Road Rage In Thailand...

[Heng]

I rarely carry, but I am considering it as road rage incidents -not with myself being the originator of any of that rage of course- will no doubt increase as the financial situation for a good number of folks worsens. For unarmed folks who find themselves in an impromptu gunfight: remember that your car or truck is a fast, heavy, and powerful weapon in itself. Hint: make sure they are not already standing next to your car pointing their gun at you at point blank range first.

[onnut]

ha ha, road rage in Thailand!!!!

I learnt my lesson a couple of years ago, man, I thought I had a temper. well, I aint gonna go there again.

I would never give the finger over here, thats just asking for trouble.

stay calm and drive safe. its hard for me to do that but I am trying.

[Macx]

Sorry to hear about your incident OP. Glad you're OK.

I've probably driven/ridden about 80K km in LOS over 6 years (car, motorbike, motorcycle, and bicycle) and I must admit it's a scary place.

Yesterday, I saw a pickup run a young girl on a Fino off the edge of the road. He blasted his horn and rode right up behind her because he wanted to speed up to the intersection and make a left turn. She yelled and pointed at him. He swerved as if to hit her and almost did, and then he sped up and ran away.

It's really ugly out there.

Today, I stopped and allowed a policeman in a police pickup make a right turn. The traffic in my direction was so slow that it didn't make a difference to me or anyone behind me. I saw him from a way off, but no one let him turn even though traffic in our direction was crawling at around 5km/hr. From the look on his face, he couldn't believe that someone actually let him through. He was grateful. He bowed, smiled, and waved! Friendly BIB!

I just got in tonight from a 1400km, 2-day road trip here in LOS. And, yes, plenty of close calls.

Be careful folks.

[toptuan]

I will have to say where I live in LOS, the drivers are the picture of politeness, compared to what I was used to in USA. I would not dare to ride a motobike there. You would be "dead meat" sooner or later.

An unbelievable post, considering the traffic fatality rate is 4 times higher in LOS.

Where do you live in LOS?

and

Where did you live in the USA?

Maybe that will shed some light on your incredible statement...

[onnut]

I rarely carry, but I am considering it as road rage incidents -not with myself being the originator of any of that rage of course- will no doubt increase as the financial situation for a good number of folks worsens. For unarmed folks who find themselves in an impromptu gunfight: remember that your car or truck is a fast, heavy, and powerful weapon in itself. Hint: make sure they are not already standing next to your car pointing their gun at you at point blank range first.

not when you are stuck in traffic, your <deleted>-k-d if a guy pulls a gun while on a moped. you rarely carry? who are you???

ive thought of having a gun in the house but i would never go for a drive with it.

[jing jing]

You flipped some guy the finger and got beaten up for it. It took you how many years before you learned that lesson?

The guy deserved the finger, he was driving negligently and rudely.

Yes the guy deserved the finger. If only the OP had explained that to the three men as they beat him up...

Here in Phuket you just have sooooo many terrible drivers, and soooo many people that do not abide by the rules of the road that it is almost impossible not to get upset. Really that's why I prefer the motorbike....

Today I was in the truck, I had a Toyota SUV, one of the bigger ones (Fortuner?) riding my rear bumper at 120, trying to get past but we had trucks and slow moving vehicles in the slow lane. The genius then swerves all the way to the left to pass all in the motorcycle lane and almost kills an old guy on his bike with the side car !!! Just amazing.

I never do anything like road rage, but at times I do like to jam up these a**sholes, box em in or brake a bit when they are tailgating.

Beware of guns though...

Here's a story that ought to put the fear of maniacal Thai drivers into even the "bravest" of expats accustomed to Western driving practices... I almost posted a topic right after it happened but chickened out for fear of the ensuing ridicule...

I was stopped at a major 4 lane intersection waiting to turn right with a large tour bus in the left lane next to me. When the light turned green I began my right turn but the bus driver had decided he would make a right turn in front of me from the left lane, and cut me off so sharply I had to swerve and slam on my brakes to avoid being literally crushed.

