Thefalang ~ Driver

[thefalang]

Many of the examples given did not happen in Phuket.

WHEN will you take off your pink glasses and get real? There are a lot more criminals in Phuket as the police here can handle AND there are a lot more crimes, burglaries, beatings of tourists, break ins etc etc as in every local or other newspaper reported.

I am living in Phuket since ten years, visit it since more than 20 and wonder whats going on here. Police is more busy checking on helmets and driving licenses to make money as taking care of the security on our island. There are no save places here, doesnt matter you sleep in your house or walk on a street.

There is a road in Nai Harn where every single day many accidents happend, Orbortor of Rawai AND the police giving a sh1t about it, two years ago there was a STOP sign, it was smashed in an accident and since there is none anymore, just for example.

There are too many people here from Isaan and from South provinces which dont have a proper job.....WHAT ARE THEY DOING FOR LIVING ?

WAKE UP you pink glasses wearing Farangs which cry NO always, NOT HERE IN LOS..... if it hits you, you are the people which cry louder than everybody else.

and never forget, you are ONLY a Farang, so Police dont work the same way as other way around, in ANY CASE

they cant even catch someone if you tell them his motobike or car number or they just dont want because you are FARANG, you are fckn rich anyway!

I agree with you. There are two three-way intersections in Nai Harn on Soi Sai Yuan that the stop signs have been removed (or were damaged and not replaced). One is the intersection at MiMi's restaurant & the other intersection is near Cheer's Bar which leads to the OrBorTor.

The intersection at Wiset road and Soi Sai Yuan is also dangerous. Most Thai drivers exiting Soi Sai Yuan and proceeding north or south on Wiset Road do not yield to traffic coming from either direction. Many people have been maimed or killed at that intersection.

Both intersections are a dangerous free-for-all and the OrBorTor has not bothered to remedy the situation. If they finally replace the stop signs, perhaps the the Chalong Police will actually enforce the law to insure that all drivers stop (that's a whole other story).

I'd love to see the police enforce the traffic laws and ticket motorists for moving violations (driving on the wrong side of the road, improper passing, speeding, failure to yield the right of way, drunk driving, reckless driving, etc). These are traffic violations that I witness almost every day in the Nai/Rawai area.

Make the penalties large enough to where it would "entice" the police to actually do their job. Give the police a percentage of the fines. It would be business as usual for the police receiving "fees", but they would then be making the roads a safer place and not just extracting fines for invalid registration, no driving license, etc.

[69690jay]

This comment in a separate forum enticed me to start a new Topic.

Quote: "thefalang" I'd love to see the police enforce the traffic laws and ticket motorists for moving violations (driving on the wrong side of the road, improper passing, speeding, failure to yield the right of way, drunk driving, reckless driving, etc). These are traffic violations that I witness almost every day in the Nai/Rawai area.

My response:

The chaotic synchronicity of traffic flow in this country is a mind bender for westerners, once you get used to it, the flow is quite effective and other than the reckless and driving drunk I regard the road rules as a functioning system.

Learn to behave like a local: unless you have an accident smile and be thankful the accident did not occur.

How can you expect a developing country with the volume of traffic and assemble of sidecars and other dilapidated modes of transport to adhere to western road rules. The country would come to a grinding halt. There would be riots.

ok i am having a bit of a laugh here....

[69690jay]

oops the pic of my first car: 1969 Pontiac GTO Goat was not meant to be in there lol

oh the fun I had in that car, I was a menace to the police. (in my youth)

455 big block positrac rearend turbo 400 automatic.

Edited October 13, 2009 by 69690jay

[gotlost]

Spot on to the OP. Great photos. Thailand is nothing compared to Saudi Arabia. If you tanks it's crazy here it's suicidal there.

[stevenl]

Most Thai drivers exiting Soi Sai Yuan and proceeding north or south on Wiset Road do not yield to traffic coming from either direction. Many people have been maimed or killed at that intersection.

Most Thai drivers going North will not yield, but going South everyone will stop. Also, why the mention of Thai drivers here? Thais driving have different standards than most westerners (also big differences there BTW), but they are quite often polite and far less aggressive drivers.

Both intersections are a dangerous free-for-all and the OrBorTor has not bothered to remedy the situation. If they finally replace the stop signs, perhaps the the Chalong Police will actually enforce the law to insure that all drivers stop (that's a whole other story).

