Almost Died Today

[barryofthailand]

I moved from Pattaya after five yrs in the jungle, now live in a civilized society in Korat Mueang. Clean air, plenty of facilities, nice people, and yes they still drive a little crazy, but nothing like Pattaya.

Barry

[wasabi]

I can swear walking down my Soi at night some cars have intentionally driven very close to me, zooming by at speeds not appropriate for the main road let alone a narrow Soi. I have sometimes wondered if this is some kind of stupid power show, like you are walking but I am in a car. This has happened to me in America before too, but I guess due to the number of narrow Sois and Roads without proper sidewalks it is more common here.

The most shocking thing for me though is seeing a couple guys sitting on the roof of a large truck going full speed without a care or concern in the world. In fact I have even seen a few happily spreading their arms in the wind perhaps preparing for the flight they will take if the truck has to abruptly swerve or slow down. I have seen this even when there is a still unsafe, but safer place to sit elsewhere on the truck, like the bed. Well TiT

Edited March 9, 2009 by wasabi

[misterman21]

I think most resident ferangs understand the number 1 rule of the roads in Thailand:

'If a thai hits you - it is your fault' - 'if you hit a thai it is your fault'

I think they copied this logic from the Arabs

[TonySoprano]

Well I almost died and the power is off in my building, but "The Pizza Company" is delicious and they're having a 2 for 1 special, so that saves the day.

Are you sure you did not hit your head at some point in this ordeal?

[TonySoprano]

Life is cheap in Thailand. There are lower standards in all aspects of safety and regulation.

[tomartoh]

Your not safe even if you get public transport, too many crashes involve busses. My nerves wont stand the stress when the busses are racing each other so i have stopped travelling on inter town services. But i never see the Thais show any emotion even when the driver throws the bus around like a transit van.

[jellymeister]

First rule you should follow: NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING.

are you asking us to "assume" what you say is true...now I am really confused....

[jellymeister]

Have to agree. And if you do not look BOTH ways you will be mown down sooner or later by some driver and they will leave you for dead. If it is a truck that flattens you, watch out, he will reverse back to make sure he did a good job. Dead is cheap, injured is expensive.

this is so untrue...we all know that in LOS, the truck driver is more likely to trip on you as he "flees" the scene on foot....

[Jimjim]

Number one thing I got fed up with in Thailand was the motorbikes on sidewalks. Extremely dangerous and exceedingly annoying, in my opinion. However, they are usually going slow enough that only minor injures could result. But not always.

The last time I read about per capita stats Thailand was number 6 in the world for deaths (or just accidents?) on the road.

[sanook2me]

I always carry my camera in the car to take snapshots of what i think are foolhardy or amazing scenes to send back to family and friends to brighten there day in health and safety land gone mad aka England.

I know the 3 or 4 up is normal but not in farangland.

I saw a great one yesterday but couldnt get camera out in time.

Old man on scooter with crash helmet and a young girl about 10 years old riding pillion without a helmet <deleted> !!

[misterman21]

I stepped onto the pavement from a 7-11 and nearly got mown down by a motorbike taxi driver doing about 40k.Never thought to look if there were any mad drivers on the pavement,silly me.

For our non-British readers, he means "SIDEWALK." Makes sense now, eh?

For our British readers pavement means pavement - or paved area, as you well know.

Americans call paved areas sidewalks as they think they are only for walking

[oevna]

Well I almost died and the power is off in my building, but "The Pizza Company" is delicious and they're having a 2 for 1 special, so that saves the day.

...

Glad to hear you are safe, Suzi. And I hope you enjoyed the pizza.

I have not had a close call like that, but I have had a motorcycle taxi try to intimidate me on the side walk ("pavement," for you English folks). He came out of a narrow soi around a blind corner, and turned onto the sidewalk/pavement directly towards me (I was walking on the sidewalk/pavement, approaching the opening of the soi to cross it). He stopped, and then apparently changed his mind, revving his engine, lurching forward as if to threaten to run into me. He did this a couple of times, although I was carrying groceries in each hand, so was not able to move very quickly. Fortunately I got out of the way in time.

