Asiantravel Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 (edited) Yesterday in Pattaya I experienced road rage firsthand except......... I was a pedestrian! A nasty experience which has certainly given me a new perspective about this city. I was crossing the rather wide service road which runs along the back of Big C Extra that joins Soi Yume off Pattaya Klang when a white Toyota Camry came driving up that service road at great speed and I caused him to slow down because i was still walking across the service road before he reached the intersection. As I kept walking he turned left to drive along Soi Yume and then drove to his car towards me at which point there was no foothpath and because I was carrying two shopping bags I stumbled onto his car and my hands reached out and hit his windows at which point he got out came towards me and punched me to the ground. He was very angry and I noticed he had a very young child in the car. He didnt actually look typically Thai... more Indian than Thai. He then got back in his car and drove away but fortunately a couple of motorcycle taxi guys saw it all and even noted the registration number of the car. They insisted I should go to the police station which I did . Fair play the police were good actually and soon established that the car was registered in Phuket so they indicated there was little i could do. I am absolutely amazed that in Pattaya these days you can experience this kind of unprovoked violence. Edited June 17, 2012 by Asiantravel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mobi Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 There are <deleted> everywhere. But one ignorant moron with road rage doesn't mean the whole town has changed. I sympathise with what happened to you and for sure the cops could track him down if they really wanted to, but Phuket - I guess its too hard. As a general observation, pedestrians have little or no rights in the minds of most drivers and it is wise to bear this in mind when walking around in Pattaya or anywhere else in this country, come to that. It doesn't excuse what happened, but does help to explain it. If you were the victim of a road rage incident in any city, would that change your perspective of that city? Whenever I drive in Bangkok I see mini-road rages, aggressive driving and unnecessary tooting of horns just like in any western city. Its the price of progress, I guess. What about that millionaire SOB in Bangkok who had road rage and ran down a bus queue a year or so back and killed some folks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimmer Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Unhelpfull Pattaya bashing post removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soihok Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Welcome to the land of smiles. Be advised that most cars in Thailand carry a weapon of some kind, from bars/ knives to guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asiantravel Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 . Its the price of progress, I guess. when you say that pedestrians cannot assume they can walk anywhere safely and that stand a reasonable chance of reaching your destination safely can only be in a vehicle is definitely not " progress " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinediscoking Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Actually thai law is very clear about this, the driver is always at fault when hitting a pedestrian. This is a typical response from the police here in pattaya though, if you are not serious hurt or no property damage done they will not pursue any action. If you wanted to push the issue you need to get a layer involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asiantravel Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 (edited) Welcome to the land of smiles. Be advised that most cars in Thailand carry a weapon of some kind, from bars/ knives to guns. " Welcome to the land of smiles. " when I was leaving the police station that is exactly what the police captain said to me with a chuckle Edited June 17, 2012 by Asiantravel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asiantravel Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 Actually thai law is very clear about this, the driver is always at fault when hitting a pedestrian. This is a typical response from the police here in pattaya though, if you are not serious hurt or no property damage done they will not pursue any action. If you wanted to push the issue you need to get a layer involved. but then to do that no one knows where it could all end because he is obviously a very violent person Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soihok Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Basics. Thai = do what you want as its your country and right to do so. Farang = not a hope in hell Sad but true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mobi Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 . Its the price of progress, I guess. when you say that pedestrians cannot assume they can walk anywhere safely and that stand a reasonable chance of reaching your destination safely can only be in a vehicle is definitely not " progress " 'Progress' in wealth and affluence and adopting the worst of western habits.... Pattaya is no longer the sleepy little laid back hamlet of old. It is a major tourist destination on the world map. These things will happen anywhere - ask the families of all the tourists who were killed in Orlando last year. But that doesn't make Ortlando a bad place, any more than what happened to you makes Pattaya a bad place. If pedestrians were getting run down every other day then it might be a different matter, but what happened appears to be an isolated incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asiantravel Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 If pedestrians were getting run down every other day then it might be a different matter, but what happened appears to be an isolated incident. maybe not ever day but according to " PattayaParent " in this thread it is neither an " isolated incident " as you put it ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raro Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Wherever the car is registered in Thailand, the cops have it in their database and can find out the owner by a mouse click. File an official complaint with the police. These kind of bastards need to be stopped! Sent from my Nexus S using Thaivisa Connect App 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asiantravel Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 (edited) Wherever the car is registered in Thailand, the cops have it in their database and can find out the owner by a mouse click. File an official complaint with the police. These kind of bastards need to be stopped! Sent from my Nexus S using Thaivisa Connect App thanks raro yes they identified the driver when I was sitting in the police station but they kind of lost interest when they found out he was from a different province? Edited June 17, 2012 by Asiantravel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangBuddha Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Actually thai law is very clear about this, the driver is always at fault when hitting a pedestrian. This is a typical response from the police here in pattaya though, if you are not serious hurt or no property damage done they will not pursue any action. If you wanted to push the issue you need to get a layer involved. Seems quite reasonable to me. I wouldn't want to see Thailand become an overly litigious society that many in the West have become. