Driving Lessons In Cm

[Andreas84]

Hi,

I would be interested to take some driving lessons (driving a car) in CM, most likely next year, as I am not in CM at the moment. A few questions:

Can someone recommend a good school for that?

What approximately can I expect to pay pr hour?

Can I as a westerner obtain a drivers license for cars in CM which will be valid within Thailand? (I have no drivers license from any other country)

Would that drivers licence be valid in any other countries as well?

Are there any complicated rules in regards to buying a (used) car in thailand - let's say somewhere in the pricerange of 50.000 Baht to 250.000 baht?

Thanks :-)

[MikeCNX]

Hi,

I can only reply that the Thai driving licence is NOT valid in the EU or USA.

I believe it is valid in ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Singapore etc.)

[Ta22]

er...

well even if Valid i would not suggest you drive in Singapore or malaysia just cos you have it.

is a totally different kinda of traffic .

[gotlost]

Hi,

I can only reply that the Thai driving licence is NOT valid in the EU or USA.

I believe it is valid in ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Singapore etc.)

You are definitely INCORECT on your post as a Thai Driving License is Valid in both the EU and the USA.The OP will need at least a Tourist Visa or preferably an O Visa along with a certificate of residency from the Immigration or his/her embassy/consulate and a medical certificate form a local hospital. As for driving schools, they do exist in Chiang Mai but not like you would expect in the west.

[neilrob]

I agree with Gotlost. Where on earth did you come up with such a generalization, MikeCNX? If you are a resident of Thailand, your Thai licence will normally be accepted by a country you are visiting. For example, this is a quote from the California DMV "California does recognize a valid driver license that is issued by a foreign jurisdiction (country, state, territory) of which the license holder is a resident".

[thaimiller]

As long as you get an international driving licence which can be obtained after you have your Thai driving licence you can definatley drive in the EU. I have driven and hired cars on numerous times in europe using only my thai licence/international

Edited November 11, 2010 by thaimiller

[gotlost]

As long as you get an international driving licence which can be obtained after you have your Thai driving licence you can definatley drive in the EU. I have driven and hired cars on numerous times in europe using only my thai licence/international

There is an international driving permit that can be had after you get a five year Thai license but is not available for the one year license which they consider to be temporary. It is a good idea to obtain this permit if your going abroad but in the USA in most cases it is not required anymore as the new Thai license are in Thai AND English and are accepted at most major car rental agencies and your friendly Highway Patrol for speeding. No problems.

[neilrob]

States like California explicitly do not accept international driving licenses, so there is no value to getting one for many places. They do however, as noted above, accept Thai licenses.

[Beetlejuice]

You mean people actually take driving lessons in Thailand?

[MESmith]

There's a driving school west side of Superhighway, opp Big C.  My wife went there & passed the test first time.  

[rakchaingmai]

Has anyone actually answered the original question here .

there are loads of places here but the one i do know is down the road of mikes burger in town near spicy not sure of the road name the school is half way down that road on the right hand side.

They don't do by the hour but they do a course for like 1400 baht or something like that it was a few years ago that my wife done it .

There is a course on the outer ring road that they take you on you go round a few cones and do a hill stop.

Edited November 11, 2010 by rakchaingmai

[MikeCNX]

I stand corrected.

You CAN drive in the EU/USA but you can not change it to a EU driver licence, you will have to pass a new test. (references on this on request)

In the EU you can drive with a Thai international licence for up to 6 months, then you need to take both the theoretical and practical exam to get a "EU" licence from a member state if you want to continue driving.

Edited November 11, 2010 by MikeCNX

[dave2]

rakchiangmai.

re .... the school is half way down that road on the right hand side

you mean this school just before the thai military bank !

dave2 : )

ps .. i hired a car in england using a thai drivers licence.last year ... no problem

[rakchaingmai]

Thats the one dave amazing you have a photo for that .

[anonymouse]

Thats the one dave amazing you have a photo for that .

thanon chiang moi

[endure]

I stand corrected.

You CAN drive in the EU/USA but you can not change it to a EU driver licence, you will have to pass a new test. (references on this on request)

In the EU you can drive with a Thai international licence for up to 6 months, then you need to take both the theoretical and practical exam to get a "EU" licence from a member state if you want to continue driving.

In the UK you can drive for a year on a non-UK licence before you need to take the UK driving test.

[endure]

You mean people actually take driving lessons in Thailand?

Most of them usually bypass the lessons and proffer the customary 2500Bt shortly before the test begins

[MESmith]

You mean people actually take driving lessons in Thailand?

Most of them usually bypass the lessons and proffer the customary 2500Bt shortly before the test begins  

Have you got proof of this?

[elektrified]

You mean people actually take driving lessons in Thailand?

Most of them usually bypass the lessons and proffer the customary 2500Bt shortly before the test begins  

Have you got proof of this?

We saw a couple of people doing this very thing when my g/f got her automobile driving license about 18 months ago. I couldn't see how much was being paid however.

[LJW]

Hi,

I can only reply that the Thai driving licence is NOT valid in the EU or USA.

I believe it is valid in ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Singapore etc.)

