Warn Tourists About Thai Driving Habits, Expert Says

[Surasak]

Having worked with many Thai people in the UK, asked why they do not drive the answer was alway, 'Too many rules'

I think this says it all"

[Pimay1]

Thailand...where thy only care after the fact and they only care about their image as perceived in their minds...

That's right, I've got a Merc so I must be good. (Can't drive it though)

We all have Mercs.

[techboy]

How about teaching Thais to drive properly before issuing a DL?

How about pissing on a bonfire?

Such a dulcet fellow you are. However you have just come up with a great emoticon inspiration.

[theajarn]

Why the tourists have to change their way of driving ?? I am sorry but a very deep change in the Thai society would be so much better , driving lessons , respect to others etc ...... It will save some Thai lives and will avoid many dead on roads. The main issue is to give proper instruction to Thai as there is a total lack of instruction. if the change must come ...change it with proper driving lessons ....

Good one. I just realised that: the Thais are actually saying "Look... it's not OUR fault stupid farang: Thais are PERFECT... it's YOU who need to be aware of US! T-I-T!!!"

[Mosha]

Quote: "Some foreign news agencies have reported in a way that might make people think roads in Thailand are not safe. The government is concerned that it might hurt the country's image.

Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry then FIX IT.

I'm surprised they haven't demanded that these warnings be removed, given that it might harm Thailand's image.

[fourononeoff]

if i can give one piece of advise it's be careful on single lane roads,oncoming traffic has little regard passing on blind corners ,this happened to me numerous times in 2 months .if possible stick to divided roads they're in better condition and you don't have to worry about road hogs lol

[Whidbeyboy]

My last trip to Thailand (Chaing Mai) reminded me of that old game frogger when I was trying to cross the street.

I think it is standard knowledge that the drivers are crazy (an expression), and if not they learn it on their first taxi drive.

My first experince was in Korea in 77. I was white knuckling it all the way to Soeul. The others were immune I noted, as was I after a few months.

Most all countries except the US, and some areas of Europe drive fairly reckless I think. Italy looked a bit wild too.

They have a way of keeping this from happening in the US, anytime you do something crazy or speed you get a ticket. That pretty much keeps people from being reckless.

Don't they hand out tickets in Thailand?

[kyrre]

The police don't care about the driving itself, only to get money to pay for utility.....

A friend got stopped on motorbike with no motorbike driving license.. He got the 300 THB fine, take the motorbike taxi to police station to pay and back again with recipe he could drive along as noting has happen..

In my home country you can be half asleep and still drive safe, in Thailand you have to be on high alert all the time..

[tigergrl]

it seems there is an unwritten rule about overtaking.. if you are going to exit on the left, from the right.. you must overtake whichever vehicle, motorbike, samlor, tuk tuk that is beside you even if it means speeding up and careening wildly across several lanes of traffic to take your exit.

i was almost snuffed out by a Buddhist Nun in this manner. i could see her driving at crazy speed up in my rearview mirror.. she had plenty of room to undertake behind me, but choose to cling to the outermost lane and cross four lanes of traffic almost driving through me because i was continuing in my proper lane forward on the highway. she was so close i could see she was angry through the windscreen of her car and she beeped and cursed at me. a Buddhist Nun. often wonder if you are killed in this manner is it a certain way of achieving Nirvana?

[blackthorn2005]

If driving yourself does not kill you, you are just as liaable to die in a bus or minibus.

[Pimay1]

it seems there is an unwritten rule about overtaking.. if you are going to exit on the left, from the right.. you must overtake whichever vehicle, motorbike, samlor, tuk tuk that is beside you even if it means speeding up and careening wildly across several lanes of traffic to take your exit.

i was almost snuffed out by a Buddhist Nun in this manner. i could see her driving at crazy speed up in my rearview mirror.. she had plenty of room to undertake behind me, but choose to cling to the outermost lane and cross four lanes of traffic almost driving through me because i was continuing in my proper lane forward on the highway. she was so close i could see she was angry through the windscreen of her car and she beeped and cursed at me. a Buddhist Nun. often wonder if you are killed in this manner is it a certain way of achieving Nirvana?

Maybe if they were killed this way they would receive 71 Buddhist monks.

[youngXpat]

If driving yourself does not kill you, you are just as liaable to die in a bus or minibus.

Isn't that the truth.

[ChrisY1]

They would likely have the information available only in Thai......

[Suffinator]

With the number of accidents to both Thai and Foreigner each year any reasonable mind would conclude that action was needed for better training and awareness. However, we are all familiar with just how caring an effective Thai Government is; and they certainly don't care if a few tourists die here.

I've got a visa run coming up to Penang from Phuket. I know this means a minibus with a moron on a death wish behind the wheel and I'm dreading it.

