The Mercedes Mentality.

[t.s]

Hello.

After having done well over 50,000 kilometers on a motorbike in Bangkok alone i can honestly say that i am getting in situations similar to the OP's on a daily basis. But it is not only Merc's but indeed all sorts of cars, and here in Bangkok it can be said that the WORST are taxis, regardless of what type or colour, and directly followed bu buses. Yes, buses.

Those types of vehicle have no regard for the traffic rules at all and whatsoever, they overtake, undertake, weave in-and-out without the use of indicators and are generally driving with the attitude "i own the road and you have no right to be here".

This is specially bad with buses which are, by nature, large vehicles that use up quite some space while zig-zagging through traffic jams, and almost every day at some point i am coming to a stop because a bus wants to go from the left-most lane to the right-most lane, can't do so for traffic ahead of him but succeeds in blocking all three lanes solidly.

Or, in the morning today, TWO buses wanting to do a u-turn at a spot on Sukhumvit that is rather clearly marked with a "No U-Turn" sign - those buses lined up one behind another, unable to do the turn for traffic in the opposite direction - but again all three lines in my direction totally blocked and empty road ahead.

As to "safe distance", that concept simply doesn't work here. I am on the OP's side with his action in regards to that Merc - let him pass and you'll have to build up a new safe distance - into which the NEXT four-wheeled idiot will squeeze. So in fact you are basically handing yourself further and further behind in a long line of cars, you might as well stop right there and wait until that road is completely empty - or the end of your life, which ever comes first. I, too, defend my place in traffic against idiots who try to push past from behind despite the fact they wouldn't get anywhere other than just in front of me - and right behind the car that's NOW in front of me. Now my bike is not a small Honda Wave but still nowhere near as big as a Harley, however by it's looks it somewhat resembles a cop's bike so usually i have my peace after i prevent the ONCE from dangerously overtaking me - but there are exceptions and again they usually carry a "Taxi Meter" sign on the roof, those HAVE to pass come hel_l or high water, their life depends on being in front of me.

As to the list that someone made further up, with the "10 M up vehicles drivers" being the least dangerous - i can NOT agree. After all it was no less than a red Ferrari that came shooting out of a narrow soi on Ekkamai and only my really good brakes avoided a crash right into his driver's door. My rather loud horn woke him up, or rather distracted him from his phone conversation - and my middle finger told him what i thought about his driving skills. Ferrari or not, money can't buy character and believe me, if i HAD run into that Ferrari i would have sued the cr@p out of him. The "who's at fault" question was a no-brainer there - me on the main road, him coming out of a soi, hard to do the usual "blame the Farang" on that one.

On the other hand i also happen to drive a four-wheeled vehicle in Thailand, and it is even a pickup truck. So what? As i DO ride a bike, too, i think "motorbike" all the time. It is so easy to actually care for motorbikes, thus avoiding accidents with them - and to show some courtesy such as keeping a distance from the cars beside while stationary in a traffic jam just to let the bikes through - prevents scratches to the truck and allows for better (bike) traffic flow. And IF someone arrives beside me after i am already stationary and that someone is too close, it won't hurt to fold my wing mirrors to achieve the same - in fact, i see motorbike riders smile at me every time i do it, they ARE thankful for a little courtesy on the battlefield that is "Bangkok Streets".

Best regards......

Thanh

ok, with 50k km in, don't you think you would have been proceeding up the line between lanes rather than pissing about and being tailgated?

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi.

That would depend on the speed at which traffic is moving. If the traffic flows at anywhere beyond 60-70 km/h i go with the flow, keeping some space between me and the one in front so i can safely drop the anchor if that is required for some reason. Often enough i had to do so rather quickly because the one in front decided to suddenly stop and his brake lights didn't work.

However if the traffic goes annoyingly slow, yes, i will snake through between the lanes if there is enough space between the cars. It is the main advantage of a motorbike NOT having to be stuck between cars all the time, however i am not a Kamikaze like some motorcyclists that i see (sadly also on a daily basis) who think they have to blast through between the cars at 120+ km/h.

Oh, and if i have some empty road ahead and some dick behind me thinks he needs to tailgate but doesn't have the guts or power to overtake - i can always shift a couple of gears down and leave them in a cloud of blue smoke Because normally i prefer to ride at around 80 to 90 km/h which is the "sweet spot" of my bike - best economy at that speed and certainly fast enough to get around Bangkok.

