I Don't Get It

[katabeachbum]

>>screeching tyres on fulltime 4x4 is not possibel, except when braking extremely hard

Wonder if it was the poor man's poser version which is only a 2WD?

On a related note, are fortuners Thailand's version of 911 drivers (P***s car) around the world ?

2wd used to come only with 2,7 gasoline, which doesnt have the power to screech wheels

[steelepulse]

Perhaps it was modded, or perhaps he was on some loose gravel, or perhaps blah blah :D

[katabeachbum]

Perhaps it was modded, or perhaps he was on some loose gravel, or perhaps blah blah

and drivers of fortuners are all bad anyway, especially the black ones, oh thats black fortuners btw

other suv drivers are good, or there are so few of them in Phuket compared to fortuners we just dont notice them behaving badly

and only vans/minibusses made by toyota are driven by bullys

[pagallim]

>>screeching tyres on fulltime 4x4 is not possibel, except when braking extremely hard

Wonder if it was the poor man's poser version which is only a 2WD?

On a related note, are fortuners Thailand's version of 911 drivers (P***s car) around the world ?

Can't do this with a 911.

[stuandchris]

This fortuner bashing is so crass, perhaps based on the fact most of the bashers can't afford one?

Why not jump on an underpowred bike you have never been trained to drive, drive in whatever lane you like, don't observe lane discipline, drive on the wrong side of the road, ignore traffic lights etc. Or get a Jazz and tootle along in the outside lane at 30KPH keeping pace with the bikes in the inside lane giving no opportunity to overtake? Indicate left then swing out to the right to allow the toy car to get into a soi a bus could get in?

I might not be the worlds best driver but I have been police trained in driving, done skid pan training and drove fire engines for thirty years, quite a bit bigger than any SUV I think you would agree.

Guess what, I have a fortuner, they are value for money and for me quite a small vehicle.

[pagallim]

This fortuner bashing is so crass, perhaps based on the fact most of the bashers can't afford one?

Why not jump on an underpowred bike you have never been trained to drive, drive in whatever lane you like, don't observe lane discipline, drive on the wrong side of the road, ignore traffic lights etc. Or get a Jazz and tootle along in the outside lane at 30KPH keeping pace with the bikes in the inside lane giving no opportunity to overtake? Indicate left then swing out to the right to allow the toy car to get into a soi a bus could get in?

I might not be the worlds best driver but I have been police trained in driving, done skid pan training and drove fire engines for thirty years, quite a bit bigger than any SUV I think you would agree.

Guess what, I have a fortuner, they are value for money and for me quite a small vehicle.

Agree completely. No matter what you drive here, it always has to be in 'defensive' style. As I think I've said previously, the worst drivers that I've come across are pick ups. Hardly surprising really, as there are usually 10 to 20 Burmese labourers in the back of them. How many of the 'farang' who come here on holiday (or live here) have actually had any form of motorcycle training? Yet I see so many of them on the road, who whilst having reasonable road sense in terms of signals etc, don't have any comprehension of Thai traffic rules (i.e. first come, first served), but get themselves into all kinds of potentially dangerous situations.

[pagallim]

There is a rule of thumb law.

The higher the seat, the worse the driver.

In this particular instance, perhaps better to limit the responses to a purely motoring scenario, rather than bringing in sexual preferences. However, good luck with the thumbs, and a perhaps lower seated driver.

[KarenBravo]

This fortuner bashing is so crass.

Guess what, I have a fortuner

So.........you're hardly in a position to be objective.

The stories of bad Fortuner drivers is so widespread now, that you have to figure; "there's no smoke without fire".

As a motorbike rider, my observation is that most Fortuner drivers drive aggressively without consideration to other road users (especially the black ones. What colour is your Fortuner stuartandchris?).

Edited March 26, 2010 by KarenBravo

[KarenBravo]

There is a rule of thumb law.

The higher the seat, the worse the driver.

In this particular instance, perhaps better to limit the responses to a purely motoring scenario, rather than bringing in sexual preferences. However, good luck with the thumbs, and a perhaps lower seated driver.

Huh? What are you on about?

[pagallim]

This fortuner bashing is so crass.

Guess what, I have a fortuner

So.........you're hardly in a position to be objective.

The stories of bad Fortuner drivers is so widespread now, that you have to figure; "there's no smoke without fire".

As a motorbike rider, my observation is that most Fortuner drivers drive aggressively without consideration to other road users (especially the black ones. What colour is your Fortuner stuartandchris?).

