Thai Drivers & How To Stay Alive Here.

[Jimi007]

My wife always asks, did you see something or other? No, I'm looking for some idiot to want to die! I don't want to die. As it has been said before; expect the unexpected and scan all around for someone not paying attention or not having a clue as to how to drive a car or motorbike!. I've never had a motorbike accident, but I've been rear ended by a car, Thai guy had insurance, took over an hour for his insurance guy to arrive, but took care of everything. The second time a motor bike rear ended me and broke my tail light lens. I told him give me 1,000 Baht. Oh I don't have, here my number I pay you sure. Yea sure! Guess how much my new tail light was? 1,000 Baht. Guess who paid, me!

[basjke]

Let me tell you my latest experience.At a traffic light near Rayong a few days ago I'm on the outer left stroke as the light is red already.Car waiting for the red light on the right hand stroke so I slowly travel towards the light.Whe I almost reach the light some car comes from behind and pushes me of the road because he want to be first in line.I pull up beside him and he lowers his side window.I ask if he ever learned any traffic rules after which he gives me the middle finger and ups the window again.As I am faster on the bike as him of course,between Rayong and Ban chang he tries push me of the road another 3 times at high speed.

I forgot to add that first he brakes heavily right in front of me.

Shouldn't you love them?

Edited May 10, 2010 by basjke

[GungaDin]

Let me tell you my latest experience.At a traffic light near Rayong a few days ago I'm on the outer left stroke as the light is red already.Car waiting for the red light on the right hand stroke so I slowly travel towards the light.Whe I almost reach the light some car comes from behind and pushes me of the road because he want to be first in line.I pull up beside him and he lowers his side window.I ask if he ever learned any traffic rules after which he gives me the middle finger and ups the window again.As I am faster on the bike as him of course,between Rayong and Ban chang he tries push me of the road another 3 times at high speed.

I forgot to add that first he brakes heavily right in front of me.

Shouldn't you love them?

It beggars belief, doesn't it!

Some great ideas guys, keep 'em coming..... I particularly like the "invisible" post.

[BigBikeBKK]

Let me tell you my latest experience.At a traffic light near Rayong a few days ago I'm on the outer left stroke as the light is red already.Car waiting for the red light on the right hand stroke so I slowly travel towards the light.Whe I almost reach the light some car comes from behind and pushes me of the road because he want to be first in line.I pull up beside him and he lowers his side window.I ask if he ever learned any traffic rules after which he gives me the middle finger and ups the window again.As I am faster on the bike as him of course,between Rayong and Ban chang he tries push me of the road another 3 times at high speed.

I forgot to add that first he brakes heavily right in front of me.

Shouldn't you love them?

When cagers pull that crap with me I just kick in their door and give 'em the finger as I fade off into the distance.

[GungaDin]

Better, louder horns have been mentioned.

I ordered the "FIAMM 74100 El Grande - Twin Horns - Red" on Saturday, from Amazon. $19.99

They've had good reviews on many bike forums.

Fitting them on the Elsie might pose a problem.

Source: http://www.amazon.com/FIAMM-74100-El-Grand...0900&sr=1-2

[thaicbr]

gunga. over 600b + postage for similar horns you can get here for 300-400b. you really need to get out to the shops mate

[mpetersen]

Something about Thai drivers is intriguing, polite, natural, albeit not "common sense" in the western way.

Thai drivers hardly ever get upset if you cut in front of them. They don't try to squeeze you off the road on purpose, only if they happen not to see you, or if it's very inconvenient to let you pass (such as a truck going uphill not wanting to slow down to let you through).

Thai drivers never retaliate against other drivers in a way which is very common in western countries. Someone here will not say "what an a...hole, I am gonna get him!". They just mind their own business.

Thai drivers are fairly predictable, but then with lots of experience, just about any country's drivers are predictable. Prediction of driver action depends much on your own experience and skill.