Best regards.....

Thanh

[onnut]

It's just part and parcel of driving in Bangkok. Like I say he was not hurt and the only damage was his brake lever left a deep dent under my wing mirror. Lucky for both of us, he seemed happy that I drove off so maybe he thought it was his fault as well.

Hopefully we will both learn from this

I doubt he will, seeing as he was angry at you, so in his mind he did no wrong. As offensive as this may sound to some, I think it's a shame that motorbike rider didn't fatally injure himself. Every day idiots like that drive around increase the chance that someone I love or hold dearly gets involved in a dangerous road accident. It's drivers like that that cause the accidents. The less of them, the better.

I have been unlucky because some <deleted> on a bike went into the back of my car last month doing considerable damage. he shot off before I realised what had happened. and now a nice dent under my wing mirror. so yes, I did kind of wish this <deleted> had been hurt as I drove off.

[WarpSpeed]

what sort of weird thoughts go through these dickheads minds that they risk the lives of others just to get in front of the motorbike ahead, even when there's a convoy of traffic and they can't go any further or any faster than just kill the bloke on the motorbike?

Ummmm........ Conversely what sort of weird thoughts or ego bruising does someone suffer by being passed? Or is it a power play to be so self righteous in an attempt to control everyone else around them? That made me think the same thing about your response to the dick head trying to pass you.. From my vantage point I don't see the difference both are dick heads in my book..Live and let live TIT.....Not where ever you escaped from..

Well said,

and maybe the person in the hospital that the person in the merc was trying to see..... died before her or she could see that individual in the hospital for that final good bye.

I was letting some people make a U turn today, and the wife starts her usuall nagging.... "cut them off, don't let them go, I have things to do...." I replied, "I was just being nice, and I am sure they have things to do too, I doubt people drive in this shet hole of a city for leisure..."

First rule of defensive driving is "courtesy is contagious".... in essence "Pay it forward"..

[WarpSpeed]

A bike plowed into the side of my car today! That will teach me to look n the mirror! Who was it said just drive like a thai and you will be ok? Oops, that was me.

Lukily he was not hurt, he was a bit pissed off though.

How much did it cost you?

[WarpSpeed]

To everybody telling the OP that he should have just let the idiot push his way in front of the OP, why should he? Let the merc driver wait, why should he get preferential treatment?

Brigante7.

Because life is more important then EGO!!! At least mine is, simple as that..

[tomloughney]

I have had a Toyota and a Honda med size cars and a VW bug and now a Proton Savvy, the little one.

With the full size cars there were some idiots wanting to pass and tailgate.

With the VW and now the little Proton the number of idiots has peaked.

Seems like they need to get in-front of the little car.

I remember on the motorway, when they were building those flyovers, the road would suddenly turn left and go around the construction. I would approach the area at 110 in the VW and never hit the brakes, the guy in the pickup tailgating me would suddenly get an "ah shit" when he found the curve in his Hi So or other high center of gravity ride.

The Savvy corners like the VW also, but actually not as peppy from the stop. Gee a VW Bug peppy???

[xerostar]

I've often experienced this sort of maniac in Oz, pushing in front because I'm leaving a 2-car gap in front of me.

Same experience in Thailand.

I always remind myself of the old saying:

"better to be late, than dead on time".

I've also experienced the "different-make-of-car scenario".

Owning a Porsche 911 in Oz attracts every psychopath on and off the road.

No matter what sort of car they drive, they make it their business to ruin your driving pleasure or annoy you in any way they can.

Giving the bird, cutting in, revving at the lights inviting a drag race, various passengers learing at you from the open windows, shouting obscenities. I even had one pretending to point a gun and shoot at me .

If you slow down to let them pass, they slow down too in order to prolong their amusement.

In most cases the only remedy was to accelerate away well over the speed limit, put a few Kms between me and them

hoping they don't catch up.

Taking a lady out to a restaurant was a worry. Leave your 911 parked somewhere out of sight and the morons key it down the side, kick the doors in, break off the rear view mirrors.

I'm sure that doesn't happen in Thailand.

One incident I remember vividly. I stopped at a suburban bottle shop to buy some wine. While I was waiting for my change, a drunk came out of the bar and climbed up on the "whale-tail" spoiler on the back.

