Driving in thailand

[nikkiDK]

Ture or Flase

1. It's legal in LOS to make a U-turn any place.

2. If you are driving in an unsafe manner just flash your headlights and that makes anything legal.

3. Going the wrong way on a one-way street is permitted if you want to go someplace special on that street.

4. On any road no matter how many lanes if a car going the same direction as you is passing the car in front of you it is permitted for you to make a third lane and pass also without any problem except flash the headlights.

5. No cares or curtesy should be given to motorcycles.

6. If you have a small child it is permitted for him to sit on your lap and drive the car for you.

7. The only speed limit you must observe is the max KPM on your speedometer.

8. It is legal to double park anyplace.

9. It is legal to park on the sidewalk.

10. If you are stopped by a police officer you must have a legal driver and valid driver's licence.

By Mr.Ralph Revill

October 7, 1993 in Bangkok Post

10 years pass, I hope we (Thais) can do better.

[caughtintheact]

deleted

[caughtintheact]

Try these:

1.  Of course...as long as no police are in sight

2.  Didn't know there was any question about this

3.  It's like cutting into a cue because your business is more important that anything else

4.  I don't want to get there tomorrow

5.  False.  One must be careful not to hit one and it is the automobile driver's fault...the motorcycle is smaller.

6.  Only if he has no driver's licence

7.  That's true because the kid on your lap is blocking your view of the rest of the speedometer

8.  If you don't someone else will

9.  Only if there are no noodle stands under your car

10.  Not if you have xxxx baht in your pocket

[Thetyim]

Nikki,

That was written ten years ago the law in Thailand has been changed now and the country now runs to International Driving Standards.

The basis of which is that every driver must drive according to the laws of his country of origin.

[nikkiDK]

Thetyim,

That is good news for me. Nice to know that somebody had done something about it.

[Bukseeda]

Thetyim,

That may be so, but people still drive like that.   I read recently that Thailand has the highest number of road deaths per capita in the world.

[Bukseeda]

Just another point Thetyim.   People must drive according to the laws of the country they're in not according to the laws of the country of origin.

[keestha]

Nikki,

That was written ten years ago the law in Thailand has been changed now and the country now runs to International Driving Standards.

The basis of which is that every driver must drive according to the laws of his country of origin.

I know.....they should change that, it gives me a lot of stress to have to keep right according to the law of my country of origin, when all the Thais are keeping left. Does anybody need a free ride from Phuket to Chiang Mai next weekend?

[Thetyim]

AN APOLOGY

My post about everyone driving around using a different law was a JOKE

Sorry I have a dry sense of humour, maybe I should have worded it another way.

[Edward B]

I got your joke Thetyim. Not all of us have a dry sense of humour. Should probably have added a smiley or something!

::

It's interesting the flashing lights - overtaking thing. I have witnessed this custom quite often in Thailand and wondered if I would ever have the guts to try it myself. Well, one day I was stuck behind one of those 20 tonne buffalo movers one a one-lane highway...so I thought I'd give it a go. Well, to my surprise it really works! Cars coming the other way actually get out of YOUR way! It was such a good feeling of power.

*** Kids, do not try this at home ***

[MrSam]

I read recently that Thailand has the highest number of road deaths per capita in the world.

Of all the stupid, rediculous, completely avoidable accidents I've seen in my life (several years as a police officer in the States) I've never seen so many people unqualified to drive as I have here. I don't know if it's just me and my opinion, or if that's a fact. One fact I do know is that many Thai's ARE in fact aware of the laws and regulations that they're supposed to follow.

Traffic laws, copyright laws, human rights... words like these have no meaning here.

It's not that they're stupid for not knowing the laws, they just think they don't have to because "this is Thailand".

A fine example, I work at a bilingual school, which I won't name. I've finally convinced the school to allow another teacher and myself to organise a drama club for a group of 35 students who were interested in it. Well, the students were going to do a rather popular play. When I mentioned that performances cost $60 per performance in royalties the response was simply "We don't have to pay that. This is Thailand, we can just do it anyway, no one will notice."

There is some truth to that. More than likely no one will notice. The point is they know it's illegal and they don't care. As long as the majority of Thais maintain this attitude, nothing will ever change here...

[flackjacket]

Saudi Arabia has the highest death toll for motor accidents(if you deduct the Annual Songkran Death Race) and Saudi has virtually NO motorcycles!!

For those of you "foreigners" who cannot adapt to driving on the left of the road, keep practicing, it really is not all that hard, proffesional drivers can adapt to driving on the right!!

Those with no sense of humour, ignore this as your blood pressure will go off the scale again.. Happy driving.

[alain]

c

[Thailand]

Every three months or so I go to Cyprus for business, now there is a place where anyone will get stressed out with the absolutely appaling driving standards.

It is a pleasure to come back to Thailand for a bit of near sanity on the roads.

[djinn]

You wish some good advices from a long time expat,take a look here  

http://www.welkominnthailand.com/driving.htm

(no it is not my site)

Very long time ago ,I was racing driver in europ,it helps here with all these kind competent drivers that are on the thai roads