I'd love to see the police enforce the traffic laws and ticket motorists for moving violations (driving on the wrong side of the road, improper passing, speeding, failure to yield the right of way, drunk driving, reckless driving, etc). These are traffic violations that I witness almost every day in the Nai/Rawai area.

Agree, they should do something. But the situation with stop signs was the same as it is now without stop signs, and your suggestion of police enforcement will never happen.

Make the penalties large enough to where it would "entice" the police to actually do their job. Give the police a percentage of the fines. It would be business as usual for the police receiving "fees", but they would then be making the roads a safer place and not just extracting fines for invalid registration, no driving license, etc.

They already get a percentage of the fines. In the west fines are not used to add to traffic safety, only to add to the police budget. Bigger fines here would have the same effect, plus they would not be accepted. The island (and country) are not ready for our western strict enforcement of rules. That is one of the reasons I am living here BTW.

[nakachalet]

Scubabuddha

are you absolutely certain that it did not say otherwise in thai....? such as....

"Stop the pedestrians in crosswalk" .... lol

many drivers do not have valid driver licenses.... and

many more can not read.... any sign and

many thousands more have life time driving licenses.... illegally

yes, most my relatives have their life time driver licenses from several years back....

except me.... whom they consider to be a dangerous farang driver.... imagine that.... lol

Edited October 13, 2009 by nakachalet

[ScubaBuddha]

Scubabuddha

are you absolutely certain that it did not say otherwise in thai....? such as....

"Stop the pedestrians in crosswalk"

I don't Think so. I'll have to look again, but since I am one of those drivers that doesn't read Thai, I can't be sure. I think it was the same as all the others I've seen. Like this:

[ScubaBuddha]

Thailand is nothing compared to Saudi Arabia. If you tanks it's crazy here it's suicidal there.

I have a friend who works in Azerbaijan. He says the same.

[nakachalet]

Thailand is nothing compared to Saudi Arabia. If you tanks it's crazy here it's suicidal there.

I have a friend who works in Azerbaijan. He says the same.

--------

well, the saudi arabians just can not help it....

with all the crude and what not.... face it.... their roads and byways are all slick with oil.... lol

they will drive as fast as their projectiles will allow.... and they will only stop, when something pops in front of their vehicles.... lol

ahhhh, i like thai drivers a lot better.... they already learn to weave and honk around your mercedes.... or gto.... lol

the gto pix reminded me.... in 1967 i also ordered a brand new shinny gold fire bird from detroit with all the trimmings.... at only 1350 usd.... lol

Edited October 13, 2009 by nakachalet

[nakachalet]

....

How can you expect a developing country with the volume of traffic and assemble of sidecars and other dilapidated modes of transport to adhere to western road rules. The country would come to a grinding halt. There would be riots.

ok i am having a bit of a laugh here....

-------

69690jay

strangely, i can only recognize the mor-ter-cy and the tuk-tuk as belonging to the thai heritage....

other wonderful photos are surely not thai per se, are they? india, maxico and phillipine perhaps?

i know, you are just trying to give thailand a bad name, just like all the rest of the no good farangs.... lol

Edited October 13, 2009 by nakachalet

[neverdie]

oops the pic of my first car: 1969 Pontiac GTO Goat was not meant to be in there lol

oh the fun I had in that car, I was a menace to the police. (in my youth)

455 big block positrac rearend turbo 400 automatic.

Ohh thanks for clarifying that. That was the picture I laughed at the most.....I thought it was some type of military tank.....should of known it was just another gas gussling yank tank

They certainly werent known for their beauty, were they?

[LivinginKata]

As requested I have transfered the old posts from the other topic. If some as missing, sorry. That's the best I can do ...

[stevenl]

As requested I have transfered the old posts from the other topic. If some as missing, sorry. That's the best I can do ...

Thanks

[thefalang]

Most Thai drivers exiting Soi Sai Yuan and proceeding north or south on Wiset Road do not yield to traffic coming from either direction. Many people have been maimed or killed at that intersection.

Most Thai drivers going North will not yield, but going South everyone will stop. Also, why the mention of Thai drivers here? Thais driving have different standards than most westerners (also big differences there BTW), but they are quite often polite and far less aggressive drivers.

