1 hour ago, sikishrory said:

I feel like Thais just can't grasp the basics of using a roundabout. Every time I see one in Thailand it's chaos. Sometimes blocked from going around with a barricade. 

It's such a simple thing.

In Buriram they ripped out the roundabout near the Uni because of the bedlam that ensued when it closed up. They put in traffic lights but that still didn't stop folk from disobeying the lights.

The reason Thailand is so high on the list for fatalities proves that a actual driving test is very important.

 

A nephew passed his test recently but going by his Mitsubish Mirage you would struggle to find any panel without a ding.

 

I always say he thinks he's at the fair and driving a bumper car.

Sitting in the right hand lane and failing to indicate a U turn.

I drive to arrive alive...everything else is irrelevant if you are driving defensively 

18 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

I always say he thinks he's at the fair and driving a bumper car.

That was my first impression of Thai roads on my first visit here. It's like the dodgems (bumper cars) at the fairground. No rules, just drive around smiling inanely and try to avoid hitting other cars, often unsuccessfully.

I find driving here perfectly normal. Where on earth do you guys live/drive?

4 hours ago, Asquith Production said:

Thats because UK drivers used them for the wrong reason. Thai drivers use flashing there headlights correctly.

The Highway Code states: 'Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there. Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users. '

Think there was something in the Code about flashing your lights to "ask" a vehicle to move into the "slower" lane.

21 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

Driving or riding in Thailand is like dancing with a new partner every time you hit the dance floor.  If you stick rigidly to "your" style it ain't gonna be pretty. 

 

The secret to all good dancers is to be able to predict what your partner is going to do or not going to do, and adapt and capitalize accordingly. (We won't discuss the hypothesis of good dancing relating to horizontal performance in the sleeping room - perhaps in another thread.)

 

That's how I treat driving on the Thai dancefloor roads.  Ebbs and flows, two-step and a reverse turn, followed by a bit of moonwalking. Expect or at least anticipate their moves.  I can tell from 10 cars back if a clown is about to make a U-turn or change three lanes left to get to the durian stand, indicators or no indicators.

Impossible to guess what any driver will do, especially with the totally unpredictable and incompetent ones here. You have to stay as far away from everyone as possible, leaving room for their errors and bad judgement. I have driven in three countries and almost all US states, and I've never seen this kind of insanity. I get cut off daily, and by scooters. Competing with cars is plain stupid, and is one of the reasons for the high daily death toll. 

3 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Impossible to guess what any driver will do,

Are we supposed to do that in any country?

20 hours ago, Crossy said:

Sadly you are correct, although road rage shootings aren't particularly common.

I think they are more common that the UK. 

 

I know 1 person who was shot dead and another was shot dead outside my workplace in Khon Kaen. 

 

Thailand is 30-50 years behind the UK in many areas, give her time. 

 

I remember my uncles getting into their cars when they couldn't walk in a straight line, had no seatbelts, etc. 

 

There is a concept here that we like freedom -  mixing compulsory road safety with the freedom to do what we want is harder than other countries. 

Personally, I don't want to be told to wear a helmet on my bicycle, like I was told in Melbourne. I was also fined 160 buck for parking facing the wrong way -  what a stupid, pointless law. 

There are many times I have experienced foreigners causing accidents by trying to make Thais do what is done in their countries. For example, stopping at a zebra crossing. Learn to assimilate, not criticize.

3 hours ago, Titan1962 said:

The only drivers that complain about Thai drivers are non Thai. When your all taught to drive like idiots it’s the norm.

In comparison, on UAE roads, locals can be insane and driven to  rage very easily, Indians (majority of road users in my experience) indecisive and poor drivers, European expats vastly entitled, although seem to know and obey the rules more then most. I had 13 years there, I'm afraid I did drive a bit like a local after a short while, but no gun or lion on a chain. 

14 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I was also fined 160 buck for parking facing the wrong way -  what a stupid, pointless law.

Same law in the UK. It's something to do with parking at night and your rear reflectors.

Right got the answer.

 

Quote

In the Highway Code, rule 248 states: 'you MUST NOT park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space' – yet not many drivers are clued up on this rule and could be risking a substantial fine as a result

 

1 minute ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Same law in the UK. It's something to do with parking at night and your rear reflectors.

I just stopped for 5 min to buy a pinto of milk on a quiet street

53 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

I find driving here perfectly normal. Where on earth do you guys live/drive?

After I was done my learning curve I had/have no real problems riding/driving here that are not encountered world wide.

