I find it incredibly annoying when driving on Thai roads when slow drivers stay in the right lane.

[Lacessit]

20 minutes ago, northsouthdevide said:

Putting up with the appalling driving is a small price to pay for living in this wonderful country.

But while we're all letting off a bit of frustration,

Up here in Esaan, the local government, in its wisdom, has started to build roundabouts everywhere.

The only problem is, nobody seems to have a clue how to use them.

They eather stop on the roundabout, and give way (yield) to approaching traffic, or pull out on me from the left when I'm on the roundabout.

I think they should show a public information film during the commercial break of all the Thai drama's, or stop building them and replace them with Fai deng.

LOL. The Clock Tower in Chiang Rai is a roundabout, IMO the only rule that applies is size matters.

[spidermike007]

It would appear, based on my many years of driving here, that either many do not realize there is a slow lane and a fast lane, or they simply do not care, one iota. Especially many of the truckers, and they certainly know better. Seems most of the large trucks are more courteous, and once they pass a slower vehicle, they move over. But, an awful lot of small trucks seem to disregard all forms of courtesy, and just hog the fast lane.

 

The primary reason is the toy police force, and the nearly non existent highway patrol. Nobody, and I mean nobody takes these guys seriously. There is absolutely nothing in the way of a deterrent here, and the local governments, the central government, and the police do not take traffic safety seriously. Not even one iota. The safety of the public means less than zero to the small men in charge here. Nothing. They show that on a daily basis.

They will not do a thing. Why? They do not care about the people one iota. Not the common people. Not the average pleb. No way. Never have cared, and may never care in the future. It is all about protecting the elite, the super wealthy, those that are connected, and those in power. The rest of the population? They do not matter. The ex-pat community does not matter. And the police will not get involved unless an accident has already occurred. There is no prevention. None. The idea of getting the police more involved, is an interesting one, and it would be an effective one. But, the issue is money. They are grossly underpaid, and until the government steps up, and spends the trillion baht on updating the police equipment, and paying each cop a living wage, it is not going to happen. Until then, they will just work the franchise.
 

[Cake Monster]

3 hours ago, tifino said:

well that is the whole point...   there is nothing wrong with moving to another lane and resuming your journey! 

 - there are many who are scared of travelling faster than another vehicle that is in the lane to their Right (they seem to want to call that 'undertaking' ???? 

 (LOS, just like Australia and many other countries) ; are Not like the US, UK and Europe that have that weird No  Undertaking Law ) 

Its not a weird " undertaking Law " at all.

The Law is there for a very specific reason  - Safety

Not just yours against vehicles that pull out from a parking slot / side road, but also for them to pull out Safely without being tee-boned by a lunatic undertaking.

[adexbe]

4 hours ago, jack71 said:

Nearly everyday I find I'm in the right lane of a 2 or 3 lane busy road and I'm stuck behind a brain dead driver going really slow. I usually proceed to flash high beam and mostly they

move over but sometimes they do not. 

 

A typical situation occurs when a car is driving slow in a right lane because they are going to turn right or do a U turn further up the road- Even though it might be 1 to 2 km away....

 

I recently renewed my DL again for 5 yrs. I noticed they had the same video as before. Its presented by a slightly overweight/ chubby thai guy with a funny smiling face. Presumably he is acting out the road rules. They clearly need to update that video as I cant believe its the same one as 5 yrs ago. It looks like it was shot 20 yrs ago. 

 

I think its time that we all teach the Thai drivers to drive slow in the left lane only. Please take a stand and flash your high beam at any slow drivers in the right hand lane. 

cheers

Jack

 

Most of the time they move quickly when they se a large Benz coming.

 

 

[clokwise]

The large new cloverleaf/roundabout in Chiang Mai is a nightmare to navigate already, but add in drivers who have zero understanding about roundabout protocol and right-of-ways, and it's absolutely terrifying!

[tifino]

11 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

Its not a weird " undertaking Law " at all.

The Law is there for a very specific reason  - Safety

Not just yours against vehicles that pull out from a parking slot / side road, but also for them to pull out Safely without being tee-boned by a lunatic undertaking.

 please please show us where in Thai Driving Law, that the 'undertaking' thing actually exists in LOS?

 - in LOS it is known as Overtaking on a Left lane, or Overtaking on the Inside lane... and totally legal as in most countries apart from those few mentioned earlier Post - which do use the 'undertaking' thing in their own Laws 

 

Hearsay can go on and on for all it likes about safety etc, and quite socially valid feelings too I can accept at perceived face value... but if you're in the Right Lane and move into the next Left lane from you and hit someone there who is 'there' and  travelling quicker than you; I don't see the Traffic Law seeing you in favour...

[spiekerjozef]

Why would they move to the wrong lane?

[kekalot]

gonna be honest haven't read all the five pages but there are two additional issues i have with driving here
 

the usually black SUVs that come behind you in the middle lane at like 180+ km/h flashing lights instead of switching lanes and expecting you to move and almost crash into you if you don't
the 400 IQ people that will pass you at high speeds just to cut in front of you and then instantly turn left (or right) usually to a gas station

[IvorBiggun2]

4 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

 there's nothing you can do about it except pass on the left

That is illegal in Thailand unless the driver in the right hand lane is indicating to turn right or U turn.