Thai drivers don't beep at each other incessantly, they let others ahead if they seem to be in a hurry, they don't squeeze bikes out of making a lane between cars, and they even pull aside to allow bikes through.

Yes, there are dogs, chickens (I drove right over one accidentally yesterday because it decided to turn back from crossing the road!), and kids, lots of slow vehicles, bicycles, rickedy motorbikes, homemade contraptions, antique trucks etc etc.

But, all those things are indeed predictable and accidents can be avoided if we respect the fact that there is no such thing as "right of way" in real life. Being right but dead serves no purpose.

On motorbikes, gear is key. Good clothing, helmet, boots.

About speed, again, I think that it requires great experience, foresight and driving skill to drive fast without being stupid. The key here is not the actual absolute speed, but to make sure not to over-drive the field of vision. That means you need to be able to stop in the distance that you can actually see ahead of you; at night that means your light beams, at daytime it means the road ahead of the next turn.

There are some other cool things in Thailand; You can pass against oncoming traffic without any problem as long as you are sure the oncoming traffic sees you. They are more than pleased to move out of the way if they are able to. I have never seen that in any place to the level of efficiency as it is practiced in Thailand. That said, I try to avoid passing on the left as much as possible, unless I am very sure the driver just won't move over.

Driving in Thailand is, in a way, pure pleasure, without the petty hassles of tickets and insurance rates rising. I do wish, though, that parents would put their kids in seatbelts, and make them wear at least a bicycle helmet or something like that.

If you want to enjoy motorbiking in Thailand, take a safety course, take a racing course, and alway s know what goes on around, behind, and ahead of you, and anticipate stuff jumping out from nowhere...you'll be just fine.

[GungaDin]

gunga. over 600b + postage for similar horns you can get here for 300-400b. you really need to get out to the shops mate

Similar or the same?

[thaicbr]

similar as you can only get fiam from the 4x4 shops. but still bloody loud and a smaller profile as well. they are all made in china anyway.

Edited May 11, 2010 by thaicbr

[gmac]

Something about Thai drivers is intriguing, polite, natural, albeit not "common sense" in the western way.

Thai drivers hardly ever get upset if you cut in front of them. They don't try to squeeze you off the road on purpose, only if they happen not to see you, or if it's very inconvenient to let you pass (such as a truck going uphill not wanting to slow down to let you through).

Thai drivers never retaliate against other drivers in a way which is very common in western countries. Someone here will not say "what an a...hole, I am gonna get him!". They just mind their own business.

Thai drivers are fairly predictable, but then with lots of experience, just about any country's drivers are predictable. Prediction of driver action depends much on your own experience and skill.

Thai drivers don't beep at each other incessantly, they let others ahead if they seem to be in a hurry, they don't squeeze bikes out of making a lane between cars, and they even pull aside to allow bikes through.

Yes, there are dogs, chickens (I drove right over one accidentally yesterday because it decided to turn back from crossing the road!), and kids, lots of slow vehicles, bicycles, rickedy motorbikes, homemade contraptions, antique trucks etc etc.

But, all those things are indeed predictable and accidents can be avoided if we respect the fact that there is no such thing as "right of way" in real life. Being right but dead serves no purpose.

On motorbikes, gear is key. Good clothing, helmet, boots.

About speed, again, I think that it requires great experience, foresight and driving skill to drive fast without being stupid. The key here is not the actual absolute speed, but to make sure not to over-drive the field of vision. That means you need to be able to stop in the distance that you can actually see ahead of you; at night that means your light beams, at daytime it means the road ahead of the next turn.

There are some other cool things in Thailand; You can pass against oncoming traffic without any problem as long as you are sure the oncoming traffic sees you. They are more than pleased to move out of the way if they are able to. I have never seen that in any place to the level of efficiency as it is practiced in Thailand. That said, I try to avoid passing on the left as much as possible, unless I am very sure the driver just won't move over.

