Learning To Drive In Thailand?

[longball53098]

Find an English speaking friend that has a car and license and ask if they will teach you the basics. Maybe find a big open area to practice such as a wide open parking lot or a big dirt are that has no obstacles. The friend can show you the basics and you can learn the feel of a car. After a few one hour sessions you will be ready to hire a local driving school to help you but yes they won't speak English.

Pattaya has at least 2 shops that for 5,000 baht will give 20 hours of "training" in their vehicle and guarantee the license test is passed. I would think BKK has similar shops

[sokal]

I am in Thailand but never learnt to drive in my home country.

I was thinking it would be good to be able to drive out here so we could go on some road trips etc.

Can I have lessons in Bangkok (in English)?

Am I even allowed to get a driving license? I am here on a 12 month non-imm O visa.

Am I likely to crash during a lesson in Bangkok?

Thanks.

Yes, you can learn to drive, and if you learn to drive the same as the locals, you'll get along just fine.

People should realize that the locals actually do know how to drive, they just drive faster and more on the ball then in the west. If you are literally bad at driving in Thailand, then you will get run over and die.

[sokal]

Another tip...

If you do get a car in Thailand, just follow the Thai rules of the road and you'll be OK,

For gods sake don't start to compare Thailands roads with UK roads or Japanese roads or USA roads. ( Although over 40,000 people a year are killed each year on USA roads )

Drive in your own enviroment as the locals do, be aware and know that you will have to adjust to the Thai style, it don't matter how many Farangs on ThaiVisa think they are superior drivers, adapt to local conditions and you should be fine.

You are one of the few who gets it! Too many farang want to compare and/or continue to drive as if they are in America or England. They're the dangerous ones. Same in America...the Asians who try to drive Asian style scare the heck out of me.

Exactly,.......

Yet so many Farangs refuse to adapt to the different driving style, they only think that their style is best and anyone not conforming to that style is inferior.

So why do over 40,000 people die each year on the roads of USA ?

Is it because they are superior drivers so many get killed ?

Sorry, but I would say that drivers in most western countries are superior to drivers in Thailand if for no other reason that most drivers follow road rules other than perhaps speeding. The US may have 40,000 deaths per year, but the deaths per mile driven is significantly higher in Thailand. And that is what I base my concept of "superior" driving.

Last week, as the 6th car in a line doing a u-turn with the right turn arrow at a light, I had to slam on my breaks as two huge tourist buses, horns ablaring, came barreling through the red light and almost crushed me (at least 15 seconds after their light turned red and after the five cars preceding me had already done their u-turn.). No matter how much I might love Thailand, nothing is going to convince me that those buses were right. If this had been the US, I would have had their licenses pulled.

Now having written that, while I still obey the Thai rules of the road, I have adapted myself to most Thai driving habits.  I stop at all red lights, I drive only on the correct side of the road, and u-turn only where it is allowed, but I do scoot through a legal u-turn as soon as I have even a small gap, for example.  And I have my route to work pretty mapped out with places to move all the way to the left to avoid u-turn areas and when to move back to the right to get out of the lanes where buses like to stop to pick-up or discharge passengers.

Adapting to Thai driving is fine, but that does not mean you have to break the law while driving, nor does it mean you have to fool yourself into thinking driving in Thailand is safer than driving in the west. Complacency can kill you.  It can kill you in the US or the UK, for sure, but you do have a greater chance of dying on the road in Thailand, and drivers need to be aware of that and keep alert and focused.

Speed limits are for pussies. The first thing I fell in love with in Thailand was the roads and my bike.

[robblok]

Yes yes yes............

But why do over 40,000 Americans die each year on the roads ?

Considering they are such good drivers, obey traffic laws and the roads are in good condition and well policed, the fatality rate is horrendous, what are they doing wrong ?

Now try to say the same for Holland, we are smaller but we have a lot less trafic deaths 600 in a year on a populace of 16 million. So that would make us superior would you not say so Mr Maigo6 ?

I still believe westerners are superior drivers (i just dont include myself among those because im just an average driver) I drive my motorcycle here and the things i see at times are just plain crazy. I have never seen such dangerous stunts in Holland. I adapt to the road but i wont go against traffic and so on. I will try to keep some space between me and the cars.. but like others have said a car will go in that space for sure. Thais dont like keeping a distance or anticipating on others. They are bad drivers in general.

[Komerican]

Another tip...

If you do get a car in Thailand, just follow the Thai rules of the road and you'll be OK,

For gods sake don't start to compare Thailands roads with UK roads or Japanese roads or USA roads. ( Although over 40,000 people a year are killed each year on USA roads )

Drive in your own enviroment as the locals do, be aware and know that you will have to adjust to the Thai style, it don't matter how many Farangs on ThaiVisa think they are superior drivers, adapt to local conditions and you should be fine.

You are one of the few who gets it! Too many farang want to compare and/or continue to drive as if they are in America or England. They're the dangerous ones. Same in America...the Asians who try to drive Asian style scare the heck out of me.

Exactly,.......

Yet so many Farangs refuse to adapt to the different driving style, they only think that their style is best and anyone not conforming to that style is inferior.

So why do over 40,000 people die each year on the roads of USA ?

Is it because they are superior drivers so many get killed ?

Sorry, but I would say that drivers in most western countries are superior to drivers in Thailand if for no other reason that most drivers follow road rules other than perhaps speeding. The US may have 40,000 deaths per year, but the deaths per mile driven is significantly higher in Thailand. And that is what I base my concept of "superior" driving.

Last week, as the 6th car in a line doing a u-turn with the right turn arrow at a light, I had to slam on my breaks as two huge tourist buses, horns ablaring, came barreling through the red light and almost crushed me (at least 15 seconds after their light turned red and after the five cars preceding me had already done their u-turn.). No matter how much I might love Thailand, nothing is going to convince me that those buses were right. If this had been the US, I would have had their licenses pulled.

Now having written that, while I still obey the Thai rules of the road, I have adapted myself to most Thai driving habits. I stop at all red lights, I drive only on the correct side of the road, and u-turn only where it is allowed, but I do scoot through a legal u-turn as soon as I have even a small gap, for example. And I have my route to work pretty mapped out with places to move all the way to the left to avoid u-turn areas and when to move back to the right to get out of the lanes where buses like to stop to pick-up or discharge passengers.

Adapting to Thai driving is fine, but that does not mean you have to break the law while driving, nor does it mean you have to fool yourself into thinking driving in Thailand is safer than driving in the west. Complacency can kill you. It can kill you in the US or the UK, for sure, but you do have a greater chance of dying on the road in Thailand, and drivers need to be aware of that and keep alert and focused.

Couldn't agree with you more.

Yesterday, I had some nut making U-Turn iin ront of me from a middle lane at no U-Turn intersection.

I don't mind bad drivers as long as they obey traffic laws.

Lot of traffic jams in Bangkok is caused by the drivers who ignores simple traffice laws.

[astral]

On the same topic...I'm colour blind, will I be able to get a license in Thailand?

I'm sure I read somewhere they do a sight-colour test.

They do give you a colour blindness test.

It was only then that I discovered that my stepson was colourblind.

He was still able to take the test, pass and get his licence.

As long as you can differentiate between red and green you will be OK.

I taught him to drive, started around 12-13 out on country roads.

I have never seen a driving school, or anyone with L plates, or heard of a Learners licence.