No Matter How Hard I Try

[pipo1000]

i get more pissed off about the way they walk. Two miles an hour, going in random directions, always standing in the worst place. When you try to pass them their slow ass slowly moves in front of you, then when you try and go to the other side they fade off that way as well.

I have to agree with your observation, It is not reserved for Thai people only however - China, Malaysia & Brunei are all at it - I think it is a conspiricy they don't seemt to have a great awareness of what is going on around them. Still beats Scotland however !

That is their biggest problem,being it on the road,in the shopping center or on the footpad,they think they are the only person on this planet.

[KeyserSoze01]

its the one major problem i have with thailand, their disregard for care when driving will force me to leave.

Wherever you decide to live in this paradise world of ours, you are still going to be greatly disappointed with the behaviours of the natives. People are selfish, self-indulgent and complete pigs the world over, that’s how things have progress in these modern times.

No matter where you go it`s going to be virtually the same.

Total bullshite. It must have been a long time since you have driven in a western country as this sort of crap doesn't happen. I take that back, it does happen on occasion, but usually when some transplant from a 3rd world country brings their driving "skills" with them.

[x5david]

The boldness that the anonymity of being concealed (partially) within a vehicle imparts to a Thai is only comparable to that which a Farang feels empowered with when esconced behind an internet forum moniker.

I grant validity to every complaint listed so far. Will say it has been refreshing to see absolutely idiotic, mindless, and rude driving while visiting the States this time around. Have even seen certain maneuvers I could have sworn was only a type of Thai idiocy. Now must give credit to my own native people too. Clearly, no one culture has the lock on it.

Did you happen to notice who was behind the wheel of those particular incidents in the US? Could very well have been a Thai or someone of Asian decent.....

[elektrified]

Rich foreigners in their cars, blocking the roads for us Thais on our m/cs.

You would never get traffic jams like this on the M25 in the UK, or the highways in San Diego.

Huh? "us Thais"? What about all the wealthy Thais in their Mercedes, BMW's, etc., blocking the roads too?

Uh, highways are pretty congested in San Diego...when was the last time you were there?

[amexpat]

Uh, highways are pretty congested in San Diego...when was the last time you were there?

Sarcasm detector on the fritz again?

[CMX]

I wonder sometimes if xenophobes should leave their homelands at all. It is claimed that travel is broadening, but it seems that it can be narrowing as well.

We find ourselves in a society that is leapfrogging from following bullocks around fields to driving high speed cars on fairly modern highways without generations and generations, let alone resources, to train themselves to drive. We who've had a century's worth of ancestors to evolve rules and raise us to follow their learning and yet we expect all others on the planet to be 'wise' in our ways in a fraction of the time?

They're climbing enormous learning curves (OK, sometimes curbs) here, steep everywhichway. I think that everyone who's not a newbie in Thailand should know that there's a risk involved in transportation - other places are worse yet on this pellet of muck.

I can recall clearly once upon a time in America, when a fellow quite drunk, after driving fast into a trolly island's steel abutment, would suffer nothing worse from the police than a scolding while said officers assisted the looped couple to their home. No seat belts, so my mom had a scar on her nose for a while.

Sheesh!

Edited April 26, 2012 by CMX

[mackes]

you may not be so forgiving if god forbid that you or any of your loved ones are seriously injured or even killed due to driving negligence, i'm pretty sure you wont be so'understnding'.

I have not expressed any opinion about how Thai people behave in traffic, what I reacted over was your bad code in calling the Thai people driving in their own country with their own traffic culture for stupid. Their way to behave or act is not grounded on European traffic behavior but is a result of their own culture and coexisting with other Thai drivers in Thai traffic as well as a result of traffic law enforcement or lack of it in Thailand. Drivers here as anywhere are formed by their environment, not stupid.

I can however understand that a certain behavior looks stupid to you from your point of view, but don't call people stupid because they don't have the same background as you. Especially not if you want to be their guest.

[doppa]

I wonder sometimes if xenophobes should leave their homelands at all. It is claimed that travel is broadening, but it seems that it can be narrowing as well.

We find ourselves in a society that is leapfrogging from following bullocks around fields to driving high speed cars on fairly modern highways without generations and generations, let alone resources, to train themselves to drive. We who've had a century's worth of ancestors to evolve rules and raise us to follow their learning and yet we expect all others on the planet to be 'wise' in our ways in a fraction of the time?