I've driven all sorts of vehicles in all sorts of places, from flatout on the autobahns and autostradas of the Continent to dragging a knee through the mountain roads of California, from the mountain roads north of Chiang Mai to the side sois of Bangkok, the rough dirt trails of Ko Chang and Ko Tao to the two lane upcountry highways populated by kwai and wua.

I had never in my life seen another driver make such an arrogant, ruthless, blatantly illegal maneuver, with such an intentional disregard for the lives of others. Believe me I've come to expect Thai drivers to regularly pull out in front of oncoming traffic, but this was nothing like that. I was so outraged with the way this bus driver nonchalantly almost killed me that I couldn't help myself... after surviving the initial encounter I caught up and passed the bus, then tapped my brake slightly once in front of him -- not hard enough to cause any real problem, but just to give him the old what for.

What happened next introduced me to the reality of road rage Thai-style: he proceeded to floor his throttle and slam that busload of Korean tourists full tilt into the back of my car.

By the grace of Buddha neither my son, my wife, nor myself were injured that day but the car took a pretty good hit and dealing with insurance and the body shop was not an experience I'd like to repeat.

Moral of the story: never, ever underestimate what some people may do - Thais in particular - in a road rage situation.

[wolf5370]

BTS, taxi or the Mrs drives while I sleep - what traffic jam?

[Desertexile]

You flipped some guy the finger and got beaten up for it. It took you how many years before you learned that lesson?

The guy deserved the finger, he was driving negligently and rudely.

Yes the guy deserved the finger. If only the OP had explained that to the three men as they beat him up...

Here in Phuket you just have sooooo many terrible drivers, and soooo many people that do not abide by the rules of the road that it is almost impossible not to get upset. Really that's why I prefer the motorbike....

Today I was in the truck, I had a Toyota SUV, one of the bigger ones (Fortuner?) riding my rear bumper at 120, trying to get past but we had trucks and slow moving vehicles in the slow lane. The genius then swerves all the way to the left to pass all in the motorcycle lane and almost kills an old guy on his bike with the side car !!! Just amazing.

I never do anything like road rage, but at times I do like to jam up these a**sholes, box em in or brake a bit when they are tailgating.

Beware of guns though...

Yes, I've also had some incredibly rude, not to mention downright dangerous, driving experiences here on Phuket.

But, do you know? After the first time I had someone pull up alongside me forcing me to stop and pointing a gun at me, I had a Thai friend go and buy me a Great Big Gun (we're not allowed to of course). You should see the look on their faces when I stop, or, more effectively in my view, actually reverse back down the the road and stop directly in front of them, and pull it out, the gun that is and point it straight at them:lol:

(This works incredibly well on a certain class of farang on their hols who think they can get away with driving as rudely/badly as the locals, by the way. In fact, you can actually see them shit themselves).

Hahahahaha. Were you, by any chance, the overweight boy in school who was bullied? hence why you think you are intimidating farangs instead of possibly armed Thais.

Mate - a hint for you. 50% of the guys I know working in Iraq and Afganistan are also living it up on RnR time in Phuket. Someone's gonna take that gun off of you and bitch slap you with it......just like the old days

[Huey]

I'm sorry you got beat down by a bunch of cowardly sub human scumbag thugs. You did NOT deserve that and they all deserve death. Unfortunately this place calls for a different approach. In the US you could have blown the all the F away and the world would now be a better place because of it. Here you need to watch it and understand that the law is not on your side. If you have a gun and shoot them your still going to jail. Like england or something. Be careful, mabey carry a screw driver like I do. This is a oldy but goody, its not a "weapon" persay and it can kill a man just as easy, with out all the fuss and muss of caring a concealed weapon.."I was just fixing up my car/house/ whatever..." I hope they all die slow painfully and your wounds heal fast and with few scars.

[stumonster]

he proceeded to floor his throttle and slam that busload of Korean tourists full tilt into the back of my car.

A cement truck , fuel tanker or a train are all that will trump a bus in this country - it is no use being " in the right" if you are dead - if it is bigger than you , give way.

