A new way to turn right at the intersection, Thai style?

[lordgrinz]

5 minutes ago, seajae said:

mate I am aware of this but this is Thailand and road rules mean nothing to most thai drivers/riders, most dont even know the road rules and drive in a way that suits them only, no indicators, wrong side of the road, overtake and flash light and expect you to drive off the road for them, they are way to arrogant and would not get a licence in any western country. The fact police refuse to do anything about it doesnt help

 

 

One thing I learned though, is when we've gone to the police after an accident, they do indeed follow the law when it comes to responsibility. They just refuse to go out an enforce compliance on a daily basis, thus we have a society of drivers who are ignorant of the laws and rules of their own country.

[PB172111]

3 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

 

Just noticed your screen name, most ironic name I have seen on here yet. I want change, I want police to enforce THAI LAWS! I want a safe place to drive, walk, and use a Zebra crossing. Driving styles? You mean the like the idiot in my video driving on the wrong side of the road? He should have his licensed taken away, along with anyone else driving recklessly.

So you want your own country rules.

keep dreaming and relax

[richard_smith237]

3 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Now you are calling me names. I'm not delusional, I've adjusted.

 

I agree that some Thai's drive differently to us westerners but you must understand that's the way they were driving before you arrived. 

 

I can give you daily videos of some of the foreigners here driving dangerously. 

 

Lets face it... there are both foreigners and Thai's who drive like selfish idiots with complete disregard for their own safety, the safety of those around them and have no respect for road rules. 

 

Fortunately Thailand is far better than many other places I've been to - but the ineffective policing here enables a level of selfishness on the road that could easily be eradicated. 

 

Dealing with the outright dangerous idiots is harder.

 

As road users we see both, the selfish ayholes and the outright dangerous idiots - but I do believe it is a minority of users, otherwise we'd be in a lot more accidents. 

 

I think driving here requires a certain degree of adoptation, but that does not mean adopting to breaking the rules in the same manner some of the dangerous fools do - but it does mean adapting to a certain degree of assertiveness on the road and this was exampled by the video posted above - Lordgrinz didnt fold or give way to someone trying to force their way though the traffic in such an antisocial manner. 

 

But... there are also plenty of other 'passively idiotic' traits that cause so much issue on the road. 

-  the inability to give way, when two cars are approaching and there is an obstacle, one car should slow and allow the other to pass, instead, neither gives way and its actually slower for both cars to squeeze through the tiny gap. 

This highlights a lack of thinking towards the 'greater good'.

 

Another is the manner in which people park, or rather abandon their vehicles - they leave just enough space for a vehicle to pass, but that vehicle has to slow right down to walking pace... This happens at a market on our soi, the bikes all park outside, and leave 'just enough space'... Its quite a skill, leaving just enough CM's for a car to squeeze through so the bike is not fully blocking the road, but it forces all traffic to come to a near standstill - such selfishness turns a 3-5m journey up the road into a 15m journey sometimes, just because someone can't be bothered to park their bike properly, and the police do nothing. 

 

Thus: Selfishness and stupidity - the biggest causes of traffic here, obviously combined with poor road planning.

What we see in the video is decent road planning - just a combination of both selfishness and stupidity of the Songthaew driver and when this is multiplied  to 1% of the traffic it has significant impact on the remaining road users.

 

[Paul52]

12 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

If they were able to fix the way Thais drive, little by little it would become just like the country you left behind.

Or a much better version of the one I moved to…

[richard_smith237]

21 minutes ago, PB172111 said:

So you want your own country rules.

keep dreaming and relax

 

No.... he wants Thailands road rules... .

 

Thailand has always had perfectly decent road regulations and rules - the issue is they are not followed, then people like you come along without any idea and accuse someone of wanting to change the rules - thats rather dim.

 

Additionally - people who care about Thailand want to see improvements here, because the impact of such road behavior and the additional traffic it causes has a significant impact on Thailands economy to the tune of 11 Billion Baht per year (US$320 per year)...  

... on top of which is the increase in costs of around 5.9 Billion Baht (US$172 million) per year due to additional fuel use while stalled in congestion.

 

Its 'big picture thinking' so some will struggle to understand this impact and argue at a dumbed down simplistic level - "stop trying to change Thailand, it was like this before we got here".... 

 

 

 

A study by the Kasikorn Research Center estimated that in 2016, Bangkok's traffic jams resulted in an annual opportunity cost of approximately 11 billion baht, or about 60 million baht per day.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1082948/study-bangkok-traffic-jams-cost-b11bn?utm_source=chatgpt.com

[Ralf001]

3 hours ago, novacova said:

 But if it really annoys you then roll down the window and wave your middle finger and let them know.

