Driving Lessons

[rics21]

around 2 years ago, i bought a vios for the mrs. i didnt have much time to teach her driving, so she started to get lessons at the driving school along Rama IX, took her 2 months to get thru those lessons and got her driving license.

its been like 2 years and she still have difficulty driving in the sois and making u-turns and stuffs.

i tried to teach her the REAL driving skills during the weekends, and it was really slow.

i have got a vios parked at home while she is taking the cab wherever she goes.

i really need a solution to this, is there any PROPER driving school???

NOT THOSE U LEARN DRIVING TO GET A LICENSE, the driving test here is too easy.

she has the ability to make the car move front and backwards, turning the steering wheel .... etc...

but driving on the street of bangkok will take more than that, anticipation and awareness of other drivers is really important too.

she need to learn the ways and means to drive safely, anticipate others, make a proper u-turn and parallel parking.

i read a previous post on defensive driving at the singha racing school, i called the school yesterday and was told that we will have to wait for 25 candidates before the course begins.it maybe a month or 2.

not really assured if this defensive driving course is suitable.

any recommendations?

[MikeyIdea]

I think whether Thai or farang, learning road sense and how a particular countries driving styles work, for some can be a slow process. Learning can only be done by hours on the road.

Yes, I recommend Sunday evenings with minimum traffic, take the bull by the horn a bit - not on a parking lot but in traffic - and a helping hand on the wheel sometimes

[crisp]

My wife taught herself., she went out in the car (yaris) everyday, just driving around out village just getting used to the controls & turning , braking etc, untill she felt more adventurous.

When she felt a bit more confident (but also still very nervous) she ventured outside the village for just short periods of time , untill again she got more confident.

Maybe you could sit in the car with her , but at the same time encourage & advise her of the dangersof driving ...braking distance (i know nobody takes much notice), blind spot, motorcycles etc

My wife actually paid for her licence & also our daughters with out having to take the test?

Good luck

Chris

[MikeyIdea]

My wife actually paid for her licence & also our daughters with out having to take the test?

I actually recommended my wife to pay for her license so I could teach her to drive properly

Been here for too long maybe...

[Spoonman]

www.thaisafedriver.com

[MoonRiverOasis]

I had precisely the same problem a few years back - I bought my wife a VIOS and it sat there for 2.5 years barely driven.

The solution in the end was simple - I bought her a car she actually liked Within a few weeks she was a competant driver and the new car was racking up KM's 2x faster then mine. True story, not taking the piss

Edited November 26, 2010 by MoonRiverOasis

[phaethon]

In the UK she could be shipped off to a local IAM or RoSPA group where volunteers would observe and advise on her driving. The obvious answer is a retired driving instructor or an aforementioned observer now resident in LOS with time to spare (like me), but the legalities, beyond the obvious WP issues, and potential liabilities are pretty daunting.

That www.thaisafedriver.com is closest, indeed only thing I've seen in this field over here.

[rics21]

will contact the thaisafedriver on Monday and post again

[fredob43]

My Thai wife has a driving licence for car and M/C when I got my first car a 3lt vigo, she said if ever I was not capable of driving she could do. That's great I thought. One day a few month's later we had stopped at some light's she said to me what's that??? pointing to the hand brake, the hand brake I replied, Oh what that do then??? As you can imagine she has never had a go in any of my car's. TIT

Edited November 27, 2010 by fredob43

[morphious]

<deleted> she passed her test and cant drive?

[ilyelol]

hire her a driver, enough crazy people on the road.. dont need more women on top of that

[rics21]

come on, give the ladies a chance to drive.

they need to learn to take care of themselves.

