The Most Annoying Behaviour On Thai Roads

[12DrinkMore]

Bit bored today, so here we go with another topic that is likely to provide a few responses....

Anybody who has ridden bikes in Thailand for a while will have experienced a vast number of "incidents" that, in Farangland would have caused instant road rage. I have now got used to most things and don't get wound up about them. Even when oncoming traffic pulls out and flashed me to pull over I can cope with, although sometimes they don't give a lot of warning. However, the one thing that REALLY gets me ANNOYED is the following

- when riding behind a slow moving line of cars I am in my usual position about 2/3rds across the lane, looking for room to overtake, when from behind Somchai moves up to my right and then slowly (sometimes quickly) forces me to move over to the left. A couple of years ago some Farang in an SUV did this to me on the hill going from Phuket Town to Patong. He forced me onto one of the nasty bunches of bumps and pot holes. I was ready to KILL this guy.

Edited December 30, 2008 by 12DrinkMore

[dotcom]

What I hate; & 100% of our hosts do it is to swing violently right just prior to making a left hand turn & vice versa.

Also putting on their indicators 2 meters before the junction.

[samuibeachcomber]

powering trucks and suv's trying push me into the side of the road,but i do like the lack of road rage here.its a dangerous place on a bike.

[Travelmate]

Muppets doing a U-turn right in front of you!!

[onnut]

as someone who drives a car in Thailand, I would just like to say that guys on bikes also do the same to car drivers. u turn right in front of oncoming traffic. overtake and then turn left suddenly. it goes the same both ways. no one has any respect for anyone on the roads here.

carry on!

[wensiensheng]

Not driving or riding itself, but faintly related to it:

The car park attendent who has a whistle in his mouth and is h_ll bent on using it to the max as he guides you into a parking place. Talk about w_nkers...I can park perfectly well all by myself thanks and without the ridiculous whistling!

[QED]

Not driving or riding itself, but faintly related to it:

The car park attendent who has a whistle in his mouth and is h_ll bent on using it to the max as he guides you into a parking place. Talk about w_nkers...I can park perfectly well all by myself thanks and without the ridiculous whistling!

Hear hear. I actually waited for about 2 or 3 mins before parking the other day, he eventually got bored and p1ssed off (I was actually on the phone so it was no bother).

In answer to the OP, the most annoying is farangs on motorbikes getting in my way, and thinking that their home countries rules still apply.

[AnthonyR1]

^ HATE those whistle maniacs!

i can't get my mind around the geniuses that cannot grasp how to ACCURATELY signal. have you guys seen this? they're signaling left then turn right. i mean c'mon, how did you pass the road test????

[QED]

Snip//

- when riding behind a slow moving line of cars I am in my usual position about 2/3rds across the lane,

I was ready to KILL this guy.

Those of us that drive cars are ready to KILL you. Get the <deleted> out of the way. You are regarded as 2nd class citizens on the roads here, most Thais understand that and keep either far left or far right.

A friend advised me when I moved here that the Thai way is 'might is right', I still thank him to this day for persuading me to buy a car rather than a bike. (Actually I do have a scooter but it never goes further than the local 7, about 2kms).

I know I am probably in the minority here so feel free to flame away, but you know I am right.

[AnthonyR1]

2nd class i agree with. i also drive a car.....what most drivers tend to forget is that if you bump into another car no harm done (most of the time) where as you can easily KILL a biker. i've seen it happen over and over, it's usually because some ignorant driver refuses to let go of his position or has it in his head that the bike is 2nd class and "i'll show him, won't give an inch"

give bikers some slack man

don't get me wrong i'm not completely 1 sided on this. have seen more than my share of retard bikers as well

[12DrinkMore]

Those of us that drive cars are ready to KILL you. Get the <deleted> out of the way. You are regarded as 2nd class citizens on the roads here, most Thais understand that and keep either far left or far right.

A friend advised me when I moved here that the Thai way is 'might is right', I still thank him to this day for persuading me to buy a car rather than a bike. (Actually I do have a scooter but it never goes further than the local 7, about 2kms).

I know I am probably in the minority here so feel free to flame away, but you know I am right.

You don't happen to live on Phuket and drive an SUV by any chance?

[mickba]

The car park attendent who has a whistle in his mouth and is h_ll bent on using it to the max as he guides you into a parking place. Talk about w_nkers...I can park perfectly well all by myself thanks and without the ridiculous whistling!

Seconded and thirded(?) - how the hel_l they think you know where they are and why they're making such a din when you're reversing properly (as taught in farangland) using mirrors - oh, but of course you're not supposed to reverse into a space, because Thais don't because they can't - that's why you rarely see trailers in Thailand - how could they ever reverse them?

But the whistling will never stop. I have, occasionally, just stopped in mid park, dropped the window and asked them what the <deleted> they want. It amuses me but achieves nothing else - you just get one of those stupid grins - though once, his mate standing by clearly found it highly amusing.

