"worst Drivers In Phuket"

[ScubaBuddha]

There has been a lot of chatter about the unsafe drivers lately, Thai and faLang, so instead of running into, over or shooting the drivers in question, please vent here to relieve some of the stress. It can be very therepudic. I know it helps me.

About a month ago in Rawai I had a small pick up truck overtake me WHILE I was overtaking, to the horror of the oncoming motorbikes.

Last week in Kamala while sitting on the center median waiting for traffic to clear so I could turn right, a water tanker truck PASSED ME ON THE RIGHT going very fast!!!! If I would have begun my turn a few sconds earlier I would have been disintegrated!!

Lastly, this one was arguably partly my fault, two days ago behind Jungcylon, in the dark, while inching out of a parking lot turning right in a torrential downpour, a Thai man on a bicycle coming from my right with no lights managed to suddenly appear infront of me and wedge himself between my front bumper and a motorbike driven by a Thai woman that had come around from my left, also inching out to turn right, because she didn't want to wait for me to merge into traffic first. Usually I will roll my window down to see better because of the tint, but I would have been soaked by the rain, so I didn't. The Thai man gave a yelp as I hit the brakes, and he rode off.

Edited March 29, 2009 by Scubabuddha

[Aachen]

There has been a lot of chatter about the unsafe drivers lately, Thai and faLang, so instead of running into, over or shooting the drivers in question, please vent here to relieve some of the stress. It can be very therepudic. I know it helps me.

....

But, what is your point? What is new? What do you want to tell us?

[paulfromphuket]

if you drive like a BMW 318 owner in central London then all's normal.

ie like an aggressive prick!

[fiddlehead]

The really aggressive drivers are usually men.

The scared, don't know how to back up and if they do, it is in very slow motion, pull out too slow, hesitant at the traffic circle (inside) drivers are usually women. (when they don't have the dark shaded glass film so that you can tell)

My 2 cents on the worst drivers.

[katasyd]

This is impossible to answer.

Everyday i see bad driving but if you want the usual suspects.

Thai Fortuner drivers seem to be the worst, followed closely by the 3 wheeled sidecart with the village aboard.

Also, the airport taxi's get a special mention.

[markg]

This is impossible to answer.

Everyday i see bad driving but if you want the usual suspects.

Thai Fortuner drivers seem to be the worst, followed closely by the 3 wheeled sidecart with the village aboard.

Also, the airport taxi's get a special mention.

Yep, you hit the nail on the head. Fortuna drivers, closely followed by airport taxis.

The Fortuna drivers in the Surin/Kamala kinda areas deserve special mention too. They are noticeably worse than other areas of Phuket.

I've been overtaken numerous times as if i dont exist (i ride a motorbike)

[thaiwanderer]

This is impossible to answer.

Everyday i see bad driving but if you want the usual suspects.

Thai Fortuner drivers seem to be the worst, followed closely by the 3 wheeled sidecart with the village aboard.

Also, the airport taxi's get a special mention.

Yep, you hit the nail on the head. Fortuna drivers, closely followed by airport taxis.

The Fortuna drivers in the Surin/Kamala kinda areas deserve special mention too. They are noticeably worse than other areas of Phuket.

I've been overtaken numerous times as if i dont exist (i ride a motorbike)

you do not exist - not to fortuna drivers anyhow

[ronz28]

You can see them right now in Phuket on Amazing Race on CBS USA TV or catch the episode later on the internet.

[BigSnake]

Motorcycle taxi/Tuk tuk driver race to pickup/drop off fair, saw one just today run not one but two full Red lights at full throttle folks, this guy takes the cake for some bad driving, half hour late I was near the Tuk tuk/Taxi stand saw this Nut so I wonder close just to get a look at what kind of person driver like that, thinking maybe drunk, nope, I see no sign of booze, eyes clear, playing checkers with his friends, bought myself a bottle of nestle drink water, sit waiting for wife in near by shop, four fairs came up three were taken by other drivers, number four was his turn, jump on his Tuk tuk roaring off like a bat out of H_ll. This Guy just a plan nutty driver an acident waiting to happen, suggested to wife and shop keeper to report him to the police, shopkeeper said his brother and uncle were policemen so lot of luck with a report to the police. Sad but someone will be seriously injure or kill before this nutty driver and many more like him are off the road.

