Road Rage Australian Hurls A Large Stone At Pattaya Taxi

[chooka]

another quality oz expat

idiot. he is Austrian not Australian.

Based on the reports perhaps you should go to the top of the idiots class.

He may be just a little confused.

Australia was originally called Austrialia by Pedro Fernandez back in the early 1600's named after the Monarchy of Austria and meant Austria of the south. The "I" was removed to become Australia.

[Basil B]

another quality oz expat

idiot. he is Austrian not Australian.

???

Aussies do this in OZ as well, sometimes I am ashamed to be one

Fortunately not all are as stupid as him...

My advice is never dive a vehicle in Thailand until you understand the workings of the big nut behind the steering wheels of Thai driven vehicles

[thhMan]

Its ok to drive and endanger people???

I live here and not one day goes past that some idiot Thai does something stupid in a car or bike. There are laws to uphold and expats tend to obey them while Thais dont.

Yeah, Id be pissed off too...

If Thai's weren't so selfish and thick, then many incidents like this wouldn't happen. -sic-

[kevkev1888]

not all that long after I arrived here to stay we were driving in the centre lane and there was a car on the inside lane(3 lanes each way) driving very eratically, as we passed him he swerved over towads us and almost took out the side of the car, the idiot was talking on his mobile phone. I rolled down the window and flipped the bird and told him to watch what he was doing and we kept driving. A bit further up the road we pulled up at a set of light and this idiot pulled up beside us and wanted to have a go at me so I went to oblige but my wife went ballistic and took off with this idiot chasing us.Have to admit she is a pretty good driver when she wants to be and lost him pretty quick then explained to me that there are a lot of locals that loose face if you tell them off and they get you to get out of the car then either shoot you or stab you. She also said the here flipping the bird means get f...ed not up yours/sit on it as it does in Australia. Doesnt stop me from flipping it occasionally but only when the idots deserve it, dont throw rocks though, that is just a bit overboard but understandable with some of the thai drivers.

Your wife is right, you need to be careful here even just using your horn. Use it as a warning that you are ignoring a red light and will be blowing through the intersection at 100kph so get the <deleted> out of my way is fine. But use it as in, you just cut me up, are an idiot sort of way after the event then they can get very upset.

Had the same exact situation as you when I was riding a bike, car moved straight over on me from lane 1 to 2 causing me to swerve into 3 to miss him, luckily was nothing coming up behind me.

Gave him a you <deleted> blast on the horn as I passed him. next thing I know he is full beam on chasing me down. I pulled over quick and he pulled in front of me, as I went to go round him he got out of the car pulled a gun and pointed it at me. I did not hang around and he was back chasing me down with his full beams on, luckily we hit heavy traffic coming up to Suk and I lost him. This was Pattaya Nua 8pm.

Edited June 10, 2013 by kevkev1888

[NoshowJones]

Probably angry that the "meter" taxis don't use their meters...striking a blow against the meter taxi mafia.

Doesn't matter, there is no excuse for what the Aussie did.

[julemanden]

another quality oz expat

Premature statement

[davidst01]

It does seem an odd reaction from the Oz tourist. I doubt that the report contains all the information and seems very one sided. Maybe a previous incident(s) with this taxi driver or others. He may simply be a crazed tourist.

But hurling a rock through the window of the taxi is a no-no in any country. He is lucky that those restraining him did not give him a good kicking while waiting for the police to arrive.

If he is new to thailand then its not that odd a reaction. Back in the nanny state many australians are very aggressive bordering on the bogan / feral side of human nature. He will simply join the list of being one of the bogan australians that have lost it over here.

Soon he will no doubt have his face on the australian media sites

[mikebell]

On the subject of car damage and bad drivers: I watched a farang impatiently drive out of a parking spot scraping the parked car next to him. Needless-to-say he drove off. This was on Carrefour/Big C car park yesterday about 1.30pm. My wife witnessed it & after all the years of abuse I've given her about Thai drivers, she shook her head and merely said he had a 'black heart.'