His mates followed him out to watch, laughing, as the idiot sat there like king dick-head on the back of my car.

These spoilers are not robust enough for a 90 Kg person to sit on and they cost thousands to replace.

I was so angry, I reacted by flooring it in reverse and then jammed on the brakes.

The clown was dethroned immediately, went into a fast run and fell over.

I then floored it in first gear and left the crowd p1ssing themselves with laughter.

I was lucky he didn't get hurt otherwise I would have had a visit from the constabulary and could have been charged. If he had fallen, hit his head and died, I would probably be still in prison.

Sometimes your instinct takes over from common sense!

Had I got out of my car and asked the man politely to remove himself, I could have been bashed by the mob and had the car wrecked as well. Sometimes instinct works well!

After a couple of years of this sort of treatment I'd had enough, so I sold the 911

and bought a Renault 25.

The difference was really amazing.

It was as though my car had become invisible!.

I was able to drive peacefully without being harrassed.

Unfortunately in Oz you often get a road rage psycho who doesn't know the law about "stopping" at a stop sign, preferring to beep you for wasting his time while waiting behind as you check left and right for traffic.

Driving defensively in Thailand becomes an art.

It's a daily lesson in self preservation.

Edited January 31, 2010 by xerostar

[TigertheCat]

I consider myself a careful and safe driver and your action of speeding up to block another driver is,I my mind,just as bad as the other driver overtaking on the inside/outside/middle.

I learn't here very soon to ignore the bad driving of others and let them cut in all they want,I just hang back and shake my head at their stupidity.If you follow this way then you wont get stressed out on the roads.

If you try and play with a Thai driver who is aggressive on the road you will lose in some way or another

[SeanMoran]

I consider myself a careful and safe driver and your action of speeding up to block another driver is,I my mind,just as bad as the other driver overtaking on the inside/outside/middle.

I learn't here very soon to ignore the bad driving of others and let them cut in all they want,I just hang back and shake my head at their stupidity.If you follow this way then you wont get stressed out on the roads.

If you try and play with a Thai driver who is aggressive on the road you will lose in some way or another

Thanks for keeping this tired old thread alive. I took a ride to Cambodia on Thursday and back on Friday and a qujick trip upto Jomtien to help a mate with a computer problem today, so I've not checked this thread until now for the sake of good luck. This is not a good subject for the 'famous last words' effect, and as the saying goes, wise men say nothing in dangerous times, but I'm back from those rides for the next few days now, so here's how I've learned to cope with those on these roads that suffer from BCD (Big Car Disorder):

I just cut through the traffic however I like, wherever I see a gap, and leave them behind with their traffic problems. It's so much more efficient and less dangerous when there's a few hundred metres between my tail light and the bonnet emblem of the car that would have nudged me into the armco if I'd stuck around in the vicinity.

That's the positive side of riding a slim little bike. You don't really have to be there to battle with the cars if you just leave. It seems a much safer way of dealing with these sorts of situations - just leave.

[onnut]

A bike plowed into the side of my car today! That will teach me to look n the mirror! Who was it said just drive like a thai and you will be ok? Oops, that was me.

Lukily he was not hurt, he was a bit pissed off though.

How much did it cost you?

nothing. I drove off once i realised he was not hurt. I didnt even speak with him, just looked saw he was ok and drove off.

[Heng]

That's the positive side of riding a slim little bike. You don't really have to be there to battle with the cars if you just leave. It seems a much safer way of dealing with these sorts of situations - just leave.

Yeah, that's the policy we have for bike messengers.

[MrJohnson]

what sort of weird thoughts go through these dickheads minds that they risk the lives of others just to get in front of the motorbike ahead, even when there's a convoy of traffic and they can't go any further or any faster than just kill the bloke on the motorbike?

Ummmm........ Conversely what sort of weird thoughts or ego bruising does someone suffer by being passed? Or is it a power play to be so self righteous in an attempt to control everyone else around them? That made me think the same thing about your response to the dick head trying to pass you.. From my vantage point I don't see the difference both are dick heads in my book..Live and let live TIT.....Not where ever you escaped from..

Well said,

and maybe the person in the hospital that the person in the merc was trying to see..... died before her or she could see that individual in the hospital for that final good bye.

