their trucks, "How's My Driving? Call: 1-800 xxxxxxx." Don't know how effective this is, but if you're a Yank, you're well familiar with seeing this. And there have been a few humorous takeoffs of this as well.

I can't read Thai, but if they put my favorite humorous takeoff on their trucks, it would read: "How's My Driving?" Call: 053 - GIN KEY."

Seems rather appropriate -- except you'd have to be going about the same speed as the truck to read it -- which is not likely.

[RDN]

In the States, many trucking firms put a sign on the back of their trucks, "How's My Driving? Call: 1-800 xxxxxxx." Don't know how effective this is, but if you're a Yank, you're well familiar with seeing this. And there have been a few humorous takeoffs of this as well.

I can't read Thai, but if they put my favorite humorous takeoff on their trucks, it would read: "How's My Driving?" Call: 053 - GIN KEY."

Seems rather appropriate  -- except you'd have to be going about the same speed as the truck to read it -- which is not likely.

In Thai, that would be: โทร. 053-กิน ขี้

(Apologies to those without Thai fonts installed )

[Martin]

To john b good. Can you tell us how Shell recruit their drivers? And do they give them post-recruitment driver training?. Although I have never been a professional truck driver, I learnt to drive on a truck some 52 years ago. At that time you were employed as a driver's mate, and rode in the cab and had things pointed out to you, and were questioned to see if you were learning what was being taught, and expected to take an intelligent interest in things like route planning. This went on till your 17th birthday, when you showed the provisional licence you had applied for and received ready for the big day. If you had shown yourself to be 'a likely lad' you were allowed to put your 'L' plates on the truck. Some drivers would let the mate drive for an easy part of the trip and then more and more difficult parts. My driver let me drive from the start of the day, but as soon as I made an error then that was it for the day. It really put me on my mettle. For instance, any audible protest from the gearbox was an error (and on an Austin K2 there was no synchromesh, so upward changes had to be done at the right revs, and every downward change required a 'spot on' double de-clutch). Great was the day when I could go home and tell my dad that I had managed a whole day without being ordered off the wheel.

As far as I can tell, this 'apprenticeship' system doesn't seem to operate any longer in UK. There are truck-driving schools that do some 'classroom' stuff, have a 'manoeuvring area', I think, and take the trainees out on special trucks with big signs saying "Driver Under Instruction". This seems sensible, considering today's speeds.

What is the Thailand system?. No big company is going to let a driver take out one of their trucks just on his say-so that he can drive. So there must be some evaluation/recruitment/training system.

Although I agree with a lot that has been said against Thai driver ability(or lack of it) in general, I still maintain that the drivers of the multinationals' big trucks must have some very special abilities to get to their destinations despite the myriads of 'idiots' that they must encounter each day. I suspect that much of what they have to contend with is 'predictable idiocy', and would love to learn how to pick up the finer clues that tell what the 'idiot' in front (or, quite often, behind) is going to do.

Edited June 17, 2004 by Martin

[tutsiwarrior]

don't really understand all the fuss...in the year and a half that I have been driving a two lane country road (nicely paved and maintained) once per week to the provincial Tescos I have never had a bad experience. There are trucks with agricultural goods, thai tractors poking along...a scenario for a 'blood alley' in the rural US or in Lincolnshire in the UK but people appear to be sensible regarding overtaking and maintaining a reasonable speed. It's not to say that there haven't been accidents. But it is driving I can live with.

Anyone that has spent any time in the Gulf area where the greatest threat to life is not a jihadi warrior it is some raghead traveling at full speed in a S500 Mercedes, shouting into his mobile phone and blinking his lights to say 'get the fukc out of the way' with no intention of ever slowing down. In comparison the Thai locals are real sweethearts.

Have to admit that traffic in the provicial capital can be a drag and 'duelling bumpers' in the Tescos carpark is tiresome...

[Martin]

Yes, tutsi. I, too, have no beefs about the driving on our local country roads.

It is the driving on the highway that I find to be often idiotic.

I am wondering more and more if it stems from the culture.