I think you summed it up there ("As a motorbike rider"). Maybe (or not), you'll agree that the potential of accident and/or personal injury is significantly higher for those who ride motorcycles, than those who drive cars? Those of you who challenge other road users, be it Fortuner drivers or not, whilst accepting the statistics of ratio of motorcycle riders to accidents??????? Give me a break. All very well at pointing at people who drive SUV's, and blaming them, but please take a look at yourselves. If you're so concerned about road safety (and the reality is that you don't and that's why you ride an underpowered motorcycle in what must be one of the world's worst environments for doing so), get a car? Is that so difficult an issue?

[pagallim]

There is a rule of thumb law.

The higher the seat, the worse the driver.

In this particular instance, perhaps better to limit the responses to a purely motoring scenario, rather than bringing in sexual preferences. However, good luck with the thumbs, and a perhaps lower seated driver.

Huh? What are you on about?

What I'm inferring is that your posts lack reason, and only some form of opinionated knee jerk reaction. Safe driving doesn't have anything to do with the height of the drivers seat, only to to with the awareness and skill of the driver. To perpetuate some kind of crusade against Fortuner owner/drivers, and in particular those who happen to drive a black one, do you seriously think that you're above some form of feedback?

As for this, 'I was driving along xxxx and a black Fortuner overtook me whilst I was talking on my mobile phone blah blah blah', get real. What kind of crap is that? Are we going to start a thread with every registration of every vehicle that we observe making a less than perfect manoeuvre is going to be named and shamed???? Methinks is going to be a very long thread.

Oh, the sexual preferences comment was a rather tongue in cheek response to the rule of 'thumb' and height of seat.

[ScubaBuddha]

What I'm inferring is that your posts lack reason, and only some form of opinionated knee jerk reaction. Safe driving doesn't have anything to do with the height of the drivers seat, only to to with the awareness and skill of the driver. To perpetuate some kind of crusade against Fortuner owner/drivers, and in particular those who happen to drive a black one, do you seriously think that you're above some form of feedback?

As for this, 'I was driving along xxxx and a black Fortuner overtook me whilst I was talking on my mobile phone blah blah blah', get real. What kind of crap is that? Are we going to start a thread with every registration of every vehicle that we observe making a less than perfect manoeuvre is going to be named and shamed???? Methinks is going to be a very long thread.

Oh, the sexual preferences comment was a rather tongue in cheek response to the rule of 'thumb' and height of seat.

pagallim, your posts often lack clarity, and this one, and the one it is trying to clarify, especially so. It's a fact that a lot (obviously not all) of Fortuner drivers are overly aggressive, rude,and dangerous drivers. You can't refute that. No one is saying that us non-Fortuner drivers are perfect drivers. I've done my share of rude and aggressive things in a moment of frustration, as I'm sure we all have. But I don't drive with the sickness of the average Fortuner driver.

[ScubaBuddha]

This fortuner bashing is so crass, perhaps based on the fact most of the bashers can't afford one?

Why not jump on an underpowred bike you have never been trained to drive, drive in whatever lane you like, don't observe lane discipline, drive on the wrong side of the road, ignore traffic lights etc. Or get a Jazz and tootle along in the outside lane at 30KPH keeping pace with the bikes in the inside lane giving no opportunity to overtake? Indicate left then swing out to the right to allow the toy car to get into a soi a bus could get in?

I might not be the worlds best driver but I have been police trained in driving, done skid pan training and drove fire engines for thirty years, quite a bit bigger than any SUV I think you would agree.

Guess what, I have a fortuner, they are value for money and for me quite a small vehicle.

Yeah you got it stuandchris. We are all jealous and that is the sole basis for our Fortuner driver bashing. Come one man, are you saying you don't see it on the roads here?

I like fortuners, and your right, I might consider one if I had more money. Personally I think they are too big for Phuket and I prefer my passenger car, or my Ninja 650R (past and future that is). A lot of the "bashers" on this board can afford them.

One thing your EVOC instructors should have told you is that they can not teach you common sense. All the skill in the world means exactly dick if you drive beyond the situation, as Fortuner drivers often do. I am sure we have all seen Fortuners in accidents. For example, my mate and his wife saw a Fortuner driver kill a young boy on a motorbike on the way back from the airport recently. His wife actually said out loud, "He is going to kill someone." moments before.

3 young women, 2 men die, 1 more severly injured in separate accidents in 2 days.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Accident-Cla...et-t350764.html

Please drive carefully

[Valentine]

This fortuner bashing is so crass, perhaps based on the fact most of the bashers can't afford one?

Why not jump on an underpowred bike you have never been trained to drive, drive in whatever lane you like, don't observe lane discipline, drive on the wrong side of the road, ignore traffic lights etc. Or get a Jazz and tootle along in the outside lane at 30KPH keeping pace with the bikes in the inside lane giving no opportunity to overtake? Indicate left then swing out to the right to allow the toy car to get into a soi a bus could get in?