They're climbing enormous learning curves (OK, sometimes curbs) here, steep everywhichway. I think that everyone who's not a newbie in Thailand should know that there's a risk involved in transportation - other places are worse yet on this pellet of muck.

I can recall clearly once upon a time in America, when a fellow quite drunk, after driving fast into a trolly island's steel abutment, would suffer nothing worse from the police than a scolding while said officers assisted the looped couple to their home. No seat belts, so my mom had a scar on her nose for a while.

Sheesh!

you said it, steep learning curves without training.

but until thais start to abide by their governments laws, instead of blatantly ignoring them, how can they possible learn.

surely such people should know right from wrong, what to do and what not to do, i almost used the word commonsense, but thought better of it.

they do what they want, when they want, knowingly breaking the law, but as long as it suits them at that particular time they don't care.

the chances of them being nicked are remote, the powers to be havn't got the resources to implement BASIC laws, so what chance is there for progression.

i say again, if one of your family are tragically struck down by sheer lunacy, i don't think you'll be so forgiving.

i'll repeat what i said earlier,

[doppa]

you may not be so forgiving if god forbid that you or any of your loved ones are seriously injured or even killed due to driving negligence, i'm pretty sure you wont be so'understnding'.

I have not expressed any opinion about how Thai people behave in traffic, what I reacted over was your bad code in calling the Thai people driving in their own country with their own traffic culture for stupid. Their way to behave or act is not grounded on European traffic behavior but is a result of their own culture and coexisting with other Thai drivers in Thai traffic as well as a result of traffic law enforcement or lack of it in Thailand. Drivers here as anywhere are formed by their environment, not stupid.

I can however understand that a certain behavior looks stupid to you from your point of view, but don't call people stupid because they don't have the same background as you. Especially not if you want to be their guest.

their 'driving' enviroment is based on uk diving, and if you were to visit the local government office and sit through the hour video, and answer the questions correctly, before you get your license,like i had too then you'll realise that the enviroment is indeed very similar.

however not all thais have to sit through such torture, nope, they go and buy a license.

the law is there for all to respect, go figure why a lot of thais don't follow it.

[Semper]

i get more pissed off about the way they walk. Two miles an hour, going in random directions, always standing in the worst place. When you try to pass them their slow ass slowly moves in front of you, then when you try and go to the other side they fade off that way as well.

I have to agree with your observation, It is not reserved for Thai people only however - China, Malaysia & Brunei are all at it - I think it is a conspiricy they don't seemt to have a great awareness of what is going on around them. Still beats Scotland however !

That is their biggest problem,being it on the road,in the shopping center or on the footpad,they think they are the only person on this planet.

It's not their problem. This is just the way they are. Hence it's still a 3rd world country, but I'm not complaining.

Edited April 26, 2012 by Semper

[pipo1000]

you may not be so forgiving if god forbid that you or any of your loved ones are seriously injured or even killed due to driving negligence, i'm pretty sure you wont be so'understnding'.

I have not expressed any opinion about how Thai people behave in traffic, what I reacted over was your bad code in calling the Thai people driving in their own country with their own traffic culture for stupid. Their way to behave or act is not grounded on European traffic behavior but is a result of their own culture and coexisting with other Thai drivers in Thai traffic as well as a result of traffic law enforcement or lack of it in Thailand. Drivers here as anywhere are formed by their environment, not stupid.

I can however understand that a certain behavior looks stupid to you from your point of view, but don't call people stupid because they don't have the same background as you. Especially not if you want to be their guest.

their 'driving' enviroment is based on uk diving, and if you were to visit the local government office and sit through the hour video, and answer the questions correctly, before you get your license,like i had too then you'll realise that the enviroment is indeed very similar.

however not all thais have to sit through such torture, nope, they go and buy a license.

the law is there for all to respect, go figure why a lot of thais don't follow it.

The other day I was at the parking garage of Big C in Pattaya where a lady with a fairly new Honda city was trying to park her car backwards into the parking lot.As she was stationed acroos the drive way I had to wait untill she would get into the parking lot while guided by 3 Thai people,one at the back one at the front and one beside the car.All this took approximate 7-8 minutes untill one of her helpers advised her to clear the drive way so the queue of waiting cars could pass.

