just a reminder, they will ******* kill you

[JimTripper]

Just dropping two quick tips:

 

1. Always walk on the side of the road facing oncoming traffic, not with your back to oncoming traffic.

 

You can jump out of the way if a vehicle is headed straight towards you. *Many drunks will veer into the emergency lane and you can see them coming.

 

2. When your walking and passing other pedestrians, the person with their back to oncoming traffic  passes on the outside (towards the curb) and you pass (when it’s safe) on the inside (towards the street). You can see vehicles coming, they can’t. I’m surprised how many people don’t get this simple concept even on sketchy narrow roads.

Edited September 28, 2023 by JimTripper

[Lacessit]

I drive a scooter and a car here. Without an accident for 12 years. The key to driving here is to be defensive, and constantly assess potential threats.

To be quite blunt about it, I regard cyclists as temporary road occupants. While I extend them road courtesy, IMO they simply don't have the acceleration to take themselves out of harm's way.

I would as soon get on a bicycle as I would eat uncooked bamboo, or red kidney beans.

[freeworld]

8 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

Just dropping two quick tips:

 

1. Always walk on the side of the road facing oncoming traffic, not with your back to oncoming traffic.

 

You can jump out of the way if a vehicle is headed straight towards you. *Many drunks will veer into the emergency lane and you can see them coming.

 

2. When your walking and passing other pedestrians, the person with their back to oncoming traffic  passes on the outside (towards the curb) and you pass (when it’s safe) on the inside (towards the street). You can see vehicles coming, they can’t. I’m surprised how many people don’t get this simple concept even on sketchy narrow roads.

For some humans too difficult to remember all that.

[brianthainess]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand is somewhere between a developing country, and the 3rd world. And many have not driven for long, so the lack of skills combined with a lack of common sense can be lethal. 

So what about the idiot 'Falang' drivers?

[actonion]

13 hours ago, norfolkandchance said:

Cue. Thai bashing.

Well deserved..

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, PJ71 said:

Thailand is far from 3rd world, very very far.

They're importing technology and business structures which makes them appear to be more advanced than they are. Motor vehicles are too advanced for their current state of emotional development even. Without strict supervision and enforcement driving safely is simply beyond them.

[toofarnorth]

11 hours ago, dingdongrb said:

Folks passing on blind curves and hills are one thing but what about the idiots in town that like to do a right hand turn at a light in town before oncoming traffic goes through.....

 

Don't these folks know the rules of the road?

Aint that the truth , I go to a place called Chiang Saen next to the Mekong river. Leaving town there are about 4 sets of lights , I am on a 300cc bike they are on Waves. Lights go to green I am off , finger on the horn , they just have to pull across , if they should be looking at me before the change I look at them and nod my head.

[mania]

2 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

ust in case you forgot here's an example. The truck driver had zero intention of stopping because he has no respect for others. These are the people that inhabit Thai roads and you need to deal with them on a daily basis. Savages.

That was so terrible. I mean the scooter may not have seen the other scooter & was on his way to the other downed rider.

BUT that white truck saw them & was flashing his lights but NOT slowing down, If he didn't hit the first guy he would have also killed the second.

 

To top it off he gets out of the truck & struts around with hand on hip like he is mad? Never bends to check guy he just hit  ....sheesh!

[NorthernRyland]

30 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Not when you get stuck behind a cyclist trying to get up a steep hill on a windy narrow road 

I know it sucks, I feel bad, I really do. But as usual if she would have just waited 10 seconds to clear the curve there was plenty of space to pass.

[Jeff the Chef]

Having taken the Thai driving test for a car from scratch I can fully understand why there are so many accidents here, a complete lack of training being the number one reason imho.

You couldn't get me on 2 wheels ever over here.

[itsari]

I agree with your main point about the standard of driving in Thailand .

I would like to add that there are thousands of motorcycles without lights driving at night . I just do not understand them . 

One more thing , riding there motorcycles staring at there phone is also mindbending . 

 

[NorthernRyland]

20 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I drive a scooter and a car here. Without an accident for 12 years. The key to driving here is to be defensive, and constantly assess potential threats.

To be quite blunt about it, I regard cyclists as temporary road occupants. While I extend them road courtesy, IMO they simply don't have the acceleration to take themselves out of harm's way.

