Video: Australian pensioner kicked over after he hit Thai man's car that failed to stop at zebra crossing

[VocalNeal]

1 hour ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

If a pedestrian is on a crossing it is illegal for a motor vehicle to cross.

This like 98.8% of problems expats have driving in Thailand, expectation. Drop all you imported expectations and life/driving will be fine.

 

As for zebra crossings, I believe the instructions from my youth said step onto the crossing and wait for the traffic to stop before crossing. This is also dangerous here. The first car that stops is driven by an expat/tourist, following cars may not.

[TimBKK]

3 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Harsh, Typical 18 to 30 male.

I’d say 15-50

[malibukid]

48 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Vaguely on-topic anecdote.

 

When I lived in Seoul in the mid 90's I used to wait for a taxi to work just down stream of a large junction with multiple zebras.

 

In the morning these zebras were controlled by a couple of old ladies equipped with long sticks with red flags, on the end of the sticks were plastic balls very similar to the plastic floats found in water tanks. 

 

These ladies were the school crossing patrol. Once a suitable number of kids were waiting the ladies would thrust the flags out into the traffic which would duly stop allowing the kids to cross.

 

One morning a driver wasn't quite attentive enough and failed to stop in time. Thwack, thwack, thwack went the plastic ball on the bonnet of his car leaving neat little golf-ball sized dings. Lesson learned!

 

 do the same here with my umbrella.  whack whack.  they get the message.

[MadMuhammad]

Violence begets violence 

[Neeranam]

7 minutes ago, clivebaxter said:

Mrs was amazed in NZ where cars would stop as she approached zebra crossings. Here she does not stop at them claiming the car behind might hit her if she does ????

The problem is that if someone does stop, the car/bike behind goes around them and straight into pedestrian. 

[Neeranam]

I went to stay at my sister's in Melbourne and hit a car that nearly hit me - he went through a red light turning left. He stopped and was most upset and if I weren't 6'4", he might have had a go. 

Important to learn the laws of the land when travelling abroad. 

 

Thailand is no place for single 80 year old foreigners. 

[xylophone]

35 minutes ago, fvw53 said:

I thought zebra crossings were only decoration ????

So do Thai drivers!!!

[khunpa]

35 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Pressing charges opens up a whole new world of grief.

 

The right thing to do, but I can understand why he wouldn't bother.

I understand, but with the video evidence it’s a pretty clear case. Personally I would go the whole way for that kid to learn something.

[malibukid]

14 minutes ago, BestB said:

I can not help but wonder, if he did it to an old Thai man, if he would of been jumped and bashed by everyone else 

yes village justice

[RJRS1301]

Maybe, just a thought, there are no Zebras in Thailand to cross the road, so why should they stop? 

[worldexpress]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

I have mentioned this before, because I don't believe that a lot of Thais know the significance of the zebra crossing (as we call it) and that they are supposed to slow down and stop when someone is on it.
 

Zebra crossing as who call it? ???? It, along with "bonnet," are foreign words to most Americans. We can guess the meanings in their contexts but they are called "cross walk" and "hood." Cheers. (We don't say that either but I've picked it up here.) ????

[khunpa]

If anyone know the guy and it is due to a money issue that he is not pressing charges, then he is welcome to PM me and I will help with any finances needed.

[khunpa]

7 minutes ago, malibukid said:

yes village justice

Just imagine a young Farang doing this to an old Thai man. A sorry would not help much in that case.

[mvdf]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Channel 7 reported that the man who assaulted the foreigner later apologized and paid for all his hospital treatment.

 

 

Good first step. That and 14 days' monkhood and all's forgiven and forgotten.

 

[Captor]

3 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Could have been German. They don't even look before stepping out. Pedestrians and cyclists are Gods there.

Same in Sweden.

[LongTimeLurker]

2 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

This works for most things, in any foreign countries. 

 

How would you react if in , say, Vancouver BC standing right on the kerb on a normal street and a car stopped because they thought you wanted to cross?

Happened to me many times in Spain.

 

Having been conditioned to the ignorance of traffic rules by drivers here in Thailand, every time I approached a zebra crossing in Spain I slowed down to look both ways and wait for cars to pass through before attempting to cross.

 

But it was all the cars that slowed down and stopped.

 

These were zebra crossings without any red / amber / green traffic light system (called Pelican Crossings), only Belisha Beacons.

[Captor]

2 hours ago, robblok said:

Same in the Netherlands and most civilized countries. Its to protect the most at risk and those are pedestrians. Seems like you come from a country that is a lot less civilized. Most countries see zebra crossings as sacred. 

This (among many other things) is something the government should address in order to gain more tourists to Thailand!

