Thailand'S Worst Drivers

[canuckamuck]

Sure this is stereotyping, but there are definitely types of vehicles out there that cause me to be extra careful. For example I give buses in a convoy with a police escort a very wide berth. I am quite sure they would run over their own mothers. But how about the rest of you, what vehicle type cause you the most trouble in Thailand? Or, if you prefer, which are the most aggravating.

Not all types of vehicles are represented here, but I hope you figure out the basic categories.

[gotlost]

I see your a city boy. Where is the Iron Buffalo. Number one transport in the country.

[MoonRiverOasis]

Should be multiple choice, but it's really quite simple - buses, taxi's and songteows are easily the worst, and the rest can just be categorized by vehicle price - more baht = more ignorant/arrogant. Same as pretty much every country in the world...

SUV and van driver's are the best BTW - they drive fast and decisively - which means I get along just fine with them

Edited August 22, 2010 by MoonRiverOasis

[onnut]

<snip>

I know its not fair to say that but at the moment that is how I feel.

Edited August 23, 2010 by soundman
Removed stereo-typical comment.

[chiang mai]

Tourists on motorbikes.

[canuckamuck]

I see your a city boy. Where is the Iron Buffalo. Number one transport in the country.

Yeah but those guys don't bother me much. They go what? about 20kmh

[yumidesign]

all of the above in no particular order

[yumidesign]

<snip>

I know its not fair to say that but at the moment that is how I feel.

absolutely right

Edited August 23, 2010 by soundman

[taninthai]

got to be the minivan doing pick ups from airport ,visa runs etc they sure are crazy

[guzzi850m2]

Tourists on motorbikes.

Yes some of them are really bad, especially Indians who have obliviously never driven a large cc MC before.

Any car type on BKK plates, they are really driving recklessly like the road is only for them, they are coming to Pattaya in large numbers every weekend. Saw one BKK car recently doing app. 140 on Sukhumvit road (Pattaya) in the third lane, but the idiot had to step very hard on the brakes as the car in front was doing a legal U-turn with signal lights on, I was in the 2 lane doing app.70 and had to step hard on the brakes in order to give him maneuver room. Too no big surprise he stepped on the gas again when the road was clear, what an asshol_e.

[WarpSpeed]

Volvos..... The mind set of someone who buys them is already distinctive and then it is applied once on the road.. Always slower and overly cautious...

[VocalNeal]

Any car type on BKK plates,

Hey. I resemble that remark.

[nellyp]

Any of them driven by anybody. Nobody on the road drives as well or carefuly as myself

[JohnLeech]

Anything with a farang driving it who likes to drive like a Thai - all the faults, but none of the luck!

[canuckamuck]

Well so far there isn't much agreement, I am surprised to see small motorcycles getting the most votes.

[MikeyIdea]

Tourists driving any kind of vehicle

[maccaroni man]

the one that causes me the most concern along with the tourist on motor bike is the vender with the sidecar on the motorbike, very difficult to see the side car and most of the time the tires look like they are falling off.

[gotlost]

Well so far there isn't much agreement, I am surprised to see small motorcycles getting the most votes.

They should be exterminated like pesky flies.

[canuckamuck]

Well so far there isn't much agreement, I am surprised to see small motorcycles getting the most votes.

They should be exterminated like pesky flies.

From what I can see at many intersections, there is a program in place to do just that.

[baabaabobo]

Black Fortuners (on Phuket)

[monsieurhappy]

It's not the vehicles that are the problem!

It's the idiots who are supposed to be driving/riding them!

[floridaguy]

My 2 cents, I have differing opinion according to WHAT I am driving. In my company truck (Toyota Hilux or Fortuner) the small motorbikes worry me, as I don't want to flatten a little bugger darting in front of me or riding beside me in my blind spot; driving the same vehicles, I am most concerned on being hit by a BKK city bus, they just merge right over and you have to dodge them.

When I am driving in a smaller car (Honda), everyone is equally worrisome.

When I am driving my motorcycle, the Mercs and Beemers worry me, as they just pull right in front of me, and I am on a bigger bike and am not as maneuverable as a scooter, so I can't always dodge. By the way, I still think of them as scooters, not motorbikes, when they are the step through type like the Wave and PCX etc.

Just last week, an arseh0le Thai driver in a Merc did the slow creeping right turn in front of me and I locked up the rear tire to dodge him. I ended up stopped directly in front of his car, so I reached over and gave the front of his car a little tap with my fist, just as his wife was doing the same to the back of his head. That made the whole incident worth it.