[Richb2004v2]

The suicidal driving amongst the Thais seems to cross all boundary’s of social class, education, age and wealth. I see all manner of vehicles driven as though they are desperate to get into the next life and to take anyone that’s around with them on the trip. However when this topic has been discussed in the post on TV there are always those westerners that have either been here too long or who see them selves as semi-Thai, who will defend the Thai diving as a perfectly reasonable system. There may be plenty of road rage in the west but most of it is confined to beeping the horn or waving a fist. My wife often reprimands me when I get worked up here, for fear that I will get myself killed. LOS. Nice.

[wxpwzrd]

You must be kidding. Motorcycles anywhere in the USA (except perhaps California) have a full lane to themselves. Safe as can be really. None of this trying to squeeze between cars nonsense.

LOL You haven't been to Las Vegas. Same problem. Motorcycles love to squeeze between cars here as well.

[Huey]

This may not be able to help everyone but if it helps one person I'm happy. Check out http://www.gun.in.th/ Its a Thai Website all about guns and ownership in the kingdom. Get the wife to get one and have it registered. Keep it in the car that way you can always reach for it if the worst happens.

[jing jing]

he proceeded to floor his throttle and slam that busload of Korean tourists full tilt into the back of my car.

A cement truck , fuel tanker or a train are all that will trump a bus in this country - it is no use being " in the right" if you are dead - if it is bigger than you , give way.

As a mate of mine likes to say, 'the big ones eat the little ones.'

Funny part of it was, after the cloud of pulverized glass settled around my car and I emerged slightly dazed and confused, the bus driver jumped out with an empty plastic water heating jug and started swinging it and kicking in my general direction like Bruce Lee on yaabaa. Fortunately he was maybe 20 years my senior and obviously not a former muay thai champion. When my wife started screaming at him he jumped back like somene had tasered him.

[popshirt]

I don't think it is cool to EVER give someone the finger.

[onnut]

I don't think it is cool to EVER give someone the finger.

[roamer]

I don't think it is cool to EVER give someone the finger.

No, its not cool. But for a lot of people its a conditioned response, doing it in the UK or USA is no great deal. It follows therefore that it can be hard to prevent yourself doing it in LOS when its such an instant reaction, 5 secs to think about it and you might think not a good move, back off, 5 secs, pity you flipped the finger 4.5 secs ago.

I certainly wouldn't consider carrying a gun either. Even were I to come out on top in such a situation I suspect my jail time might turn it into somewhat of a Pyrrhic victory.

[roygsd]

You flipped some guy the finger and got beaten up for it. It took you how many years before you learned that lesson?

The guy deserved the finger, he was driving negligently and rudely.

Yes the guy deserved the finger. If only the OP had explained that to the three men as they beat him up...

Here in Phuket you just have sooooo many terrible drivers, and soooo many people that do not abide by the rules of the road that it is almost impossible not to get upset. Really that's why I prefer the motorbike....

Today I was in the truck, I had a Toyota SUV, one of the bigger ones (Fortuner?) riding my rear bumper at 120, trying to get past but we had trucks and slow moving vehicles in the slow lane. The genius then swerves all the way to the left to pass all in the motorcycle lane and almost kills an old guy on his bike with the side car !!! Just amazing.

I never do anything like road rage, but at times I do like to jam up these a**sholes, box em in or brake a bit when they are tailgating.

Beware of guns though...

Yes, I've also had some incredibly rude, not to mention downright dangerous, driving experiences here on Phuket.

But, do you know? After the first time I had someone pull up alongside me forcing me to stop and pointing a gun at me, I had a Thai friend go and buy me a Great Big Gun (we're not allowed to of course). You should see the look on their faces when I stop, or, more effectively in my view, actually reverse back down the the road and stop directly in front of them, and pull it out, the gun that is and point it straight at them:lol:

(This works incredibly well on a certain class of farang on their hols who think they can get away with driving as rudely/badly as the locals, by the way. In fact, you can actually see them shit themselves).