I don't think you understood what I wrote. I wrote "drivers exiting Soi Sai Yuan". Drivers exiting Soi Sai Yuan, either turning left (south) or right (north) many times do not yield to traffic on Wiset Road. Your reply seems to indicate that I was referring to drivers southbound and northbound on Wiset Road.

I am aware that Thai drivers have different "standards", which is why I made reference to Thai drivers. The overwhealming majority of bad drivers in Phuket are Thai, not falang. I maintain that Thai drivers are typically very aggressive and not extremely polite as you suggested. The sad reality is that most Thais do not know the "rules of the road" and have very little "kreng jai" once they're behind the wheel.

I don't expect the Police to start enforcing traffic laws in Phuket during lifetime, nor do I expect the OrBorTor to replace those stop signs. I have lived in Thailand long enough to know that changes come very, very slowly.

Both intersections are a dangerous free-for-all and the OrBorTor has not bothered to remedy the situation. If they finally replace the stop signs, perhaps the the Chalong Police will actually enforce the law to insure that all drivers stop (that's a whole other story).

I'd love to see the police enforce the traffic laws and ticket motorists for moving violations (driving on the wrong side of the road, improper passing, speeding, failure to yield the right of way, drunk driving, reckless driving, etc). These are traffic violations that I witness almost every day in the Nai/Rawai area.

Agree, they should do something. But the situation with stop signs was the same as it is now without stop signs, and your suggestion of police enforcement will never happen.

Make the penalties large enough to where it would "entice" the police to actually do their job. Give the police a percentage of the fines. It would be business as usual for the police receiving "fees", but they would then be making the roads a safer place and not just extracting fines for invalid registration, no driving license, etc.

They already get a percentage of the fines. In the west fines are not used to add to traffic safety, only to add to the police budget. Bigger fines here would have the same effect, plus they would not be accepted. The island (and country) are not ready for our western strict enforcement of rules. That is one of the reasons I am living here BTW.

Those intersections I mentioned were much less dangerous when there were stop signs. How can you actually state that a 3-way intersection without any stops signs is as safe as the same intersection with a stop sign? A stop sign minimizes the chances of vehicles "charging" through the intersection from at least one direction. Following your line of thinking, why don't they just remove all the stop signs and traffic lights in Phuket?

You stated that traffic fines in the west are "not used to add to traffic safety". Traffic fines do generate revenue for the police department but most importantly, they function as a deterrent as when criminal goes to jail if he commits a crime. If you're implying that fines would not function as a deterrent to traffic violators, you're simply wrong.

Thailand is not ready for our "western strict enforcement of rules".... That's laughable. The Thais can be very "anal" about enforcement of the most petty, insignificant laws when it serves someone's agenda, is convenient and/or especially when applied to a non-Thai. Selective law enforcement is a whole other subject. I suggest you research the matter prior to making comments on this subject and/or live in Thailand for another 10 or 15-years.

[thefalang]

Most Thai drivers going North will not yield, but going South everyone will stop. Also, why the mention of Thai drivers here? Thais driving have different standards than most westerners (also big differences there BTW), but they are quite often polite and far less aggressive drivers.

Most Thai drivers going North will not yield, but going South everyone will stop. Also, why the mention of Thai drivers here? Thais driving have different standards than most westerners (also big differences there BTW), but they are quite often polite and far less aggressive drivers.

This replaces my previous post which in error noted that vehicles exiting Soi Sai Yuan turning left onto Wiset Road are going south (actually it is north) and vice versa:

I don't think you understood what I wrote. I wrote "drivers exiting Soi Sai Yuan". Drivers exiting Soi Sai Yuan, either turning right (south) or left (north) many times do not yield to traffic on Wiset Road. Your reply seems to indicate that I was referring to drivers southbound and northbound on Wiset Road.

I am aware that Thai drivers have different "standards", which is why I made reference to Thai drivers. The overwhealming majority of bad drivers in Phuket are Thai, not falang. I maintain that Thai drivers are typically very aggressive and not extremely polite as you suggested. The sad reality is that most Thais do not know the "rules of the road" and have very little "kreng jai" once they're behind the wheel.

I don't expect the Police to start enforcing traffic laws in Phuket during my lifetime, nor do I expect the OrBorTor to replace those stop signs. I have lived in Thailand long enough to know that changes come very, very slowly.

