Phuket taxi driver hits foreign man on airport zebra crossing

[paul1804]

15 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

You mean this... 

 

"There will be CCTV all over the airport and so the driver will be easy to identify, but I would be very surprised if he didn't do a runner" ???

If he didnt stop to assist the person he just skittled he will more than likely have done a runner!! Again an indication of Thailands driving standards and the authorities total inadequate response to these situations are the real reason the standards here are so poor! 

[Judum]

1 minute ago, lordgrinz said:

 

He's probably still at the hospital arguing with the front desk as to how he is going to pay for this.

Talking about hospital I just paid 3000baht in hospital In over 3 daya was training  to do 100 pushup in a day I normally only do 30 not very fit , any way I did not have insurance but even if I did I would have pay excess  first , what is the best way to get insurance from abroad when booking or get from Thailand on arrival the thing about getting from abroad will they accept it if needed to claim 

[Captain Flack]

An off topic political rant about the UK and all replies to it have been removed.

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, Judum said:

The police will catch the drive if not already can't imagine how many CCTv cameras there 

Yes! If they can get their backsides out of their offices.

[wozzlegummich]

No mention of what happened to the TAXI driver.
Oh wait, he wasn't a foreigner so it isn't newsworthy.

[lordgrinz]

3 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Yes! If they can get their backsides out of their offices.

 

I've never seen the RTP actually working, what exactly do they do all day? I checked and they have the same amount of police as the USA does per 100,000 people, but you never see them doing anything.

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, nickmondo said:

Thai drivers do not know what a Zebra crossing is, because they are not taught the Highway Code as we are in the Real world.  They dont know what it is.  Same as a red light on a Zebra crossing.......to them its a pretty light that shines 2 colours, red and green.  Take into account also, the Me, me, me attitude of Thais in general.  No one else matters........dont get in my way....especially if you are walking or on 2 wheels.

The use of zebra crossings and roundabouts are very incompatible with Thai drivers and motorbike riders. Yet away from their cars, trucks and motorbikes, most of the time you could not meet more honest, decent, non confrontational people.

[connda]

Honestly, foreigners from Western countries come to Thailand and expect that they can step into a cross-walk and, like in Western countries, the cars will automatically stop from them.

That ignorance is deadly and this poor guy just found out.  There should be warning signs at cross-walks in English: "Farang.  If walk in crosswalk car may no stop. Be careful look for car no stop before walk"

It might save injuries and lives.

When I cross in a cross-walk, I look left, I look right, and I look left and right again (I learned that in Kindergarten) even if crossing on a one-way road (Especially if crossing on a one-way road), and then keep my peripheral visions and eyes moving back and forth as I cross. And I don't expect any vehicle to actually stop unless they have actually come to a complete stop, and then I look for the motorcyclists behind the cars/truck to split traffic and come scream through at speed.  That's how you keep from getting killed or injured in a cross-walk.  You don't step out, looking straight ahead, head-high with Western pedistrian arrogance believing that vehicle are actually going to stop for you.  "We ain't in Kansas anymore Toto."  It doesn't work like that here.

[connda]

6 hours ago, NoshowJones said:

The use of zebra crossings and roundabouts are very incompatible with Thai drivers and motorbike riders. Yet away from their cars, trucks and motorbikes, most of the time you could not meet more honest, decent, non confrontational people.

If you really want to know what is in the hearts of men (and women), place them at the wheel of a vehicle with darkly tinted windows and find out.

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, Judum said:

Sadly that's gon a be so biased against you,  but maybe not depends on how your luck is it maybe 80 % against though , hitting a thai is highly probable a motor cyclists forget to turn off indicator,  I've.been a driver for 45 years cars bikes motorcycle vans pcv etc so I always use my common sence , 

True, but the vast majority of Thai people do not have much common sense, and common sense IMO is about 80% a part of driving.

[lordgrinz]

7 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

The use of zebra crossings and roundabouts are very incompatible with Thai drivers and motorbike riders. Yet away from their cars, trucks and motorbikes, most of the time you could not meet more honest, decent, non confrontational people.