I am pretty sure the Thai license is valid in the US. I have used mine to rent cars in the US.

[LJW]

You mean people actually take driving lessons in Thailand?

Most of them usually bypass the lessons and proffer the customary 2500Bt shortly before the test begins

Have you got proof of this?

We saw a couple of people doing this very thing when my g/f got her automobile driving license about 18 months ago. I couldn't see how much was being paid however.

I think the price is 500 baht

[gotlost]

You mean people actually take driving lessons in Thailand?

Most of them usually bypass the lessons and proffer the customary 2500Bt shortly before the test begins

Have you got proof of this?

2006, 1200 baht for driving license and 1200 baht for bike license = 2400 baht.

[meadish_sweetball]

If you are of average intelligence and coordination with just a week or so (yes, really) driving experience it is nearly impossible to fail.<br /><br />General tests: They test your ability to see colours, judge distance etc. When I did it, nobody failed, not even a woman who clearly was unable to judge distance properly. She got it wrong 10 times or so, until she got it right by accident, then they passed her as well.<br /><br />Theory: No preparatory course. You are instructed to watch a 1 hour instruction video on Thai traffic regulations in English, and you are given a sheet of road signs to study. When you have finished watching the video, you are placed at a terminal and given a multiple choice test. You need to get a certain percentage right, can't remember exactly but if I recall correctly, perhaps 85%. Not difficult. If you have any questions, you can ask the test staff. When I took the test last year, two questions had been paired with an unrelated set of answers, which meant that none of the answers fitted the question.<br /><br />Practice: There is a small, closed driving circuit around the back of the test centre. You need to bring your own vehicle to drive. You sit alone in the car and there will be other cars in front of you as well as behind you, you wait for the car in front of you to finish and then it is your turn. <br /><br />You will be told to drive along the circuit, make a turn or two and then you will end up in front of a small quite steep artificial hill. When the car in front of you has finished, you drive up onto the ascension to the hill, make a full stop and then you are supposed to start the car without the engine stopping or sliding back past a line drawn on the road. If you fail you will get the chance to do it again. You will be told to use the pedal brake, but since you are alone in the car nobody will know or care if you use the handbrake instead.<br /><br />After this, you will be told to drive straight through a row of stakes on each side, and then reverse back the same way without hitting the stakes. <br /><br />The final test is driving up next to a curb/footpath so that the car is straight and close enough to the curb not to exceed a line drawn on the side. <br /><br />Both of these tests, you will also get the chance to do more than once if you should fail. <br /><br />I am not a particularly good precision driver but had no problems passing the test. No bribes expected or needed.<br /><br />There is a subforum on Thaivisa specifically for driving where you can find information about car ownership etc.

Your first license is valid for one year. If you extend it the following year, the next one is valid for 5 years. Thai citizens with Thai driving licenses connverted into international (which is only a monetary transaction, no additional testing needed) can drive for 6 months in Sweden. I don't know if this would work for a non-Thai resident Swedish citizen with a Thai license though.

[Dellboy218]

You missed one. If driving an automatic then you have to do a parallel parking test (at least I did), between the reversing stakes and the kerb parking. What that quite has to do with an automatic I am not sure. You can do that and the motorbike test the same day. The questions at the terminal are the same but if I remember right you have to get 23 out of 28 or 30 questions. I have never worked out why you should not attempt to drive a car when you feel a heart attack coming on, and I thought it was the alcohol! Got that one wrong.

[ThaiPauly]

Great post Meadish, many might find it helpful.

My Wife took lesons in BK and also took her test there, wher to my astonishment she passed, said something about some money being given to her instructor for something or other.

Annyway, long and short of it is that the first time she drove the new car I brought her...she crashed it.

I sent her for some more lessons, and she has not had any problems since, except for crashing my car while parking hers in the drive

[Andreas84]

Thanks all, that was a lot of good input!

Anyway, it seems like it will be difficult to take really good driving lessons - emphasising driving skills and safety in the traffic - in the way one can do in the west. Am I right? Because, even more than taking the drivers licence in itself, I want proper training.

[gotlost]

Thanks all, that was a lot of good input!

Anyway, it seems like it will be difficult to take really good driving lessons - emphasising driving skills and safety in the traffic - in the way one can do in the west. Am I right? Because, even more than taking the drivers licence in itself, I want proper training.

Proper training????????????

[Andreas84]

Thanks all, that was a lot of good input!

Anyway, it seems like it will be difficult to take really good driving lessons - emphasising driving skills and safety in the traffic - in the way one can do in the west. Am I right? Because, even more than taking the drivers licence in itself, I want proper training.

Proper training????????????

Hehe, are you indicating it is not the right country for that?

[LJW]

Thanks all, that was a lot of good input!

Anyway, it seems like it will be difficult to take really good driving lessons - emphasising driving skills and safety in the traffic - in the way one can do in the west. Am I right? Because, even more than taking the drivers licence in itself, I want proper training.

Proper training????????????

Hehe, are you indicating it is not the right country for that?

Yes, he is suggesting that.. In my opinion, the trainer you get will have the answers. If you feel comfortable driving, there are some defensive driving techniques to learn. Good Luck!