Thais are so impatient when they're on the road. They'd rather mow you down than let you cross the road even though ahead of them all there is a traffic jam.  Funny how one of their favourite phrases "mai pen rai" suddenly goes out the window as soon as they get behind the wheel.  

On 9/22/2025 at 4:10 PM, snoop1130 said:

Although initial contact seemed to have ended peacefully, Nikolai allegedly hit the car again, prompting the driver to respond violently.

He got educated twice, once about crossing the road, the second time about touching someones car.

This altercation started as Nikolai attempted to cross a street outside a South Pattaya restaurant, not using a zebra crossing. The Bolt driver honked to alert him, leading to a confrontation after the Frenchman reportedly struck the driver’s car. Although initial contact seemed to have ended peacefully, Nikolai allegedly hit the car again, prompting the driver to respond violently.

 

Looks pretty much like self-inflicted; paying the price of his aggression.

That foreigner disregarding traffic law, in the first place.

 

Thai driver first warned him in a reasonably gentle manner.

But that 55 yo westerner  reacted offensively  twice.

No wonder that Bolt driver got upset and struck back physically.

 

If he earns his living with own car, it is something he values so much; an essential trade tool. And the stupid rude alien badly provoked him, banging his vehicle more than once.

 

I more sympathize with  that driver, getting  into trouble because of that foreign idiot.

The driver punched Nikolai in the face, causing him to collapse and lose consciousness upon hitting the ground.

 

Was that driver a boxer before?

Looks like quite a hard puncher, knocking out a big man with one single hit.

On 9/22/2025 at 4:50 PM, blaze master said:

Thats a family friendly knock out.

 

In the "world class family-frjendly tourist resort" as TAT often insists?

On 9/22/2025 at 4:50 PM, blaze master said:

Thats a family friendly knock out.

 Lol.

On 9/22/2025 at 5:02 PM, richard_smith237 said:

Translation: 

 

Impatient ahyole Thai Driver hits horn at French Pedestrian.

Idiot French Pedestrian escalates the situation by hitting the car twice.

Impatient and idiotic Thai driver escalates the situation further by physically attacking the French idiot.

 

In short, what we have here folks is two idiots coming into contact with each other and nether being able to behave properly.

 

Conflicts often break out at the same level, or among the same kind?

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

He got educated twice, once about crossing the road, the second time about touching someones car.

 

A painful "lesson" to that mature age European man.

Learning  one simple principal of the universe at 55: Anything  goes around comes around...

On 9/22/2025 at 11:02 PM, richard_smith237 said:

 

I'll rewrite it for you... 

 

A lot of guys idiots will perceive it as a loss of face to walk away from a battle.

It's part of male warrior childish, juvenile and immature instinct. 

If a guy wrongs you and you walk away, many people pathetic fools will see themselves as cowards for doing so.

Or not standing up for what's right. having the maturity to simply overlook such insignificant issues.

You could get yourself killed or kicked out of the country, though. [agreed]

So might be best to bury your ego. [not flex your ego in the first place]

 

I try to remind myself when I go out to be cautious of conflict. [or naturally not 'bite' in the first place]

If you're constantly stressed out and in a hurry to get around, it will make it worse. [agreed - don't be an unhinged fool]

So need to try to be in a relaxed state of mind and not stressed out and in a hurry. [again, agreed - don't be an unhinged fool]

 

 

Some will see that as 'not being an alpha male' or being 'spineless' - I see it as simply not being a complete idiot. 

That doesn't mean we are not strong enough or competent enough to look after ourselves if necessary, its just that we (or people like me) don't find it necessary to ever 'need to look after ourselves' because we can easily anticipate and extract ourselves from any situation (or at least a significant majority of situations).

 

 

I've never found myself in a situation over here where I am unable to extract myself from an evolving situation very easily by avoiding the escalation in the first place....

 

In this case - it was simply someone hitting a horn - its incredibly simple not to even raise an eyebrow to that and not react in any form or manner...   even more simple, not to react further and hit the car a second time !!!

 

It was also incredibly simple for the driver not to hit the horn... it was incredible simple for the driver not to get out of the car and fight, things could have been different and he could have found himself knocked out or worse - you never know.

Bravo!

Excellent summary of what is wrong with "chip on the shoulder manliness".

The other day I was crossing at a zebra crossing, waiting for it to be clear, and a driver stopped to let me cross. I was so surprised I waited to make double sure he was really stopping.

 

When crossing at zebra crossings I always proceed as if the zebra crossing is not there and that I am on my own to determine when it is safe.

You can't count on drivers stopping,

 

14 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

The other day I was crossing at a zebra crossing, waiting for it to be clear, and a driver stopped to let me cross. I was so surprised I waited to make double sure he was really stopping.

 

When crossing at zebra crossings I always proceed as if the zebra crossing is not there and that I am on my own to determine when it is safe.

You can't count on drivers stopping,

 

More the point, don't be lured into a false sense of security that other vehicles aren't about to accelerate round the guy and certainly won't be looking out for you!

On 9/23/2025 at 9:41 AM, WDSmart said:

It is everywhere in the USA...

By law maybe.

Not in practice.

If he simply made a wai to the driver,  and walked away  fast, calmly, nothing would not have happened there.

 

I suspect that pedestrian was drunk.

And alcohol quite possibly served a trigger to unleash  his arrogant nature of short fuse.

11 minutes ago, black tabby12345 said:

I suspect that pedestrian was drunk.

And alcohol quite possibly served a trigger to unleash  his arrogant nature of short fuse.

Quite possibly the car driver was too!