On the country roads we tend to know each other. (As we go to my wife's home village, she says something about the vehicles we meet around 50% of the time. She will make a remark like "That is so-and-so from such-and-such a village. He is the same age as me. When we were ten, he was the taker of his family's buffalo to the water, when I had it to do for our family". Then she tells about his marriage(s) and his 'mia noi(s)', and I think "Yes, that man who said that 'ban nork' is a collection of Peyton Places was dead right".)

So maybe they drive on the country roads amicably as friends.

But out on the highway, the other driver is just a stranger from somewhere way away, and unnecessary to 'wai' with.

You are a lucky man that your country road is well maintained. If you know how that comes about, please let me in on the secret. Our country roads are potholed to perdition by the overloaded sugar-cane trucks, and just get worse and worse.

[stroll]

I don't know tutsi's exact location, but the main roads near the borders are well maintained, for military reasons.

[RDN]

You are a lucky man that your country road is well maintained. If you know how that comes about, please let me in on the secret. Our country roads are potholed to perdition by the overloaded sugar-cane trucks, and just get worse and worse.

Same same near Chaiyaphum! You have to expect the oncoming tractor or truck to come straight at you to avoid the pot-holes in front of him. And you have to do the same. Driving at 20 kph is normal for me and driving from the left side of the road (in the dirt) to the opposite side is normal to avoid holes that are so big you cannot find a route through them without one wheel at least getting a bad bump.

But the problem has only arisen in the last few years - according to my g/f - since the cane lorries found a shortcut via Chaiyaphum.

[tutsiwarrior]

my point got lost somehwere...with a nicely maintained road drivers have the opportunity to drive like maniacs but from what I have observed, they don't

[Martin]

RDN----I want to follow up about sugar-cane trucks, but would go 'off topic'. So I have put up a new broad topic title "Thailand's sugar production industry".

[2long]

The more time one spends on the road, the greater the chance of having an accident. Bearing this in mind, drive as fast as possible at all times! Crash helmets increase drag and reduce visibilty, avoid using them at all costs!

Girlfriends are there to have a go at us for just looking at some <deleted> who tried to run us off the road or using a horn that Mr. Honda designed to be used in such situations. They never, ever, say anything like, "Good overtaking move, Darling' or 'Nice lane choice' or 'That was a smooth and stress free bend negotiation' etc.

[ChiangmaiJim]

John b good said it all!

[Ajarn]

I installed the same 140db air horn that the mad buses have and a compressor for it in my car along with a switch for selecting the normal horn (in city traffic) and the 140db thing (for highway traffic). Very efficient...

Bus/Truck air horns do not use compressors. The use a storage tank of compressed air that is usually topped off at fuel stops. This is maybe the reason why trucks and busses only use their air horns when they are really needed...They don't want to be left without air reserve when needed.

The smaller air horns with electric compressor are a good idea for safety, in my experience. I have them on my car, too. Not nearly as loud as a bus, but still effective in getting everyone's attention focused on you for a moment....Of course, once they realize you are a car, your position goes way down on the scale of 'Might is Right'..

(500,000+ plus k's driving in Thailand without an accident)

[Ajarn]

I'm not going to defend the drivers here.  I'm still trying to figure out what the rules of the road are  .  One thing that I have noticed is that I haven't seen as many accidents here as I did back in California.  Yes, I know that Auto accidents are one of the major causes of death in Thailand, but I rarely seem to see any of them!

'Might is Right' is the rule of the road here. I think it makes complete sense from a safety issue, and it fits in naturally with how Thai society operates...

Motorcycles have better visibility, acceleration, maneuverability, braking, than cars or trucks, plus a bike will likely take the brunt of any collision with a larger vehicle...

So, a bike should kriengjai a larger vehicle...

Cars have better visibility, acceleration, maneuverability, braking than larger trucks, plus a car will likely take the brunt of any collision with a larger vehicle...

So, a car should krienjai a truck or other larger vehicle...

This system mostly works. The only time I deviate from it is when I come across a farang driving...I make them the 'cawkong Thanon' (road owner) every time, because they are the ones I'm mostly afraid of. The tourists tend to drive by their perceived Right of Law, while Thais have a whole different idea...I find farangs to be generally MUCH more dangerous than your average Thai driver, mostly because they are clueless as to what's going on, or they are unwilling to drive the Thai Way, making them more unpredictable than your typical Thai driver.