 

So the solution is to remove their rights to drive, the safety of the Kingdom should come first.

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, Henryford said:

 

I think they should do away with zebra crossings in Thailand. They are a death trap for anyone who thinks the traffic will stop.

Just imagine you are a stranger driving a car in a typical Thai city, in most cases you may not notice the zebra crossing until you are almost on it. The situation requires the stripped poles with a flashing beacon on top and zig zag lines so drivers will notice it from a distance.

[Woke to Sounds of Horking]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Somebody needs to step up and take charge and take care of this problem, or it will simply continue for decades into the future.

Bronson!

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

I've made it a habit of kicking car doors when they try to drive through the Zebra crossing with me in it, that and smacking their mirrors seems to get their attention. So, I am doing my part, I pity the Thai who actually gathers the courage to exit his car and confront me, I call it self-defense.

You are taking one hell of a chance, a lone Thai may not confront you, but one with a weapon, ie gun or baseball bat certainly will.

[lordgrinz]

1 minute ago, NoshowJones said:

You are taking one hell of a chance, a lone Thai may not confront you, but one with a weapon, ie gun or baseball bat certainly will.

 

He better act before I do, he'll be lucky to even exit his door. My violence level knows no boundaries, it would be a monumental mistake for a Thai to confront me without acting first.

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, catch104 said:

Why would the self-serving elite bother thinknig of solving such peasant's problem. Walking??? that’s for the lower class.
And please, it’s not just taxis.  Luxury cars will gleefully speed up at the sight of a mere peasant daring to cross the road 30 meters ahead.
How dare they disrupt me...
By the way, zebra is a very rare species, you don't see many of them in Thailand....

I don't think there are many zebra crossings left in the UK, they have been changed to traffic light crossings, and they are always working.

[NoshowJones]

17 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

 

He better act before I do, he'll be lucky to even exit his door. My violence level knows no boundaries, it would be a monumental mistake for a Thai to confront me without acting first.

I do admire your attitude, when I was younger and living in the UK I was exactly the same.

[sabai-dee-man]

5 hours ago, jesimps said:

In the UK if a pedestrian is stood waiting to cross, you must by law stop for them. In Thailand, you should cross anywhere BUT a zebra crossing, because even if someone stops for you, pound to a penny that another vehicle will ignore the light and pass him. 

 

Yes, exactly this! Even at a light-controlled crossing, even if a car stops, always look left for the tw*t on a motorbike coming the wrong way, and check the second/each consecutive lane before stepping past the stopped vehicle, because the majority of time the car in the next lane wont stop!

[harryviking]

Why am I not surprised! Most people in Thailand have no clue what these "stripes" is all about, and do not tell them that it is safe to thrust them, while a dumb "Farang" has learned that cars are supposed to stop for you when you enter them! I see many people killed or badly hurt here in Europe because they are so dumb as to walk straight out on those stripes without even looking left or right!! ALWAYS be aware of drivers not being observant. There are so many of them.

[Nemises]

1 hour ago, NoshowJones said:

The situation requires the stripped poles with a flashing beacon on top and zig zag lines so drivers will notice it from a distance.

You mean controlled crossings with big red lights like this?

 

Right at the start of the video, look for the 23 seconds left on the clock to safely cross. 

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, lordgrinz said:

 

I've never seen the RTP actually working, what exactly do they do all day? I checked and they have the same amount of police as the USA does per 100,000 people, but you never see them doing anything.

Tea money??

[Dan O]

8 hours ago, Judum said:

Feel very sorry for the pedestrian involved and driver should be jailed without a doubt and pay compensation for the man's emotional loss and pain , I'm a driver myself and like to remind citizens that you cross the road when the vehicle stops for you,  otherwise this happens pedestrians have right of way when on the crossing, in uk some crazy laws came about where citizens think they are superman or woman forcing drivers to stop even buses they need to be educated pedestrians need to be educated again or should not be so disrespectful by forcing drivers to stop 

If you're already in the crosswalk or its marked like at airports its the drivers responsibility to stop. However in Thailand all bets are off and no real punishment will fix the lack of mental awareness of the dangers Thai drivers cause without any concept of risk. 