Driving in Thailand is, in a way, pure pleasure, without the petty hassles of tickets and insurance rates rising. I do wish, though, that parents would put their kids in seatbelts, and make them wear at least a bicycle helmet or something like that.

If you want to enjoy motorbiking in Thailand, take a safety course, take a racing course, and alway s know what goes on around, behind, and ahead of you, and anticipate stuff jumping out from nowhere...you'll be just fine.

What he said!!

[basjke]

Let me tell you my latest experience.At a traffic light near Rayong a few days ago I'm on the outer left stroke as the light is red already.Car waiting for the red light on the right hand stroke so I slowly travel towards the light.Whe I almost reach the light some car comes from behind and pushes me of the road because he want to be first in line.I pull up beside him and he lowers his side window.I ask if he ever learned any traffic rules after which he gives me the middle finger and ups the window again.As I am faster on the bike as him of course,between Rayong and Ban chang he tries push me of the road another 3 times at high speed.

I forgot to add that first he brakes heavily right in front of me.

Shouldn't you love them?

When cagers pull that crap with me I just kick in their door and give 'em the finger as I fade off into the distance.

Would love to do that,but as a biker you know how weak you are on 2 wheels on a busy road.They only have to touch you little at the front or back and down you go.

[basjke]

Something about Thai drivers is intriguing, polite, natural, albeit not "common sense" in the western way.

Thai drivers hardly ever get upset if you cut in front of them. They don't try to squeeze you off the road on purpose, only if they happen not to see you, or if it's very inconvenient to let you pass (such as a truck going uphill not wanting to slow down to let you through).

Thai drivers never retaliate against other drivers in a way which is very common in western countries. Someone here will not say "what an a...hole, I am gonna get him!". They just mind their own business.

Thai drivers are fairly predictable, but then with lots of experience, just about any country's drivers are predictable. Prediction of driver action depends much on your own experience and skill.

Thai drivers don't beep at each other incessantly, they let others ahead if they seem to be in a hurry, they don't squeeze bikes out of making a lane between cars, and they even pull aside to allow bikes through.

Yes, there are dogs, chickens (I drove right over one accidentally yesterday because it decided to turn back from crossing the road!), and kids, lots of slow vehicles, bicycles, rickedy motorbikes, homemade contraptions, antique trucks etc etc.

But, all those things are indeed predictable and accidents can be avoided if we respect the fact that there is no such thing as "right of way" in real life. Being right but dead serves no purpose.

On motorbikes, gear is key. Good clothing, helmet, boots.

About speed, again, I think that it requires great experience, foresight and driving skill to drive fast without being stupid. The key here is not the actual absolute speed, but to make sure not to over-drive the field of vision. That means you need to be able to stop in the distance that you can actually see ahead of you; at night that means your light beams, at daytime it means the road ahead of the next turn.

There are some other cool things in Thailand; You can pass against oncoming traffic without any problem as long as you are sure the oncoming traffic sees you. They are more than pleased to move out of the way if they are able to. I have never seen that in any place to the level of efficiency as it is practiced in Thailand. That said, I try to avoid passing on the left as much as possible, unless I am very sure the driver just won't move over.

Driving in Thailand is, in a way, pure pleasure, without the petty hassles of tickets and insurance rates rising. I do wish, though, that parents would put their kids in seatbelts, and make them wear at least a bicycle helmet or something like that.

If you want to enjoy motorbiking in Thailand, take a safety course, take a racing course, and alway s know what goes on around, behind, and ahead of you, and anticipate stuff jumping out from nowhere...you'll be just fine.

There must be another Thailand somewhere in the world or you haven't been on the road much in this Thailand.

[GungaDin]

Something about Thai drivers is intriguing, polite, natural, albeit not "common sense" in the western way.

Thai drivers hardly ever get upset if you cut in front of them. They don't try to squeeze you off the road on purpose, only if they happen not to see you, or if it's very inconvenient to let you pass (such as a truck going uphill not wanting to slow down to let you through).