 

Take caution doing that... have had a few hand guns pointed at me after giving the finger.... has also resulted in  some aweome road rage filed chases too.... Defo good fun but not all would like I guess.

[lordgrinz]

41 minutes ago, PB172111 said:

So you want your own country rules.

keep dreaming and relax

 

No, read carefully, compression is important! 

 

Quote

"I want police to enforce THAI LAWS!"

 

[Ralf001]

3 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

. I want change, I want police to enforce THAI LAWS!

 

Yeah... nah.

 

Thail roads are much too fun drive on. law enforcement would kill the enjoyment.

[lordgrinz]

24 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Another is the manner in which people park, or rather abandon their vehicles

 

It got out of hand here, they are now trying to put a stop to it, it appears Thai's don't know (or care) that RED and WHITE striped curbs mean no parking. They even put RED and WHITE striped poles every few feet on the corners to discourage parking there, what do you think happened next? The motorcycles decided to park there sticking out into the roadway, it appears they thought it was motorcycle only parking...SMH. Now they got RED and WHITE striped tape between the poles, I saw some of the tape cut and a few motorcycles parked there. It's just nuts the level of stupidity or ignorance on display here every day.

[lordgrinz]

4 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Yeah... nah.

 

Thail roads are much too fun drive on. law enforcement would kill the enjoyment.

 

Yeah, its definitely better with lots of dead people due to nationwide ignorance.

[superal]

Thai police wages are not great but are supplemented by road side fines on low skilled Thai drivers . Hence the reason for little or no road user education . As we know , the country runs on corruption .

One manoeuvre from Thais is to drive into the turn right lane but not signal until they turn . Also the motor cyclists often forget to cancel their indicators , having completed their move . I never assume anything on Thai roads . Thai road users are Jeckll & Hyde and have no consideration for other road users .

[richard_smith237]

4 hours ago, novacova said:

But if it really annoys you then roll down the window and wave your middle finger and let them know.

 

What kind of brainless idiot does this ????

[richard_smith237]

Just now, richard_smith237 said:

4 hours ago, novacova said:

But if it really annoys you then roll down the window and wave your middle finger and let them know.

 

What kind of brainless idiot does this ????

 

Answered....   

 

22 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Take caution doing that... have had a few hand guns pointed at me after giving the finger.... has also resulted in  some aweome road rage filed chases too.... Defo good fun but not all would like I guess.

 

[lordgrinz]

22 minutes ago, superal said:

Thai police wages are not great but are supplemented by road side fines on low skilled Thai drivers .

 

If that were the case, they would be millionaires by now, I could write a million baht in fines every day within a 1-2km area around my house.

[newbee2022]

14 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

Why turn at the intersection when you can drive down the wrong side of the road and cutoff others..Second time this week! 🤬

But if you know it's wrong....why you did it?

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

But if you know it's wrong....why you did it?

 

A very odd response - did you even bother to watch the video and comprehend what is being discussed ?

[Dave0206]

10 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

It's not a small minority as I see it. On Suk in Pattaya, the one right turn lane at a light suddenly becomes a 3 lane turn. Folks passing on blind turns, passing with a ridge ahead so they cant see oncoming traffic. Just so many things to rant over if you let it get to you.

Driving in London or any big city is a pain where to give an inch is as a weakness luckily for most of us we are in no hurry lotus or wherever we are going will still be open if we get there 5 minutes later.

It's been mentioned on here before but one of my biggest grumbles when I'm driving is Indians in particular walking on the road 2 and 3 deep without a care in the world even if pavement is available. 

The bar stewards were walking 3 deep on beach road ( beach side) if I thought I would not damage my mirror I would have liked to side swipe the thoughtless """"" people 😀 

[IsaanT]

I have to admit that when I arrived here for my retirement about 18 months ago I did find some Thai driving annoying (the undertaking, the poor signalling, the pulling in front of you only to slow down and turn off the road, etc.).

 

However, I am in their country; they are not in mine (UK).  Thai drivers receive little (if any) training, don't have to pass a test to the same level of proficiency as most of us are familiar with, and there is little in the way of traffic law enforcement.

 

I have adjusted.  I drive more defensively and, usefully, the average speed is much slower than we are probably familiar with back home so that's one bonus from a safety and economy point-of-view.

[300sd]

5 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Now you are calling me names. I'm not delusional, I've adjusted.

 

I agree that some Thai's drive differently to us westerners but you must understand that's the way they were driving before you arrived. 

 

I can give you daily videos of some of the foreigners here driving dangerously. 