 

Not real sure why you keep quoting UK, this is Thailand and its not comparable

[Dan O]

8 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

Someone should inform the victim that not only can he file a criminal case against the driver but also a civil case resulting in his medical bills being paid plus any suffering or money lost due to incapacitation. He only needs to file a report. Hitting a pedestrian ar a zebra crossing is highly illegal. Injuring them even a little ups the driving crime level and monetary settlement will surely be awarded to the victim. 

You do know this is Thailand right ? The police will push for a negotiation and no charges. Even with that getting paid is another issue

[Dan O]

4 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

 

I put a nice dent in the side of a black BMW suv with my daughters school bags wheels once while 2/3's of the way across a Zebra crossing, they learn, they just learn the hard way 😉

Thats a good way of ending up in the hospital not to mention at the police station where you will lose the discussion, guaranteed

[BangkokReady]

18 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Above is the reaction from citizens of the country! Still they can´t fix the problem. Totally useless authorities and leaders in this country.

 

it's never going to translate into any meaningful action, though.  Thai people just aren't the types to make a fuss.  Anonymous and online in one thing, and there's probably only a handful who even care enough to comment.

[lordgrinz]

23 minutes ago, Dan O said:

Thats a good way of ending up in the hospital not to mention at the police station where you will lose the discussion, guaranteed

Hasn't stopped me yet, I think I am up to 4 people who've felt my wrath. Like I said, it's self-defense, they tried to hit me with their 4000lb weapon in a Zebra crossing.

[Mickboy]

 

A Thai taxi driver hit a foreign man on a zebra crossing at Phuket International Airport yesterday leaving the man with serious injuries

 

Hit him with what ?

[smew]

Did the driver, as always, run away?

[thesetat2013]

55 minutes ago, Dan O said:

You do know this is Thailand right ? The police will push for a negotiation and no charges. Even with that getting paid is another issue

Yes but i was in a situation similar at Zebra crossing. The police do not have to press charges if a settlement is reached. The police will negotiate between the victim and the driver. No matter what, pedestrians have the right of way everywhere, especially at Zebra crossings. 

[kimamey]

I don't think it's not an easy problem to fix. The rules are simple. If a pedestrian steps onto a crossing drivers must stop to let them cross. I know this and when in the UK it's simple to abide by the rules. Here it's more difficult.

 

If you stop, as I have done, you get confused looks from the pedestrian as it's not what they expect and you get vehicles passing you, often on both sides, and sometimes a horn blasted at you. The pedestrian won't cross until there are no vehicles coming so you end up having to drive on. It's a never ending circle. 

 

One way to change things is to get all police officers who are based at a desk to go out once a week in civilian clothes, with no other uniformed officers in sight, and use a crossing in the correct way. A couple of near or actual fatalities would soon get things moving. A different topic but they could provide the bosses at the highways department with a Ferrari or Lamborghini and fuel to drive at a reasonable speed on random routes at a reasonable speed. Any damage caused to the vehicle has to be paid for by them. This probably isn't so relevant around Bangkok and down the eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand as the roads seem much better than in Isaan.

 

There's a similar problem with roundabouts. The rules here are the same as in the UK, give way to traffic already on the roundabout. Before anyone claims I don't understand the rules as you give way to any vehicle that's bigger, that isn't the rule here as for various reasons I've had to do online tests and sit through hours of videos at Land Transport and I know the rules. Even if you did have to give way to larger vehicles a Honda Jazz has never been bigger than a Toyota, Isuzu Ford etc pickup, so there's no reason for them to stop for my Jazz when I slow down before joining the roundabout. Also a large army truck is  bigger than all of them so shouldn't be stopped as I've seen.