How Good Do We Drive Compared To...a Thai?

[timekeeper]

Lets give a Thai a manual gearbox and lets see how they cope then

my wife drives manual and automatic, equally well

[a2396]

I don't know, i'm in the US t the moment & some of the driving i've seen here in the past few days has been bordering on obscene...

Bordering on? They ARE obscene. What state/city would you be in?

[ivowatson]

I find that Thais are actually pretty good drivers in general. Sure, their adherence to road rules measured by Western standards is appalling. However, in regard to the individuals' driving skills compared to where I am staying now, the Thais' are far more superior!

Driving skills are excellent when straight road and no traffic.

[sokal]

I have seen the attitude of certain drivers here to the emergency services especially an ambulance once when it had its sirens blazing,they just would not move out of the way!

Imagine some young kid starting learning to drive under the driving conditions here,very very scary thought,yet they can do a little test and away they go....Qualified!

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close. It does not take skill to pussy foot around like westerners do. Try following a motorbike taxi that is in a hurry and see how long you last.

[mca]

It does give me a chuckle when I'm seen driving and later the Thai person says "Khun mca I didn't know you could drive a car"

At the risk of sounding like an arrogant prick back home I was a member of the IAM for both cars and motorcycles and worked for a while for my father's truck company with gave me an HGV license with the HAZPACK to drive articulated petrol tankers.

Deep in my heart when we take my in-laws out for a meal I know my MIL would rather have my FIL behind the wheel.

After all, what does the "boy" (I'm 42) know?

[sokal]

When I took my misses to Canada, we were driving through the Rocky mountains, and she made the comment that "everyone here drives so...organized". I started to laugh, and told her yes, those lines on the road actually mean something here!

A thai would do better in a NASCAR race then a westerner, does it take skill to drive like a wimp ? no.

[Donnyboy]

I have seen the attitude of certain drivers here to the emergency services especially an ambulance once when it had its sirens blazing,they just would not move out of the way!

Imagine some young kid starting learning to drive under the driving conditions here,very very scary thought,yet they can do a little test and away they go....Qualified!

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close. It does not take skill to pussy foot around like westerners do. Try following a motorbike taxi that is in a hurry and see how long you last.

just as well the road deaths are so low then

[sokal]

I have seen the attitude of certain drivers here to the emergency services especially an ambulance once when it had its sirens blazing,they just would not move out of the way!

Imagine some young kid starting learning to drive under the driving conditions here,very very scary thought,yet they can do a little test and away they go....Qualified!

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close. It does not take skill to pussy foot around like westerners do. Try following a motorbike taxi that is in a hurry and see how long you last.

just as well the road deaths are so low then

waaay more motorbikes on the road which throws off the numbers.

[mca]

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close.

No. It takes a moron with his/her foot or hand on the throttle. The skillful part (the concept of which seems to evade a lot of local drivers) is to observe what is happening further up the road and respond to it rather than be completely unaware of anything beyond the bonnet and then jam on the brakes in a panic when it all goes pear shaped.

[NADTATIDA1]

I have seen the attitude of certain drivers here to the emergency services especially an ambulance once when it had its sirens blazing,they just would not move out of the way!

Imagine some young kid starting learning to drive under the driving conditions here,very very scary thought,yet they can do a little test and away they go....Qualified!

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close. It does not take skill to pussy foot around like westerners do. Try following a motorbike taxi that is in a hurry and see how long you last.

Or rather don't you mean..how long they will last motorbike death rates in Thailand is another story.

Driving is the subject here.

[mca]

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does.

waaay more motorbikes on the road which throws off the numbers.

If they're as skilled as you claim then the mode of transport should be irrelevant even if it's a Space Hopper on rollerskates.

[Donnyboy]

i do a visa run up to Mae Sai every 3 months. You can be sure on every run, there will be some idiot, usually in a pick up that takes a huge risk in passing on a blnd corner or passing where some of us would cringe & hesistate to pass.

in my past, ive been a sales rep for over 12 years on the road racking up about 60,000 km per year so ive seen my fair share of bad driving on the roads, and the examples of bad driving ive seen in Thailand are some of the worst.

Im not a slow driver by all means, but you drive to the conditions, whether it be the road surface, traffic density, condition of yr car, whether yr in a built up area, and those situations.

theres a saying that goes

man who drive like hel_l bound to get there!

regards

[sokal]

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close.

No. It takes a moron with his/her foot or hand on the throttle. The skillful part (the concept of which seems to evade a lot of local drivers) is to observe what is happening further up the road and respond to it rather than be completely unaware of anything beyond the bonnet and then jam on the brakes in a panic when it all goes pear shaped.

