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

[ExpatOilWorker]

55 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Yes. The inside lane. Standard terminology to describe  the lane or subdivision of a road in any given country that lies between the vehicle and pavement or in other words the lane or section of a road that is not on the designated overtaking side of the road. I presume your experience of international English language  usage is limited and that you have not driven in a wide variety of countries. I hope my information has been of help to you in expanding your vocabulary and helping you drive more safely. Not drive safe. LOL

 

Evidently the US of A is not included in your little international road lecture. 

 

Sometimes the inside lane is closest to the median, sometimes it is farthest from the median. I think the former usage (inside = closest to the median) is more common in the US and the latter (inside = closest to edge) is more common in the UK, but it depends on who you ask.

Here is an example of inside lane being the lane closest to the median, from Houston, Texas:

 

[tifino]

2 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Passing a car on the inside lane is illegal and dangerous in all the countries I have driven in.

yes, but this is about Thailand...   where all actual designated traffic lanes are equal (unless there are individual lanes which have differing specified Posted speed limits) I recall someone had already put up a Link to the Thailand Traffic laws relating to Overtaking...

   The only restriction against what the UK/US and Europe drivers in LOS would blanketly call 'undertaking' was that a car cannot be jumping onto the Verge 'lane' - unless they are manoevering around a vehicle ahead that is doing a Uturn/Turning Right.

  In Thailand, (on a MultiLane carriageway) a vehicle in a traffic lane that is  travelling faster than a vehicle that is in a lane to the Right of them, is Not an 'Undertaking' move... 

 

[Yellowtail]

On 4/7/2021 at 11:34 PM, tifino said:

yes, but this is about Thailand...   where all actual designated traffic lanes are equal (unless there are individual lanes which have differing specified Posted speed limits) I recall someone had already put up a Link to the Thailand Traffic laws relating to Overtaking...

   The only restriction against what the UK/US and Europe drivers in LOS would blanketly call 'undertaking' was that a car cannot be jumping onto the Verge 'lane' - unless they are manoevering around a vehicle ahead that is doing a Uturn/Turning Right.

  In Thailand, (on a MultiLane carriageway) a vehicle in a traffic lane that is  travelling faster than a vehicle that is in a lane to the Right of them, is Not an 'Undertaking' move... 

 

 

In the US (as I understand it)  we say overtake and pass. 

Edited April 9, 2021 by Yellowtail

[The Hammer2021]

3 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

 

In the US (as I understand it)  we say overtake and pass. 

Yes...when passing on the correct  side. But when overtaking on the  wrong side, the driver's blind side, the inside lane,  we sometimes times use the term undertaking which in all countries is dangerous  and in most countries, those that have laws...it is illegal. Let's not have semantic trolling obscure what we are talking about. The issue is best driving practise. Cheers. BTW The American  term 'tail gaiting' is widely understood by British  people even though there is no tail or gate involved. This is another dangerous habit especially in the the Middle East.

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Yes...when passing on the correct  side. But when overtaking on the  wrong side, the driver's blind side, the inside lane,  we sometimes times use the term undertaking which in all countries is dangerous  and in most countries, those that have laws...it is illegal. Let's not have semantic trolling obscure what we are talking about. The issue is best driving practise. Cheers. BTW The American  term 'tail gaiting' is widely understood by British  people even though there is no tail or gate involved. This is another dangerous habit especially in the the Middle East.

 

So you hold me up as a fool for believing the outermost edge of the road the outside lane, and after you're shown to be wrong, you've suddenly have had your fill of "sematic trolling".

 

I have never heard the term "undertaking" in reference to passing on the shoulder (or outside lane) but I'll take your word that people use it, just as I'll take your word people use inside lane when referring  the outermost edge of the road, or what I would call the shoulder or outside lane.  

 

Incidentally, a tail gate is on the tail end of the vehicle, and most all vehicles have a front end, and a tail end. Not sure why "tailgating" would be more dangerous in the Middle East than it would be anywhere else, but I'll take your word for that as well. 

 

[tifino]

yes and her it is (translated) from Thailand Traffic Law... 

 

yes agree that no where in Thai Traffic Law is the term 'Undertaking' used, nor relevant...    

and not surpising is the Title of the overall Section (translated as 'Taking Over and Passing' 

 The following is an excerpt of pages 17/18 which contain the relevant Sections... 

 

the  English Translation was found via: http://web.krisdika.go.th/data/outsitedata/outsite21/file/Road_Traffic_Act_BE_2522_(1979).pdf   (on pp17~18) 

 

[canthai55]

Undertaking - what happens when you die and are going to be embalmed !