[katabeachbum]

come on, give the ladies a chance to drive.

they need to learn to take care of themselves.

absolutely

if your to afraid to let your lady use your car, rent one with excellent inusrance for a week to let her do some scrathing first

then she can scratch your car

Most girsl I have seen become very good drivers within half a year. I am a terrible passenger and prefere the back seat, but actually more comfy when my GF drives compared to most men. and she s fast

[juehoe]

My spouse was already a good driver in crazy Bangkok (where I have my problems...) but had problems driving fast and save at higher speed. As may Thais, she could not drive well long and fast turns. Meanwhile she is quite good and also learned to drive more economically and ecologically. Our mileage is now acceptable.

She also start now learning to drive manual-shifted pick-ups! But we didn't found a driving school for learning emergency braking and manoeuvring.

I just got this address of a driving school in BKK. Sorry I have it only in Thai and we didn't contact them, yet.

ส สะพานมอญ รร สอนขับรถยนต์

ที่อยู่ : 7 เจริญกรุง แขวงวังบูรพาภิรมย์ เขตพระนคร กทม 10200

โทรศัพท์ : 022217495, 022259977

เวลาทำงาน : ทำการทุกวัน 09:00-16:00

[onnut]

My sister in law over here couldnt drive 2 years ago, she was way too nervous to drive herself around even though she had use of my or my wifes car. so in the end I made her drive as much as possible while we were with her in the car, small trips to the shops and we would pull over and let her drive for an hour or so while going up country. this helped her so much and now she has her own car and drives very well.

try the same with your wife, where ever you go make her drive and coach her, it will get better once the nerves wear off, and she will then gain confidence.

[katabeachbum]

My sister in law over here couldnt drive 2 years ago, she was way too nervous to drive herself around even though she had use of my or my wifes car. so in the end I made her drive as much as possible while we were with her in the car, small trips to the shops and we would pull over and let her drive for an hour or so while going up country. this helped her so much and now she has her own car and drives very well.

try the same with your wife, where ever you go make her drive and coach her, it will get better once the nerves wear off, and she will then gain confidence.

The driving schools here seem to teach their students nothing but clutch and gear.

I tought my GF emergency braking, choice of lane, choice of track when going fast, use of high/low beam in the dark, use of own eyes in the dark, reading roads and other people. If 10 people are sitting in a sala on the other side of the road, what does it tell you? There is probably a bus coming towards you soon........

She still isnt very good on snow and ice, but thats not needed here, especially since almost all cars now come with stabilitycontrol

[MikeyIdea]

My wife actually paid for her licence & also our daughters with out having to take the test?

I actually recommended my wife to pay for her license so I could teach her to drive properly

Been here for too long maybe...

When l think back to a UK heavy Goods Vehicle driving test l took FORTY years ago. Had a guy sit in the truck for l think an hour giving directions and watching my every move and making sure l checked door mirrors every 15 seconds. Then driving the beast into spaces marked out with cones and stopping the rear within two lines. Then being required to have full knowledge of all the signs and road markings.

Here, pay a guy for a license to kill.

Mirrors... And if you didn't turn your head to see with your own eyes before actually moving the car out of your lane, they'd fail you for that.

Here, the instructor said nothing about turning the head, actually, I asked the wife to go back and ask and she came back saying that it could be dangerous. The "then you're to close in the first place" attitude I have isn't invented here yet

[MikeyIdea]

In the UK she could be shipped off to a local IAM or RoSPA group where volunteers would observe and advise on her driving. The obvious answer is a retired driving instructor or an aforementioned observer now resident in LOS with time to spare (like me), but the legalities, beyond the obvious WP issues, and potential liabilities are pretty daunting.

That www.thaisafedriver.com is closest, indeed only thing I've seen in this field over here.

I don't necessarily think that a retired driving instructor without lot's of experience actually driving in Thailand would be only a good choice, he has many things to adapt and get used to, once he does, then he'll be excellent

I cleared the legalities issue by recommending my wife to buy her licence. Perfect, no WP problem, legal insurance...

My wife's a good driver now I must say, just took a bit of practice evenings with little traffic and in total more scratches than I have fingers to count. Well done