I see alot of close calls in Thailand but not allot of accidents. The faster the majority of the people drive the more alert you have to be on the roads. I think people like you are secretly scared of the roads in Thailand because you don't have the skill to keep up with the pace.

[sokal]

I have seen the attitude of certain drivers here to the emergency services especially an ambulance once when it had its sirens blazing,they just would not move out of the way!

Imagine some young kid starting learning to drive under the driving conditions here,very very scary thought,yet they can do a little test and away they go....Qualified!

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close. It does not take skill to pussy foot around like westerners do. Try following a motorbike taxi that is in a hurry and see how long you last.

Or rather don't you mean..how long they will last motorbike death rates in Thailand is another story.

Driving is the subject here.

You just thought you knew how to drive until you got to Thailand. Rather then adapt, your claim to fame is that Thais don't know how to follow western traffic laws.

[neverdie]

Try following a motorbike taxi that is in a hurry and see how long you last.

Ohh dear sokal, that might be the case when your riding but please dont include all farang in your claim, not all of us suffer the problem of getting blown away by motorcycle taxi riders .

You may notice that the worlds racing circuits arnt blessed with too many successful thai drivers or riders and their road toll isnt much to write home about either.

[Donnyboy]

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close.

No. It takes a moron with his/her foot or hand on the throttle. The skillful part (the concept of which seems to evade a lot of local drivers) is to observe what is happening further up the road and respond to it rather than be completely unaware of anything beyond the bonnet and then jam on the brakes in a panic when it all goes pear shaped.

I see alot of close calls in Thailand but not allot of accidents. The faster the majority of the people drive the more alert you have to be on the roads. I think people like you are secretly scared of the roads in Thailand because you don't have the skill to keep up with the pace.

its probably due to fact i dont wear an amluet around my neck

[yabaaaa]

Thai road death figures do all the talking for how good Thai drivers "alledge" to be.................it doesnt make pretty reading.

[yabaaaa]

dpost

Edited March 10, 2010 by yabaaaa

[yabaaaa]

quote name='mca' post='3401236' date='2010-03-10 10:44:06']

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close

I see alot of close calls in Thailand but not allot of accidents. The faster the majority of the people drive the more alert you have to be on the roads. I think people like you are secretly scared of the roads in Thailand because you don't have the skill to keep up with the pace.

Replace skill with "stupidity"

I often see cars/buses in the central ditches over turned usually with people staggering around them. Hua Hin to BKK

Im interested how you can see when drivng fast and close how the guy/gal in fronts rear tyres is going to blow out and he starts spinning etc with this "looking ahead" vision some claim to have, and how that will save their skin? Surely now we are in the "amulet" territory?

Edited March 10, 2010 by yabaaaa

[Donnyboy]

quote name='mca' post='3401236' date='2010-03-10 10:44:06']

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close

I see alot of close calls in Thailand but not allot of accidents. The faster the majority of the people drive the more alert you have to be on the roads. I think people like you are secretly scared of the roads in Thailand because you don't have the skill to keep up with the pace.

Replace skill with "stupidity"

I often see cars/buses in the central ditches over turned usually with people staggering around them. Hua Hin to BKK

Im interested how you can see when drivng fast and close how the guy/gal in fronts rear tyres is going to blow out and he starts spinning etc with this "looking ahead" vision some claim to have, and how that will save their skin? Surely now we are in the "amulet" territory?

i know, the mind boggles....

with that driving mentality and add a few bottles of whiskey and a public holiday weekend, we know what the result is...

[NADTATIDA1]

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close.

No. It takes a moron with his/her foot or hand on the throttle. The skillful part (the concept of which seems to evade a lot of local drivers) is to observe what is happening further up the road and respond to it rather than be completely unaware of anything beyond the bonnet and then jam on the brakes in a panic when it all goes pear shaped.

I see alot of close calls in Thailand but not allot of accidents. The faster the majority of the people drive the more alert you have to be on the roads. I think people like you are secretly scared of the roads in Thailand because you don't have the skill to keep up with the pace.

You really are a plum,please read what garbage you wrote here back to yourself and go and shake your head!

[yabaaaa]

quote name='mca' post='3401236' date='2010-03-10 10:44:06']

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close

I see alot of close calls in Thailand but not allot of accidents. The faster the majority of the people drive the more alert you have to be on the roads. I think people like you are secretly scared of the roads in Thailand because you don't have the skill to keep up with the pace.

