How Much Harder It Is To Drive Here?

[Newguy70]

Best Driving School,

Any street corner (intersection) downtown, is the Best driving school in Thailand, ohhh and free. Sit for about 30 minutes and watch the driving habits (tendencies) of those using it. Worked for me.

Ohhh, and oncoming traffic(motorbikes) in the wrong lane is the norm, so do not get freaked out.

Best of luck....

[neverdie]

Its all those western countires around the world that I have trouble driving/riding in.....all those dam_n rulz, regulations, safety ideas and organsiation

[longball53098]

Best Driving School,

Any street corner (intersection) downtown, is the Best driving school in Thailand, ohhh and free. Sit for about 30 minutes and watch the driving habits (tendencies) of those using it. Worked for me.

Ohhh, and oncoming traffic(motorbikes) in the wrong lane is the norm, so do not get freaked out.

Best of luck....

It's not just motorbikes that might be coming the wrong way! You can expect anything at any time to be coming from anywhere at any time! Keep you're mind on the road at all times and be aware in all directions. Check all you're mirrors often and keep you're eyes moving to check for something coming from where you least expect it. And for god sakes don't be distracted by talking on a mobile while behind the wheel.

[carlosacao]

I drove in Los Angeles for 25 years, didn't feel that I had to get used to it, felt quite normal for a big city, but I wouldn't drive in Bangkok even if you pay me for it (particularly the heavy traffic areas like Sukhumvit), I now drive in Chiang Mai without problems but it's a lot easier here than in Bangkok. In Los Angeles you have to always watch out for a cop but in Thailand you have to always watch out for the crazy drivers, trucks, motorcycles, motorcycles driving in the wrong direction, etc, etc.

Given the choice I prefer to watch out for the cops, that wont kill you, will just set you back some money.

How about hiring a personal driver as your employee?, it's not expensive.

[MikeyIdea]

Hi All, I am glad I caused some commotion, this will be fun

First of all, I of course wish that I had been able too (without too much trouble) make my daughter sit in her car seat, but it was not to be. After a month or so and several of hundred kilometers, she was still really angry (and loud) and made travelling with the family not the pleasure it should be but more a pain. So I stopped, thinking – OK, so we have to do this the hard way. The hard way means hard for daddy as he has to live with the fact that the daughter would not be protected by something good called a car seat. And drive very cautiously taking that into consideration. Until the child gets big enough to use the seat belt

Here my opinion differs from yours; I put it as Without too much trouble, you would probably stick to the principle. My decision is based on practicality, not principle. I am glad I took that decision. I have been the safest father I possibly could have for my daughter for the last 5 years, having my daughter safely strapped into a car seat and then relaxing slightly instead could have had disastrous consequences. The points in my originally post, especially point 4, background concentration rules. You are likely to meet a drunk law-enforcement officer driving on the wrong side of the road with his lights off occasionally and others on a much more regular basis. Accept and adapt

Personal driver…: I work for one of the largest companies in the world (locally hired in Thailand), I sometimes think of the farang managers who go on holiday with their family and driver, kids safely strapped in of course. I don't think that their kids are safer than my daughter at all, quite the contrary actually.

Daewoo: May I ask – You write about extreme danger. What extreme danger? I have been driving in Thailand for over 17 years and I still cannot find any extreme danger here. I find that extreme caution must be used of course but where on earth do you get extreme danger from?

How did I become like this? Maybe this started with my grand father going on holiday with my then young mother on a moped - and drive down (from Gothenburg Sweden) to Germany to look at Berlin in 1946. My mother still today talks about how wonderful it was. Driving around bomb craters, burnt out tanks still by the road side. What an adventure for a young teenager! Was that extreme danger?

Years passed by, then my mother took me and my sister and took us to every county in Sweden (don't think that car had seat belts), then she hooked on a caravan to the car and drove town to Spain and Italy and most other countries in Europe in the early 70s (newer car, that one had seat belts although they had never been used). Wow, seeing cars burning beside the road on German autobahn. Was that extreme danger?