[Atoosa07]

What are the traffic laws in Thailand?

Who knows?

I've lived in Thailand for over 10 years and seen many accidents, I have also seen how they issue driving licenses here too it not worth the paper its written on. Its micky mouse driving tests that is the main cause of having so many careless drivers in this country.

Use of mobile phones by Mini Van drivers and other cars users even on Motor bikes

Never looking in the mirrors

not using indicators before turning a corner

Women putting make up while driving

the above are some of the examples that i see every day when i am on the road.

Oh and the other ways i've seen accidents is when the highway police jumps from behind a tree with a red flag and block your ways on the lane puling you over to say your were driving on the outside lane when over taking and demanding 200THB also causes accidents.

If the highway police & the traffic police acctually sat in their cars and followed drivers and pulling them for bad driving and breaking the driving laws then they would see less accidents on the road......

Also when Thai drivers hit a tourist they demand money for their om wrong doings and I have seen this several times the tourist are scared and end up paying to get out of the situation even when itts not their fault, as well as Thai police have no regards tfor tourist when in Thailand SO THE WARNING SHOULD READ DON'T TRUST THAI POLICE TO DO THEIR JOB.....

YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN WITH NO SUPPORT WHILE DRIVING ON THAILANDS ROAD..

[laobali]

Thai are the only people I have seen who drive as if they don't care if they have an accident.

Because they won't have an accident unless they are 'not lucky today'. Nothing they can do about it (they believe), so they accept it. Buddha will take care of them (or not).

[Arkady]

The only reason the pick-up driver didn't flee the scene was because he inadvertently wrapped himself round a tree and had to be prised out of the cab.

Yes, there should be stern arnings about lack of road safety and lack of road sense, particularly warning about the extreme dangers of riding any type of two wheeled vehicle on busy roads (not to mention renting jet skis and swimming where they are being used). Tourists should be warned that Thai drivers can obtain a licence by either paying a modest bribe or taking a childish test that doesn't even involve driving on a real road and notwithstanding a high percentage of Thai drivers don't even bother to get a licence. That includes taxi, van and truck drivers. Also that drivers regularly flee the scene or pay off police after an accident to fit up a foreign driver for the blame. If you are involved in an accident that results in a fatality other than your own, the police will extort large sums of money out of you without regard to whose fault it was. People should also be warned that most older vehicles are not roadworthy but pass their annual check-ups without being inspected by submitting the required purple document!

Do I hear the Minister of Culture protesting to foreign embassies that this would show up Thai culture in a bad light?

Edited February 19, 2013 by Arkady

[tgeezer]

Specifically, I think that Thailand was unlucky, in that the accident happened here. This couple was cycling round the world; if they didn't start in a neighbouring country, then I think that they were lucky to get this far. If they hadn't had a road accident, which lets face it is just bad luck, any number of misfortunes could have killed them. This is not a Thai problem.

[Unwisemonkey]

They should also tell tourists.Not to rent motorcycles,

If they have No or Little,previous riding experience in their homeland.

As opposed to enforcing laws against businesses that rent to tourists without proper licenses?

[gibson123]

This aimed at the majority and not everybody.....

All over the world, drivers are the same.....they drink and drive (UK and Europe too), smoke joints (UK and Europe too), play with mobiles (UK and Europe too), put make-up on (UK and Europe too) look at their passengers while talking (This really pisses me off)...I've seen it all!! The Farang come here with their agressive atitude thinking they are the best drivers in the world....well news for you...you are not! I've seen more wobbly, never rode a bike in their life Farang, here than in any other country I have been to, and I've been to many!

Furthermore, the Thais don't get upset when someone make an honest mistake, they avoid the potential accident and drive on. That's what I have witnesed so far in my 2 years here. The farang hoot their horns, shout, and just want to cause a bigger problem (Unless the driver in front is bigger than them) :-)

Just drive careful, keep your eyes on the road and mirrors, and don't drink! And main point....learn to drive a bike before you get here.

And that's my 2 cents :-)

[pedro01]

He said his team found many foreigners injured in traffic accidents thought all Thai motorists must stop at a red light, but when they did that they had a collision.

This is bizarre. Are they advising people to run red lights to AVOID accidents?

Most of the time, the last cheeky few motorists run the red light but I always stop at the red lights (don't want to pay up) and no-one ever rear-ended me.

My advice to anyone driving in Thailand is to ignore the above rubbish and stop at red lights just as you would at home, something that 99% of Thai motorists do. Well, maybe 98%...

[thaikahuna]

Good idea

Good idea yes but how are they going to do it? How many tourists actually read the government travel advice websites? Handbooks maybe and why stop with a handbook on thai driving habits, lets extend the hand book about the scams and violence.

