Is It Real?

[mavisnt]

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHY I LOVE THIS PLACE ...YOU FIND AN OPTIMIST ROUND EVERY CORNER....SETTING UP A DRIVING SCHOOL IN PATTAYA?????

[kurgen]

My wife passed her test about a year ago with one of the two driving schools here in Patters.

After her test the instructor realised she still had a couple of hours of lessons left so offered to teach her to drive in reverse.

To pass her test she drove around a few cones in a car park in 1st gear, no parking or reversing

[Carib]

come on, it is a start, at least someone is trying.

[taxexile]

i like the way the sign is tied to the back of the car with a piece of string , and hangs down blocking the number plate.

its good to know that professionalism is still very much alive and well in this great country.

[plasticpig]

My wife passed her test about a year ago with one of the two driving schools here in Patters.

After her test the instructor realised she still had a couple of hours of lessons left so offered to teach her to drive in reverse.

To pass her test she drove around a few cones in a car park in 1st gear, no parking or reversing

That was the advanced drivers course.

Not taken by many females around the world.

[joskydive]

Not taken by many females around the world.

Or males, from what I've observed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chickenslegs]

We all complain about the standard of driving over here (which is awful), but how quickly we find our own standards dropping.

I admit that within just a couple of weeks of driving in Pattaya I was overtaking on the wrong side and leaving less than a safe distance between me and the car in front (if you leave a safe gap someone will fill it - if you drop back again, another one cuts in front - if you keep dropping back you eventually need to select 'R').

However, I do still stop at every red light and, occasionally, let someone out at a junction without being forced to.

On the m/c, I have yet to be seen riding on the footpath, but I will admit to riding on the wrong side of the road occasionally (just for a few yards).

[plasticpig]

[basjke]

I once watched the driving tests at the tax office in chonburi while I was waiting to pay my road tax.To pass the test they had to drive in a straight line between 2 rows of plastic poles over a distance of about 20 meters and then the same distance back in reverse.

You can not believe how many failed that test.But I'm sure an extra few hundred bath landed them a driver licence.

[kurgen]

On the m/c, I have yet to be seen riding on the footpath,

This is legal in Thailand, strange but true

[PhilHarries]

You can not believe how many failed that test.But I'm sure an extra few hundred bath landed them a driver licence.

A clean one I hope.

Seriously, a properly run driving school is at least a step in the right direction. The problem is going to be to get people to actually use it but for that you need a properly conducted extensive driving test with no baths changing hands for the licence.

[sweetchariot]

I made the missus have lessons last year before I would let her drive the car. At the time there were 2 driving schools in Pattaya, and the one we selected had 6 cars which were constantly in use, to the point that her lessons had to be booked a good week to 10 days in advance, so there are people using them.

To be fair they were very good, she had 20 hours of lessons for around 6,000 baht, and emerged a very competent and confident driver. It's not a bad investment either as I have probably saved that back in taxi fares over the last 12 months

[wilko]

My friend laughed so much watching the others take their test that his wife had to rell him to shut up in case someone took offence and failed him.

Edited May 26, 2008 by wilko

[turbog3]

I once watched the driving tests at the tax office in chonburi while I was waiting to pay my road tax.To pass the test they had to drive in a straight line between 2 rows of plastic poles over a distance of about 20 meters and then the same distance back in reverse.

You can not believe how many failed that test.But I'm sure an extra few hundred bath landed them a driver licence.

Reminds me of something my grandmother told me. In Sweden, back in the 30's or 40's, when she was young driving lessons/exams (there were no lessons, only exams back then) existed of a group of 4 or 5 men (what? You thought women could drive? This is the 30's!! ) getting in to the car together with the instructor. One man drove about a kilometer in one direction, made a turn and stopped, changed place with one of the other men who then proceeded to drive back and then all 4 or 5 men passed the exams and got their driving license!

My mother has a driving license for driving motorcycles. She has never even sat on a scooter, much less a motorcycle, in all of her 58 years! But back in the days, if you could get a license for a car, you might as well get one for a motorcycle while you where at it...

To me it would seem that the Thais are just doing what they always do, copy the West, "thaify" the concept and then take it up a notch... Driving in reverse... Oh my, what will they think of next?

[chickenslegs]

When I took my UK m/c test on my brand new red Vespa in the early 70's the examiner instructed me to keep riding around the same route (approx 2 mile circuit through town).

The idea being that the examiner would move from place to place to see you completing different maneouvres (stop at the stop sign, right and left turns, etc.).

At some point the examiner would step into the road and raise his clip-board - to test the 'emergency stop'.

On about my fourth circuit there was a traffic hold-up. At the front of it an ambulance. Next to the ambulance a bright red Vespa lying on it's side.

You've guessed the rest.

Edited May 26, 2008 by chickenslegs

[Tammi]

My wife passed her test about a year ago with one of the two driving schools here in Patters.

After her test the instructor realised she still had a couple of hours of lessons left so offered to teach her to drive in reverse.

To pass her test she drove around a few cones in a car park in 1st gear, no parking or reversing

That was the advanced drivers course.

Not taken by many females around the world.

Get lost.

Women are much better drivers than men.

[plasticpig]

Women are just Cockeyed, you know.

[wilko]

My wife passed her test about a year ago with one of the two driving schools here in Patters.

After her test the instructor realised she still had a couple of hours of lessons left so offered to teach her to drive in reverse.

To pass her test she drove around a few cones in a car park in 1st gear, no parking or reversing

That was the advanced drivers course.

Not taken by many females around the world.

Get lost.

Women are much better drivers than men.

interesting that you use the expression "get lost"...now that reminds me of............

[Taijitu]

........I admit that within just a couple of weeks of driving in Pattaya I was overtaking on the wrong side........

If you mean overtaking on the inside, which I think that you do, then this is entirely legal in Thailand (as it is in many other countries around the world) where there is more than one lane on the carriageway.

[chickenslegs]

........I admit that within just a couple of weeks of driving in Pattaya I was overtaking on the wrong side........

If you mean overtaking on the inside, which I think that you do, then this is entirely legal in Thailand (as it is in many other countries around the world) where there is more than one lane on the carriageway.

Yes, I do mean overtaking on the inside. Yes, legal in Thailand. But I wasn't talking about what's legal, just about the changes in my driving habits and my slipping standards.

I use the word 'wrong' in the same sense as I would say that in the US and Mainland Europe, they drive on the 'wrong' side of the road.

[wade72]

I had my wife take driving lessons in Sriracha, a very good investment actually. I would recommend it to anyone instead of trying to teach there wife or kids to drive. She has had a couple minor accidents but nothing major. The gate jumped out in front of her and getting ass ended by a motorcycle wasn’t her fault. Par for the course though I think all of us had a couple mishaps when we fist started driving.

I use to work in a mine running heavy equipment. The first time I got in a 100 ton haul truck, and this was in Canada by the way, for my training. The ‘instructor’ drove the truck up the hill got loaded, then drove down the hill. After dumping the load into the crusher he told me to get in the drivers seat. I drove up the hill, got a load, came back down the hill and dumped into the crusher. After that he told me to swing into the shop where he got out of the truck and and told me to keep hauling from that machine until the shift was over. Training over. So it’s not that much different here.