Years passed by… then daddy poster in this thread takes his daughter to every single jangwat in Thailand by car… Hey, not yet, he's only at 45 provinces or so this far. And I also exercise extreme caution, like grand dad in 1946 and Mummy in the 70s'. Most likely much more so than my beloved grand father and my mother (my driving companion to Phuket in the mid 90s) did because awareness is much higher now a days. Is that extreme danger?

mca, I of course know that an airbag wouldn't protect a child sitting in the drivers lap at all, quite the opposite. And that the line from the luggage and out of the wind screen is in fact straight, yes.

It's not about principles, not about using a professional driver or not, not about seat belts or car seats, you have misunderstood things. It's about responsibility. It's about the heavy responsibility that you and I as drivers have for the occupants of the vehicle. Your child safely strapped in with your company driver driving is just barely safe enough to meet my standards. Ask your company driver if he thinks that the fact that he is hit by a car driven by a drunk driver on the wrong side of the road is an acceptable excuse for not being fired. Should he be given a second chance? Will your family be given a second change?

You haven't heard that I drive my daughter the 300 meters I have to her school on a motor cycle not wearing a helmet every day in Bangkok yet

Michael

[bellagrego]

Bangkok driving a challenge ? Nah, not really. I do like one suggestion I read here. Buy a piece of crap, get some good insurance. I might add, buy a truck, it's heavier, safer, and more intimidating to biker boys. A very large Buffaloe bumper is an asset as well. The little devils bounce right off and don't scar your paint. If you drove in LA on the 105 or the grapevine, you know traffic, but Joe Law is not here to keep these squirrels in line. To put it all in perspective you should try HoChiMinn for a warm up, followed by Bali, Indonesia. Bangkok is a cakewalk.

bella

[chiang mai]

Specially in Inglewood, all the "Blacks" at ever street corner hanging arround

heh it isn't a dangerous as you might think. I lived in Long Beach for a couple of years and went to Inglewood quite often to play poker. They may look scary but its just a facade. I never had any problems there. I guess statistically speaking the risk of a car jacking is astronomically higher in Inglewood than it would be in Thailand (does that even happen here?) but generally speaking, its very safe to drive in the 'dangerous' areas of LA - so long as you are on the major roads. I wouldn't go roaming around the small side streets where everybody lives and stands in the middle of the street etc.

Actually car jacking happens here, but not often. They rear end your car and expect you to get out. Head for the nearest policestation

The last time somebody rear ended my car I stopped and before I was half way out of the car they were absolutely gone, happened a few times with motor bikes and in broad daylight - the last time was in Karon Beach around noon, the farangs in the bar across the way were laughing (and generally adding no value to the situation) as I tried to figure out where the errant motor bike rider had gone to, no serious damage however.

[eTiMaGo]

My main mental rule is to look at each car/motorbike/pedestrian/elephant in proximity and ask myself, what is the dumbest thing he could do, and be prepared for that... Someone mentioned "background awareness", I think "low-level paranoia" comes in more handy

But yes, once you get used to it, driving is not too bad here... But it feels weird to go back to europe and seeing people actually giving right of way, here it's more often "the one with the biggest balls goes first"

[longball53098]

My main mental rule is to look at each car/motorbike/pedestrian/elephant in proximity and ask myself, what is the dumbest thing he could do, and be prepared for that... Someone mentioned "background awareness", I think "low-level paranoia" comes in more handy

But yes, once you get used to it, driving is not too bad here... But it feels weird to go back to europe and seeing people actually giving right of way, here it's more often "the one with the biggest balls goes first"

This hit the nail on the head saying "the one with the biggest balls goes first"

We all should know Thailand as most Asian cultures live on status of the people and animals. The higher status you are the more respect you get from people and animals. Ever notice a soi dog will challenge a motorbike less than a push cart but give way quickly for a car or even more quickly for a truck?

The same holds true for vehicles and drivers. Always remember the rule " the biggest one always gets the right of way no matter what the actual written rules say" and if you've watched a BMW driver or a Benz driver they think the own the road and all must give way to them because of the status they imply with the high status cars.

But the most important rule is as said, "the one with the most metal out in front wins"

[Samuian]

it's easy, like a suicide mission!

Never, ever stop watching what the OTHERS are doing - indicating to the left does NOT

mean that they may turn left!

On Highways one will face oncoming traffic to the very left....

people will do things no one from western countries will ever expect, once used to it,

it can be quite relaxing!

[stingray]

The best way is to drive a 35 year old clunker, like a old american car or a old toyota crown with heavy steel bumpers.