[comserve]

another quality oz expat

That comment is not warranted. These sort of idiots are all too common in a lot of western countries however I must admit the finger in the air sign is all too common in Australia these days, also unwarranted road rage.

Obviously he thought he could get away with that sort of behavour being outside his home country.

BUT DO NO NOT TAR EVERYONE WITH THE SAME BRUSH!

Sent from another Australian

[chooka]

another quality oz expat

Premature statement

true, is he an expat or tourist?

[IMHO]

Sounds to me like the Taxi driver was at least partly to blame. Doesn't say what provoked the Australian to give him the fingers (If it was just the taxi pulling up next to him, then he shouldn't give the fingers to him, if he offered him "services of ill repute" or to take him somewhere for an excessive price, then giving the fingers is justified).

No, the correct response to a taxi driver offering you 'services of ill repute' (in Pattaya no less, ROFLMFAO), or quoting an excessive price, is a laugh and a 'no thanks'. You may as well point a gun at a Thai rather then give us the 'finger'...

[pattayadingo]

Two different newspapers & 2 different angles to this.

The Aussie was drunk according to the 2nd report posted. If that is the case, many people make mistakes or take offence at some triviality when they are the worse for wear regards drink. Maybe a former incident, we obviously do not know.

Yet, that was an expensive throw of a brick.

[johninbkk]

another quality oz expat

Yeah Aussie, with a name like Van Mil......

[briboy]

It does seem an odd reaction from the Oz tourist. I doubt that the report contains all the information and seems very one sided. Maybe a previous incident(s) with this taxi driver or others. He may simply be a crazed tourist.

But hurling a rock through the window of the taxi is a no-no in any country. He is lucky that those restraining him did not give him a good kicking while waiting for the police to arrive.

If he is new to thailand then its not that odd a reaction. Back in the nanny state many australians are very aggressive bordering on the bogan / feral side of human nature. He will simply join the list of being one of the bogan australians that have lost it over here.

Soon he will no doubt have his face on the australian media sites

then his proud parents can tell the world how proud they are that bred him, plus all the crap that he is a good little boy and would never do this, etc, etc

[briboy]

another quality oz expat

Yeah Aussie, with a name like Van Mil......

my ex was aussie and was a Van A............. so?

[Preman]

Lucky - he is still alive. Totally stupid. Does not matter what the whole story is.

Self restraint is so necessary in this country.

I am sure that most farang readers on this site ... have at many times felt like doing the same thing.

But, if you do things like this, - you certainly risk hospitalization or death. This guy got off light.

Must have paid some good Baht !!

[hellodolly]

That must have been the taxi drivers story as i'm sure there was more to it than that ! but that doesn't excuse what the Aussie done.

Not necessarily have any thing to do with the taxi driver.

A couple of us were talking about this very thing the other night. In North America road rage is so common it never even gets a mention in the press where as here in Thailand it is so rare it becomes front page news. Generally involving a farong.

I have no vehicle what so ever but at times I can feel a little road rage just sitting in the back of a tuck tuck or Sonhgtel.

I know a fellow who has been here about 17 years and he still gets mad at the Thai drivers. Expects every one to drive like they were in North America. (probably the road rage hub of the world). What has always puzzled me is how patient the Thai drivers can be but the second they get on the elevator they are reaching for the close door button.

[Payboy]

Not the first time a taxi driver was stoned, really.

[Xonax]

Perhaps the Aussie guy just tried to hail a Taxi, but the driver refused to go for less than 500 Baht, why the Aussie showed him his finger. I am sure that the taxidriver had the red light turned on, showing he is available, even he was on his way home. That would also piss me off.

Still happens often for me in BKK, that Taxi´s refuse to take the trip, even after it is now possible to report drivers, who refuse to take you. Next time, I will leave the back door of the Taxi open and take a photo of the Taxi for reporting the refusal, to wherever it can be reported.

[lostmebike]

another quality oz expat

idiot. he is Austrian not Australian.

Where does it say he is Austrian?

