Dangers of driving here and being a pedestrian. I nearly got hit on a zebra crossing

[advancebooking]

I used to drive fast here when there was no traffic on the road but now keep under the limit as Thai drivers a unpredictable. 

 

Recently I was nearly killed walking fast across a zebra crossing. It was a small crossing really close to my kids school. Actually a car on the left side was trying to turn right and I walked fast across the zebra crossing behind that car. Suddenly a pickup truck was speeding very fast and I nearly accidentally walked in front of it. It could have been a school kid killed. The idiot was driving so fast. 

 

I just read on the news re a Brit who was hit by a motorcycle on the road in Pats. 

 

This can happen to any of us. Its very important to be careful walking on the roads in Thailand. 

 

Happy new yr to you all.  

[VocalNeal]

1 minute ago, advancebooking said:

This can happen to any of us. Its very important to be careful walking on the roads in Thailand. 

 

..and avoid Zebra crossings as they may give a false sense of security.🤔

[CharlieH]

The mistake most westerners make is they assume a certain behaviour and standard that simply does not exist here.

 

[Real Name Hidden]

A young doctor was killed at a Zebra crossing in Bangkok a few years ago, by an off-duty policeman on a big bike going 100 kpm. People were outraged and it looked like some action would finally be taken.  There was talk about using ccv cameras to monitor crossings and send tickets to offenders.  Motorists started slowing down at zebra crossings and there was a huge spike in rear-end collisions.  

[2baht]

9 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

..and avoid Zebra crossings

They are to line you up, they take their aim from zebra crossings!

[Mike Lister]

6 minutes ago, 2baht said:

They are to line you up, they take their aim from zebra crossings!

Exactly, hood ornaments and zebra crossing work in tandem, like bombsights.

Edited December 30, 2023 by Mike Lister

[Bday Prang]

18 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

The mistake most westerners make is they assume a certain behaviour and standard that simply does not exist here.

 

And that is not, in anyway, limited to zebra crossings. 

[stoner]

surprised you have not been called a racist yet for this thread. give it time. 

[novacova]

It’s safe not to assume anything on any road anywhere. A lot of tourists assume well mannered drivers here, I’ve seen countless Chinese tourists walk out crossing the road without looking, surprised don’t hear more about them getting slammed into. In the US it’s mandatory for drivers to stop when pedestrians are attempting to cross a crosswalk/zebra. Many western tourists believe such entitlements apply here. During congested traffic it’s difficult for motorcyclists to see the blind spots blocked by vehicles at a crosswalk, pedestrians tend to get hit when motorcyclists and even cars split lanes to get around what they perceive as a traffic jam.

[CharlieH]

13 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

And that is not, in anyway, limited to zebra crossings. 

Or any other aspect of life here either. 😀👍

[GammaGlobulin]

If you want safe, then move to Japan.

 

I am always extremely careful when walking anywhere outside my front gate.

 

I have never operated any kind of vehicle in Thailand.

For that, I just use my same driver, and never even use Grab because I cannot predict the driving skill of Grab.

 

I am lucky to have used the same driver for about 7 years, and so I rarely need to postpone an excursion due to my driver being too busy for me.

 

It's probably unwise to get drunk and walk at night, simultaneously.

 

Maybe get one of those hats with a reflective coating would be useful.

 

Anyway, I only worry about getting hit by a car when I am outside my house.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

43 minutes ago, advancebooking said:

This can happen to any of us. Its very important to be careful walking on the roads in Thailand. 

Yes, it's important to be careful.

And it's very important not to assume drivers and riders will behave in a certain way.

IMHO most accidents happen because people make false presumptions. 

- They see me, they will stop. - NO!

- I am right. - Maybe, but who cares?

- They can't see so they will drive slowly. - No.

- The light is red, they will stop. - No.

- This is a one-way street; nobody can come from that direction. - Bad assumption.

 

I live since almost 30 years in the middle of Bangkok. I ride my own motorcycle and with motorcycle taxis. And sometimes I walk.

Until now I never had an accident. I also never had an almost accident.

Was that luck? Maybe, in part.

But mostly it was being careful and not assuming the others will play nice.

Many people, probably most, never had an accident. Because they are careful.

[lungbing]

I slow down but I have stopped stopping at crossings because the cars behind me just overtake, and the bikes go round me. It's more dangerous for the pedestrian.

[Purdey]

Hold up a mobile phone and pretend to take a video as you cross. 

[novacova]

4 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Hold up a mobile phone and pretend to take a video as you cross. 

That may work assuming they’re not looking down at their phone.

[Doctor Tom]

1 hour ago, advancebooking said:

Recently I was nearly killed walking fast across a zebra crossing.

Take note; there are no pedestrian crossings in Thailand.  They may be marked as such, some even have lights, but they are never safe. Like roundabouts, Thai's do not understand them . 

[WhatMeWorry]

Its like in the Starman movie where Jeff says, green go, red stop, yellow go faster. To the Thais, the zebra stripe is an invitation to drive faster and not stop. 

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, advancebooking said:

Recently I was nearly killed walking fast across a zebra crossing. It was a small crossing really close to my kids school. Actually a car on the left side was trying to turn right and I walked fast across the zebra crossing behind that car. Suddenly a pickup truck was speeding very fast and I nearly accidentally walked in front of it.

"Recently I was nearly killed...".