" We have to warn them of the improper or risky driving behaviour of Thai motorists," DUH! I wonder how much thought they have actually given to trying to change their own bad behavior on the roads? But given the level of corruption and the "what's easy for me" mentality we could do with something like this...especially since most Thais could give a shit less how they look to the rest of the world...

[pipchatel]

The driving standards here in Sleepy Lampang have really gone down the pan in the past year.So many new cars and Bikes, no one follows any rules. New Macro,Central plaza,Tesco etc and all with poor access/slip roads. People coming out of Tesco, trying to slip in to the Plaza side of the road, and vice versa.Every one on a F****g mobile phone. The black solar glass does not help, you just cannot see a drivers intentions. I started driving at 10 years old (1953) driven just about every where. I'm beginning to hate it now, no pleasure in driving in Thailand any more. idiots.

[smedly]

How about teaching Thais to drive properly before issuing a DL?

agree 100% and also how about giving the results of your study on Thai driving not to tourists in a handbook but instead issue a report to the government and the Police urging them to do something about the poor driving and poor enforcement of traffic laws

Telling tourists is almost like - well we warned you in a leaflet about the roads and driving so it's your own fault

[Osiris]

This aimed at the majority and not everybody.....

All over the world, drivers are the same.....they drink and drive (UK and Europe too), smoke joints (UK and Europe too), play with mobiles (UK and Europe too), put make-up on (UK and Europe too) look at their passengers while talking (This really pisses me off)...I've seen it all!! The Farang come here with their agressive atitude thinking they are the best drivers in the world....well news for you...you are not! I've seen more wobbly, never rode a bike in their life Farang, here than in any other country I have been to, and I've been to many!

Furthermore, the Thais don't get upset when someone make an honest mistake, they avoid the potential accident and drive on. That's what I have witnesed so far in my 2 years here. The farang hoot their horns, shout, and just want to cause a bigger problem (Unless the driver in front is bigger than them) :-)

Just drive careful, keep your eyes on the road and mirrors, and don't drink! And main point....learn to drive a bike before you get here.

And that's my 2 cents :-)

Your post reads like a Thai masquerading as a foreigner, and I have not met to many aggressive farang who weren't tourists. I did have an encounter this morning with a racist Thai male who felt like he needed to cut me off wherever I drove my motorcycle. Maybe he was trying to over compensate for something lacking...

[Anon999]

How about teaching Thais to drive properly before issuing a DL?

How many Thai drivers actually have real driving licences?????

In the past a Thai would be given a driving licence for life, no test or anything. How recently that changed to the current system I have no idea. Therefore it's going to take decades to rectify the problems. A Thai highway code would be a good starting point with it being mandatory that all new drivers or those requiring a renewal of their licences to take and pass a test on it before a licence is issued. However, won't hold my breath.

Edited February 19, 2013 by Anon999

[Miami Bob]

They should also tell tourists.Not to rent motorcycles,

If they have No or Little,previous riding experience in their homeland.

Agreed, so many of them crash on scooters especially since they are here "partying".

Actually I think Thai drivers are relatively well behaved when you factor into the equation that there is no real traffic control by police. Think about what it would be like back in your home country if the police suddenly announced that they will no longer stop anyone for DUI, speeding, running red lights,etc.! The worse drivers I have ever seen were in Italy and Miami has some real nutcases also.

[Thaddeus]

Maybe Thai Visa should sponsor a spoof handbook on how to drive in Thailand as the Thais do

One erudite member did years ago, the general advice section is good.

http://freebeerforyorky.com/driving.html

[Johnnie99]

I drive here. I am British. The single thing people need to know is: do not, under any circumstances, expect Thai drivers to be courteous, safe, or vaguely cognisant of anyone else's existence when they are driving.

[seajae]

A set of road rules would be a great start, I have asked my wife about thai road rules and she has never heard of any, by the way all the drivers/riders carry on neither have they. I want to see the rule that says a vehicle travelling on the wrong side of the road has right of way if it flashes its lights or that you can cross double lines on blind corners if you are in a hurry. Most drivers are simply that arrogant they believe they can do as they please, pull out from the kerb without indicating or looking, turn right from the inside lane across the front of you, go the wrong way on a one way road, etc, etc. Most thais have no idea of how to drive properly, they have never been taught so what can we expect. Of a night they drive at 20k because they dont know how to drive when its dark, they need 2 metres clearance to pass anything(car, bike, person), they go super fast on the straights then hit the brakes as soon as there is a slight curve in the road, if they are in new cars they think they have right of way all the time, they think that the lines in parking lots are to be ignored and that parking at a 45 degree angle is easier than being inside them. The police could make a fortune if they actually booked these idiots for breaking the basic road laws(?) and afford decent patrol cars as well so they could actually drive on the roads and catch even more of them.