Another inadequate <deleted> with a big gun small brain,......... self appointed policeman... graveyards full of them, let them pass in future , your ego can take it.

Your not the only idiot out there one day you are likely to pull that stunt with a drunk or someone as stupid as you who will call your bluff, either you shoot him or hes going to take it off you and shove it up your arse, or end your life there and then

[mr_hippo]

cluezo, if you suffer from road rage - either get treatment or stay off the road. By your own admission, you provoked the incident, why?

I never do anything like road rage, but at times I do like to jam up these a**sholes, box em in or brake a bit when they are tailgating.

Isn't that road rage?

But, do you know? After the first time I had someone pull up alongside me forcing me to stop and pointing a gun at me, I had a Thai friend go and buy me a Great Big Gun (we're not allowed to of course). You should see the look on their faces when I stop, or, more effectively in my view, actually reverse back down the the road and stop directly in front of them, and pull it out, the gun that is and point it straight at them:lol:

(This works incredibly well on a certain class of farang on their hols who think they can get away with driving as rudely/badly as the locals, by the way. In fact, you can actually see them shit themselves).

And I thought John Wayne was dead.

Be careful, mabey carry a screw driver like I do. This is a oldy but goody, its not a "weapon" persay and it can kill a man just as easy, with out all the fuss and muss of caring a concealed weapon.."I was just fixing up my car/house/ whatever..."

So if you are involved in an incident and you approach the other driver, why are you holding a screwdriver? To tighten up your radiator hose? In that situation, it is an offensive weapon.

I cycle about 40 kms a day and my routes include Lat Phrao Road, Kaset-Nawamin and Ram Intra which can be fast and/or busy. Do drivers beep their horns? Yes. Pass too close? Yes. Pull out in front of me? Yes. Cut me off? Yes. How do I react to it? I don't, I know these things happen - there's no point in getting worked up over them.

Please follow the advice that my driving instructor gave me over 40 years ago - "Remember that you are the only sane driver on the road, all the others are lunatics!" Be aware of your surroundings and what may happen to you.

[farangconnection]

I would imagine the likelihood of a beating would be similar in Mexico, Brazil, Serbia, Africa and the Philippines for doing the same thing.

Not in England though............................a couple got gunned down because they cut someone up. There was a very famous case about it ( no names,he might be living here now)

[stumonster]

you will save yourself a lot of stress if you just get yourself out of the way - learn to ignore silly pride and you will live longer

Keep it in the car that way you can always reach for it if the worst happens.

and the worst can happen

A FOUR-year-old American girl shot herself in the chest after grabbing a gun from her grandmother's handbag while on a trip to the local supermarket.

[JimmyTheMook]

About two days there was an accident on Sukumvit Road at the Theprasit Intersection in Jomtien involving 3 schoolboys who where hit by a pickup while riding their motorbike to school. The bike got creamed and the kids (young teenagers) were all sprawled along the highway. What really spoke volumes about the society here is two of the kids got up and moved to the side of the road but the worst of the 3 was laying in road because his leg was split in half. The traffic behind the accident could not even foking wait for the injured boy to be moved or for an ambulance to come and assist him as they were all just driving around him as he laid in the middle of the highway.

When you look beneath the surface here, under layer is really feudal and ugly and I am strongly considering to just go back home where at least we have laws and people on the most part tend to be decent to each other or should I just let my kids grow up around 3rd Worlders like this?

[gymshark]

This may not be able to help everyone but if it helps one person I'm happy. Check out http://www.gun.in.th/ Its a Thai Website all about guns and ownership in the kingdom. Get the wife to get one and have it registered. Keep it in the car that way you can always reach for it if the worst happens.

I think I'd rather get shot tha go to gaol here for shooting a local.

[kmart]

About two days there was an accident on Sukumvit Road at the Theprasit Intersection in Jomtien involving 3 schoolboys who where hit by a pickup while riding their motorbike to school. The bike got creamed and the kids (young teenagers) were all sprawled along the highway. What really spoke volumes about the society here is two of the kids got up and moved to the side of the road but the worst of the 3 was laying in road because his leg was split in half. The traffic behind the accident could not even foking wait for the injured boy to be moved or for an ambulance to come and assist him as they were all just driving around him as he laid in the middle of the highway.