Two imbeciles meet....

9 hours ago, hotchilli said:

He got educated twice, once about crossing the road, the second time about touching someones car.

 

Whats the 'education' about crossing the road ?...  its is illegal in Thailand ?

On 9/23/2025 at 9:41 AM, WDSmart said:

On 9/23/2025 at 9:28 AM, CygnusX1 said:

On 9/23/2025 at 8:35 AM, Sydebolle said:

Well, in Europe it suffices to put one foot onto the road and cars are - by law - forced to slow down or even stop. 

Not everywhere in Europe!

It is everywhere in the USA...

 

There is a striking inconsistency in how pedestrian rights and responsibilities are handled around the world, and even within individual countries, rules can vary widely depending on the jurisdiction - our own rules or what we are familiar with does not always apply.

 

United States
In the USA, "jaywalking" laws exist in most states, though their application differs from city to city. Typically, fines are levied when a pedestrian crosses a road outside of a designated crosswalk, or within a specified distance of one, and in some cases when crossing against a pedestrian signal. Enforcement is often stricter in large urban centres (such as New York or Los Angeles) and virtually non-existent in smaller towns. Critics argue that these laws are inconsistently applied and sometimes disproportionately enforced.

 

United Kingdom
By contrast, the UK does not have a legal concept of jaywalking. Pedestrians may cross the road wherever they choose, provided they do so safely. Motorists are expected to exercise due care and attention, and while pedestrians do not always have absolute right of way, drivers are legally obliged to stop at designated pedestrian crossings (zebra, pelican, puffin, etc.). In practice, pedestrians and drivers are both expected to use common sense: for example, it would be considered reckless to step directly into moving traffic even though no fine exists for "jaywalking".

 

Thailand
Thailand’s laws theoretically grant pedestrians the right of way at marked crossings, but the reality is more complex. Pedestrian crossings (zebra crossings) are frequently ignored by drivers, and law enforcement is often lax. High-profile cases in recent years, such as the death of a doctor struck on a zebra crossing in Bangkok, have highlighted the gap between the law and its enforcement. On ordinary roads away from crossings, the burden of proof shifts heavily against pedestrians: if struck, they must show that the driver was behaving recklessly or unlawfully. On marked crossings the presumption of driver fault is stronger, but even then, weak enforcement and lengthy judicial processes often undermine pedestrian protection. The imbalance is starkly illustrated by the “metal versus flesh” reality - pedestrians may technically have rights, but those rights offer little practical safety.

 

Broader context
Other countries handle this differently again. For example:

Germany has strict jaywalking rules, with fines for crossing against a red pedestrian light even if the road is clear.

Australia enforces pedestrian regulations, including fines for crossing within 20 metres of a crossing if it is not used.

Japan expects both drivers and pedestrians to follow strict traffic laws, with strong cultural adherence to using crossings, resulting in comparatively safer outcomes.

 

Overall, while many legal frameworks appear to prioritise pedestrian rights, their effectiveness depends heavily on cultural norms, enforcement, and judicial integrity. In some countries, the law is clear but practice is dangerously ambiguous.

 

 

In this case - the French man was not wrong to cross the road where he did, unless his timing was careless.

That said, if there was time and the oncoming car 'could have gently eased off the accelerator to allow time' and perhaps instead chose not to and continued accelerating towards the pedestrian (as I've often witnessed in person myself) thus angering the pedestrian, and quite rightly so IMO (though his reaction of course might have been somewhat of an escalation, albeit an understandable one) - we don't know unless we were there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 9/22/2025 at 11:02 PM, richard_smith237 said:

 

I'll rewrite it for you... 

 

A lot of guys idiots will perceive it as a loss of face to walk away from a battle.

It's part of male warrior childish, juvenile and immature instinct. 

If a guy wrongs you and you walk away, many people pathetic fools will see themselves as cowards for doing so.

Or not standing up for what's right. having the maturity to simply overlook such insignificant issues.

You could get yourself killed or kicked out of the country, though. [agreed]

So might be best to bury your ego. [not flex your ego in the first place]

 

I try to remind myself when I go out to be cautious of conflict. [or naturally not 'bite' in the first place]

If you're constantly stressed out and in a hurry to get around, it will make it worse. [agreed - don't be an unhinged fool]

So need to try to be in a relaxed state of mind and not stressed out and in a hurry. [again, agreed - don't be an unhinged fool]

 

 

Some will see that as 'not being an alpha male' or being 'spineless' - I see it as simply not being a complete idiot. 

That doesn't mean we are not strong enough or competent enough to look after ourselves if necessary, its just that we (or people like me) don't find it necessary to ever 'need to look after ourselves' because we can easily anticipate and extract ourselves from any situation (or at least a significant majority of situations).

 

 

I've never found myself in a situation over here where I am unable to extract myself from an evolving situation very easily by avoiding the escalation in the first place....

 

In this case - it was simply someone hitting a horn - its incredibly simple not to even raise an eyebrow to that and not react in any form or manner...   even more simple, not to react further and hit the car a second time !!!

 

It was also incredibly simple for the driver not to hit the horn... it was incredible simple for the driver not to get out of the car and fight, things could have been different and he could have found himself knocked out or worse - you never know.

 

 

Those for whom this is intended won't even understand it.

 

 

On 9/23/2025 at 10:13 AM, BeastOfBodmin said:

Safer not to cross the street in the first place.

 

 

What do you suggest?       Flying??

 

 

On 10/7/2025 at 12:09 AM, In Full Agreement said:

What do you suggest?       Flying??

I was thinking pogo stick, but flying is better.