Can you imagine meeting this person on the public roads.

[hellodolly]

25 years driving here,Sad to say the drivers have not improved,plus

lots more cars on the roads,

I now know what the other drivers are going to do before they do,you

just have to think like them .

My main concerns are lack of signals when turning,cutting in front,

driving slow in right hand lane ,ect ect, the list goes on

I have had many confrontations when its their fault,they can go crazy

had them coming at me with baseball bats,bottles ,and tyre wrench

now I try not to bother if anyone nearly hits me, just keep cool dont

give any finger signs or sound the horn,too many seem to have guns

and will use them,at the slightness thing.

I wonder if there a forum where Thai drivers complain about Farangs,

Regards Worgeordie keep on trucking

I wonder if there a forum where Thai drivers complain about Farangs,

Priceless

What I can't understand is how they can have patience in traffic or just waiting for a songtell. But the first thing they do when they get on the elevator is push the close button even if it is already closing.

[hellodolly]

i get more pissed off about the way they walk. Two miles an hour, going in random directions, always standing in the worst place. When you try to pass them their slow ass slowly moves in front of you, then when you try and go to the other side they fade off that way as well.

I have to agree with your observation, It is not reserved for Thai people only however - China, Malaysia & Brunei are all at it - I think it is a conspiricy they don't seemt to have a great awareness of what is going on around them. Still beats Scotland however !

For some reason these people just don't know who we are. Treat as like they would their neighbor.

[hellodolly]

you may not be so forgiving if god forbid that you or any of your loved ones are seriously injured or even killed due to driving negligence, i'm pretty sure you wont be so'understnding'.

I have not expressed any opinion about how Thai people behave in traffic, what I reacted over was your bad code in calling the Thai people driving in their own country with their own traffic culture for stupid. Their way to behave or act is not grounded on European traffic behavior but is a result of their own culture and coexisting with other Thai drivers in Thai traffic as well as a result of traffic law enforcement or lack of it in Thailand. Drivers here as anywhere are formed by their environment, not stupid.

I can however understand that a certain behavior looks stupid to you from your point of view, but don't call people stupid because they don't have the same background as you. Especially not if you want to be their guest.

I wonder what country he comes from where that dosen't happen. I know in North America it is a common daily occurrence and over there they have policemen and police women who enforce the law.

[scottishjohn]

From the comments above it would seem that everyone has only driven in their (ex) home country and Thailand. If any of you have driven in the capital cities of Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India , South Africa etc, Thailand is Bliss in comparison.

PS Try the roundabout at the Arc De Triumph (if you are brave enough in your own, not rented car)

[moe666]

Cry, cry cry, they just will not drive the way I want them too soo I am going to leave. Come on you can think of a better reason to go home right, corrupt cops, they donot want us here, ensane immigration policies. Please donot use the loved one being killed argument on me as people die everyday from totally screwed up things. Most falls that kill someone are in the 2 to 3foot high range. Yes I get pissed off at the idiots who refuse to use their turn signal or save electricity with there headlamp off, but I am not going home.

[funcat]

I think most of us here will agree that (undocumented) percentage of idiots driving in Thailand is much higher than "normal"(means the other countries than Bangladesh,Egypt etc)...I've driven in Paris and it is crazy and scary sometimes,but not stupid !!...one may get use to driving here,but this will not make you safer...what will in my opinion is to be calm and collected...it's very difficult, but that what it is...driving a bigger car may help too...but than there are still the much,much bigger trucks and buses... ....and no,I'm not leaving (just YET)

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup, TV CM Friends, and fellow adventurers into mortal peril with every drive, ride, or walk down a so-called sidewalk,

The one thing I think I can contribute to this discussion (ventilation ?) is to distinguish between labeling road behavior that appears dangerously out-of-control, suicidal, homicidal, as "stupid," or as a reflection of "culture."

imho Thai driving is not a reflection of anything cultural: it is emergent behavior in a "zone" of absence of culture, specifically: norms.

It is also a "zone," imho where the emotional repression (from a western perspective) characteristic of Thai culture is no longer regulated by the highly-developed norms of social interaction in face-to-face encounters, and in behavior in small groups which (do we need to repeat this ?) involve a "collusion" to maintain a "smooth social surface," in which, at all costs, direct confrontation is to be avoided, and "face" is to be maintained. So, in the relative anonymity, and the relative absence of salient norms, the violence and aggression in Thai culture (imho no less, no more, than in any human society) can be expressed openly.