As a car and motor bike owner/driver, it does annoy me that the rule is "if big car hit small m/bike then big car can pay". I suppose "can" is the operative word, but it seems they could stand at the side of the road and throw a m/bike at your car and you would have to pay.

Having said all that, provided n-one hits you, there's not much I would change. The apparent chaos is the attraction and, after all, if you introduced the Highway Code here in Pattaya there would be permanent gridlock. The behaviour at crossroads and junctions seems crazy at first, but it works.

OK - there's more - it's farang driver, car or bike, who thinks he knows best and thinks he has right of way or something - but he thinks he's driving correctly and doesn't see how everyone else does it - the main one is turning right and insisting on pirouetting, Highway Code style, round traffic trying to exit to their right instead of cutting to their inside - yes I know it's "wrong" but it works and (nearly) everyone does it and it causes confusion when you don't - there!

Oh and farang accelerating when they see someone pulling out in front of them because they have "right of way" - it ain't how it works here and it's downright dangerous!

Oh and also stupid farang m/bike riders from the euro zone who apex the bend and then continue on the wrong side of the road in the face of oncoming traffic -Isle of Man Mad Sunday revisited!

PS to OP - yes I'm bored too, hence the post I suppose.

Now back to the death threats from the (ex)GF

Edited December 30, 2008 by mickba

[dotcom]

The car park attendent who has a whistle in his mouth and is h_ll bent on using it to the max as he guides you into a parking place.

The name of this sub forum is "Motorcycles in Thailand"

Start your own "What I hate about driving a car in Thailand" thread.

[QED]

Those of us that drive cars are ready to KILL you. Get the <deleted> out of the way. You are regarded as 2nd class citizens on the roads here, most Thais understand that and keep either far left or far right.

A friend advised me when I moved here that the Thai way is 'might is right', I still thank him to this day for persuading me to buy a car rather than a bike. (Actually I do have a scooter but it never goes further than the local 7, about 2kms).

I know I am probably in the minority here so feel free to flame away, but you know I am right.

You don't happen to live on Phuket and drive an SUV by any chance?

Nope, Pattaya and saloon car. Still 0 out of 2 ain't bad (you know the tune).

[QED]

The car park attendent who has a whistle in his mouth and is h_ll bent on using it to the max as he guides you into a parking place.

The name of this sub forum is "Motorcycles in Thailand"

Start your own "What I hate about driving a car in Thailand" thread.

Oops, sorry didn't notice that.......I'll get me coat

[dotcom]

Those of us that drive cars are ready to KILL you. Get the <deleted> out of the way. You are regarded as 2nd class citizens on the roads here, most Thais understand that and keep either far left or far right.

A friend advised me when I moved here that the Thai way is 'might is right', I still thank him to this day for persuading me to buy a car rather than a bike. (Actually I do have a scooter but it never goes further than the local 7, about 2kms).

I know I am probably in the minority here so feel free to flame away, but you know I am right.

We used to tell new arrivals in Saudi Arabia "The locals are nice people but in a car THEY WANT TO KILL YOU" I like to think we saved many lives.

Most of the shortys can't see over their dashboard - thus they drive on the center line for reference.

btw - overtaking on a motorcycle is done on the left - that way right after overtaking it is ok to make a left hand turn.

I always bear in mind what is gonna happen when my unprotected flesh meets 2 tons of steel piloted by a shorty.

Edited December 30, 2008 by dotcom

[12DrinkMore]

The car park attendent who has a whistle in his mouth and is h_ll bent on using it to the max as he guides you into a parking place.

The name of this sub forum is "Motorcycles in Thailand"

Start your own "What I hate about driving a car in Thailand" thread.

This is EXACTLY what annoys me, if these dam_n four wheeler types aren't ignorantly bullying us off the roads, they are ignorantly bullying us around in our own motorcycle forum. B U G G E R off and give us two wheelers some space.

[whiterussian]

Guys driving along mountain roads. Im on the bike at back of a slow moving set of cars.

English style: wait to overtake, one after the other.

Thai style: wait to overtake, one after the other - except when you come from behind at crazy speeds, and overtake 3 or 4 cars, usually on a bend.

Of course the lucky amulet in the car will protect him from a guy doing the same coming in the opposite direction.

Also: driving on a two/three lane highway - they drive like its a racetrack... cutting the bends over all lanes. Very Very frustrating when you are on a motorbike behind them.

Will LMFAO when the Thais get their 500,000 baht SUV's repo'ed next year!!! HAHaAARRGGHH drive a banger like English peasants you tw@ts!

Grrr... feel better now.

Edited December 30, 2008 by UKWEBPRO

[Steve2UK]

^ HATE those whistle maniacs!

i can't get my mind around the geniuses that cannot grasp how to ACCURATELY signal. have you guys seen this? they're signaling left then turn right. i mean c'mon, how did you pass the road test????

Ummm............ I gather 500 baht usually does the trick. That seems to be the going rate for "acquiring" the car licence - maybe less for motocy ?