I might not be the worlds best driver but I have been police trained in driving, done skid pan training and drove fire engines for thirty years, quite a bit bigger than any SUV I think you would agree.

Guess what, I have a fortuner, they are value for money and for me quite a small vehicle.

Whilst I agree with your observations about the many other indiscretions on our roads I still feel the Fortuner mindset exists in the sense of rude, aggressive, dangerous driving but of course not all Fortuner owners drive like this. It is just they stand out as being more prevalent in this bad driving behaviour along with the mini buses & airport taxis. Concrete truck drivers could be added to this list. This is not Fortuner bashing, merely observations from my frequent forays on our roads on a daily basis.

In relation to the subject of this thread it is quite obvious the majority of accidents do not get reported, even some serious ones. One only has to look inside the car repair shops to see the enormous amount of accidents that occur on our roads.

[bubblegum]

Mayba a mod can change the title to Fortuner drivers

[stuandchris]

Have a guess Karenbravo, got it in one, black!

So say I drive like a complete tit, after all I have a black fortuner, I could sell it and buy a yaris, it would still be a tit driving it.

[LivinLOS]

Have a guess Karenbravo, got it in one, black!

So say I drive like a complete tit, after all I have a black fortuner, I could sell it and buy a yaris, it would still be a tit driving it.

But the point is.. Less tits do..

Are all Fortuna drivers bad ? Or course not.. Does there seem a higher ratio (or they are more visible) ?? Seems subjectively so..

Oh and the 'your moaning cos you cant afford one' really looks weak, its a fortuna not a ferrari..

[KarenBravo]

Oh and the 'your moaning cos you cant afford one' really looks weak, its a fortuna not a ferrari..

Pretty typical Fortuner owner comment.

Supports the view that the Fortuner is the Farang vehicle of choice to make the statement "I've made it".

[stuandchris]

It isn't an I've made it statement anymore than all fortuner drivers are lunatic kings of the road comments. If I had made it I would be driving a Cayenne or range rover.

There are more vigo's and hilux on the road driving madly than fortuners. We won't even mention Cement trucks, white vans, people carriers etc etc.

I suppose all the hundreds of motorbike accidents are because all those bikes that are driven immaculately happen because they all had to swerve out of the way of fortuner drivers? Or could it be that bike riders are just as bad, if not worse.

[katabeachbum]

It isn't an I've made it statement anymore than all fortuner drivers are lunatic kings of the road comments. If I had made it I would be driving a Cayenne or range rover.

There are more vigo's and hilux on the road driving madly than fortuners. We won't even mention Cement trucks, white vans, people carriers etc etc.

I suppose all the hundreds of motorbike accidents are because all those bikes that are driven immaculately happen because they all had to swerve out of the way of fortuner drivers? Or could it be that bike riders are just as bad, if not worse.

all accidents and road rage are caused by black fortuners. shure.

my truck is white

[JetsetBkk]

At about 3:30 pm today I saw a white Fortuner get rammed just north of Hayek Chalong on the Chao Fah West road, between the roundabout and the U-Turn.

He started off in the left lane, then shot over to the right lane because it was less busy, then decided to get back in the left lane as his lane was stationary due to a car doing a U-turn.

But he couldn't get back in the left lane (the car in front of me had closed the gap) so he hit the brakes - a little too quick for the "sam lor" that was following him and that had no brakes. The old lady in the sam lor's metal basket "sidecar" shot forward and banged the Fortuner's rear end with her head and the metal basket skewered the Fortuner's bodywork, as the basket had bits protruding forwards - looked like it was made from "rebar" (reinforcement bars for concrete).

Looked like 5 - 10,000 baht damage which I'm sure the old guy driving the sam lor doesn't have.

[pagallim]

At about 3:30 pm today I saw a white Fortuner get rammed just north of Hayek Chalong on the Chao Fah West road, between the roundabout and the U-Turn.

He started off in the left lane, then shot over to the right lane because it was less busy, then decided to get back in the left lane as his lane was stationary due to a car doing a U-turn.

But he couldn't get back in the left lane (the car in front of me had closed the gap) so he hit the brakes - a little too quick for the "sam lor" that was following him and that had no brakes. The old lady in the sam lor's metal basket "sidecar" shot forward and banged the Fortuner's rear end with her head and the metal basket skewered the Fortuner's bodywork, as the basket had bits protruding forwards - looked like it was made from "rebar" (reinforcement bars for concrete).

Looked like 5 - 10,000 baht damage which I'm sure the old guy driving the sam lor doesn't have.