[Jimjim]

If someone hasn't mentioned it I read on a thread here last year or year before about a foreigner getting killed by a huge cement truck. He was on that part of Sukhumvit around Phloen Chit or thereabouts where they let one lane of traffic on the left side run in the wrong direction. Not knowing this, he wasn't looking that way and got plastered and died. I later ran into a guy who happened to be walking by at that time and took a picture of the corpse with his camera phone. Unfortunately, I looked.

Edited March 9, 2009 by Jimjim

[Eff1n2ret]

The memsahib has a Thai driving licence.

She can't drive.

Paid the examiner 1500 baht (she did, I didn't want anything to do with it)

[Underbelly]

The drivers here all all crazy, I have been here for 1 and a half months and im used to the driving here now. You need to be alert when on the road at all times. Alot different then driving in Australia.

But I think driving in Thailand improves your driving skills as you have to be alot more aware of your surroundings.

I was driving to Hua Hin a few weeks back and I was going 130 in a 80 zone and many cars were still overtaking me probably doing 150.

Can you get fined for speeding here?

Edited March 9, 2009 by Underbelly

[polecat]

A foreigner on an Internet forum almost got knocked down even though she's sure she looked both ways. Thank the lord you're ok.

[easyride]

I'm glad you find it funny Moonrakers. I hope you feel the same way when your life is nearly taken, or that of your most beloved family member.

Now, now don't get upset. A sense of humour is vital. The replies to your OP are spot on. Look in every direction possible, even on pavements, err, especialy on pavements. Death is cheap here, how many do you see on the tv news every night - all in close up?

[onnut]

But practically every day I see Thai people - usually walking or on motorbikes - coming within millimetres of being killed and they continue on their way with a blank, bored expression as if nothing had happened.

Are they really as detached as they look and if so how do they do it? Is it because they have had close calls so often before that they are no longer remarkable or is it some dhamma thing?

oh dear, that is so true.

[eek]

Its not just the traffic to be honest. I find you have to be very aware of your surroundings for things like broken cables ends jutting out, low canopy ends, cracks and jutting pavements, sharp signs extending into the pathway area. The list can go on. I love Thailand, but general standards of safety really does seem to be a big problem.

[khundon]

Might is right, get yourself a huge F.OFF Hummer, preferably with a 50mm in the upper turret.

PS when walking, good to look left and right but don't forget to look up as well. The buggers can come from that direction without you even knowing it, till it is to late.

[TexasRanger]

I think most resident ferangs understand the number 1 rule of the roads in Thailand:

'If a thai hits you - it is your fault' - 'if you hit a thai it is your fault'

I think they copied this logic from the Arabs

Don't believe the hype, it just isn't true. I have been in an accident involving 2 Thais that hit me and they got hammered and I got paid.

[jlaw666]

I never feel safe walking down soi bhuakhow in Pattaya,to many motorbikes,taxi and food stalls racing round in circles.

[Oberkommando]

I would add, everybody stops for tanks, in my experience.

Next time may be a little different.

I have sometimes wondered if this is some kind of stupid power show

It is.

If someone hasn't mentioned it I read on a thread here last year or year before about a foreigner getting killed by a huge cement truck. He was on that part of Sukhumvit around Phloen Chit or thereabouts where they let one lane of traffic on the left side run in the wrong direction. Not knowing this, he wasn't looking that way and got plastered and died. I later ran into a guy who happened to be walking by at that time and took a picture of the corpse with his camera phone. Unfortunately, I looked.

Sounds like that was the ill thought out scheme where the authorities encouraged pedestrians to carry flags to cross the road at pedestrian crossings.

Unfortunately in the instance I remember two foreigners were killed as the guy in the truck, going illegally in the bus lane in the wrong direction didn't stop and killed them.