[thefalang]

This comment in a separate forum enticed me to start a new Topic.

Quote: "thefalang" I'd love to see the police enforce the traffic laws and ticket motorists for moving violations (driving on the wrong side of the road, improper passing, speeding, failure to yield the right of way, drunk driving, reckless driving, etc). These are traffic violations that I witness almost every day in the Nai/Rawai area.

My response:

The chaotic synchronicity of traffic flow in this country is a mind bender for westerners, once you get used to it, the flow is quite effective and other than the reckless and driving drunk I regard the road rules as a functioning system.

Learn to behave like a local: unless you have an accident smile and be thankful the accident did not occur.

How can you expect a developing country with the volume of traffic and assemble of sidecars and other dilapidated modes of transport to adhere to western road rules. The country would come to a grinding halt. There would be riots.

ok i am having a bit of a laugh here....

"69690jay"

There probably would be riots. Look back when they started to enforce the mandatory helment law.

Thanks but no thanks regarding your suggestion to "behave like a local". The behavior of many of the locals in Phuket leaves much to be desired...

[hanno]

other wonderful photos are surely not thai per se, are they? india, maxico and phillipine perhaps?

99.9% certain the last 2 pictures are from Vietnam (lived their 14 years and never bothered to take photos, it seemed so.....normal?)

[stevenl]

This replaces my previous post which in error noted that vehicles exiting Soi Sai Yuan turning left onto Wiset Road are going south (actually it is north) and vice versa:

I don't think you understood what I wrote. I wrote "drivers exiting Soi Sai Yuan". Drivers exiting Soi Sai Yuan, either turning right (south) or left (north) many times do not yield to traffic on Wiset Road. Your reply seems to indicate that I was referring to drivers southbound and northbound on Wiset Road.

I am aware that Thai drivers have different "standards", which is why I made reference to Thai drivers. The overwhealming majority of bad drivers in Phuket are Thai, not falang. I maintain that Thai drivers are typically very aggressive and not extremely polite as you suggested. The sad reality is that most Thais do not know the "rules of the road" and have very little "kreng jai" once they're behind the wheel.

I don't expect the Police to start enforcing traffic laws in Phuket during my lifetime, nor do I expect the OrBorTor to replace those stop signs. I have lived in Thailand long enough to know that changes come very, very slowly.

I understood exactly what you wrote but disagree with you: IMO drivers exiting Sai Yuan going North will hardly ever yield, but drivers going South will nearly always yield.

Bad/good dirvers: depends on your definition of bad/good. I tend to agree in general with you, but a lot of foreign drivers don't adapt to the Thai system, which makes them dangerous. But IMO Thai drivers, at least away from Bangkok, are not aggressive.

I am NOT saying fines would not work as a deterrent, if you read what I wrote I am saying that I think that in Thai society higher fines would not be accepted. I also wrote: 'The island (and country) are not ready for our western strict enforcement of rules. That is one of the reasons I am living here BTW.'

Thailand is not ready for our "western strict enforcement of rules".... That's laughable.

Come with arguments, not with statements like this.

Let's juts say we have a different view of Thai society?

[toptuan]

Thailand is not ready for our "western strict enforcement of rules".... That's laughable. The Thais can be very "anal" about enforcement of the most petty, insignificant laws when it serves someone's agenda, is convenient and/or especially when applied to a non-Thai. Selective law enforcement is a whole other subject. I suggest you research the matter prior to making comments on this subject and/or live in Thailand for another 10 or 15-years.

This is not a society which functions by the rule of law. It functions by power and influence. That "trickles down" to what should be very simple systems, like traffic enforcement. In our province all police keep "office hours" (9-5) and there's virtually no police protection after dark. The only traffic stops are about twice a month where roadblocks are thrown up to catch hundreds of non-helmeted motorcycle riders, with a fine of 200B each. Once the bi-monthly beer money is collected, they retreat into the police station, not to be seen until they run out of beer in a couple weeks. TIT

[katabeachbum]

This is not a society which functions by the rule of law. It functions by power and influence. That "trickles down" to what should be very simple systems, like traffic enforcement. In our province all police keep "office hours" (9-5) and there's virtually no police protection after dark. The only traffic stops are about twice a month where roadblocks are thrown up to catch hundreds of non-helmeted motorcycle riders, with a fine of 200B each. Once the bi-monthly beer money is collected, they retreat into the police station, not to be seen until they run out of beer in a couple weeks. TIT

There is a monthly limit on how much each officer and the policestation can have in fine commision. When this amount is reached there is no reson to fine any more until next month.