 

Quote

 

No driver shall overtake another vehicle from the left side unless: 1. The vehicle to be overtaken is making a right turn or has given a signal that it is going to make a right turn.Jan 28, 2556 BE

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by IvorBiggun2

[KarenBravo]

4 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

That is illegal in Thailand unless the driver in the right hand lane is indicating to turn right or U turn.

 

So......what would you do?

[Moonlover]

I remember many years ago, I was driving on a highway in Florida and we had the radio tuned to a phone in chat show. A women came on and said the she wanted to have a rant about 'all those morons who drive along hogging the left hand lane, why can't they MOVE OVER!'

 

And do you know what. I actually anticipated what she was going to say because was just as bad there. In fact hogging the outside lane is ubiquities in many countries I've driven in, not just Thailand. 

[IvorBiggun2]

3 minutes ago, KarenBravo said:

So......what would you do?

Obey the law.      

[KarenBravo]

Just now, IvorBiggun2 said:

Obey the law.      

 

So you get stuck behind a samlor doing 20 kph, you wouldn't overtake on the left if the road was clear?

[canthai55]

4 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Obey the law.      

Never - too old to start now ! 555

[tifino]

17 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

That is illegal in Thailand unless the driver in the right hand lane is indicating to turn right or U turn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

the OP is about Multiple Lanes roads...  

That law there is about stopping people using the verge/emergency stopping lane, as a 'normal' carriageway lane. 

 

In other words you can only 'hit the dirt' off the Left side of the road; for the Right Turn etc etc situations listed in that Law referenced to in the excerpt... 

 

An anti gutter crawler Law

an ant gutter crawl law

[Pmbkk]

My wife and I used to drive to Cha-Am/Hua Hin early on a Saturday morning from Bangkok - leaving @5 a.m. I could guarantee I'd pass a few Army buses in convoy on the way - always in the right hand lane - even if it was quiet.

 

If even the "authorities" drive like that what do you expect from everyone else ????

 

[KarenBravo]

Deleted.

Edited March 8, 2021 by KarenBravo

[KarenBravo]

27 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Obey the law.      

 

Tifino is correct.

 

Section 45 (400-1000B)
[No driver shall overtake another vehicle from the left-side unless:
a. the vehicle to be overtaken is making a right turn or has given a signal that he is going to make a right turn
b. the roadway is arranged with two or more traffic lanes in the same direction.]

[BobBKK]

They are very annoying but TIT, together with their not indicating and parking selfishly what do you expect?  Thais are taught they are Gods from birth

[IvorBiggun2]

1 hour ago, KarenBravo said:

 

1 hour ago, KarenBravo said:

[No driver shall overtake another vehicle from the left-side unless:
a. the vehicle to be overtaken is making a right turn or has given a signal that he is going to make a right turn
b. the roadway is arranged with two or more traffic lanes in the same direction.]

 

Exactly what I said. 

 

[KarenBravo]

3 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Exactly what I said. 

 

 

Really?

If you are on a two lane road in each direction, you can overtake.

If only a single lane in each direction, it's impossible to overtake on the left anyway unless you go into the verge. Much easier to overtake on the right. This is a non-issue.

 

Have you been sticking behind a slow moving vehicle in the right-hand lane on a multi-lane road?

Or, did you overtake on the left?

[tifino]

1 hour ago, KarenBravo said:

 

Tifino is correct.

 

Section 45 (400-1000B)
[No driver shall overtake another vehicle from the left-side unless:
a. the vehicle to be overtaken is making a right turn or has given a signal that he is going to make a right turn
b. the roadway is arranged with two or more traffic lanes in the same direction.]

Yes... Sect 45 sub para b. is what's applicable to the OPs case ????

[Moonlover]

6 hours ago, gunderhill said:

 I  just   undertake  them  pull in front and slow down to a crawl, they  move over then  but  not before they've  flashed their  lights at you  oblivious to the fact it's  exactly what they are doing.

Dum driving! Not them, you!

[tifino]

19 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

6 hours ago, gunderhill said:

 I  just   undertake  them  pull in front and slow down to a crawl, they  move over then  but  not before they've  flashed their  lights at you  oblivious to the fact it's  exactly what they are doing.

Dum driving! Not them, you!

yes... worse than doing Brake Checks on someone

[gunderhill]

On 3/8/2021 at 7:33 PM, tifino said:

yes... worse than doing Brake Checks on someone

It's  better  just to use the handbrake as the brake  lights  don't  show. Seems  many drivers here are  almost scared to get into their  cars.

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, gunderhill said:

It's  better  just to use the handbrake as the brake  lights  don't  show. Seems  many drivers here are  almost scared to get into their  cars.

It's better just drive on rather than risk an accident or an altercation which could lead to an accident. You obviously prefer to lower your driving standards to that which you perceive to see around you.

A correctly trained driver who has passed a properly structured driving test should know better.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Moonlover

[gunderhill]

2 hours ago, Moonlover said:

It's better just drive on rather than risk an accident or an altercation which could lead to an accident. You obviously prefer to lower your driving standards to that which you perceive to see around you.

A correctly trained driver who has passed a properly structured driving test should know better.

I'm  in Thailand and want to blend in.

[stereolab]

The  Left hand lane is reserved for farang  use only.

[pedro01]

Drive in the left lane, on many roads it's like driving on the moon.

[mogandave]

It’s only really important people that are in a hurry blinking their likes, yes? 

 

If they’re in a hurry, why do they not just go around? Would it not be faster than slowing down behind someone and blinking their lights?