Careful on the roads, Its nuts here right now in Samui

 

Just saw two girls  pull out into oncoming traffic with there indicator on " unknowingly " and nearly get taken out bye a tail gaiting songtow bus.

 

Then minutes late another driver nearly went head first into a taxi  going into oncoming traffic.

 

Seems all the people forgot simple road rules and due consideration  overnight.

 

Stay safe.

Edited April 12, 20215 yr by Toohotinbangkok

Moving to the Koh Samui forum.

6 minutes ago, Toohotinbangkok said:

Seems all the people forgot simple road rules and due consideration  overnight.

It's called the Songkran spirit probably fueled with some booze?

You can extend the warning to most of the country.

Edited April 12, 20215 yr by KhunBENQ

1 minute ago, KhunBENQ said:

It's called the Songkran spirit probably fueled with some booze?

You can extend the warning to most of the country.

I will be in my bungalow avoiding anything with 4 wheels and an engine for the next week me thinks.

Just now, Toohotinbangkok said:

I will be in my bungalow avoiding anything with 4 wheels and an engine for the next week me thinks.

At least extra extra care.

My wife is always concerned when I drive out on these days.

Beware of drunkards!

They behave like fools!

They jump out to the road!

 

Maybe this year a bit more tame due to the dampened mood and the bans .

 

9 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

At least extra extra care.

My wife is always concerned when I drive out on these days.

Beware of drunkards!

They behave like fools!

They jump out to the road!

 

Maybe this year a bit more tame due to the dampened mood and the bans .

 

Yah , Definitely when a thai is worried about being on the road means there is some cause for concern.

36 minutes ago, Toohotinbangkok said:

Yah , Definitely when a thai is worried about being on the road means there is some cause for concern.

Yeah I ask my Mrs whether she wanted to go anywhere over the holiday, my wife doesn't drive. 

She said I  will wait until after the holiday. ????

42 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Yeah I ask my Mrs whether she wanted to go anywhere over the holiday, my wife doesn't drive. 

She said I  will wait until after the holiday. ????

????

Samui's traffic has always been (very) special, however a year with the outbreak has been extremely relaxing to drive around on the island, and one unfortunately quickly get used to almost normal traffic-behavior; only almost, but on Samui that's a huge change...????

 

Now strangers are coming, so be careful out there...????

29 minutes ago, khunPer said:

Samui's traffic has always been (very) special, however a year with the outbreak has been extremely relaxing to drive around on the island, and one unfortunately quickly get used to almost normal traffic-behavior; only almost, but on Samui that's a huge change...????

 

Now strangers are coming, so be careful out there...????

Yah , I think we all took that tourist free time in 2020-2021 thailand for granted.

This is the one week in the year where I make sure my food supply is well stocked up and there is plenty of booze in the fridge as I refuse to leave the house during SONGKRAN celebrations it’s absolutely crazy Covid is nothing compered to the amount of deaths on Thailand’s roads .

My last visit to Samui was nearly 30 years ago and at that time it was already dangerous to cross the road because of extremely fast driving by cars and motorbikes

14 hours ago, khunPer said:

however a year with the outbreak has been extremely relaxing to drive around on the island

So true. After about 20 years I visited Ko Samui in July 2020.

Rented a scooter and was pleasantly surprised about the ease of movement (up to Tan Hua waterfall where I was alone :>)

2 hours ago, fvw53 said:

My last visit to Samui was nearly 30 years ago and at that time it was already dangerous to cross the road because of extremely fast driving by cars and motorbikes

You would really hate it now after new black tarmac has been topped on the roads to make them even, and cover cracks and the infamous black holes, and speed limit has been raised to 60 km/h, and numerous more hi-so fast driving both fancy and sporty cars are flocking on the roads...????

 

Chaweng-part of the Ring Road during pandemic...

My greatest fear in LOS:

Driving on the roads w a motorbike.

 

Daily short motorbike ride on Samui involves:

1. High speed Cars and trucks (even cement trucks)!

2.Folks pulling out of sidestreets WITHOUT LOOKING (usually TH folks).

3. High speed motorbikers (farang and thai that think they are on the race track).

4 Dogs and various animals (even ducks) walking on the road especially at night.

5. No headlight or taillights on a bike ( I almost got smacked when I did a U turn on late night and I thought that I was the only one on the raod....out of nowhere this guy w no headlight and high speed nearly clocked me).

6. Folks Passing in no passing lanes and expecting the other guy or always the motorbike to pull over to the shoulder.

7. Sudden stopping of a car or motorbike in front of you even w adequate distance...

8. HUTA mentality = Head Up The ***!

 

I Alwys try to drive defensive but its what you don’t see right?...

23 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

...You can extend the warning to most of the country.

Agree! 
 

Drove 450 kms into BKK from Khonkaen on Sunday. Was close to a car park the entire 450kms for traffic heading out of BKK, not helped by 3 bad accident scenes I passed. 
 

Here’s 15 seconds of the 7 hours of near-traffic standstill  I saw on the other side of the road. 

They have arrived, or as Tattoo would say "The plane, The Plane"

 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tattoo+the+plane+the+plane&docid=608002137507109201&mid=BA6F53D1371AA13BF423BA6F53D1371AA13BF423&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

In Surat Ithani....

 

Its a ghost town, the entire holiday.  

 

People are scared and businesses are closed.

 

No traffic here at all. 

 

Nice parks, easy and layed back. 

Lots of traffic yesterday afternoon in Bangrak/Bophut.

Zero people on foot celebrating Songkran. Really weird.

First time in 21 years that I have stayed dry. ????

1 hour ago, Tropicalevo said:

Lots of traffic yesterday afternoon in Bangrak/Bophut.

Zero people on foot celebrating Songkran. Really weird.

First time in 21 years that I have stayed dry. ????

 Looks like alot of drinking and driving Goin on, Seen some odd behavior by drivers last fee days... On guy parked sideways on the main road for example and just sat there for a good minute making the traffic divert around him. 

 

Songtaw nearly went straight into him.

 

 

 

 

I have even seen some of the crazy minibus drivers out and about. Back to their old tricks. That was one good thing from the lack of tourists. None of them on the road

 

I suppose they are racing around trying to get as many jobs as they can over the Songkran period.

4 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Lots of traffic yesterday afternoon in Bangrak/Bophut.

Zero people on foot celebrating Songkran. Really weird.

First time in 21 years that I have stayed dry. ????

Extremely dry on the Ring Road between Maenam and Bo Phut's Chaweng area, and hardly any traffic, instead of the usual two rows of pick-up cars up hill by Makro splashing water on everybody, a really weird Songkran experience.

 

If you wanna stay dry during a normal Songkran day, just stay by the beach, an advise I got almost 20 years ago from a long time resident, nobody bothers to play with water there, and that seems to be true, so far I've been the only one running around with a water-gun...???? –but kind of boring...????