 

[Andy from Kent]

On 3/8/2021 at 1:09 PM, gunderhill said:

What nonsense I  use the horn and no ones cut  my  head  off or shot me, only the other day motorcycle got the  full  BLAST.

 

If that  deadly incident ever arises in the future you can think back to the sincere warnings you got on ThaiVisa????

[richard_smith237]

4 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Yes...when passing on the correct  side. But when overtaking on the  wrong side, the driver's blind side, the inside lane,  we sometimes times use the term undertaking which in all countries is dangerous  and in most countries, those that have laws...it is illegal. Let's not have semantic trolling obscure what we are talking about. The issue is best driving practise. Cheers. BTW The American  term 'tail gaiting' is widely understood by British  people even though there is no tail or gate involved. This is another dangerous habit especially in the the Middle East.

 

Exactly that, it always cracks me up when the real debate is sidetracked by a semantics pi$$ing contest !...

 

The reality is though, the terms of vague, so if someone wants to be understood they remove the ambiguity from their wording and instead use phrases like passing on the left, or passing on the right.

 

The Middle East takes 'following another vehicle too closely’ to the next level - it always astonishes me that I don’t see more rear-end shunts whenever I’m there. 

 

Back on topic: Passing on the left is clearly illegal, Thailand’s Road Traffic Act is clear about that. What’s also clear is that this is a law which is never enforced. Thus along with many other regulations and laws we have to bend to ’some' local conditions if we wish to successfully navigate to our destination in a reasonable timeframe. 

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, Andy from Kent said:

On 3/8/2021 at 1:09 PM, gunderhill said:

What nonsense I  use the horn and no ones cut  my  head  off or shot me, only the other day motorcycle got the  full  BLAST.

 

If that  deadly incident ever arises in the future you can think back to the sincere warnings you got on ThaiVisa????

 

Indeed...  gunderhill could go through life never facing an incident following him giving someone a full BLAST of the horn, but each time he does this he is increasing his odds of a confrontation. 

 

Hitting my horn has resulted in two confrontational situations, one a van driver wound down his window and was screaming at me, the keyboard warrior would have loved to get out and smashed him to pieces, the father and husband in me ignored the follow on avoiding further conflict. Another time it was a car which cut me up in traffic by screaming up the left hand lane and cutting into the right hand lane (two lane road) narrowly missing my front end, I hit the horn, the other driver didn’t like that and proceed to cause quite the tail back for 10mins as he slowed right down, weaved across the road and wouldn’t let any traffic past, quite the fragile temperament. 

 

Fortunately no weapons involved both incidents but we all know both of those incidents were a step away from escalating to violence. 

 

 

BLASTING your horn in Thailand is considered the same as swearing at someone - others really don’t like it, some will respond with aggression. 

[The Hammer2021]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Exactly that, it always cracks me up when the real debate is sidetracked by a semantics pi$$ing contest !...

 

The reality is though, the terms of vague, so if someone wants to be understood they remove the ambiguity from their wording and instead use phrases like passing on the left, or passing on the right.

 

The Middle East takes 'following another vehicle too closely’ to the next level - it always astonishes me that I don’t see more rear-end shunts whenever I’m there. 

 

Back on topic: Passing on the left is clearly illegal, Thailand’s Road Traffic Act is clear about that. What’s also clear is that this is a law which is never enforced. Thus along with many other regulations and laws we have to bend to ’some' local conditions if we wish to successfully navigate to our destination in a reasonable timeframe. 

To me there is no ambiguity in left hand lane or right hand lane nor in the concept of overtaking. Understanding the concept undertaking requires a little  imagination  but many people have little experience  of driving in different  countries where people drive on correspondingly different  sides of the road. Swimming pools also have lanes but dog racing has tracks...There is an inside and outside track. Regard p*****g competitions: It amuses me greatly that people who are ignorant of other customs and languages are the most vehement in proving themselves correct instead of learning something new..thus creating their own circle of ignorance.

[Yellowtail]

35 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Understanding the concept undertaking requires a little  imagination...

 

Yes, as does much of what you state so vehemently...

 

I am amused as well, that's what we're here for, yes? 

 

[topt]

23 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Passing on the left is clearly illegal, Thailand’s Road Traffic Act is clear about that.

Perhaps I am misreading/misunderstanding but in the translated text @tifino posted above in Section 45 it  suggests that it is possible when 2 or more lanes on your side of the road? 