<snip>

A thoughtful post, but you forgot to mention the common Hit & Run by Thai drivers.

[VocalNeal]

gunga. over 600b + postage for similar horns you can get here for 300-400b. you really need to get out to the shops mate

Similar or the same?

I'd say, performance wise, they are the same.

Depends where you live, for local you still have to figure in the money spent getting to the shop in the first place. In BKK taxi to Chinatown is about 100baht each way so that adds 200 to any purchase. Of course one doesn't have to go the Chinatown or in a taxi and sometimes convenience is worth paying for.

CBR might be clever but he still hasn't found his $55 temperature switch locally.

[thaicbr]

oh contra my dear Vocal. I have in fact ordered a new larger radiator and electric water temp gauge all for less than 4,000b locally.

Edited May 11, 2010 by thaicbr

[GungaDin]

oh contra my dear Vocal. I have in fact ordered a new larger radiator and electric water temp gauge all for less than 4,000b locally.

Bought a fridge, have ya?

"oh contra" speaks Frog too... badly.

Edited May 11, 2010 by GungaDin

[barky]

When I'm driving here alone I do all sensible things that have already been mentioned above, BUT when I'm going somewhere with the wife I ALWAYS let her drive because she is far more cautious than me and importantly, as she's Thai, if we have an accident, it's extremely unlikely we'll be ripped off/cheated/threatened/scammed and all that other stuff Thais like to try on with westeners.

[thaicbr]

oh contra my dear Vocal. I have in fact ordered a new larger radiator and electric water temp gauge all for less than 4,000b locally.

Bought a fridge, have ya?

"oh contra" speaks Frog too... badly.

Merci bakooo my dear Gunga. merci bakoooooooo

[HangDongRider]

Every year I ride and drive more than 20000km in the winter period (when I´m in LOS) all over the country, also BKK. Never felt, it´s too dangerous. I like lefthand driving more than the rightside here in Germany. The Thai Driver are not agressive. The traffic is easy, every Parking Ground Guardian can stops all cars. This is suicude in south of Europe. Traffic lights are almost acceptet, constrution sides are marked. Very easy going at all. Try India or Turkey to realize how simpel it is in Thailand.

[VocalNeal]

oh contra my dear Vocal. I have in fact ordered a new larger radiator and electric water temp gauge all for less than 4,000b locally.

Bought a fridge, have ya?

"oh contra" speaks Frog too... badly.

Merci bakooo my dear Gunga. merci bakoooooooo

I love it. I may cancel my membership of that other forum. :D

[basjke]

Every year I ride and drive more than 20000km in the winter period (when I´m in LOS) all over the country, also BKK. Never felt, it´s too dangerous. I like lefthand driving more than the rightside here in Germany. The Thai Driver are not agressive. The traffic is easy, every Parking Ground Guardian can stops all cars. This is suicude in south of Europe. Traffic lights are almost acceptet, constrution sides are marked. Very easy going at all. Try India or Turkey to realize how simpel it is in Thailand.

Traffic lights are almost accepted as what?Street lantarns??

Did you know that about 2 years ago a 30 day test with 10 traffic light camera's in Bangkok registered Seventy seven thousand ( 77.000) red light jumpers.

Edited May 11, 2010 by basjke

[Honolulu]

The main rule is to drive slow and don't hit any potholes. You might spill your beer. Also don't bother honking your horn. I will not be able to hear it over my music.

[CMX]

Way I see the traffic light situation is that the green on one side does not arrive until the red in the other direction has been established for five seconds.

Everyone who HAD the green assume that they still have possession of the green for those seconds, as the others have not had green at all recently.

Everyone who is ABOUT to have the green assume that they can head out a bit early as it is red over there (especially young males riding alone).

I think Thais treat it as if there were no light at all for those seconds and just keep an eye out as if at a 4-way stop or yield. No enforcement, of course, has something to do with it.