Replace skill with "stupidity"

I often see cars/buses in the central ditches over turned usually with people staggering around them. Hua Hin to BKK

Im interested how you can see when drivng fast and close how the guy/gal in fronts rear tyres is going to blow out and he starts spinning etc with this "looking ahead" vision some claim to have, and how that will save their skin? Surely now we are in the "amulet" territory?

i know, the mind boggles....

with that driving mentality and add a few bottles of whiskey and a public holiday weekend, we know what the result is...

Yeah "Skilful driving"

[tigerfish]

i dont get it why move the thread.

although i have an idea why.

[NADTATIDA1]

No idea why,and not informed why it has been moved either??

I posted it in general as it is up for open debate and lively banter,it is more a general topic and is not about specific motors or mechanics which is what this forum is mainly used.

No idea!!!

[Donnyboy]

quote name='mca' post='3401236' date='2010-03-10 10:44:06']

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close

I see alot of close calls in Thailand but not allot of accidents. The faster the majority of the people drive the more alert you have to be on the roads. I think people like you are secretly scared of the roads in Thailand because you don't have the skill to keep up with the pace.

Replace skill with "stupidity"

I often see cars/buses in the central ditches over turned usually with people staggering around them. Hua Hin to BKK

Im interested how you can see when drivng fast and close how the guy/gal in fronts rear tyres is going to blow out and he starts spinning etc with this "looking ahead" vision some claim to have, and how that will save their skin? Surely now we are in the "amulet" territory?

i know, the mind boggles....

with that driving mentality and add a few bottles of whiskey and a public holiday weekend, we know what the result is...

Yeah "Skilful driving"

[sokal]

Thai road death figures do all the talking for how good Thai drivers "alledge" to be.................it doesnt make pretty reading.

The numbers are about mid pack, no extreme plus I already mentioned that the numbers are scewed because there is more motorcycles.

[sokal]

quote name='mca' post='3401236' date='2010-03-10 10:44:06']

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close

I see alot of close calls in Thailand but not allot of accidents. The faster the majority of the people drive the more alert you have to be on the roads. I think people like you are secretly scared of the roads in Thailand because you don't have the skill to keep up with the pace.

Replace skill with "stupidity"

I often see cars/buses in the central ditches over turned usually with people staggering around them. Hua Hin to BKK

Im interested how you can see when drivng fast and close how the guy/gal in fronts rear tyres is going to blow out and he starts spinning etc with this "looking ahead" vision some claim to have, and how that will save their skin? Surely now we are in the "amulet" territory?

You sound like my grandmother watching an F1 race, "ahh those boys are going to break their neck those fools"

[sokal]

Thais know how to drive allot better then you or any farang does. It takes skill to drive fast and close.

No. It takes a moron with his/her foot or hand on the throttle. The skillful part (the concept of which seems to evade a lot of local drivers) is to observe what is happening further up the road and respond to it rather than be completely unaware of anything beyond the bonnet and then jam on the brakes in a panic when it all goes pear shaped.

I see alot of close calls in Thailand but not allot of accidents. The faster the majority of the people drive the more alert you have to be on the roads. I think people like you are secretly scared of the roads in Thailand because you don't have the skill to keep up with the pace.

You really are a plum,please read what garbage you wrote here back to yourself and go and shake your head!

You still don't get it do you....If you paired up your average western driver with your average Thai driver for a race on a road course, which one would you put money on to win ? Judging by your previous posts you would pick the Thai because they drive faster and they disregard the painted lines on the roads. The winner of the race is the better driver.

[SeanMoran]

Thai road death figures do all the talking for how good Thai drivers "allege" to be.................it doesnt make pretty reading.

The numbers are about mid pack, no extreme plus I already mentioned that the numbers are scewed because there is more motorcycles.

Time after time, the waitresses at the restaurants, and the cleaners and receptionists at the hotels and apartments, and even the storemen at the minimart have told me again and again about their observations of my motorcycling prowess, "Cha cha!" which might make some sense, as many of them were riding bikes from the day they were born, and relatively fewer foreigners are likely to have been riding bikes since they were kids.

[NADTATIDA1]

You still don't get it do you....If you paired up your average western driver with your average Thai driver for a race on a road course, which one would you put money on to win ? Judging by your previous posts you would pick the Thai because they drive faster and they disregard the painted lines on the roads. The winner of the race is the better driver.

Ok,thanks for making it crystal clear,you are talking about a race with no rules....sort of like

I never mentioned having a race.just the basic principle of driving.I think statistics alone on the number of licences held legaly by Thais goes a long way in telling you that there are not that many educated drivers in Thailand....self taught yes,but compared to say the UK where many people now voluntarily take there advanced driving certificate.

Next you will be telling me that speed and disregard wins races(oh sorry you said that already!)It causes a lot of accidents as well and loses many races.