[Wellington]

Can anyone tell me why, after all the new two lane roads in Phuket are opened, Thai drivers still stay on the middle of the outside lane even going round a left hand bend, and buses and lorries drive all the way from north to south of the Island without deviating from their mid road position?

is it ignorance of basic driving etiquette? Do they just not want to be overtaken? or any other reason?

[thefalang]

This replaces my previous post which in error noted that vehicles exiting Soi Sai Yuan turning left onto Wiset Road are going south (actually it is north) and vice versa:

I don't think you understood what I wrote. I wrote "drivers exiting Soi Sai Yuan". Drivers exiting Soi Sai Yuan, either turning right (south) or left (north) many times do not yield to traffic on Wiset Road. Your reply seems to indicate that I was referring to drivers southbound and northbound on Wiset Road.

I am aware that Thai drivers have different "standards", which is why I made reference to Thai drivers. The overwhealming majority of bad drivers in Phuket are Thai, not falang. I maintain that Thai drivers are typically very aggressive and not extremely polite as you suggested. The sad reality is that most Thais do not know the "rules of the road" and have very little "kreng jai" once they're behind the wheel.

I don't expect the Police to start enforcing traffic laws in Phuket during my lifetime, nor do I expect the OrBorTor to replace those stop signs. I have lived in Thailand long enough to know that changes come very, very slowly.

I understood exactly what you wrote but disagree with you: IMO drivers exiting Sai Yuan going North will hardly ever yield, but drivers going South will nearly always yield.

Bad/good dirvers: depends on your definition of bad/good. I tend to agree in general with you, but a lot of foreign drivers don't adapt to the Thai system, which makes them dangerous. But IMO Thai drivers, at least away from Bangkok, are not aggressive.

I am NOT saying fines would not work as a deterrent, if you read what I wrote I am saying that I think that in Thai society higher fines would not be accepted. I also wrote: 'The island (and country) are not ready for our western strict enforcement of rules. That is one of the reasons I am living here BTW.'

Thailand is not ready for our "western strict enforcement of rules".... That's laughable.

Come with arguments, not with statements like this.

Let's juts say we have a different view of Thai society?

Fine, I agree to disagree.

[thefalang]

Come with arguments, not with statements like this.

I addressed your statement and explained why it was, in my opinion, "laughable". Didn't you read the rest of the paragraph? The gist of my reply is that the Thais will, when useful or convenient, adhere to a more strict enforcement of rules than Western standards would dictate. The preoccupation with unrelated details, copies of documents, etc all create an illusion of accuracy and completeness (that in reality does not exist), but demonstrates their ability to adhere to a strict enforcement of protcol when they wish to...

Again, the following is my rationale why I disagree with your statement:

The Thais can be very "anal" about enforcement of the most petty, insignificant laws when it serves someone's agenda, is convenient and/or especially when applied to a non-Thai. Selective law enforcement is a whole other subject. I suggest you research the matter prior to making comments on this subject and/or live in Thailand for another 10 or 15-years.

[stevenl]

I addressed your statement and explained why it was, in my opinion, "laughable". Didn't you read the rest of the paragraph? The gist of my reply is that the Thais will, when useful or convenient, adhere to a more strict enforcement of rules than Western standards would dictate. The preoccupation with unrelated details, copies of documents, etc all create an illusion of accuracy and completeness (that in reality does not exist), but demonstrates their ability to adhere to a strict enforcement of protcol when they wish to...

Again, the following is my rationale why I disagree with your statement:

The Thais can be very "anal" about enforcement of the most petty, insignificant laws when it serves someone's agenda, is convenient and/or especially when applied to a non-Thai. Selective law enforcement is a whole other subject. I suggest you research the matter prior to making comments on this subject and/or live in Thailand for another 10 or 15-years.

Ok, let me expand my claim: Thailand is not ready for our 'western strict enforcement of traffic rules. After all, that is what we are talking about here, or not?

[Felt 35]

Proper driver education and a bit city planning would go a long way in Phuket.

