Is It Possible That Thai Traffic Is Just Too Slow?

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

Hi,

I drive a 1.5 Honda City around town and, despite my best efforts, get very frustrated at the pace at which traffic crawls around town. I don't mean congestion, I mean the dithering pick up truck doing 20 km/h and the old bint on a clapped-out moped going even slower (I've seen numerous push bikes overtake gramps chugging along)...

I guess it is safer to drive slowly, but how slow is too slow before the lack of speed can become a danger to other road users? I have a theory that it is because most people drive/ride so slowly that so many people consider it 'OK' to break some rules of the road such as cutting corners, pulling out without looking, riding on the wrong side of the road, no helmets etc and hence why there are so many accidents... I argue that it is the lack of speed that invariably leads to so many accidents.

I pointed this out to a friend and he, a self confessed slow coach who drives whilst sipping home made instant coffee from a normal mug , pointed out that slow and steady is better and I need to work on being less of a farang hot head.

Cheers

James

[noahvail]

I can't believe no one has answered you. Back in the US, I had a few friends on State Police road patrol, and in NZ one of the top guys in Traffic policing was a neighbour. They all stated that while excessive speed was a factor in many traffic deaths, no one ever compiles stats on how many deaths were caused by SLOW moving traffic, and they believe that it's a considerable number. On the highways in the US, you're just as likely to get a ticket for slow driving as you are for speeding - of course, the vast majority caught are speeders, but the cops nail the slow ones on radar as well.

I try to drive on the Wildebeast Theory: the one in front gets picked off easily, the one at the back gets picked off easily, but it's hard to nail one in the middle of the pack. Has managed to work in Isaan, don't know how that would be applicable in the gridlock known as Bangkok.

[hkt83100]

Hi,

I drive a 1.5 Honda City around town and, despite my best efforts, get very frustrated at the pace at which traffic crawls around town.

So your observations must be from Nong Khai or Trang...

[spacefruit]

I think the reason no one has answered is because the ideas in your post are only valid if you apply western thinking to a Thai situation.

Bangkok's finest have no idea how to run traffic. The administration has no motivation to change as it cannot see the benefit, or the job is simply too huge.

The licencing system allows hundreds of incompetant drivers EVERY DAY to qualify and get straight on the road.

As a result the driving culture is ignorant. one of "I am here first/bigger than you/ richer than you" get out of my way. some of my nicest friends are total pigs behind the wheel, behaving in a totaly arrogant selfish manner that I cannot believe. The worst part, is that sometimes I find myself tempted to behave the same way. (Or I never get out of the junction)

[gobs]

Spacefruit said: "you apply western thinking to a Thai situation."

I tend to agree with that... Same as when you "queue" at the bank or at a food-stall, or as when dealing with workers for your house, mechanics for your car and so on... The "thai-way-of-life"...

I think it is a "thai-way-of-driving" and you have to adapt to it.

I remember the first weeks I drove here (not in BKK but in CNX), handling as I did before in EU where we are all teached the "dynamic driving", and where we (almost) all use it. I think I was "dangerous" for the thai traffic, and it seems I noticed thai drivers didn't "understand" what I was doing.

So now (as for the thai-way-of-life: bank, contractors, mechanics and so on...), I respect (at least most of the time!) the thai-way-of-driving. Sometimes a little difficult, but what, I'm not driving on EU roads or highways!

Priorities are not the priorities we learn in the west. But as soon as we catch them here, not so many problems occur...

IMHO of course!

Regards,

Gobs

[yabaaaa]

They drive so slowly at night because they have black windows and can see bugger all.

[Pdaz]

They drive too fast on an open straight road. Usually tailgating the guy in front. But the moment they turn into a side road they crawl at less than 20kmph.. Frustrating to say the least.. Worse they often stop or slow in mid-corner... As if they are scared to turn the steering wheel..

It all comes down to the same thing.. They have had little or no training.. They don't understand the rules of the road or how their vehicle is meant to be operated.. They got their licence and proceeded to 'drive'. They are Thai and they don't need help/advice from anyone.. That's why you will often see a line of ten cars following a samlor along a road. The samlor is in the middle of the road and refuses to 'keep left' the rest of the drivers are either too nervous to overtake or don't want to offend somebody.. It's <deleted> painful..