I also appreciate the relative lack of horn honking and road rage compared to Calif, but I have seen this become more and more of a problem with Thai drivers, too. Lots more Rambos on the road now...

And, I have never witnessed an accident here in 20 years other than normal fender benders. With Thailand having one of the higher accident rates in the world according to some stats, this does seem strange that I haven't seen more of these accidents...But, I'm not complaining, mind you!

[Ajarn]

Don't you just love those old, beaten up pickups with no lights, driven at 15Kmph by a buffalo with a farmer or two in the back.

One of these?

http://asiarecipe.com/larry/motor.html

[chanchao]

Driving in Thailand -- A concise guide.

Note: Driving is on the left hand side so keep this in mind when

visualizing the examples given.

Positioning yourself on the road

--------------------------------

Basically, any surface that's flat, wide and firm enough to support the weight of your car is appropriate to drive on. Lines on the road seem to be mostly there for decorative purposes and/or are part of a deal between local politicians and the paint company. The center line dividing the road in half is the exception, though probably not in the way you think. I've dedicated a separate paragraph to the center line further down on this page.

As a rule of thumb, on a clear road your optimum position on the road is at 66.67% from the left of your half of the road. (Extreme left is 0%, the center line is 100%) In the West you would drive at 50%, in the middle of your lane, or at 25% in the middle of the left lane on a 4 lane highway. In Thailand, on a clear road, you stick to 66.67% of your half of the road, no matter how many lanes or lines someone painted on it. This gives you good clearance from dogs, kids and farm vehicles on the left, while you keep some space on the right just in case an oncoming car starts an overtaking move right in front of you, U-turns into your lane, or some guy jumps out of the shrubs in the middle of a divided highway. You can vary by plus or minus 15% depending on the penetrability of the partition in the middle. If it's concrete and there's not a U-turn in sight, you could move over a bit to the right. A ditch or shrubs are penetrable so it's best to remain cautious. Just a center line might as well not be there in terms of penetrability.

In cities, avoid the left hand lane altogether; it is generally for parking, loading, pedestrians avoiding street vendors, and overflow street vendors themselves as the sidewalks are for motorcycles and early bird street vendors.

At traffic lights and stop signs, leave extra space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you - motorcycles need space to get through without scratching your paint job. I've taken the liberty to group general tips pertaining to motorcycles together with those for 'Cattle and other large animals' below as they're remarkably similar from a driver's point of view.

The center line

---------------

The center line on undivided roads should not be seen as a separator as much as an *indicator*. It is in fact the most important indicator you have and needs constant monitoring in corners when there is oncoming traffic. Oncoming vehicles have the tendency to cut into your lane when you're in a left turning bend, and also near the start of a right turning bend. So watch the center line to see if and by how much you will have to move out of the way. Once you get good at this you may find the time to put the things you will learn in the 'signaling' section into practice to politely indicate you want him to bugger off to his own side of the road.

Advanced Positioning

--------------------

When there are obstacles or other traffic, you'll find you're doing constant territorial threat-analysis to calculate your 'unthreatened space'. For example, a car pulling over on the side of the road decreases this space not only by the width of the car, but also by the 'potentially threatened space' needed in case the driver suddenly opens his door without looking for traffic behind him. On the other side of the road there will be oncoming traffic. The potential threat there comes from cars that may suddenly start an overtaking move. You're optimal position is a combination of 3 factors: the area of potentially threatened space, the chance of that space becoming unavailable and the severity of the threat. For example, there is a very low chance an oncoming truck will not have seen you and overtake a slower vehicle right in front of you, however crashing into it is pretty damned severe. On the other side of the road, the pulled over car is much more likely to suddenly open his door, however damage would be relatively minor by comparison. You have to weigh this triad of factors and come up with an optimum spot, then position yourself in the center of it.

