Are Asians In General The Worlds Worst Drivers?

[BrooklynKid]

So the general poll in America is that Asians are the worst drivers in the world.I have seen driving in India and its not better than here in Thailand, but thailand is really bad (I am sure we can fill countless pages of posts about thai driving).Can some one shed light into this? How is china? Do you really think Asians in general are the worst drivers??

Thanks

BK

[gymshark]

Not if you have ever been to Italy or France.

[BrooklynKid]

Not if you have ever been to Italy or France.

I have, and always thought they had some sense of where the road was, but here,I am new to Thailand, but i already know that I have to look 4 ways on a one way street before crossing it.

[Groongthep]

Are Asians In General The Worlds Worst Drivers?

Yes

[Shotime]

Yes. Did you say Asian women?

[Thai at Heart]

So the general poll in America is that Asians are the worst drivers in the world.I have seen driving in India and its not better than here in Thailand, but thailand is really bad (I am sure we can fill countless pages of posts about thai driving).Can some one shed light into this? How is china? Do you really think Asians in general are the worst drivers??

Thanks

BK

China absolutely shocking. Korea terrible. India, lets not start. Vietnam strangely very law abiding and careful.

[Boater]

Singapore and HK, the driving is fine

The reason in Thailand that they are so bad, is there is no proper education on how to drive, as well as bad policing.

If you where to reflect the Driving Test in the UK to Here, and also get the police to actually police the roads, they would be much safer....

[hanno]

Vietnam strangely very law abiding and careful

I must have lived in a different Vietnam the last 13 years Thai driving is fantastic compared to what is going on here. Some African countries are pretty bad as well.

[poshthai]

My impression over 5 years is a total lack of teaching when new to the road,and i also think the typical bad thai driver is very lazy and expects everybody to move away from his erratic driving.Without knocking thais in general but the best drivers i have seen here in Pattaya are some of my friends gf/wives who have been taught by the guys.

Maybe that will tell a story of how to be a decent driver.I am amazed how many thais cannot reverse too.

[BrooklynKid]

Yes. Did you say Asian women?

Yes, I guess thats what I was trying to say.....

[Scott]

Yes, Brooklynkid, this is about as bad as it gets. I've been in a lot of countries, but as a very general rule, most of Asia is terrible and Thailand is particularly bad--and by bad I mean dangerous here. Bigger cars, faster cars, poorly constructed roads, bad engineering and unskilled drivers (not to mention all the carts, motorcycles and what not on the road).

[bernie66]

Please drive in Houston before you come to the conclusion about Asians. In Houston a turn signal mean speed up and drive next to me so i cannot get over. I have to put on my right turn signal to merge left because the traffic will move to the right and block me when they see my blinker. As well drive in Japan where no matter how congested traffic is they allow you to merge that the whole of traffic moves more efficient. Incredibly courteous drivers in Japan that makes even the most congested traffic bearable and complete anarchy and chaos in Houston, so I don’t agree.

[BrooklynKid]

Please drive in Houston before you come to the conclusion about Asians. In Houston a turn signal mean speed up and drive next to me so i cannot get over. I have to put on my right turn signal to merge left because the traffic will move to the right and block me when they see my blinker. As well drive in Japan where no matter how congested traffic is they allow you to merge that the whole of traffic moves more efficient. Incredibly courteous drivers in Japan that makes even the most congested traffic bearable and complete anarchy and chaos in Houston, so I don't agree.

Do most asians live in Houston?

[ade100]

Not if you have ever been to Italy or France.

I have, and always thought they had some sense of where the road was, but here,I am new to Thailand, but i already know that I have to look 4 ways on a one way street before crossing it.

French people do have some concept of where the road is but no idea which bit of it they should be on and that there might be others using it. I used to see them reversing round roundabouts, driving the wrong way down one-way streets at break-neck speed, flying through red lights…I concluded French people become temporarily insane when they get into a car.

By comparison the Thais are relatively civilised and the Singaporeans are totally orderly.

I would say Mediterranean driving is the worst in the world.

[aehn]

So the general poll in America is that Asians are the worst drivers in the world.I have seen driving in India and its not better than here in Thailand, but thailand is really bad (I am sure we can fill countless pages of posts about thai driving).Can some one shed light into this? How is china? Do you really think Asians in general are the worst drivers??

Thanks

BK

When i had an apartment in Brooklyn, i heard, almost everyday, about crazy traffic incidents that would never happen from where i come from, a lady waiting to cross the street just outside of my apartment got smashed by a huge truck, another dude just drove his car into the Hudson river, etc, i thought the US was the wild wild west, but that does not necessary mean its all bad.

In fact i enjoy a little of the wild wild west, imperfection is a much better foundation for pluralism, variation and dynamics...

[ashacat]

Vietnam strangely very law abiding and careful

You must be joking, Vietnamese driving is terrible!!

[PhilHarries]

Vietnam strangely very law abiding and careful

I must have lived in a different Vietnam the last 13 years Thai driving is fantastic compared to what is going on here. Some African countries are pretty bad as well.

Thanks for that hanno, I was just starting to think maybe I was in some kind of parallel universe. Vietnamese driving is at least as bad, if not way worse that the Thais. The only reason they haven't completely exterminated themselves is that generally they drive a lot slower. It is not unusual to come face to face with a truck on your side of the road overtaking another truck. Your choice is get off the road or die. At night everybody drives with headlights on main beam plus fog lights if they have them. Failing that they just drive with no lights because with all that light they can see where they are going no problem.