Look now when its school holiday its nearly quiet on the roads both in the mornings and afternoon. But what is there to expect with a local Government busy spending endless with money dragging up old trees on Thepkasatri road and then plant some new palm trees with much less foliage than the old ones.

Maybe good the school holiday not last to long so TAT at least can claim its all the tourist traffic which make the roads busy.

[phuketsub]

I'd love to see the police enforce the traffic laws and ticket motorists for moving violations (driving on the wrong side of the road, improper passing, speeding, failure to yield the right of way, drunk driving, reckless driving, etc). These are traffic violations that I witness almost every day in the Nai/Rawai area.

Make the penalties large enough to where it would "entice" the police to actually do their job. Give the police a percentage of the fines. It would be business as usual for the police receiving "fees", but they would then be making the roads a safer place and not just extracting fines for invalid registration, no driving license, etc.

The police already get a % of the fines, but it tops out at 10,000 baht each/month( last time I checked)...that's why you seldom see the checkpoints out later in the month, I think...

[katabeachbum]

The police already get a % of the fines, but it tops out at 10,000 baht each/month( last time I checked)...that's why you seldom see the checkpoints out later in the month, I think...

each officer and the policestation gets commision of the fines, until a monthly limit is reached. then no more fines. These fines are limited to

driving without helmet, lisence, tax, light,seatbelt

speeding, driving in right lane without overtaking

so the fines do not improve road safety, as no one cares about reckless driving, no yield or full stop at stop signs, overtaking in curves or over hill, tailgating, or even pushing someone off the road.

[thefalang]

I addressed your statement and explained why it was, in my opinion, "laughable". Didn't you read the rest of the paragraph? The gist of my reply is that the Thais will, when useful or convenient, adhere to a more strict enforcement of rules than Western standards would dictate. The preoccupation with unrelated details, copies of documents, etc all create an illusion of accuracy and completeness (that in reality does not exist), but demonstrates their ability to adhere to a strict enforcement of protcol when they wish to...

Again, the following is my rationale why I disagree with your statement:

The Thais can be very "anal" about enforcement of the most petty, insignificant laws when it serves someone's agenda, is convenient and/or especially when applied to a non-Thai. Selective law enforcement is a whole other subject. I suggest you research the matter prior to making comments on this subject and/or live in Thailand for another 10 or 15-years.

Ok, let me expand my claim: Thailand is not ready for our 'western strict enforcement of traffic rules. After all, that is what we are talking about here, or not?

Feel free to "expand" your claim or "change" your claim anyway that makes you happy but my response was relevant in either case.

My statement and other comments regarding Thai law enforcement apply to all laws, including traffic laws. What I've described is a "mindset" that prevails throughout the entire Thai legal system.

[thefalang]

The police already get a % of the fines, but it tops out at 10,000 baht each/month( last time I checked)...that's why you seldom see the checkpoints out later in the month, I think...

each officer and the policestation gets commision of the fines, until a monthly limit is reached. then no more fines. These fines are limited to

driving without helmet, lisence, tax, light,seatbelt

speeding, driving in right lane without overtaking

so the fines do not improve road safety, as no one cares about reckless driving, no yield or full stop at stop signs, overtaking in curves or over hill, tailgating, or even pushing someone off the road.

I agree with you in that the whole system does not motivate the police to make the roads safer. Actually, I witness the police make traffic errors on a regular basis, as if they're not aware of the basic traffic laws themselves. If so, how can they enforce these laws?

I am aware that the Police already receive a % of the fines that they" assess". The % ranges from 100% and less.

Perhaps they should expand the fines to include moving violations and remove the "cap" or limit on the amount of "commissions" that an officer can earn. Perhaps they should assess hefty fines for moving violations, remove the "commission" and just increase the salaries. This is all conjecture & wishful thinking but it is obvious that the current system is not working & something should be done.

[rawaireddragon]

You all....came here for a reason...because the west is <deleted>$c%d. So you sit in your pretty villas with smug smiles and laugh about driving........how many of you have driven after 10 beers...complain for what? YOU WANT SPEED CAMERAS...........YOU WANT NO BEER AND STILL OVER LIMIT FROM YESTERDAY? look at the islands look at the blue lagoons........you want rules go HOME..........try congestion charges...try compulsory breath tests......Smugness stinks.......