Signaling and lights

--------------------

God gave cars horns for a reason. When in doubt, use yours. Remember the example above about the car on the left who may open his door? Excellent opportunity to use the horn: Two short bursts when in doubt about another driver's intentions is the polite way to go.

If the guy tries to open his door anyway, a prolonged howl of your horn tells him what an moron he really is. When driving, it’s best to keep at least a finger on or within easy reach of the horn at all times. Professional drivers, such as those of minivans driving long distances, add multiple extra heavy duty truck horns on their relatively small sized vehicles to appear bigger and claim the space in front of them, much like a howler monkey (genus alouatta) would to claim his territory.

Also use the horn when passing Buddhist- or spirit-shrines on the side of the road. Alternatively you could raise your hand and fold your palms into a wai, but this would require taking your hands of the steering wheel which is not advisable. So use the horn instead; Buddha understands and spirits love it.

Your indicators can be used at any time, such as to signal to a faster car behind you that he can safely overtake (one blink to the left), or that that there is oncoming traffic (one blink to the right). After the car has overtaken you, he may signal a quick left-right blink to thank you. You can also use the quick left-right blink when you're driving at maximum speed, and you approach a slow moving vehicle driving in the middle of the road. In that case you could do a quick left-right signal to indicate you're going to overtake, you just haven't decided yet on which side you're gonna do it. At the latest possible time you will calculate your chances and dive either way. You can also use your indicators to go straight at an intersection (all 4, the emergency button), or you can signal left-right to the beat of the song you're listening to on the car stereo.

It's polite to turn off your high beam lights when there is oncoming traffic. Many older cars will have lights shining in all directions except on the road in front of them, you may be blinded even though they've turned off their high beams. Live with it.

You should turn on your lights during rain and at dusk. As you will be the only one doing this, other cars will signal to you to warn you as this seems to be perceived as a highly dangerous condition. On the other hand, if you forget to turn on your (main) lights in total darkness, everybody will just assume they're broken and nobody will try to let you know.

Turning right

-------------

Assuming your indicators are broken and you still feel like signalling that you're going to slow down and make a right turn, you open the window and pretend you're an albatross taking off. Actually the window will probably be open already because the air-conditioning will likely be broken as well. Fanatically wave your arm up and down until you're sure the driver behind you has woken up.

Making sure traffic behind you is aware of your intended turn is especially important when driving on a highway and having to slow down to turn right into a smaller road. Keep looking in your mirrors. If you're not completely sure the guy behind you has seen you, do NOT slow down and make the turn! (Turn left somewhere down the road, then drive back). This because the worst case scenario in this case is pretty darn worse. (Something heavy slamming in the rear causing you to crash head on into the oncoming traffic).

There is a popular alternative to deal with the problem of traffic behind you when having to make a right turn, which is to just move over on to the lane for oncoming traffic, or even the far right side of the road, well before the turn-off. It's not very safe however because there may be a car coming out of the road you're trying to turn in to; if the driver of that car is inexperienced, he may not expect a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road.

Turning left

------------

Turning left is of course easier than turning right as you don’t have to cross the lane for traffic going the other way. This is why at most traffic light intersections, it’s allowed to turn left even though the light is red. Usually there will be a sign in Thai language saying you’re allowed to turn left. There is no standard for these signs though, so if you want to play it safe then you wait for the light to turn green, or for the car behind you to signal to you to get on with it.

Right of way

------------

Can be best summed up in terms of physics: E = 1/2mv^2 The vehicle with the highest kinetic energy has the right of way.

Perceived condition of the brakes of the approaching vehicle is a factor however. If it's an old truck which looks like it may have 25% of it's full braking power left, then there is an inversely proportional increase in his right of way. So the final formula becomes: 1/2 * m * v^2 / 0.25

Officially, driving on a main road you have the right of way over traffic coming from smaller roads/lanes crossing it. However, if there's a queue of cars from a smaller road waiting to cross / turn on to the main road, they consider themselves part of the same convoy of cars, so when one crosses the road, all the other ones seem to be entitled to follow and traffic on the main road will just have to stop and wait.