Yes?  How badly were you injured and have you now recovered from your near death experience?

[scubascuba3]

Walking in Pattaya certainly isn't safe, need 360 vision

[Mark Nothing]

At best drivers here treat pedestrians like an insect in the road.  But lately they have been aiming for me.  Regularly.

 

I never cross at zebra stripe pedestrian crosswalks if it can be avoided.  Half the drivers ignore them.  And motorscooters burst through blind spot gaps between cars at high speed.  I never cross the street in front of moving vehicles.  Wait for them to stop if possible.

 

It has gotten so bad, I say a prayer asking God to keep me safe before venturing out on the roads.

[xtrnuno41]

Thailand. Driving up to pedestrian crossing, I stop, Thai dont stop ! Had to adjust NOT to that when Thai are in the back, it is for pedestrians own safety. Really must be aware when to stop.

Redlight on big road, I stop. Thai behind me speeding by, using his horn to tell im stupid and shouldnt stop.

I admit it was a weird light, but it was red. Cant make it different.

Make a right turn on green traffic light, had to break instantly hard and fast, as a Thai decided to cross section diagonally.

Thai truck, no lights driving in the dark on right lane. I was doing right lane with a 100km/h. Saw something that could be silhouet of something in that lane, so went left to be sure. Good decision, it was a car with no lights. You must stay awake and alert, as it happens in Thailand.

Crossing road by foot? I look left AND right several times. As they can from BOTH ways, just driving on wrong side of road.  

[Pouatchee]

2 hours ago, advancebooking said:

This can happen to any of us. Its very important to be careful walking on the roads in Thailand. 

 

zebra crossings here mean nothing. at a school i worked at a kid got hit at a zebra crossing between the two parts of the school separated by a soi.

 

so, in a nutshell, do not attempt to show who is the boss by insisting on crossing one cos YOU WILL get run over. cars are bigger than you and unfortunately they do not think for themselves. if you have been here a number of years you should have learned that one already, and this is not the first time the topic has been discussed here...

[OneMoreFarang]

30 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

cars are bigger than you and unfortunately they do not think for themselves

They think.

They think the pedestrian will see a big (fast) car and the pedestrian will stop because they know that the car will win that competition.

It's true. The car is bigger than the pedestrian.

Car drivers are also aware of (big) trucks. Those trucks will win that competition. So, it's stupid to ignore that truck.

 

It maybe not the kind of thinking which you want. They know the rules of survival of the fittest. Play by those rules and all will be fine. 

 

[lungbing]

23 hours ago, Mark Nothing said:

At best drivers here treat pedestrians like an insect in the road.  But lately they have been aiming for me.  Regularly.

 

I never cross at zebra stripe pedestrian crosswalks if it can be avoided.  Half the drivers ignore them.  And motorscooters burst through blind spot gaps between cars at high speed.  I never cross the street in front of moving vehicles.  Wait for them to stop if possible.

 

It has gotten so bad, I say a prayer asking God to keep me safe before venturing out on the roads.

So if you get hit it's His fault?

[IvorBiggun2]

Don't forget roundabouts. Nobody seems to know who has right of way.

[Real Name Hidden]

Just now, IvorBiggun2 said:

Don't forget roundabouts. Nobody seems to know who has right of way.

Right-of-way belongs to the largest vehicle 

[yeahbutif]

All the answers to the subject are very true...  But the the big question is WHY? The traffic dangers could easily be trimmed if the so called police did the job.. only thing I can't seem to understand is WHY.this won't happen....  It's so easy a blind man can see the fix,s.. but the powers to be can't or won't.... Again WHY?  No number plate means an eligal driver so easy to deal with stop and fine . No front or rear lights. Stop and fine. Rusted heap car or bike scrap it....   People keep saying no money thats why they don't stop and fine them.. but easy just confirskate the bike or car and sell it ..  but this is Thailand.so we have to except that nothing will change as people don't have any consideration for each other.. it's all me me me. And other just follow suit. Example he going the wrong way on a road  so he can do I can too.. and not one to tell me it's dangerous.. especially at night.. rant over it's a new year New rules. But what is a rule without inforcement? 

[Henryford]

Zebra crossings are death traps, avoid them. I have nearly been run over twice crossing them.

[5davidhen1]

I would strongly argue that one is no more likely to be hit by an errant motorist (if, indeed he/she is) on any form of pedestrian crossing, in any country, than crossing a road in an area not so designated.

I would further argue that one may actually have a better chance of survival when using such a crosswalk etc.

Logical reasoning suggests to me that, if a section of road is signed to reflect that pedestrians may be crossing, that there will "probably" be a certain number of motorists who will expect such, and approach said crossing with the appropriate caution. Hence my statement "a better chance of survival."

That said, where UK road rules dictate that one must stop and give way to any pedestrian who so much as puts one foot on a zebra crossing, it is quite evident that this rule doesn't apply elsewhere.

To reiterate, I believe that any pedestrian is just as likely to be struck by a motorist wheresoever he/she chooses to cross.

I will usually choose a designated crossing point if there is one nearby, BUT, I will always look in every direction, prior to --- and during the exercise.

When I was (trying) to teach my son to how to drive, he would sometimes argue, "He/she shouldn't have done that, I had right of way!" To which I would frequently reply, "Would you like to argue that point from the grave?" 

[Bazerino]

Zebra crossings & roundabouts are places you have to enter with caution......