 

It is difficult adjusting to the poorest of drivers and driving habits. Here's one, adjust to this: I was doing 80 with lights on. I wanted to hit him but was afraid the air bags would go off!

[chickenslegs]

6 hours ago, Presnock said:

I originally wondered why all the horn blowing before entering a blind turn and after seeing so many close calls began to better understand and change my driving habits here. 

The horn blowing is to scare away the ghosts of all the people who died there.

[topt]

21 minutes ago, 300sd said:

It is difficult adjusting to the poorest of drivers and driving habits. Here's one, adjust to this: I was doing 80 with lights on. I wanted to hit him but was afraid the air bags would go off!

Classic - but unfortunately not unusual

[richard_smith237]

28 minutes ago, 300sd said:

It is difficult adjusting to the poorest of drivers and driving habits. Here's one, adjust to this: I was doing 80 with lights on. I wanted to hit him but was afraid the air bags would go off!

 

Absolutely astonishing... 

I've no idea what goes through the mind of drivers like this - firstly pulling how, how are they even looking.

And then after making the huge mistake of pulling out and nearly cause and accident, instead of speeding up, they slow and stop...    Minddumbingly dumb.

 

I recall my Father in Law dropping me off at a BTS in Sukhumvit - we got to the BTS station and he was a little unsure where to pull up next to the steps / escalator - so he just stopped in the central lane !!!... 

I had to tell him that he can't just stop in the middle of the road - he actually has to pull to the side... 

 

Sadly - its clear that some drivers are going about their business in an absolute blur.

 

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

 

Yeah, its definitely better with lots of dead people due to nationwide ignorance.

 

Been weeks since I last saw a dead one.

[alien365]

Did you have your indicator on? (I don't have sound on your video for some reason).

 

I find at big traffic lights it works quite well in my area. It's common practice if the road is wide enough to accommodate. In your situation it was reducing to one lane so it obviously doesn't help anyone.

[lordgrinz]

21 minutes ago, alien365 said:

Did you have your indicator on? (I don't have sound on your video for some reason).

 

I find at big traffic lights it works quite well in my area. It's common practice if the road is wide enough to accommodate. In your situation it was reducing to one lane so it obviously doesn't help anyone.

 

Yes, indicator on. Who wouldn't put one on to turn right? Not sure what you're saying in your second paragraph. 

[SAFETY FIRST]

16 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Lets face it... there are both foreigners and Thai's who drive like selfish idiots with complete disregard for their own safety, the safety of those around them and have no respect for road rules. 

 

Fortunately Thailand is far better than many other places I've been to - but the ineffective policing here enables a level of selfishness on the road that could easily be eradicated. 

 

Dealing with the outright dangerous idiots is harder.

 

As road users we see both, the selfish ayholes and the outright dangerous idiots - but I do believe it is a minority of users, otherwise we'd be in a lot more accidents. 

 

I think driving here requires a certain degree of adoptation, but that does not mean adopting to breaking the rules in the same manner some of the dangerous fools do - but it does mean adapting to a certain degree of assertiveness on the road and this was exampled by the video posted above - Lordgrinz didnt fold or give way to someone trying to force their way though the traffic in such an antisocial manner. 

 

But... there are also plenty of other 'passively idiotic' traits that cause so much issue on the road. 

-  the inability to give way, when two cars are approaching and there is an obstacle, one car should slow and allow the other to pass, instead, neither gives way and its actually slower for both cars to squeeze through the tiny gap. 

This highlights a lack of thinking towards the 'greater good'.

 

Another is the manner in which people park, or rather abandon their vehicles - they leave just enough space for a vehicle to pass, but that vehicle has to slow right down to walking pace... This happens at a market on our soi, the bikes all park outside, and leave 'just enough space'... Its quite a skill, leaving just enough CM's for a car to squeeze through so the bike is not fully blocking the road, but it forces all traffic to come to a near standstill - such selfishness turns a 3-5m journey up the road into a 15m journey sometimes, just because someone can't be bothered to park their bike properly, and the police do nothing. 

 

Thus: Selfishness and stupidity - the biggest causes of traffic here, obviously combined with poor road planning.

What we see in the video is decent road planning - just a combination of both selfishness and stupidity of the Songthaew driver and when this is multiplied  to 1% of the traffic it has significant impact on the remaining road users.

 

Agree, it's both foreigners and Thai's driving badly. 

 

When driving around Pattaya, I give way to everyone, always plan my trips, give myself plenty of time to get from A to B. 

 

I prefer to not drive night time, it's more dangerous. Early evenings the taxi motorbikes, taking the girls to the bars are riding at speed, hoping for that extra fare when returning to their pickup point.