Traffic light intersections are interesting as well; in those Western countries where traffic drives on the left, cars that turn right at a traffic light intersection would have to wait for oncoming traffic going straight. Not so in Thailand however; cars turning right will make a dash for it as soon as the light turns green. Whoever makes it to the middle of the intersection first gets to go first.

The Ostrich Addendum

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The ostrich addendum to the right of way rule: "Something I pretend isn't there can't have the right of way". By looking at another driver he will know you acknowledge his existence so he can cross the road or turn on to the road you're driving on. Use this to your advantage by pretending not to see him; he will be unsure if you've seen him and hesitate, and by the time he realizes you're pulling the ostrich trick on him it will be to late and you will have passed.

To pull the perfect Ostrich move, look at the other guy at the latest possible moment as you're driving past and cordially bow your head (see: the Pigeon Head-bob greeting) to thank him for letting you go past.

Of course it works the other way around as well: making eye contact greatly increases your chances being allowed to cut in to a lane or on to a road with heavy traffic. Look friendly & helpless, smile, and for sure some friendly dumbass is going to let you cut in, no matter that you just speeded through a ditch past 100 cars waiting for a traffic light and you're trying to cut in right before the intersection. In any Western country you'd surely be beaten up if you tried to pull something like that, but this really shows how friendly Thai drivers are.

Maximum Speed

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What maximum speed?

Seriously, few roads in the country are suitable for driving at speeds over 100 kph. Even those multi lane roads with a division in the middle will have U-turns every few kilometers or so, and they will have houses, parked cars and side streets where traffic enters the main road. The Bangkok Expressway (Toll-way) may be the only exception, but traffic is usually heavy enough to keep you from going really fast there as well.

Fines & traffic offenses

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Police may stop vehicles for routine checks at any time. You will usually not get a ticket for minor offenses, such as missing license plates, not having a driver's license with you or being in an obvious state of intoxication. But if you're out of luck you may be fined. If you really were at fault, always offer to pay the fine on the spot, 100 baht (200 max.), no receipt. Doing it the official way will involve a trip to the nearest police station and loss of time. Fines are usually in the 100-200 baht range anyway. Always be polite to the police officer. Most of them are pretty alright, eager to practice some of their English on you as much as any other person. That said, there are some real ###### out there as well. Never pay more than 200 baht on the spot; go to the police station instead and pay the official fine and get a receipt. Overall, give me a Thai cop over a European/American one any time, no matter the offense.

Overtaking

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You can overtake a slower vehicle on any side, provided the surface is free of obstacles and firm enough to support the weight of your vehicle. If the road is wide enough (and sometimes if it isn't) you may be able to overtake even though it's a 2 lane road and there is oncoming traffic. Just make sure the oncoming traffic has seen you (flashing you high beam lights helps) so they can move over to create room in the middle of the road. It's not allowed to overtake on a bridge if the vehicle you're overtaking has more than two wheels, nor is it advisable as there is usually not enough space for oncoming traffic to get out of the way.

Be careful of trucks going up-hill. They will do anything to keep their speed; if they as much as blink and hesitate to overtake something then they will have to change gears, stall and their speed will be reduced to a crawl. So only overtake trucks going up-hill after making sure the truck has a clear road ahead of it and is not approaching a slower vehicle.

Overtaking at blind curves or before hills is only advisable at nighttime when you can see the glare of any oncoming traffic. If the oncoming traffic happens to be a farm vehicle with no lights then that's just tough; to be safe, don't overtake on blind bends. On small mountain dirt roads, use your horn when approaching corners.

Animals, big and small

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Generally, DON'T suddenly brake for animals until you've made sure there is no car directly behind you. The time needed to verify this usually means you've already run it over, whatever it was. Other drivers do NOT expect you to stop/swerve for animals less than cattle size. Frogs, snakes, birds, rats, chickens, cats, dogs, monkeys, they're all in the same sub-cattle category. These smaller animals may still dent your bull-bar, which, in spite of it's name, is hopelessly ineffective against bulls and similarly sized cattle. So needless to say, when you get to the bigger sizes, cows, water-buffalo, motorcycles and elephants you will have to brake and go past real careful. Cows, buffalo and motorcycles can be especially stupid and may walk/ride in front of your car at any time. Elephants are smarter, but are more active at night when their natural nighttime-camouflage color makes them blend in to the darkness real well, so elephants may still come as a nasty surprise. Motorcycles seem the be the culmination of all challenging characteristics into one. They're more unpredictable than cats and dogs, they're faster than cows, more stubborn than buffalo and without lights at night, more difficult to see than elephants. That said, there is no such thing as a motorcycle doing something 'wrong' in traffic. There are only 'right' motorcycle riders, and then there are dead ones.