Edited April 29, 2009 by Pdaz

[patklang]

I think the reason no one has answered is because the ideas in your post are only valid if you apply western thinking to a Thai situation.

Bangkok's finest have no idea how to run traffic. The administration has no motivation to change as it cannot see the benefit, or the job is simply too huge.

The licencing system allows hundreds of incompetant drivers EVERY DAY to qualify and get straight on the road.

As a result the driving culture is ignorant. one of "I am here first/bigger than you/ richer than you" get out of my way. some of my nicest friends are total pigs behind the wheel, behaving in a totaly arrogant selfish manner that I cannot believe. The worst part, is that sometimes I find myself tempted to behave the same way. (Or I never get out of the junction)

Very good post and totaly agree.I think the OP has got it wrong,thais driving slow,you are having a laugh mate.The problem is that thais love to drive fast but can only drive in a straight line,when they have to think thats when the big problem occures.

2of my friends wives are brilliant drivers due to western type training and thought process too,they can even reverse lol.

My thai friend who is a copper is a great driver too,but thats the minority.

[AceCafe]

They drive too fast on an open straight road. Usually tailgating the guy in front. But the moment they turn into a side road they crawl at less than 20kmph.. Frustrating to say the least.. Worse they often stop or slow in mid-corner... As if they are scared to turn the steering wheel..

It all comes down to the same thing.. They have had little or no training.. They don't understand the rules of the road or how their vehicle is meant to be operated.. They got their licence and proceeded to 'drive'. They are Thai and they don't need help/advice from anyone.. That's why you will often see a line of ten cars following a samlor along a road. The samlor is in the middle of the road and refuses to 'keep left' the rest of the drivers are either too nervous to overtake or don't want to offend somebody.. It's <deleted> painful..

Good post and spot on! I find it's most painful up Udon/Nong Khai way....... riding along behind someone who is crawling along so you easily anticipate the mistake they're just about to make..... you think "no, surely, you're not gonna do that?"...... and then they do, but at half the speed they'd be doing it in BKK or Pattaya! Frustrating, dangerous and sometimes highly amusing!

[LivinLOS]

We are also forgetting perhaps its a nation of novice drivers.. There hasnt been a generation or so of time to build a consensus of what road rules are, and when khun pa gets into his izisu pickup and heads out hes spent a life walking, or piddling along on the back of a clapped out honda cub, and travelling a non sealed dirt road.. Then he comes to a 2 lane highway and simply doesnt have the built in speed processing or experience.

My first missus grew up on what became a main road.. She told me from the 14 kids in her village 8 or 9 outright died, a couple more were maimed.. All from road accidents.. Until her generation any passing traffic was donkey cart speeds so the risk assessment simply wasnt there. On my moobaan the parents let the toddlers play in the middle of the road, on a blind corner of what is effectively a through road short cut. I actually watched a mother ordering food at a corner stall while her kid wandered right into the middle of the black spot / blind spot section of this corner, she turned around, shouted at it to come to come to her then went back to picking out her khao geng. As I passed and made the bend I could see a pickup flying along about to take the bend and flashed him and waved an arm out the window, he slowed enough to see the kid and skid to a stop. Is that the drivers fault ?? Maybe for not being fully safe braking distance but its a road for gods sake not a crèche.

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

I drive in a sleepy northern town, not in Bkk (I reckon the frustration of that would have led to me doing something terrible to myself by now!)... and I know that it is me who needs to change my style of driving... But I guess I get pretty frustrated because I am what most of the other road users are not - AWARE. I find it amazing, and sometimes hilarious, to watch what road users take for acceptable behaviour.

How to stop being a hot headed farang on these roads? I have tried to tell myself that my little car can not driver faster than 50 km/h and as soon as I get to that speed, I stop accelerating. Sounds weird I know, but actually telling yourself that you are incapable of driving any faster does tend to limit the speed. Also, I have downloaded some go tunes and podcasts.

[norwayeagle]

Hehehe. Yes noooow i Remember!!. It has really been Goood 4 a couple of years witout miself driving .Hehe.With a local pathfinder as driver in Bangkok,i usually get away with 25min,,instead of 1 n a half hour,But aaaaaa,,,(they are out there), and its all over the world! Like a decease.spreading from dad 2 son(usually)hehe. Good Luck out there..Do worrry ,but be happy