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

[Forethat]

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!

I have seen a british driver (at least driver in Britain) waiting first in line for the light to go green at Hanger Lane with a firetruck behind him flashing the headlights, honking his compressor bullhorn and the sirens screaming. One of the crew ran out and banged his fist in the roof of the car and that finally caught the mans attention. He acknowledged him and the fireman ran back. When the firefighter was back in his truck the man waited for another 3 mins for the lights to turn green before he moved.

[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!

I have seen a british driver (at least driver in Britain) waiting first in line for the light to go green at Hanger Lane with a firetruck behind him flashing the headlights, honking his compressor bullhorn and the sirens screaming. One of the crew ran out and banged his fist in the roof of the car and that finally caught the mans attention. He acknowledged him and the fireman ran back. When the firefighter was back in his truck the man waited for another 3 mins for the lights to turn green before he moved.

YOU KNOW WHY !!!! Cos now in the UK most intersections have discrete CAMERAS to nick anybody going through a red light, FOR WHAT EVER REASON, all done by computer, get your 100 pound fine through the post and points on your license, 10 points and you loose your license. It's happened to those who have moved on a red to let services through. OK.

Could you just imagine cameras like that in Thailand,i think thais actually do not see the urgency in emergency vehicle anyway,sort of a "som nam na" attitude.

[Stjohnm]

I don't know who he is but one this is for certain, The Stig is not Thai

[louialive]

The first few times I went to Thailand I nearly wet myself in the way they chop and change lanes etc when usinf a taxi. But on my last visit and removing my UK sense of road behaviour, I realised in Thailand everyone is at it, everyone expects it and none of the thais get upset by it. Its just their way of getting around and is accepted as normal road behaviour.

So I can't say I am any better driver than a thai as I am driving to different set of accepted rules. Be they legal or not.

Edited March 22, 2010 by louialive

[Oldvisitor]

You don't need the order in Thai traffic like you learned in the West. Just drive like a maniac....

[dmax]

no hard feelings pal but its a bit of a silly question isnt it

[NADTATIDA1]

I am sure the yanks will have a STIG(sp?) somewhere

[eurozhongguo]

I have driven extensively around the world, including Thailand where I have driven from as far north as Mae Sai to as far South as Hat Yai on the mainland and many islands. Although Thai drivers cannot even rank anywhere near the worst, many of them are nonetheless downright dangerous. The worst assumption that they make is that just by flashing their lights to inform us that they are undertaking a dangerous, illegal manoeuvre that we will jump over the hedge to avoid them. The most dangerous stretch of road in Thailand in my experience is on highway 101 between Phrae and Uttaradit when you are heading southwards. This now has one lane going southwards and two northwards. It's a mountainous area with loads of sharp bends, but northbound traffic appear to think they can use all three lanes and I had to drive round the bends on the hard shoulder after several near misses on this section of road.

Having said this, I would never dare drive in China. Thai drivers are careful and polite compared with the Chinese. The Chinese even turn left (the equivalent of a right turn in Thailand) when there is high-speed traffic approaching going straight on requiring those drivers to make an emergency stop to avoid a collision. They use the horn even at multi-storey car parks when other drivers are paying at the exit. They drive down dual carriageways the wrong way at high speed, including buses and HGVs and knock over pedestrians to avoid losing face. They lose more face by slowing down and stopping, thus becoming the laughing stock of all around them.

Edited March 23, 2010 by eurozhongguo

[EddieAnd]

On 9 March 2010 at 5:27 PM, neverdie said:

of course the other flaw to this question is....everyone drives differently & has different skill levels of driving, its not based on race, so whilst i have been seated next to some absolutely brillant farang drivers in my time, Ive also sat white knuckled next to some really bad ones.

I have witnessed what I can only call incompetence in a very high number of drivers in and around Ubon. The classic pull out of a side road on to main road doing about 8  kilometres an hour. Being overtaken with urgency only to suddenly make a left turn about 20 metres down the road. Sure there are bad drivers everywhere.... but I believe that the formal driving competency process in Ubon (Thailand) is not followed. We have all heard of the paying the 1000 baht to get the licence...That would never happen in Australia. It is such a critical activity that one would assume better standards. Oh and another example of incompetency was the Ubon - Det Udom road upgrade recently ... did anyone see the lack of planning that was put into the road separation. I thought that the road works would have been responsible for multiple fatalities. On the road works you had car overtaking into oncoming traffic just another example of incompetency or inexperience. 

[Kwasaki]

I'm sure you'll find things have got better though since this 5 year old thread. 

[patyh]

On 8/12/2016 at 3:48 PM, Kwasaki said:

I'm sure you'll find things have got better though since this 5 year old thread. 

 

Since we are reviving a 5 years old thread why not update the information.  

 

I use the Bangna - Trad motorway daily.. From late in the evening to almost midnight.. I have the luck to see the various Thai Drivers. 

 

1. Driving on the extreme right of the road and refusing to give way. 

 

We all know the right hand side is for people to overtake.. but here in Thailand, people hog lane as though they own the road. Try high beaming them, and they will hog the lane even longer. Some may appear to let you overtake them by changing to the left only to come right back at you and high beaming you back and challenging you to a stare down or a race.. Which sometimes is pretty funny seeing a loaded pickup truck trying to overtake you.. In other cases, you see the right lane moving at a slower pace than the lane beside.. just because one bugger refuse to give way. 

 

2. Attempting to cut ahead of you. 

 

I always think that the people who cut my lane are people who are in a rush to their funeral or a dying relatives. If you have a desire to exit, kindly be in the right lane in advance.. And not trying to overtake all the way and make a dash for the exit at the last moment.. And then looking very angry when you refuse to let them enter. Bloody hell.. 

 

3. Waiting to turn at a go straight only lane.. when the light is green. 

 

See this at almost every junction with any significant amount of traffic.. There will always be an A** waiting for the right turn light to go green in a Straight only lane.. No amount of high beam or honk will make them move.. 

 

Seriously, I can go on for page after page.. But I seem to think that the people from the countryside drive better than those in the city.. 

 

 

[Kwasaki]

Yeah l find it an interesting subject and a good laugh and there have been many threads from different angles on Thai driving as well as riding in Thailand and it's easy for people from western countries to criticize driving habits here.

 

I would moan a lot at first driving here but after a while observing the Thai driving habits l view it differently now in my way.

 

Many western people don't take into consideration that there is a non-existing or little leaner driving tuition here so l think a lot of Thai drivers are OK.       

 

l too could go for page after page after page but the things you mention happen in many other countries around the world where learner driving is very strict and restrictive. 

[Ace of Pop]

Watch You Tube. Hell Over Hanoi. I drive like a U.S Pilot. Expecting a Mig , Sam or Anti Aircraft Fire to hit you at any minute. After a few Years its just second nature.Only You cant fire back.