[Destiny1990]

Seems the violent thai attacker isn’t even in jail, meanwhile being outside without wearing an useless face mask can.

[Captor]

8 minutes ago, mvdf said:

 

Good first step. That and 14 days' monkhood and all's forgiven and forgotten.

 

That should not be accepted. It will never stop if it is easy as that to come clean. Jail!

[LongTimeLurker]

30 minutes ago, clivebaxter said:

Mrs was amazed in NZ where cars would stop as she approached zebra crossings. Here she does not stop at them claiming the car behind might hit her if she does ????

The car behind would be at fault for causing the accident.

[4MyEgo]

4 hours ago, Will B Good said:

He was lucky in way, could have been stabbed or shot. My wife goes ballistic if a I say or doing anything when driving, she is genuinely scared that some idiot will pull a gun.

I don't have to say or do anything, my wife is the one who puts them in their places and believe you me, she is like a pit bull, saw her push two cops right in front of me, she was going right off at them, yelling and cursing them for wanting to book her when in fact it was the car behind us that eventually got the ticket for turning right from the middle lane, identical cars, she turned right from the right lane.

 

Heads down like boys being punished the cops were, I just stood there saying to myself shhhhhhhhit, this is going to get ugly, my pussy cat has turned into a lioness, later on when we got back in the car, I said honey, how much would the fine of been, 200-400 baht, you didn't need to go to that extent, shut up and drive <deleted> was her reply, I hate the lazy bastards she said, with my reply being, how can I get this worked up before sex, to which she replied, why, you want me to handcuff you before I beat you, you dirty old man ? ????

[billsmart]

Well, there's no argument that the young Thai man assaulted the elderly Aussie.

 

But, since we don't see the incident itself, it's not possible to determine if the Aussie also also acted in such a way to provoke the driver, and the story, as told here, doesn't make complete sense. All we are told is, "A security guard at the scene said that he saw the foreigner - from Australia - hit the bonnet of a car that failed to stop at a zebra crossing." I don't speak Thai well enough to decipher what was said in the video, so maybe someone who witnessed the incident described it in more detail.

 

Here's some questions I'd have:

- Was there anyone in or about to enter the zebra crossing when the car "failed to stop"?

- Was the Aussie in the crossing?

- Did the Aussie damage the car when he hit it?

- Did the Aussie do anything else, like yell something insulting?

 

In other words, the incident we see in the video is inexcusable, even if damage was done to the car, but the action of the Aussie which reportedly started the confrontation was not excusable either.

[Will B Good]

21 minutes ago, khunpa said:

I understand, but with the video evidence it’s a pretty clear case. Personally I would go the whole way for that kid to learn something.

Again I would agree, however, the kid, holding a grudge, finds your address and a whole new world of pain awaits

[LongTimeLurker]

As an aside, an American friend was surprised when I drove through a Pelican Crossing with the lights on red but there was nobody crossing at the time.

 

I believe this is allowed in UK? Or am I wrong and it is only allowed on Zebra Crossings?

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Is that the law in Thailand, or are you bringing in rules from afar? It would be a dangerous game to confirm this.....

Thai highway code. 

 

1 hour ago, BangkokReady said:

You've never heard of low-lifes in Western countries beating, raping and murdering old people for fun?

What has raping and murdering got to do with a Thai not stopping at a zebra crossing then beating an old man because they are such a bad driver and can't control their emotions like a mature adult? ????

[mvdf]

10 minutes ago, Captor said:

That should not be accepted. It will never stop if it is easy as that to come clean. Jail!

Happened and was accepted for a recent murder. Even the Swiss ambassadress happily joined the groupie pic.

 

[lks7689]

4 hours ago, Will B Good said:

True to a degree. I regularly cross at Nana, soi 4 and you have to be bold and step out because they will not stop just because the pedestrian crossing is on green.

It's not the Thai way to obey traffic rules. Either the education system or culture is flawed or both. 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, Clydesdale said:

What action will the police take against the car failing to stop at a zebra crossing when there is a pedestrian on it ?

None, neither will they do anything for running up on the blind side to nail an old man.

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, RJRS1301 said:

Well not sure it is for fun, however running up behind someone, kicking them in the back ( which could have paralysed them, and running off, is a special kind of cowardly act, of which I have never heard of or seen before 

There have been a few notable ones, the cowardly Thai man that exhibited road rage then sucker punched an elderly Australian in Chonburi not so long ago is the one that immediately springs to mind. 

 

How cowardly, immature and lacking in self-esteem must you be to physically attack an old man, regardless of provocation?

 

Seriously, if you cannot control your emotions in a rational manner and respect your elders go and toss yourself off a cliff, most urgently.

[LongTimeLurker]

Good that it made Thai news.