[tifino]

22 minutes ago, topt said:

Perhaps I am misreading/misunderstanding but in the translated text @tifino posted above in Section 45 it  suggests that it is possible when 2 or more lanes on your side of the road? 

that is correct... there are obviously other individuals who carry over a scatoma for carrying along with them the peculiar Traffic Laws from their respective home countries, and seem oblivious as to the 'proviso' of Sect 45 sub para (2)     

 

Notes: 

In Thailand it is totally legit for multi laned traffic to travel at speeds totally independent of any other traffic in neigbouring lanes going in the same direction... subject of course to Posted Lane Speed limitations signages, and of course the traffic in their own lane ahead of them 

This is why it's more difficult for a UK/Euro driver to assimilate with Thailand Road Law, than it does for Aussies etc for example... 

 Conversely for an Aussie travelling in UK and Euro; driving and overtaking/passing options over there become a veritable minefield (having had the unforgettable pleasure of driving a 3 month period  throughout  UK/Ger/Fra/BE/DK/Swe/Nor/Ita/ES/Aut/NL/CHE/CZ/PT/AD/LUX...  )

 

 

[Henryford]

On 3/8/2021 at 11:57 AM, shy coconut said:

Have you tried tooting your horn?

 

 

The last time i tooted my horn at a slow Thai driver he threatened to shoot me.

[The Hammer2021]

On 4/9/2021 at 9:42 PM, The Hammer2021 said:

To me there is no ambiguity in left hand lane or right hand lane nor in the concept of overtaking. Understanding the concept undertaking requires a little  imagination  but many people have little experience  of driving in different  countries where people drive on correspondingly different  sides of the road. Swimming pools also have lanes but dog racing has tracks...There is an inside and outside track. Regard p*****g competitions: It amuses me greatly that people who are ignorant of other customs and languages are the most vehement in proving themselves correct instead of learning something new..thus creating their own circle of ignorance.

It's a case of safety. There is a blind spot you drive into when undertaking. Also the procedure for turning left is more casual thus if you want to  undertake a car when you are in a smaller vehicle or on a bike...go ahead but you  are putting yourself  in danger.

[Yellowtail]

11 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

It's a case of safety. There is a blind spot you drive into when undertaking. Also the procedure for turning left is more casual thus if you want to  undertake a car when you are in a smaller vehicle or on a bike...go ahead but you  are putting yourself  in danger.

 

Yes, you would not want to meet the undertaker as a result of undertaking.....

[alacrity]

On 3/8/2021 at 12:41 PM, AlfHuy said:

Or when they drive slow and stay on the right lane.

Or when they overtake you left, right and soon fly overhead.

 

I came back from Koh Chang and had 3 idiot bus drivers in convoy. They just stayed on the right lane and if someone trying to overtake from the left, they just would accelerate and not let in the other driver.

 

Has ever someone here done a real driving school?

Get a vehicle that can accelerate better than a bus.

[alacrity]

On 5/29/2021 at 9:54 PM, The Hammer2021 said:

It's a case of safety. There is a blind spot you drive into when undertaking. Also the procedure for turning left is more casual thus if you want to  undertake a car when you are in a smaller vehicle or on a bike...go ahead but you  are putting yourself  in danger.

The converse is also valid. I say this from empirical experience, which isn't limited to Thailand.

[BobBKK]

14 hours ago, alacrity said:

The converse is also valid. I say this from empirical experience, which isn't limited to Thailand.

 

'empirical experience' had to laugh... anyway Thais do what they want, when they want, and could not care less about anyone else

[notrub]

Well yes Jack, for those of us who were taught to drive as you do it is frustrating.  Time to polish up your lane changing skills.  Saves the stress and just think if you flash a road rage inclined person who has Thai boxing skills?  In California they teach to get into a lane an stay there due to the hazards of lane changing.

[itsari]

On 3/8/2021 at 12:01 PM, shy coconut said:

Some people, for whatever reason , take comfort in staying in the same lane.

 

My former Sister in law in the UK when joining s 3 lane motorway would automatically move into 

the middle lane and stay there, she didn't like overtaking and claims she was taught to do so in a 

lesson.

Plenty similar to your sister in the UK . Also many drivers in the UK  using the outside lane  consider them selves in there right to be there because they are driving at the speed limit . Annoying 

[Surelynot]

On 3/8/2021 at 5:01 AM, shy coconut said:

Some people, for whatever reason , take comfort in staying in the same lane.

 

My former Sister in law in the UK when joining s 3 lane motorway would automatically move into 

the middle lane and stay there, she didn't like overtaking and claims she was taught to do so in a 

lesson.

The only excuse in Thailand for sitting in the middle lane is that the slow lane is often a real mess...potholes, ruts etc..........other than that it is just a case of never being taught to drive properly and not caring about any other road users.