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurnell Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Welcome to the land of smiles. Be advised that most cars in Thailand carry a weapon of some kind, from bars/ knives to guns. Done a survey have you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatchamacallit Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 . Its the price of progress, I guess. when you say that pedestrians cannot assume they can walk anywhere safely and that stand a reasonable chance of reaching your destination safely can only be in a vehicle is definitely not " progress " 'Progress' in wealth and affluence and adopting the worst of western habits.... Pattaya is no longer the sleepy little laid back hamlet of old. It is a major tourist destination on the world map. These things will happen anywhere - ask the families of all the tourists who were killed in Orlando last year. But that doesn't make Ortlando a bad place, any more than what happened to you makes Pattaya a bad place. If pedestrians were getting run down every other day then it might be a different matter, but what happened appears to be an isolated incident. Not sure what you mean by the worse of western habits? I am a westerner and never beat up a pedestrian. From my six years in Thailand, as a bit of a generalization, it does seem to me, that Thais do seem to have bit of a short fuse even with other Thais. Road rage is worldwide. Combine road rage with the complete lack of obeying the rules of the road and any kind of courtesy while driving, it's a recipe for all kinds of problems. So what happened to the OP is NOT all that isolated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyaussie Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Your hands reached out and hit his window...hmmm. Sounds like you got angry and smacked his window. People don't just get out of their cars and deck someone for nothing. I'd say there's something your not telling us and I like to hear the other side of the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigt3365 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 A pattaya bashing post has been removed. You've been warned 2 times now. Please don't post these types of comments again. Road rage is a world wide problem. Not just here in Pattaya. It happens everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saengsureeya Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Wherever the car is registered in Thailand, the cops have it in their database and can find out the owner by a mouse click. File an official complaint with the police. These kind of bastards need to be stopped! Sent from my Nexus S using Thaivisa Connect App thanks raro yes they identified the driver when I was sitting in the police station but they kind of lost interest when they found out he was from a different province? That's a bit weird, assuming that if the car is registered in another province, the owner is living there too. If the police is really willing to catch this guy, they can access the Immigration Database and find out where he is actually living. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarryP Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Welcome to the land of smiles. Be advised that most cars in Thailand carry a weapon of some kind, from bars/ knives to guns. Done a survey have you? I know many car owners but do not know anyone who keeps a weapon in their car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetotravel Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I have a Thai friend who lives in Bangkok. She's an excellent drive, but aggressive as most drivers in Bangkok are. She obviously did something to piss off another driver and he pulled in front of her, stopped, got out and busted her front windscreen with a tire iron. Pure road rage. She's from a very well connected family. Reported it to the police. They found out who the driver was and told her to just back off or there will be real problems. Even the insurance company wouldn't pursue it, but they did pay for the damages. Welcome to Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petercool Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Just to comment on a number of points raised .... Immigration do not track Thais - if indeed the driver was Thai. Even if a police report was made and forwarded to Phuket, the fine is only 500 baht for punching someone and police are unlikely to put it on any nationwide priority list. I feel this is very rare case in its specifics but forms of road rage are indeed wide spread - among Thais and among some foreigners here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyattEarp Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Just to comment on a number of points raised .... Immigration do not track Thais - if indeed the driver was Thai. Even if a police report was made and forwarded to Phuket, the fine is only 500 baht for punching someone and police are unlikely to put it on any nationwide priority list. I feel this is very rare case in its specifics but forms of road rage are indeed wide spread - among Thais and among some foreigners here. The fine for punching someone is only 500 baht? So if I pay 1,000 baht can I punch him twice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petercool Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 That's the fine only. If any physical damage is done to any person then that is extra. If drunkeness is involved, then that could be extra. If a weapon is involved or repeat offence it would be more. Not recommended in any event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somtampet Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Basics. Thai = do what you want as its your country and right to do so. Farang = not a hope in hell Sad but true the guy said he looked more indian so your theory has no thought to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soihok Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Welcome to the land of smiles. Be advised that most cars in Thailand carry a weapon of some kind, from bars/ knives to guns. Done a survey have you? I know many car owners but do not know anyone who keeps a weapon in their car. Depends on what your view of a weapon is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soihok Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 (edited) General observation somtampet Edited June 18, 2012 by soihok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurnell Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Welcome to the land of smiles. Be advised that most cars in Thailand carry a weapon of some kind, from bars/ knives to guns. Done a survey have you? I know many car owners but do not know anyone who keeps a weapon in their car. Depends on what your view of a weapon is. I have known a weapon or 2 in my lifetime also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaPhom Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Welcome to the land of smiles. Be advised that most cars in Thailand carry a weapon of some kind, from bars/ knives to guns. Done a survey have you? I know many car owners but do not know anyone who keeps a weapon in their car. I know a lot of people with weapons but dont own a car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asiantravel Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 (edited) Your hands reached out and hit his window...hmmm. Sounds like you got angry and smacked his window. People don't just get out of their cars and deck someone for nothing. I'd say there's something your not telling us and I like to hear the other side of the story. Even i would like to hear the other side of the story and be able to ask him " Why " ? i reached to his window because I lost my balance because I was carrying two shopping bags and I had no room to walk or manoeuvre because his car had run right up against the edge of the road. I did nothing and said nothing and it was obvious the way he was driving his car he was already very angry. Edited June 18, 2012 by Asiantravel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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