Edited March 30, 2009 by BigSnake

[baabaabobo]

Racing cement trucks scare the crap out of me - imagine the weight ratio of a fully laden cement truck slamming into anything. Fortuners, tuk tuks, saleang and white tourist vans get a special mention. The other day I saw a motorcycle driving the wrong side of the road at speed with a guy (no helmet) driving with one hand while talking on his mobile - sheesh!

[1000baht]

Racing cement trucks scare the crap out of me - imagine the weight ratio of a fully laden cement truck slamming into anything. Fortuners, tuk tuks, saleang and white tourist vans get a special mention. The other day I saw a motorcycle driving the wrong side of the road at speed with a guy (no helmet) driving with one hand while talking on his mobile - sheesh!

I agree with the Cement trucks, very scary sometimes. I like when its downpouring and you see the driver holding the umbrella, cell phone scrunched in between the ear and shoulder with the little kid in between the legs. Priceless yet very dangerous!

[katasyd]

I am surprised i have not seen this in Phuket.

I am sure i will someday though.

[Felt 35]

What surprise me over the years in Thailand its that it looks like there are an “excuse in the air” for bad driving, maybe especially so on the islands, included Phuket.

Unless otherwise any foreigner with a basic education and normal decent upbringing know that idiotic driving come from a combination of two things, namely lack of driver education and personal attitude.

If I personally go back in history and look at what kind of driving education my ancestors got compare to what is compulsory driver education today they would have been idiots on the road. But they was not. I believe that as long as they got a basic driver education and a basic understanding that a car/motorbike is not a toy, their defensive attitude, more than further driving education made them stable drivers.

If we now drag this line further on……well I personally don’t think motorbike or Fortuner makes any difference.

Drive safely.

[LivinginKata]

Every day I witness crazy/dangerous driving and have about 4 'near things' every day. Really no point in getting upset, keep the road rage at bay.

Take today, driving over to Patong. There are a few places with pot holes/rough surface and it has become the norm for locals to veer over to the wrong side of the road. Used to be some care taken, but now the locals just don't care even when traffic if approaching the other way. I was following a taxi that was driving quite slowly (??) and he pulls onto the wrong side of the road way before the pot holes, leaving me room to overtake on the inside lane. Yes I know, who is the crazier of the 2 vehicles !!! He stayed on the outside way after I passed even though a car was now coming the other way. He stayed fully on the wrong side of the road, forcing the other car to pull into the edge of the drain. He made no attempt to give way. He continued to do this even at bends.

I've seen this many times.

[Lite Beer]

Nonsensical trollish post deleted together with the answer to it.

[ScubaBuddha]

Nonsensical trollish post deleted together with the answer to it.

I'm sorry, what?

[LivinginKata]

Nonsensical trollish post deleted together with the answer to it.

I'm sorry, what?

Just a really stupid post from 'notasexpat'... as usual ... I'm the one who answered/challenged him.

[ScubaBuddha]

This is impossible to answer.

Everyday i see bad driving but if you want the usual suspects.

Thai Fortuner drivers seem to be the worst, followed closely by the 3 wheeled sidecart with the village aboard.

Also, the airport taxi's get a special mention.

Yep, you hit the nail on the head. Fortuna drivers, closely followed by airport taxis.

The Fortuna drivers in the Surin/Kamala kinda areas deserve special mention too. They are noticeably worse than other areas of Phuket.

I've been overtaken numerous times as if i dont exist (i ride a motorbike)

Thanks to all for sharing. Good stuff to know, helps us all be prepared for the next craziness we might encounter out there.

Yes I agree as well the Fortuner drivers seem to be particularly nuts, but the Airport "limos" with the green license plates do have to be the worst. I'm shocked when I see one of them NOT driving cm's from a rear bumper, (often mine as I do my best to passively block them) or unsafely overtaking on either side, or speeding down a shoulder. They much get paid by the mach. I wonder if they have some exemption from traffic laws (what little there are) or are they owned by the police and therefore immune?

I think the clueless shirtless young farangs in Patong deserve an honerable mention as well. I have also seen the Eden Divers vehicles, both van and pick-up, driving insanely on more than one occasion.