To me it is curious that many of us oppose Western "regulation" and like our freedoms, as we define them, while the same folks object to the "just get along" confusion and lawlessness of the traffic situation. I certainly agree that I do not see anything akin to the angry passion in driving that one sees in the West, except for the exceptions who just might kill me.

Edited May 11, 2010 by CMX

[Bobr]

Watch out for cars with heavy tint on the windows. Give them extra space and expect them to try to push in. The drivers are always idiots. Drivers who are visible generally behave ok

There is actually scientific evidence to support that, it's part of the psychological concept of depersonalization. The more heavy the tint, the more the face behind the wheel is protected from embarrassment and accountability for his own behavior.

[powderpuff]

I thought mirrors were only on there for checking ones "do".

[CMX]

I third MPetersen - especially about high speeds when I can't see over the hillock or ahead of the curve in time to stop. Suicidal, murderous, and infantile stuff, explained to me by my parents when I was 12-14 years old, and keeping those risks in hand demonstrated too, the best way - (and practiced by yours truly when I was tall enough).

I also find Thai drivers mostly agreeable and without extraneous anger - it is those inattentive (careless and dangerous) types and drunks that are out to kill me. Well, and our concentrated numbers. Beginner tourists. Confused tourists. Songkran. Sleeping dogs. Uncertain chickens. Truck droppings. Boys and young men strutting, fast as they can, their egos. All big Toyotas and Mercedes and darkened windows too. Kids driving one handed, distracted by their cell phone conversations. But mostly agreeable, you know.

You ever notice how often those same boys, once a sister is aboard, becomes more cautious?

Edited May 11, 2010 by CMX

[mpetersen]

Something about Thai drivers is intriguing, polite, natural, albeit not "common sense" in the western way.

Thai drivers hardly ever get upset if you cut in front of them. They don't try to squeeze you off the road on purpose, only if they happen not to see you, or if it's very inconvenient to let you pass (such as a truck going uphill not wanting to slow down to let you through).

Thai drivers never retaliate against other drivers in a way which is very common in western countries. Someone here will not say "what an a...hole, I am gonna get him!". They just mind their own business.

Thai drivers are fairly predictable, but then with lots of experience, just about any country's drivers are predictable. Prediction of driver action depends much on your own experience and skill.

Thai drivers don't beep at each other incessantly, they let others ahead if they seem to be in a hurry, they don't squeeze bikes out of making a lane between cars, and they even pull aside to allow bikes through.

Yes, there are dogs, chickens (I drove right over one accidentally yesterday because it decided to turn back from crossing the road!), and kids, lots of slow vehicles, bicycles, rickedy motorbikes, homemade contraptions, antique trucks etc etc.

But, all those things are indeed predictable and accidents can be avoided if we respect the fact that there is no such thing as "right of way" in real life. Being right but dead serves no purpose.

On motorbikes, gear is key. Good clothing, helmet, boots.

About speed, again, I think that it requires great experience, foresight and driving skill to drive fast without being stupid. The key here is not the actual absolute speed, but to make sure not to over-drive the field of vision. That means you need to be able to stop in the distance that you can actually see ahead of you; at night that means your light beams, at daytime it means the road ahead of the next turn.

There are some other cool things in Thailand; You can pass against oncoming traffic without any problem as long as you are sure the oncoming traffic sees you. They are more than pleased to move out of the way if they are able to. I have never seen that in any place to the level of efficiency as it is practiced in Thailand. That said, I try to avoid passing on the left as much as possible, unless I am very sure the driver just won't move over.

Driving in Thailand is, in a way, pure pleasure, without the petty hassles of tickets and insurance rates rising. I do wish, though, that parents would put their kids in seatbelts, and make them wear at least a bicycle helmet or something like that.

If you want to enjoy motorbiking in Thailand, take a safety course, take a racing course, and alway s know what goes on around, behind, and ahead of you, and anticipate stuff jumping out from nowhere...you'll be just fine.