I would as soon get on a bicycle as I would eat uncooked bamboo, or red kidney beans.

When you're not dealing the obvious problems, Thailand is actually an amazing place to ride a bike. Why? because all drivers are accustomed to motorbikes so you can ride on virtually any road. Try that in America and you'll have a much more stressful and less fun experience.

 

MOST Thai's do actually pass safely and yield, it' just the sizable minority which is allowed to completely run wild and bring down the rest of us. Again, Thai police are scum for not doing their jobs. All of this could be solved by harsh punishment for traffic violations but we all know that will never happen.

[GarryP]

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

Do you guys ever stop moaning? it's just the odd clown on the road just sit back and let them go

They ain't got owt better to do.

[NorthernRyland]

Just now, itsari said:

I would like to add that there are thousands of motorcycles without lights driving at night . I just do not understand them . 

 

useless police could be telling them but they go home at 5! Many probably don't even know.

[NorthernRyland]

22 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

So what about the idiot 'Falang' drivers?

No excuses for them and it's actually worse because they should know better.

 

what happened there? did they go over the median and hit the car in the other lane?

[Adumbration]

13 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

I felt the need to rant after the sad story of the forum member being killed on his bike today and it was not appropriate to post it there.

 

I'm a road cyclists and motorcyclist in Chiang Mai with over 15 years experience riding the roads here so I've seen just about everything. It's nigh impossible to have a single day where you don't see or experience something shocking and appalling in regards to how the locals drive.

 

Just today I had a guy decide he couldn't wait 2 seconds for me to go by and decided to turn into the road anyways, nearly resulting in a collision (I had to unclip my shoes even in case I had to dismount). Yelled at the guy and he starred back at me with a brain dead look. After that I'm biking up a mountain road and some women decides as a truck is passing in the other lane that this is the best time to pass me and gets with inches of me while we're both going at very slow speeds up a 12% grade. I easily could have swerved 10 inches and that would have been enough to cause a collision.

 

The experience of driving in Thailand (removed) Watching them navigate an intersection without a light is another really sad display <remmoved> It shouldn't feel like a jungle survival game doing something so simple but here we are.

 

I like to joke that I wasn't a racist... until I moved to Thailand. You may know how I feel.

 

Anyways the point I wanted to get off my chest is that these <removed>will absolutely get you killed out of sheer stupidity and selfishness and the sad part is they're <removed>to even understand what they're doing.

 

I love riding in Thailand and ironically it's the best part of the country for me but eventually if you're on the road long enough they will ******* kill you.

Yes.  Absolutely true.  Driving or riding on any road in Thailand is perhaps the most dangerous activity you will do in your entire life.

 

Per capita, Threpkrasstri road that runs down the centre of Phuket is the most deadly place on planet earth to ride a motorbike.  And that is just using the reported statistics, which we all know are pure fiction.

 

A lot of Thais ride, but they do not do it for the exercise, or to be outdoors, they do it to show off the expensive bike that they purchased.  Cycling here is not for fitness...it is for face.

 

I often wonder if you replaced all Thai drivers with monkeys if the road death toll in this country would go up or down.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Adumbration

[itsari]

Just now, NorthernRyland said:

useless police could be telling them but they go home at 5! Many probably don't even know.

I have seen policeman riding motorcycles with no backlights working . Yet really , do you need a policeman to tell you what is obviously dangerous for all around you .

[NorthernRyland]

11 minutes ago, mania said:

That was so terrible. I mean the scooter may not have seen the other scooter & was on his way to the other downed rider.

BUT that white truck saw them & was flashing his lights but NOT slowing down, If he didn't hit the first guy he would have also killed the second.

 

yeah the scooter was just the typical aloof person not taking driving seriously but the truck was purely malicious. He saw them in the road and though "<deleted> these injured guys blocking my way, get out of the road" and decided to plow right through. He would have totally ran over the injured guy and killed him if he didn't hit the other guy first.

[Lacessit]

1 minute ago, NorthernRyland said:

When you're not dealing the obvious problems, Thailand is actually an amazing place to ride a bike. Why? because all drivers are accustomed to motorbikes so you can ride on virtually any road. Try that in America and you'll have a much more stressful and less fun experience.