[richard_smith237]

I voted for Utility trucks: Pickups. I see more of these types of vehicles being driven recklessly and antisocially than any other. The drivers appear to have no concept of the consequence of their actions, their vehicles are often over loaded and all too often carrying carrying / advertising the scars of their recklessness...

I would have also voted for the small motorcycle / scooter. They worry me because I'm scared that one day I'll clip one and it won't be my fault but a headache nonetheless.

I see Fortuner's are up there leading the votes, but I think thats a little unfair. I see Fortuners bullying their way through the streets on a regular basis, however a Honda Jazz being driven aggressively has less impact on us, its a small car and less imposing, so we notice the Fortuna and remember it mainly due to its size and 'noticeability'. In this case I believe its a smaller percentage tarnishing the reputation of the many. My car is not common on the streets of Thailand, if 1% of drivers of my car were bad then it wouldn't impact many people, if the same percentage of Fortuna drivers were bad hundreds of thousands of people would notice.

On to the Entry level - Jazz, Mazda, City etc... I find these cars driven by young women to be the most obnoxious in traffic. It seems they'd rather crash into the car in front of them than leave a gap which may result in them being forced to give way.

There have been a few negative comments on TV regarding Western drivers (Particular comments about Phuket drivers spring to mind). In bangkok I have found Western drivers to be rather courteous and assertive making their intentions clear while not driving aggressively.

Edited August 23, 2010 by richard_smith237

[H2oDunc]

Thai drivers of both bikes and cars etc I can forgive and in some way understand as they do not know any better. The ones that get my hackles up is the Farang driving like the worst Thai you have met. They have no excuse for their actions. I was getting a lift off a friend of mine when a big fat Farang in his Fortuner stopped at the junction of the side road to turn right, looked at my mate coming towards him and just pulled in front of him. After slithering to a stop he just looked again and drove off. My mate turned the bike around, followed him till he got out of his car at Tesco and just walked up and sparked him straight out.

Now I am not condoning violence in any way but in that instance they guy got exactly what was coming. I bet he thinks twice before doing the same thing!

[chav]

I ticked the Tour bus catagory as those and heavy trucks have probably caused me the most instances of emergency breaking. Thinking about it further most of the accidents I see involve these vehicles too.

Second on the list would be Bangkok taxis and Airport limos.

[VocalNeal]

Motorcycles: under 400 cc

Why under 400cc? What about 300? or even 200 or 250.

For me any kind of motorcycle is OK. It is the less than 150cc chicken chasers that cause me the most concern as they ride slower than average traffic and always overtake on the inside. Add to that turning left on the inside when I am turning left. Ad naseum.

A lot depends on where one drives. Outside bangkok I may have a different view of chicken chasers.

Edited August 23, 2010 by VocalNeal

[Thaddeus]

I see your a city boy. Where is the Iron Buffalo. Number one transport in the country.

Yeah but those guys don't bother me much. They go what? about 20kmh

Which isn't bad during daylight, but at night on an unlit road, they are the most dangerous thing on the road.

[Kwasaki]

Volvos..... The mind set of someone who buys them is already distinctive and then it is applied once on the road.. Always slower and overly cautious...

That's a strange reply don't quite know what you mean.!!!

Before I retired one of my company cars was a T5 estate, fantastic fast, any speed freak would love it even today.

The only problem was forgetting who was in the car and having to scrap the dog and the kids off the back window.

[billd766]

For me living out in the country it is the SUV in general and Fortuners in particular that are the most obnoxious, arrogant and careless drivers as they come up from the city on a Friday for the weekend.

They completely ignore the road markings, drive in the middle of the road very fast, overtake around blind corners and over the brow of hills believing that they have the right of way over everything else on the road.

They have no concern whatsoever for anything else on the road.

In the village they just double park and go into the 7/11 and shove in front of everyone then climb back in the car (still left running and not stolen as the people up here are honest) and roar off again.

And then they do the whole thing all over again on a Sunday on their way back home.

Very ignorant people and there are some farangs amongst them too.

[canuckamuck]

Motorcycles: under 400 cc

Why under 400cc? What about 300? or even 200 or 250.

For me any kind of motorcycle is OK. It is the less than 150cc chicken chasers that cause me the most concern as they ride slower than average traffic and always overtake on the inside. Add to that turning left on the inside when I am turning left. Ad naseum.

A lot depends on where one drives. Outside bangkok I may have a different view of chicken chasers.

I was trying to limit the choices, but it is true there needs to be a category for the step through/scooter style bikes.