There must be another Thailand somewhere in the world or you haven't been on the road much in this Thailand.

I've owned a car for 2 years, and before that drove rentals when I needed one. I have done almost 10,000 kms on my motorbike since last september all over Thailand, and doing errands around bkk.

Someone on a different forum likened traffic in BKK to a herd of water buffalo, moving, but seemingly chaotic.

I have driven for years in NYC, and traffic there is more rule based, but exhibits characteristics of what elsewhere would be described as aggressive driving or chaos, but it keeps things moving.

On the other hand, my home city in Canada, with beautiful big roads, perfectly marked signs and lanes, and by-the-book policing is a nightmare of "defensive drivers" who appear to be intent on turning the public road grid into a parking lot for hours on end, and would rather create a traffic jam than let someone merge into "their" lane.

[Tanaka]

The first thing to do is expect the unexpected at all times and then-----

1 get a louder horn than the standard one on the scooter / bike.

2 Ride with a finger hovering over the horn button and USE IT! OFTEN!

3 NEVER EVER be in a rush to get anywhere. If it takes longer so what ! its why you came here remember!

4 ride using the two finger braking or 1 finger / big toe braking method depending on the type of bike you ride. If you require more than 1 finger or toe to stop you are riding too fast. SEE RULE #3

5 WEAR A LID!!!! riding without one will cost you either a little bit of money in a fine or a shed load for a hospital bill. IT MAY ALSO SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6 ENJOY Thailand is a bikers paradise and the best way to see it is by bike!

7 If ever you see tree branches in the road BEWARE!!!! This is the Thai emergency triangle and is placed in the road to warn drivers there is a broken down vehicle ahead or workers on the road!

I absolutely agree with your first sentence. As for the rest, well I have been racing motorcycles for 40 years and have decided never to have a bike in Thailand.

[mpetersen]

Every year I ride and drive more than 20000km in the winter period (when I´m in LOS) all over the country, also BKK. Never felt, it´s too dangerous. I like lefthand driving more than the rightside here in Germany. The Thai Driver are not agressive. The traffic is easy, every Parking Ground Guardian can stops all cars. This is suicude in south of Europe. Traffic lights are almost acceptet, constrution sides are marked. Very easy going at all. Try India or Turkey to realize how simpel it is in Thailand.

Traffic lights are almost accepted as what?Street lantarns??

Did you know that about 2 years ago a 30 day test with 10 traffic light camera's in Bangkok registered Seventy seven thousand ( 77.000) red light jumpers.

That translates to one car or bike every 6 minutes. Red light jumping doesn't mean (necessarily) ignoring red lights. Considering that these would have been placed very busy intersections, this is not a whole lot of red light jumping. It's basically a testament to how well traffic lights are respected in the city, isn't it.

[mpetersen]

The first thing to do is expect the unexpected at all times and then-----

1 get a louder horn than the standard one on the scooter / bike.

2 Ride with a finger hovering over the horn button and USE IT! OFTEN!

3 NEVER EVER be in a rush to get anywhere. If it takes longer so what ! its why you came here remember!

4 ride using the two finger braking or 1 finger / big toe braking method depending on the type of bike you ride. If you require more than 1 finger or toe to stop you are riding too fast. SEE RULE #3

5 WEAR A LID!!!! riding without one will cost you either a little bit of money in a fine or a shed load for a hospital bill. IT MAY ALSO SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6 ENJOY Thailand is a bikers paradise and the best way to see it is by bike!

7 If ever you see tree branches in the road BEWARE!!!! This is the Thai emergency triangle and is placed in the road to warn drivers there is a broken down vehicle ahead or workers on the road!

I absolutely agree with your first sentence. As for the rest, well I have been racing motorcycles for 40 years and have decided never to have a bike in Thailand.

Thailand is one of the best places on earth for motorcycle touring. you should give it a try sometime again. But probably not on a sport bike...Multistrada or GS should be great.