Those of you who think this country is a peaceful land of Buddhists who practice meditation: well, from my point of view, you are in some Thai version of Disneyland I would propose to you that modern Thai culture is, in general, a culture of hyperactive over-stimulation (what does it mean when the national recreational drug of choice is yaa baa ?), a culture of distraction, and lack of concentrated focus. And a culture, in tremendous ferment, in which greed is a major driving force.

Well, not to forget the "stupid" aspect: yes, I, like many of you, judge Thai driving behavior as "stupid," even "insane." But, I do not believe that the causes of the behavior I observe that creates these value judgments within myself (as a westerner) are, in fact, a result of any general lack of "intelligence," per se.

I believe they result from the absence of culture, in a modern arena of interaction devoid of normative situational control, and an eruption of aggression, furthered by the anonymity of driving, from the deepest subterranean aquifers in the Thai subconscious.

I leave it up to you to evaluate my working hypotheses that the most dangerous drivers are those with the newest, largest, and most expensive cars, and that driving is the major form of birth control in Thailand, as well as a mechanism for culling the weak and lame.

India 1975: Delhi: not only the traffic just as crazy as here, but the average traffic jam I was in had bullock, or water-buffalo, driven carts, mixed in with buses so jammed with people that twenty people would be literally hanging off the open doors, plus tuk-tuks, motorcycles, over-loaded trucks, and, in addition, everyone blowing their horns constantly. And then, the double-decker buses zipping around the great traffic circles (designed by Edwin_Lutyens in the 1930's) so fast that once a month or so, I'd read one had fallen over from the centripetal force.

best, ~o:37;

[barefoot1988]

you may not be so forgiving if god forbid that you or any of your loved ones are seriously injured or even killed due to driving negligence, i'm pretty sure you wont be so'understnding'.

I have not expressed any opinion about how Thai people behave in traffic, what I reacted over was your bad code in calling the Thai people driving in their own country with their own traffic culture for stupid. Their way to behave or act is not grounded on European traffic behavior but is a result of their own culture and coexisting with other Thai drivers in Thai traffic as well as a result of traffic law enforcement or lack of it in Thailand. Drivers here as anywhere are formed by their environment, not stupid.

I can however understand that a certain behavior looks stupid to you from your point of view, but don't call people stupid because they don't have the same background as you. Especially not if you want to be their guest.

their 'driving' enviroment is based on uk diving, and if you were to visit the local government office and sit through the hour video, and answer the questions correctly, before you get your license,like i had too then you'll realise that the enviroment is indeed very similar.

however not all thais have to sit through such torture, nope, they go and buy a license.

the law is there for all to respect, go figure why a lot of thais don't follow it.

The other day I was at the parking garage of Big C in Pattaya where a lady with a fairly new Honda city was trying to park her car backwards into the parking lot.As she was stationed acroos the drive way I had to wait untill she would get into the parking lot while guided by 3 Thai people,one at the back one at the front and one beside the car.All this took approximate 7-8 minutes untill one of her helpers advised her to clear the drive way so the queue of waiting cars could pass.

Can you imagine meeting this person on the public roads.

need no imagination, that's a daily scenario

[KeyserSoze01]

you may not be so forgiving if god forbid that you or any of your loved ones are seriously injured or even killed due to driving negligence, i'm pretty sure you wont be so'understnding'.

I have not expressed any opinion about how Thai people behave in traffic, what I reacted over was your bad code in calling the Thai people driving in their own country with their own traffic culture for stupid. Their way to behave or act is not grounded on European traffic behavior but is a result of their own culture and coexisting with other Thai drivers in Thai traffic as well as a result of traffic law enforcement or lack of it in Thailand. Drivers here as anywhere are formed by their environment, not stupid.

I can however understand that a certain behavior looks stupid to you from your point of view, but don't call people stupid because they don't have the same background as you. Especially not if you want to be their guest.

Common sense and courtesy are not cultural behaviors. How can witness some of the things that take place on thai highways and not call it stupid?

[mackes]

Common sense and courtesy are not cultural behaviors. How can witness some of the things that take place on thai highways and not call it stupid?

Wrong, common sense and courtesy are not genetic but learned behaviors.