 

MOST Thai's do actually pass safely and yield, it' just the sizable minority which is allowed to completely run wild and bring down the rest of us. Again, Thai police are scum for not doing their jobs. All of this could be solved by harsh punishment for traffic violations but we all know that will never happen.

I have yet to see Thai police do anything outside manning checkpoints and positioning themselves near markets for scooter riders without helmets.

When they are on the road, they are going somewhere. I have never seen a police officer booking someone on the open road.

[Hummin]

59 minutes ago, novacova said:

Here we have a self proclaimed road hazard…it’s an imperative to keep an eye out for such competing hazards, but then again for some reason they think they have a upper handle on the road and immune to catastrophic consequences.

No one is immune, just minimizing my chances for being run over while riding motorbike, and boxed in with no outs. 

 

 

 

It is a difference when riding motorbikes and a car, and it takes a mind shift to understand how fragile you are when you leaving others to watch out for you, and give you space. Please quote me on my entire  posts, not just parts of it.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Hummin

[spidermike007]

35 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

So what about the idiot 'Falang' drivers?

Yeah, some come here and seem to think imitation of numskull drivers is a form of flattery. 

[Neeranam]

13 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

I'm a road cyclists and motorcyclist in Chiang Mai with over 15 years experience riding the roads here so I've seen just about everything.

Don't do it, it's crazy. Makes no sense to do then complain about the danger. 

I would NEVER ride a bike or motorbike on main roads here. Who died?

[moose7117]

4 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Don't do it, it's crazy. Makes no sense to do then complain about the danger. 

I would NEVER ride a bike or motorbike on main roads here. Who died?

You would never.

That's your opinion, weather we like to listen to it is completely up to us.

I personally have done over 20 000 kilometers on a " big Bike" in Thailand and so far have survived with no problems.

i thoroughly enjoy riding in Thailand and wont stop until age makes me.

 

[novacova]

10 minutes ago, Hummin said:

No one is immune, just minimizing my chances for being run over while riding motorbike, and boxed in with no outs. 

 

 

 

It is a difference when riding motorbikes and a car, and it takes a mind shift to understand how fragile you are when you leaving others to watch out for you, and give you space. Please quote me on my entire  posts, not just parts of it.

The specific quote is of what’s blaring in the context. If one is competing in traffic to get ahead then they’re creating a road hazard. The risk is compounded by filtering through more traffic, good grief…I see this stupidity every day. I can care less if someone wants to put their own life in danger and hammer into a tree on an empty open road, just don’t involve others in traffic.

[NorthernRyland]

15 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Don't do it, it's crazy. Makes no sense to do then complain about the danger. 

I would NEVER ride a bike or motorbike on main roads here. Who died?

 

[Hummin]

7 minutes ago, novacova said:

The specific quote is of what’s blaring in the context. If one is competing in traffic to get ahead then they’re creating a road hazard. The risk is compounded by filtering through more traffic, good grief…I see this stupidity every day. I can care less if someone wants to put their own life in danger and hammer into a tree on an empty open road, just don’t involve others in traffic.

Well, you have no idea obviously what Im talking about! 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Hummin

[impulse]

Some people just aren't cut out for living outside the nanny state.

 

[gomangosteen]

Just my own experiences  . . . and accepting Chanthaburi roads and traffic volumes would differ from other areas.

 

Sold our first motorbike at 54,500km; our current one has done 92,000km; I bought a new bike, the pedal type, after Songkran this year and have cycled 4700km since then, best months May and July over 1000km each. 

 

Cycling routes a mix of minor highways and rural roads, just the occasional ride on Sukhumvit #3 which runs through Chanthaburi, prefer to keep to roads with less traffic though there's a 2m shoulder most of the way. 

 

Strong cycling scene in this province with social and more competition-focused group rides.

 

For all the NEVER posters, I'd never be without a bike, whether fuels or pedalled, best way to get around.

 

20 September 2023, sunny day ride to Rayong province on rural highways rather than Sukhumvit

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by gomangosteen

[novacova]

7 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Well, you have no idea obviously what Im talking about! 

That’s ok my friend, wish you the best on the road. 

[Moonlover]

14 hours ago, norfolkandchance said:

Cue. Thai bashing.

That's exactly what it's all about. Yet another opportunity for bored minds to have yet another 'bash' at the same old topic. We could also do without thinly disguised profanities' in the topic title.