But there is a quite well structured pecking order on the roads here. The trucks are kings, everybody gets out of the way of trucks. Buses are queens, everybody except trucks gets out of their way. Cars and pickups are mid ranking and get out of the way of trucks and buses but push motorbikes and bicycles around. Motorbikes are almost bottom of the heap and pick their way along the roads between the trucks, buses and cars but do their level best at causing mayhem by cluttering the entire road up. Bicycles simply don't exist. Then there are the minibuses, but these don't fit in as they all seem to be driven by suicidal nutters. In all this the only component of a motor vehicle, apart from the engine itself, that has to function is the horn.

But are Asians the worst in the world? Well, in general, they probably are but the Venezuelans would give them a run for their money and if they are indicative of South America then that region may well take the crown.

[barky]

The driving is bad because the cops don't care, and the drivers know the cops can be bought, often cheaply. So, it's a free for all. In the main here in Thailand the words "road" and "safety" do not collocate. Anything with an engine in it trumps pedestrians. How pedestrians get treated here by almost all drivers generally is criminal. I guess the thinking is, if your a pedestrian, you can't afford a vehicle; therefore, you are of no importance at all.

[Boater]

but there is a quite well structured pecking order on the roads here. The trucks are kings, everybody gets out of the way of trucks. Buses are queens, everybody except trucks gets out of their way. Cars and pickups are mid ranking and get out of the way of trucks and buses but push motorbikes and bicycles around. Motorbikes are almost bottom of the heap and pick their way along the roads between the trucks, buses and cars but do their level best at causing mayhem by cluttering the entire road up. Bicycles simply don't exist. Then there are the minibuses, but these don't fit in as they all seem to be driven by suicidal nutters. In all this the only component of a motor vehicle, apart from the engine itself, that has to function is the horn.

very well put

[Mr Jones]

go to utube and search for

indian driving

[gymshark]

I just did a road trip on a Harley through the States for charity from Austin Texas through to LA and found the yanks to be very good drivers. I would never ever consider riding a bike in Bangkok.....NEVER!

Edited August 25, 2008 by gymshark

[Thai at Heart]

Vietnam strangely very law abiding and careful

You must be joking, Vietnamese driving is terrible!!

Someone else agreed with me. It was my experience. Highway driving there was 1000 times better than Thailand or China, and apparently the fines for speeding are so high, that it appeared most people adhered strictly to the rules.

[donna]

i drove for a couple of years in phuket and thought that they were pretty bad there. going over that bloody mountain every day from kathu to patong was very taxing on the nerves, and even worse when it rained, causing the mountain to turn into a white water rafting experience.

then i came to bali to live. i find the drivers here to be MUCH worse than in phuket, and this is mostly due to the fact that the motorbikes just dont know their place on the road. thailand has it right with motorcyclists generally sticking to the left hand lane and this works well. but in bali, they are all over the place. trucks go at either full speed, or slower than walking pace, and insist on hogging the right lane.

a traffic light intersection that would usually have two lanes turns into three with a bottle neck effect when they have to merge suddenly on the other side of the intersection.

a lot of the problem here in bali is the state of the roads. 'bloody awful' to 'perhaps acceptable if nothing else is available' in most cases.

on some days, road rage is still alive in my car im afraid.

[danw]

Argentina, every car you see has collision damage, and when you get on the roads you see why!

[qwertz]

Add East Germany to your list.

Check out the delinquent pensioners, weekend drivers and boys still not old enough to shave.

[kmart]

An old friend of mine used to dismiss Asian drivers thus: "If a nation has never attained the discipline to invent a car / motor / automobile etc; they will never attain the discipline necessary to drive it either."

This holds true until you drive in either France or Italy.

[Travel2003]

I think they drive very well here actually.

It is how they choose to follow the rules that can vary a lot.

But as drivers, I think they are quite good.

PS. By asking if the Asians are.............is kind of general isnt it? Quite a few countries/nationalities included.

[Andrew Hicks]

Not if you have ever been to Italy or France.

I have, and always thought they had some sense of where the road was, but here,I am new to Thailand, but i already know that I have to look 4 ways on a one way street before crossing it.

Especially when it comes to pedestrians, the best drivers are in the US of A. Thinking of their liability policies I guess.

Here they'll accelerate at you on the zebra crossing and scatter pedestrians like leaves.

Otherwise on four wheels I don't find Thai drivers too bad. On two wheels they're atrocious.

Schools are the place to inculcate proper standards, from bicycles upwards, but the opportunity seems to be missed.

As for the all time worst drivers... try West Africa.

[gymshark]

People drive like maniacs in West Africa because they are too scared to stop. No joke!

[aehn]

I think they drive very well here actually.

It is how they choose to follow the rules that can vary a lot.

But as drivers, I think they are quite good.

PS. By asking if the Asians are.............is kind of general isnt it? Quite a few countries/nationalities included.

Most people around here does not have a problem with talking about Asians as one group of people, as long as we talk about Asians and not about brits or french people, now that is a totally different thing.

And then we dont even talk about a continent, but a single country, but still we are constantly reminded that not all are like that from that specific country.