Many places much worse - try Africa or India for just 2.

 

 

22 hours ago, Crossy said:

None of the above. I've actually only ever seen the "hazards for going straight" one.

 

Long, long ago, my UK driving instructor told me that "the only thing an indicator tells you is that it works".

 

I (mostly) use mine in the same way I would in the UK and treat other user's signals as simply flashing lights. I'm never surprised by what a vehicle does (or doesn't do) relative to the status of the indicators. 

Quite recently I had a driving assessment by a proper driving examiner in the UK. My biggest fault was starting to change lanes before I had actually started to indicate.

On the subject of Thai drivers, I doubt that many of them could pass the UK driving test.

3 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

On the subject of Thai drivers, I doubt that many of them could pass the UK driving test.

They are allowed to drive on UK roads for 12 months on a Thai license before having to take a UK test. Plenty of time to hone their skills. Hopefully.

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

I find driving here perfectly normal. Where on earth do you guys live/drive?

Is that you, Borat? ????

 

23 hours ago, 2long said:

which one is most annoying?

Funny, I find none of these the most annoying.

To me the most annoying is when I indicate properly like before a turn and the motorbikes proceed to pass me on the side I am going to turn, completely ignoring my signal and positioning themselves right on the blind spot. I never hit any but one day I'm gonna get old and not so nimble.

The only thing you can do?..........expect the unexpected.

42 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Quite recently I had a driving assessment by a proper driving examiner in the UK. My biggest fault was starting to change lanes before I had actually started to indicate.

On the subject of Thai drivers, I doubt that many of them could pass the UK driving test.

But they don't drive in the UK , they drive here.

I came across option 3 shortly after I retired here.

I obviously thought the guy had broken down so attempted to manoeuvre around him, when he suddenly lurched forward.

Luckily no collision but a lesson learnt.

I think the problem here is that guys come here thinking they can drive and then realize they can't adapt to local conditions.

1 minute ago, VocalNeal said:

I think the problem here is that guys come here thinking they can drive and then realize they can't adapt to local conditions.

What conditions..?

1 minute ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

They are allowed to drive on UK roads for 12 months on a Thai license before having to take a UK test. Plenty of time to hone their skills. Hopefully.

 

4 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

But they don't drive in the UK , they drive here.

If I had only ever spent my entire life in Thailand I wouldn't see anything wrong with the standard of driving in Thailand.

1 minute ago, transam said:

What conditions..?

I would say the general style of driving habits Falangies need to get to know when they drive here and expect drivers here to drive the same as they do in there country which what most here moan about. 

4 hours ago, Moonlover said:

 

Well strangely enough (from your point of view Almer) I seem to have got plenty of support for my original post. 11 likes in fact, which would indicate that plenty of members agree with me.

 

Actually what those 'likes' really mean is that those folks understood what I was talking about. I'm afraid you failed to and I'm not going to bother explaining that.

Good I’m far to busy 

On 12/8/2021 at 2:05 PM, Moonlover said:

Getting annoyed at other people's driving habits, especially over something as trivial as this, can only end end up harming ones self. Especially when you know full well that the person that is annoying you will, in all likelihood never have had the benefit of a full driving course.

 

A totally pointless 'survey'.

 

Beg to disagree putting hazard lights on when going thu a 4 way intersection is dangerous, occasionally you may only be able to see one side of the vehicle and thus assume they are turning. Also it is illegal 

Wow this forum really is just one big Thai bash; pathetic and so very sad.

On 12/8/2021 at 7:05 AM, Moonlover said:

Getting annoyed at other people's driving habits, especially over something as trivial as this, can only end end up harming ones self. Especially when you know full well that the person that is annoying you will, in all likelihood never have had the benefit of a full driving course.

 

A totally pointless 'survey'.

 

All equally annoying anyway. And zooming out, lots of Thai drivers (including on 2 wheels) are extremely annoying (and dangerous) on the road. Overtaking when there is zero visibility and then insisting staying on the wrong side of the road while speeding up, with cars coming the other way - one of the worst situations. Years back, when I started driving a car and riding a bike in Thailand, the little admiration I had left for that country evaporated all of a sudden. One wonders if there is even 1 gram of brain cells with the morons let loose on the road in Thailand. Mental age = 4 years old.

Just now, bangkokbonecollector said:

Wow this forum really is just one big Thai bash; pathetic and so very sad.

The truth is never popular in Thailand. LOL

TIT