Other than the afore mentioned Thai on the bicycle (which I'm not counting, really) the only accident I've had was when two Italian birds ran into the side/back of my motorbike as they pulled out from the shop they rented the bike at. I saw them coming from the side as they were merging, thier momentum to much for the little driver to compensate with a fat ginger on the back (should't it be the other way round?) I managed to swerve just enough so they only caught my license plate/rear fender and rear wheel with thier front wheel. They went down hard. I somehow stayed up.

IMHO, I think it's a combination of lack a of education, a lack of enforecement, the practical Thai approach to everthing, as well as the ingrained social hierarchy and sense of entitlement that comes with it. (apply the sense of entitlement to many faLangs as well)

[ScubaBuddha]

Nonsensical trollish post deleted together with the answer to it.

I'm sorry, what?

Just a really stupid post from 'notasexpat'... as usual ... I'm the one who answered/challenged him.

Oh. Sorry I missed it. I enjoy seeing him/her getting the slap down in every thread he/she posts in.

[tirekicker]

This is impossible to answer.

Everyday i see bad driving but if you want the usual suspects.

Thai Fortuner drivers seem to be the worst, followed closely by the 3 wheeled sidecart with the village aboard.

Also, the airport taxi's get a special mention.

Yep, you hit the nail on the head. Fortuna drivers, closely followed by airport taxis.

The Fortuna drivers in the Surin/Kamala kinda areas deserve special mention too. They are noticeably worse than other areas of Phuket.

I've been overtaken numerous times as if i dont exist (i ride a motorbike)

Thanks to all for sharing. Good stuff to know, helps us all be prepared for the next craziness we might encounter out there.

Yes I agree as well the Fortuner drivers seem to be particularly nuts, but the Airport "limos" with the green license plates do have to be the worst. I'm shocked when I see one of them NOT driving cm's from a rear bumper, (often mine as I do my best to passively block them) or unsafely overtaking on either side, or speeding down a shoulder. They much get paid by the mach. I wonder if they have some exemption from traffic laws (what little there are) or are they owned by the police and therefore immune?

I think the clueless shirtless young farangs in Patong deserve an honerable mention as well. I have also seen the Eden Divers vehicles, both van and pick-up, driving insanely on more than one occasion.

Other than the afore mentioned Thai on the bicycle (which I'm not counting, really) the only accident I've had was when two Italian birds ran into the side/back of my motorbike as they pulled out from the shop they rented the bike at. I saw them coming from the side as they were merging, thier momentum to much for the little driver to compensate with a fat ginger on the back (should't it be the other way round?) I managed to swerve just enough so they only caught my license plate/rear fender and rear wheel with thier front wheel. They went down hard. I somehow stayed up.

IMHO, I think it's a combination of lack a of education, a lack of enforecement, the practical Thai approach to everthing, as well as the ingrained social hierarchy and sense of entitlement that comes with it. (apply the sense of entitlement to many faLangs as well)

As for the bikes, lack of education and enforcement is correct, watch the kids as they leave the schools in the afternoon, it's like the wacky races with bikes coming from all angles and all lanes and of coarse riding against the traffic and not a policeman to be seen. If you cant educate them at a young age to the perils of dangerous riding you have no chance and it will never change.

Also agree "Tuner" drivers are bullies and airport limos hooligans.

[damian]

Speaking of bad driving does anyone know anything about the crash and burn last night on Vichit Road just over the notorious crest from friendship beach opposite Soi Mangostien?

Power went out about 4 am this morning and didn't come back until 8 or so. Taking the Mrs to work this morning I see a car completely wrapped around a telegraph pole and completely burnt out. Our helper says it was a "fawang" (creating a new argument for the spelling for "amasextwat") who died and the locals in the coffee shop say it was two Thais.

It was a shocker and RIP to those involved.

[ScubaBuddha]

Speaking of bad driving does anyone know anything about the crash and burn last night on Vichit Road just over the notorious crest from friendship beach opposite Soi Mangostien?

Power went out about 4 am this morning and didn't come back until 8 or so. Taking the Mrs to work this morning I see a car completely wrapped around a telegraph pole and completely burnt out. Our helper says it was a "fawang" (creating a new argument for the spelling for "amasextwat") who died and the locals in the coffee shop say it was two Thais.

It was a shocker and RIP to those involved.

1st I've heard of it. That was right where I got overtaken while overtaking.

[donna]

i now live in Bali, and i can tell you this.....Phuket is a mere training ground before one reaches Bali.