Driving long distances

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When you’re driving for several hours, especially at nighttime, you have to make sure you don’t fall asleep. Stop at least every 2-3 hours or so for refreshments and to walk around a bit. One particular useful range of refreshments are the ‘energy drinks’ such as Red Bull, M150, Lipovitan and so on. They come in small brown glass bottles and contain enough caffeine, nicotine, vitamins and other substances to keep you awake, as well as enough sugar to make even an ant throw up. The warning on the label says you’re not advised to drink more than 2 bottles per day, so also drink lots of other fluids. All but the smallest of gas stations will have 24 hour convenience stores selling everything you could possibly need on a long drive, such as a ham sandwich, peach flavored Gatorade, fruit yogurt, dried squid, sanitary napkins, hard liquor and condoms.

Finding your way around the Kingdom

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is generally quite easy. Almost all signs are bi-lingual Thai and English, all roads are numbered and if you invest in a map that shows these road numbers, it’s very unlikely you’ll get lost. There are only a few challenges: Some of the biggest highway signs will point to the smallest of sub-districts, while not giving you the bigger picture such as what road to take to the next major city or province. Again with a map you can easily verify that this small sub-district is in fact on the same road going to your destination. Be aware that any place name in Thailand can (and will) be spelled in 10 different ways in English, so if your map says ‘Pheejit’ and the sign says ‘Pichitr’ then these are likely the same place. Then there are small white kilometer posts along almost every road, which show the next district and the distance to it, and often to the next major town as well. These can give you great confidence about where you are, if you can read Thai. Overall though you’ll have a much easier time finding your way around Thailand than, say, France. (Even if you’re French)

Breakdowns

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Your car will not have an emergency reflective triangle. So instead you have to forage into the forest and retrieve a collection of small trees, branches and rocks of increasing size which you can put behind your broken down car to warn traffic not to crash into your car from behind. Don't waste time trying to change a tire yourself, just get any passing motorcycle to go get a mechanic in the nearest village. He'll be happy to change it for you, even at 3am at night.

Accidents - Who's fault was it?

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If you find yourself in any accident resulting in damage to one or both of the vehicles involved, you will have to establish who was at fault. This process takes just 5 seconds: Whoever has damage on the front of the car was at fault. period. This is no joke; the insurance company of a Thai friend of mine preferred to just pay damages rather than spend time to make a fuss over who was at fault: A truck REVERSED and backed up into the front of my friend's car, causing damage to the front of the car.

So I'm not kidding: if you have damage on the front of your car (or you were at least partially to blame for the accident), you do NOT want to wait for the police to arrive as this will only add extra hassle. Meet the driver of the other vehicle at the nearest convenient place (gas station, etc.) and tell him you (or your insurance) will pay for everything.

This way of establishing fault has an interesting side effect: It makes cutting into someone's lane a lot easier: As soon as you got your nose in, any accident will be the other guy's fault. This of course means you will have to watch for people cutting into your lane during traffic jams all the time, and most of the time you will just have to let them go if their timing was perfect.

Overall you will find that Thai drivers are far more considerate, polite and less aggressive than drivers in most Western countries. The teenage suicidal loons, drunks and un-roadworthy vehicles without lights or brakes are relatively few, but pose interesting challenges on the Kingdom's roads.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[Insight]

Thanks Chanchao, finally a clear and concise guide for us.

Problem is, reading and remembering it all was proving to be too much effort, so I just gave myself 500 baht instead.

[maitembot]

Driving in Thailand -- A concise guide.

Excellent stuff. What is the source? Is it available online, on a website (besides this one!) ?