When you look beneath the surface here, under layer is really feudal and ugly and I am strongly considering to just go back home where at least we have laws and people on the most part tend to be decent to each other or should I just let my kids grow up around 3rd Worlders like this?

Know what you mean. Some Thais have a "bubble" of perception regarding their immediate environment. They chuck rubbish over their wall and forget about it as it now out of their immediate vicinity. Same with cars, they might be talking politely with someone sat directly next to them in the car, whilst driving like a complete psycho. Because they don't have to acknowledge the other person driving a car, they are not important.

Driving here gets a lot safer when you realise that by strictly following the rules of the road, you are most likely to have an accident. Thais mostly all drive the same way with varying degrees of skill and manners. The concept of "other people" is sometimes off the agenda, though.

[mr_hippo]

About two days there was an accident on Sukumvit Road at the Theprasit Intersection in Jomtien involving 3 schoolboys who where hit by a pickup while riding their motorbike to school. The bike got creamed and the kids (young teenagers) were all sprawled along the highway. What really spoke volumes about the society here is two of the kids got up and moved to the side of the road but the worst of the 3 was laying in road because his leg was split in half. The traffic behind the accident could not even foking wait for the injured boy to be moved or for an ambulance to come and assist him as they were all just driving around him as he laid in the middle of the highway.

When you look beneath the surface here, under layer is really feudal and ugly and I am strongly considering to just go back home where at least we have laws and people on the most part tend to be decent to each other or should I just let my kids grow up around 3rd Worlders like this?

So what happens in your country? Does the traffic stop until the ambulance comes and the patient is moved?

[cluezo]

So what happens in your country? Does the traffic stop until the ambulance comes and the patient is moved?

Yes, in America the cops are on the scene almost immediately to redirect or halt traffic until the rescue units arrive.

[mr_hippo]

So what happens in your country? Does the traffic stop until the ambulance comes and the patient is moved?

Yes, in America the cops are on the scene almost immediately to redirect or halt traffic until the rescue units arrive.

What happens before the police arrive? Someone will call the emergency services and a member of the public will direct the traffic - is this what happened here?

[Scott]

I take driving rather seriously here and make sure I am in the right frame of mind before I get behind the wheel--otherwise it's just too stressful. All those lousy jerks doing all those stupid things are really quite OK with me because I take a couple of deep breaths before I start and make a concious decision to take it easy.

The thing is that driving in Thailand is almost never fun. It really requires your absolute full attention. If it's not the nuts on the road, it's the folks with the pushcart who decide you should stop while they slowly cross 4 lanes of rush hour traffic. Or the dog that stops in the middle of the road to scratch his butt and lick his privates--then moving on or the........

By the way, when someone is actually angry enough to honk at you, it's a good bet you might not want to mess with them--as you learned.

Hope your OK and take care.

[clausewitz]

Most of my problems in Thailand have come from accidents, bad drivers or just the frustration of dealing with 20-30 near misses everyday. Also parking can be another serious issue.

Happy motoring when possible.

My home country is New zealand, a quaint little hole with only 4 million people. Yet parking is almost impossible to find in the main city Auckland(thanks to greenie politicians and councilors who belive it is immoral to drive cars and restrict the number of parking buildings, to try to force the public to take buses). In Bangkok everywhere I go there are large parking buildings that are FREE, and with helpful gurads showing you where to park. In Auckland if you do get up early enough to find a space the rates they charge could lead to bankruptcy.

Oh and the last extended holiday I took in NZ I got three speeding tickets and was going to lose my license. Here I pay 200 baht for any infraction and drive away.

Thailand is really a nice place to drive.

O

Edited June 10, 2008 by clausewitz

[Cuban]

Thai driver's red mist is very thick.

The best way to win is not to play.