Thailand has some of the most unsafe roads in the entire World. A proper disgrace.

[colibra]

The best advise is to expect the unexpected if thats possible.

For the most part I find driving in Thailand to be interesting and kind of enjoyable. My experience is that Thia's while driving are considerate in there own way. They will move over to accommodate other drivers even when they are approaching from the opposite direction. Its a kind of go with the flow type of thing with no regards for lines on the pavement. Pay attention while driving in Thailand is of the utmost importance or you will have a problem. Preoccupation with other things will probably end in an accident. I usually ride my motorcycle in town as I find its easier to get around and to park. For the most part I find Thai drivers to be courteous driver. They seem to always try to make room and let me in and change lanes etc. There is the occasional idiot that you MUST watch out for though.

[ozsamurai]

When walking on the street, you will have already noticed that Thais can't get out of their own way to save themselves, pushing in, shoving, walking at snails pace three abreast in a crowded street etc.. Why would you expect that there would be any more or less manner used when they get behind the wheel of a car?? Doesn't happen!!

Drive/Walk defensively and stay the heck away from bannork Taxi drivers....

Oz

[lioness]

Well I almost died and the power is off in my building, but "The Pizza Company" is delicious and they're having a 2 for 1 special, so that saves the day.

I was walking down the street, and the "walk" light came on. The asian man in front of me stepped into the street, I looked both ways to make sure all was clear and then stepped into the street. Then out of nowhere came barreling a vehicle which was making a turn onto the street I was crossing. It slowed down when it saw me and then accelerated again! Either the **** was toying with me or having an idiot attack and wasn't sure what to do when he saw a human in front of his car. He barely missed me by inches and I narrowly avoided having a heart attack.

That got me to thinking about something someone said to me about 2 days ago. He said he'd recently had the displeasure of witnessing a vehicle strike and kill a man and woman couple carrying groceries. I also read a news article about some truck accident killing 10 I think and injuring something around 25 more.

So what's the deal here? Is driving school a big joke? Or are there no traffic laws or just a lack of enforcement of them? Seems like a huge problem here and I'd like to be able to step out of my apartment without fearing for my life.

Vehicles don't come out of nowhere unless you are watching "Harry Potter". You will need your wits about you if you are to survive Thailand driving.

[neverdie]

My Thai GF sums it all up nicely, whilst travelling in outback Australia she said to me, "In Australia, the land will kill you, in Thailand the people will kill you". Her reference was to remote travel & being in the outback, where breaking down in your car or not being prepared may cost you your life. Here in Thailand its the idiots!

Having said that, naturally there are idiots everywhere in this world, but for a number of reasons this place is certainly the wild west when it comes to driving, riding and walking on or near the roads

Someone made the comment that many thai drivers are selfish & inconsiderate & that sort of sums it up nicely. Having said that I have negated the roads here for a long time without accident, I just hope when its my turn that the end comes quickly & without pain

[polecat]

I would add, everybody stops for tanks, in my experience.

[neverdie]

^theres some other footage of that incident polecat....care to post that?

[jellymeister]

My Thai GF sums it all up nicely, whilst travelling in outback Australia she said to me, "In Australia, the land will kill you, in Thailand the people will kill you". Her reference was to remote travel & being in the outback, where breaking down in your car or not being prepared may cost you your life. Here in Thailand its the idiots!

Having said that, naturally there are idiots everywhere in this world, but for a number of reasons this place is certainly the wild west when it comes to driving, riding and walking on or near the roads

Someone made the comment that many thai drivers are selfish & inconsiderate & that sort of sums it up nicely. Having said that I have negated the roads here for a long time without accident, I just hope when its my turn that the end comes quickly & without pain

nice analogy...in life there are many hazards...some have 4 wheels, some have 4 legs, some have 2 legs and some like snakes have none.......all you can do is mitigate the risks, but remember no one gets outta here alive!