I can ageee that careless behavior in the traffic everywhere is "stupid",

It is the conclusion that all Thai drivers are in lack of intelligence I dislike.

[funcat]

Common sense and courtesy are not cultural behaviors. How can witness some of the things that take place on thai highways and not call it stupid?

Wrong, common sense and courtesy are not genetic but learned behaviors.

I can ageee that careless behavior in the traffic everywhere is "stupid",

It is the conclusion that all Thai drivers are in lack of intelligence I dislike.

...of course...not all of them...

[udonguy]

Common sense and courtesy are not cultural behaviors. How can witness some of the things that take place on thai highways and not call it stupid?

Wrong, common sense and courtesy are not genetic but learned behaviors.

I can ageee that careless behavior in the traffic everywhere is "stupid",

It is the conclusion that all Thai drivers are in lack of intelligence I dislike.

'are in lack of intelligence' ???

[mackes]

I might be wrong but my impression of this thread is that it express a view that Thai drivers are not only in luck of skills for driving but also have an inability and lack of will to learn and understand what is obvious.

[doppa]

Common sense and courtesy are not cultural behaviors. How can witness some of the things that take place on thai highways and not call it stupid?

Wrong, common sense and courtesy are not genetic but learned behaviors.

I can ageee that careless behavior in the traffic everywhere is "stupid",

It is the conclusion that all Thai drivers are in lack of intelligence I dislike.

if you refer to my original post, it does say 'some thai drivers', not all.

[doppa]

I might be wrong but my impression of this thread is that it express a view that Thai drivers are not only in luck of skills for driving but also have an inability and lack of will to learn and understand what is obvious.

some, not all.

[funcat]

I might be wrong but my impression of this thread is that it express a view that Thai drivers are not only in luck of skills for driving but also have an inability and lack of will to learn and understand what is obvious.

some, not all.

...not all...but more than some..

[mackes]

Common sense and courtesy are not cultural behaviors. How can witness some of the things that take place on thai highways and not call it stupid?

Wrong, common sense and courtesy are not genetic but learned behaviors.

I can ageee that careless behavior in the traffic everywhere is "stupid",

It is the conclusion that all Thai drivers are in lack of intelligence I dislike.

if you refer to my original post, it does say 'some thai drivers', not all.

And you are leaving Thailand because of "some Thai drivers"?

Why not discuss the real reason to why this occurs instead of just talking about "idiots" and

state "no explanations required thanks". I don't feel any will at all from you to discuss, just to complain.

I think it is obvious that this is caused by a lack of enforcements of laws already in place, this behavior

is quietly accepted by the police and by other. The same thing would have happened in any country if

law was not enforced with fines or by other means.

So in my opinion, blame the police and not the Thai people. Anyhow the Thai police have choosed this

approach for one reason or another, nothing to do. And things certainly not get better by only complaining.

[Beetlejuice]

its the one major problem i have with thailand, their disregard for care when driving will force me to leave.

Wherever you decide to live in this paradise world of ours, you are still going to be greatly disappointed with the behaviours of the natives. People are selfish, self-indulgent and complete pigs the world over, that’s how things have progress in these modern times.

No matter where you go it`s going to be virtually the same.

Total bullshite. It must have been a long time since you have driven in a western country as this sort of crap doesn't happen. I take that back, it does happen on occasion, but usually when some transplant from a 3rd world country brings their driving "skills" with them.

So I gather by what you are saying that you are not in Thailand but in a Western country and the only bad drivers there are some Immigrants from third world countries.

You`re either a bigot or living on another planet.

[properjob]

This thread is a glaring illustration of why I spend so little time here among the wingeing moaning ever-complaining bigots and xenophobes - including the OP, who hasn't spoken a sensible word since the thread began, and who seems to think that if he keeps repeating himself, he'll suddenly enlighten us all with his BS.

These are the very people who, if they were still back 'home', would be flicking through their racist small-world tabloid newspapers and screaming at all the dark-skinned people 'if you don't like it here, why don't you go back to where you came from!?'

The irony of them now being in another country and daring to write off Thais as stupid is pathetic.

The only possible purpose of this winge-fest is the satisfaction of grumpy, unimaginative morons who wake up every morning wondering what they are going to moan about today. In Australia they call them wingeing poms. Here, the only difference is they are not all English.

pj