I was letting some people make a U turn today, and the wife starts her usuall nagging.... "cut them off, don't let them go, I have things to do...." I replied, "I was just being nice, and I am sure they have things to do too, I doubt people drive in this shet hole of a city for leisure..."

First rule of defensive driving is "courtesy is contagious".... in essence "Pay it forward"..

I like that

[cheezel09]

Yeah you are stupid... just fall in love with a flashy Thai woman

Family is very important for Thai or Chinese - Thai...

Hence they are our parents, it is NORMAL that we would take care of our parents on our own. Even to between Thai couples, we would not throw money to the partner's parents.

The one who ask money from the partner to take care of his / her parents, how could you be so sure that money would really go to the parents.

However it is always Thai trick to play a little drama to make others feel sorry for their suck life, and this also work out among Thais not only to the foreigners.

So it is not only you who is stupid.

Good luck

[SeanMoran]

Yeah you are stupid... just fall in love with a flashy Thai woman

Family is very important for Thai or Chinese - Thai...

Hence they are our parents, it is NORMAL that we would take care of our parents on our own. Even to between Thai couples, we would not throw money to the partner's parents.

The one who ask money from the partner to take care of his / her parents, how could you be so sure that money would really go to the parents.

However it is always Thai trick to play a little drama to make others feel sorry for their suck life, and this also work out among Thais not only to the foreigners.

So it is not only you who is stupid.

Good luck

Well, that's certainly approaching this dilemma from a different perspective, isn't it?

[toptuan]

Well I floored it too

At this point you stooped to his level, and you lose my sympathy for your "plight."

[hhgz]

"On the way back, I had the most 'interesting' encounter with a fellow road user:"

If you've been in Thailand for longer than 10 minutes, you'll realize that courteous driving is uncommon. Reading your description of what occurred, it seems as though you have problems driving courteously too.

[SeanMoran]

Well I floored it too

At this point you stooped to his level, and you lose my sympathy for your "plight."

Yes indeed there are more effective ways to handle such situations on the roads, and deliberate courtesy for large vehicles that I was trying to show on my way back from the hospital that Sunday was not one of them.

Hanging around in a traffic jam full of cars when you're on a bike is a thankless task, when all one needs to do is take off through the gaps that they can't slip through and leave them behind. I don't know if it might have been the side-effects of the local anaesthetic they'd given me for my back surgery that day, but for some reason I had the tendency to just ride nice and slowly along with the traffic at a relaxed pace.

What a foolish notion that turned out to be, after all.

[hanssna]

All looks familiar to me.. I spend a lot of time in the car, and the 'overtaking and squeezing in' game is everywhere around.. In the north, in isaan, and here in the south as well. Not only Benz's, but pickups as well ( especially pickups).. Once on the road, the chai yen yen is gone, and most of the Thais seem to think 1 minute faster at home matters, while in the post office they don't mind to wait for half an hour or an hour.

I just let them go, can't be bothered anymore, and especially don't speed up to close gaps.. just ignore it.

[SeanMoran]

All looks familiar to me.. I spend a lot of time in the car, and the 'overtaking and squeezing in' game is everywhere around.. In the north, in isaan, and here in the south as well. Not only Benz's, but pickups as well ( especially pickups).. Once on the road, the chai yen yen is gone, and most of the Thais seem to think 1 minute faster at home matters, while in the post office they don't mind to wait for half an hour or an hour.

I just let them go, can't be bothered anymore, and especially don't speed up to close gaps.. just ignore it.

Where is the lerve, I asks ya?

[Dakhar]

I had a mercedes do essentially the same today. The driver trying his best to squeze all he could out his Mercedes with a retro fitted Japanese Turbo engine in his crappy black mercedes with a tail pipe that you could fit a mellon in.

Any how, he was flogging his car the best he could to race up in front of me... I realized what he was up to... so I slowed down and let him around me, in order to allow him the honor of being first to the red light.

Now if I were in the states in my M3... I don't think I would have so much resolve. But that is a BMW v/s Dodge/Mercedes kind of issue.

[HerbalEd]

Interesting that you complain how dangerous the Mercedes driver was, and yet you also tell us:

"Well I floored it too, and as he/she was merging back into the right lane about to slam me into the armco, I managed to get in front, right up behind the tailgate of the ute ahead, with only around a metre of roadwidth."

This sounds like you are just as dangerous. But you proved you can't be bullied ... right? Better dead than passed, I guess.