OK, trying to resist getting too emotive about this, i.e. some kind of crusade against Fortuner drivers. I spent a very pleasant day today, going from my home in Chalong to pick up friends in Kao Khad (they're in a boat). Took them across town, then onto Ao Po Marina, then back to Central, then a circuit of Patong, Karon, Kata, Nai Hairn, Rawai, Chalong, and then back to Kao Khad. All of this in a Fortuner without any form of accident whatsoever. Maybe I was just lucky. I did see however 2 motorcycle accidents along the way, one potentially quite serious judging by the way this guy was being dragged from his bike across the road. Not a pretty sight.

I do agree with many comments in this particular thread, but as with most things in life, safety starts with the individual. Knowing that this is not a safe environment for motorcyclists for example, why do so many people use them? OK we know for the local Thais it's a matter of personal economics, and possibly this is the same reason for many expats also. Bottom line, Phuket is a busy island with very congested traffic. The idyll of wandering quiet country roads on a moped isn't really a reality here. It's all about protecting yourself (motorcyclists) in an uncontrolled, undisciplined, and definitely uncaring environment.

[katabeachbum]

At about 3:30 pm today I saw a white Fortuner get rammed just north of Hayek Chalong on the Chao Fah West road, between the roundabout and the U-Turn.

He started off in the left lane, then shot over to the right lane because it was less busy, then decided to get back in the left lane as his lane was stationary due to a car doing a U-turn.

But he couldn't get back in the left lane (the car in front of me had closed the gap) so he hit the brakes - a little too quick for the "sam lor" that was following him and that had no brakes. The old lady in the sam lor's metal basket "sidecar" shot forward and banged the Fortuner's rear end with her head and the metal basket skewered the Fortuner's bodywork, as the basket had bits protruding forwards - looked like it was made from "rebar" (reinforcement bars for concrete).

Looked like 5 - 10,000 baht damage which I'm sure the old guy driving the sam lor doesn't have.

the old man didnt need to pay damage if you witnessed for him. switching lanes like this is illegal, and fortuner driver is responsible to pay samlors damages, medical treatment and loss of income. even if this fortuner is white

[Valentine]

Not Fortuner bashing but just another observation from yesterday. Chao Fa West, black Fortuner driving very slowly in the outside lane & as usual not easy to get by on the inside lane due to motorbikes. When I did get past I noticed he was on the phone & seemingly oblivious to the large number of vehicles behind him also trying to get by. This type of situation can be dangerous in that frustrated drivers wanting to get past will then take risks.

BTW the telephone thing is common to most drivers who talk whilst driving in that they meander along slowly totally unaware of others.

I don't know how PG or any other news agency get their reports but I do know many years ago I reported a fairly spectacular accident on the bypass road to PG with the reporter stating they did not have time to go.

[bodunchar]

You want to check if not in thai papers.

You know how newspapers work right?

they dont report news, the report as per their social agenda.

reporting on the horrors of thai driving is not in their agenda as it would upset their superiors.

I saw an accident in samkong near the school where a car had piled into a restaurant, he must of been speeding and lost control. The car was embedded in the shop front. Luckily, it was empty. Had it been full there would have been multiple loss of life. I dont think it made the english language papers.

There are so many serious RTA's here that in order to report them all you would need a paper dedicated to reporting RTA's.

Rant over. Drive safely and allow extra attention for the "never grow olds" out there, farang and thai alike.

[starkey_rich]

I live down a small soi right on the brow of the hill about 1 klm towards Rawai from the new lights.

In the early hours on Friday morning a car traveling from Rawai to Chalong came over the brow of the hill at such speed that it did not take the slight bend at the top.

It hit the crash barrier skidded about 100 mtrs across the road hit the drainage ditch overturned and traveled another 50 mrts on its roof.

Amazingly the 2 people were just crawling out when I arrived.

The thing is this is the third identical accident this year and its all down to speed and the total lack of driving ability.

Luckily they have all happened in the early hours of the morning when there is very little traffic and there has been nothing coming the other way.

But it could just as easy happen at busy time because people treat this stretch of road as a race track

[KarenBravo]

Was it a black Fortuner?

[starkey_rich]

No it's the white ones you have to watch out for.Bit like the white van man in the UK

[starkey_rich]

Just called into my local in Rawai and heard another Fortuna story.

A couple of nights ago at 1.00 am a young Russian woman crashed her Fortuna(don't know what colour)into the bar taking out 4 motor bikes, the bar sign 1 set of table and chairs and nearly 4 of the girls.She then reversed out and drove off with people in pursuit.

She hit another car on beach road before coming to a halt at the Islander Bar about 2 k's away.

It took the police 1 hour to come out and strangely they did nothing.

I Wonder why(seems she has a very rich BF)

Ironic the story in the PG today about the Police getting tough on drunk drivers.

[starkey_rich]

Sorry not in the PG it's in the one that can not be named