[AnthonyR1]

^ HATE those whistle maniacs!

i can't get my mind around the geniuses that cannot grasp how to ACCURATELY signal. have you guys seen this? they're signaling left then turn right. i mean c'mon, how did you pass the road test????

Ummm............ I gather 500 baht usually does the trick. That seems to be the going rate for "acquiring" the car licence - maybe less for motocy ?

hehehehe well that explains a lot. i figured as much but even so.....who are these people that can't grasps how the signals work?

[BigBikeBKK]

I agree that there are some TERRIBLE drivers in Thailand, both on 2 wheels and 4. My leather jacket has convenient drop pockets where I used to always keep one or two steel ball bearings. You hardly have to throw them, just toss em and they instantly shatter the windshield of any prick who wants to fuc_k with me. Some guy riding my ass? I just toss one over my shoulder and he's done!

Personally I like the parking attendants in Thailand- always friendly and since the windows are always up the whistle really doesn't bother me. They've helped me squeeze the Vigo into some tight spaces. Thanks!

[BigBikeBKK]

who are these people that can't grasps how the signals work?

Turn signals? In Thailand?

[whiterussian]

Some guy riding my ass? I just toss one over my shoulder and he's done!

LOL! I wouldnt have the balls to do that.. no pun intended.. LOL

then again, i dont have the skill or speed to drive away fast enough@!

What i would like is maybe a flap on the back of my jacket that i can flip open at the appropriate moment, maybe with a big print "fuc_k YOU" !

Edited December 30, 2008 by UKWEBPRO

[neverdie]

I absolutely hate when I am just riding along minding my own business....not too slow, not too fast & somchai on or in his whatever, comes steaming past at a great rate of knots just to overtake you. At which point no sooner after doing so (sometimes when he is not fully past you) they suddenly brake like theres no tomorrow and pull left in front of you to turn left into a soi. The entire operation could have been smoothly completed behind you. F A R K E R S!

Having said that, after riding here for many years, I only seem to have a problem when going back to Australia....the highway patrol police there really don't appreciate my antics of high speed thru town, wrong side of the road, weaving thru the traffic, running red lights, driving on the footpath, pulling wheelies and so forth.....I don't know where there sense of humor is?

I think next time I'm pulled up there, Im gonna speak thai, produce my thai licence & try and drop 100 baht into one of their skyrockets

[Vato]

following a taxi while they are in the left lane looking for passengers....you gonna stop or you gonna go?

[Travelmate]

Buses that just pull over right on top of you! Frightening experience!

Pickups squeeze in an impossible gap between you and the next rider. Not pleasant.

Inside lane on highway. Cruising at 180 clicks. Bus in middle lane suddenly swerve onto inside lane. Forcing myself to take the hard shoulder, accelerate past, turn around, flick the bean and start pummeling tank in anger.!!

The joys of riding a motorbike in Thailand.

On the road again tomorrow.

[BSJ]

I don't find the traffic too bad up there. But then people here say I am a crazy driver!

Oh. One thing I find frightening on occassion is the number of vehicles without lights after dark. Like, what's a couple of globes worth?

[Chaimai]

What I hate; & 100% of our hosts do it is to swing violently right just prior to making a left hand turn & vice versa.

Also putting on their indicators 2 meters before the junction.

Surely you mean AFTER

[Chaimai]

Bikes turning right at junctions - what is that all about ?

From a main road turning into a side road they will invariably 'cut the corner' by taking 45 degrees off the joining left hand lane (if that makes sense). This is opposed to the traditional Western method of turning right at 90 degrees just past the joining left hand lane, thus allowing turning vehicles at crossroads to pass each other before making their turn. The Thai system involves a red arrows type of manoevre that fcuks up all oncoming traffic and those trying to turn onto the main road.

From a side road, when turning right, they will similarly cut across the opposite lane - or even start to travel against the traffic flow until they can shoot across into their lane.

All these manoevres happen, of course, without the use of mirrors and rarely using indicators !

[Chaimai]

What I hate; & 100% of our hosts do it is to swing violently right just prior to making a left hand turn & vice versa.

Now, I do have some sympathy with this one because some pr*tt usually puts electricity posts tight on the corner or, if they haven't, some street vendor is standing there cooking Lao sausages.

Logic says, indicate for a little while before your left turn, assuming a position towards the centre of the road to allow youself enough room to swing the Vigo around past the electric pole/street vendor.

Do this and you are more likely to take out Somchai and his 4 'boy racer' mates, or Lek and her 3 school friend passengers, who are totally oblivious to the meaning of the flashing orange light at the left hand corner of your Vigo - no, they have seen some idiot Falang give them a gap to shoot through, and they will go for it ! The important thing, in the interests of their education and road safety training, is to keep going - it is amazing how, after a squeel of motocy brakes, adrenalin appears to smell like sh!te,

Edited December 30, 2008 by Chaimai