[drdoom6996]

Probably angry that the "meter" taxis don't use their meters...striking a blow against the meter taxi mafia.

+1

[how241]

That must have been the taxi drivers story as i'm sure there was more to it than that ! but that doesn't excuse what the Aussie done.

+1

[drdoom6996]

A friend sent this to me the other day. It is priceless.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Madness

THERE are two things about Thailand that are totally incomprehensible to westerners:

Buddhism and road rules.

The two are inextricably linked, and by understanding one, you gain insight into the other.

Western religions are burdened with the concept of opposites such as good and evil, heaven and hell, and light and dark.

Buddhism recognizes the inherent one-ness of all things and sees these supposed opposites as facets of the unity and totality of existence.

To follow the way of the Thai driver, you too must cast off these illusions of duality, such as the duality of two traffic lanes moving in opposite directions.

The Thai driver sees both lanes as part of the one road, and both directions as an expression of the eternal flow of all things.

When you have grasped this concept, you will then understand why Thais so naturally swerve into oncoming traffic to overtake, and why they are completely serene as they travel along a busy road the wrong way.

It is because there is no wrong way, only ‘The Way’.

It’s the same with traffic lights.

To the enlightened Buddhist driver, red and green are not different colours, but simply different ways of seeing the same traffic light.

Unlearn such deceptive Western notions as ‘right of way’ and your inner eye will open, which is the only way to proceed through an intersection in Thailand.

In Thailand, existence is not seen as a linear progression from birth to death, but rather as an endless cycle of life, death and rebirth.

As one’s soul gains experience and enlightenment from each lifetime, that soul is reincarnated into yet another lifetime until Nirvana is achieved and he, or she, escapes from this eternal cycle into a state of perpetual bliss.

You never die, because life is a mere Honda Dream.

Instead, you simply pass into another life for another chance to attain the wisdom necessary for enlightenment.

You should also never fear death, even when careening along a twisty Phuket highway at 200km an hour with a bottomless chasm yawning right next to the road.

This life will end when it is time, and no matter how often you check your mirrors, a pick-up truck can come screaming up from behind and make that time now.

Accept this as inevitable, and you will be free to follow the way of the Thai driver, overtaking on blind corners and driving in the rain at breakneck speeds without a helmet.

Those who wish to spend a little longer in this lifetime should be especially careful when driving past Buddhist temples, because those drivers coming out have probably
just made merit and may be looking for reincarnation while the getting is good.

Be like the water, which is the essence of all life and, as such, has many lessons to teach us.

Water can fit into any container and seep through even the smallest crack, and so too can the Thai driver.

He can manouever into any space between two speeding vehicles, no matter how small or inconvenient it may be, or at what speed he is travelling.

When confronted by an obstacle, water does not stop, but flows around the obstacle, never losing momentum.

So, too must you.

When someone along life’s highway has stopped in the middle of the road to smell the roses, or pick up some fried chicken, you must flow around the obstacle, never stopping your harmonious movement.

Patience is also necessary when leaving a car park and turning across an oncoming lane of vehicles.

You must slowly edge onto the road, keeping an eye out for even the tiniest cracks in the teeming traffic.

What is the sound of one horn honking?

As you travel the road to enlightenment, you will ponder this repeatedly, because it is a sound you will hear quite a bit.

The answer is childishly simple.

It depends on how many times it honks.

One honk indicate that someone is overtaking or coming through, while a series of several honks is meant as a warning to anyone stupid enough to get in the way.

There is also the puzzle of the turn signal.

A blinking left indicator can mean the driver is about to make a left turn, or it can mean he is about to make a right turn or no turn at all.

Understanding intractable questions like these is the secret to mastering the way of the Thai road.

[lostmebike]

That must have been the taxi drivers story as i'm sure there was more to it than that ! but that doesn't excuse what the Aussie done.

Not necessarily have any thing to do with the taxi driver.

A couple of us were talking about this very thing the other night. In North America road rage is so common it never even gets a mention in the press where as here in Thailand it is so rare it becomes front page news. Generally involving a farong.

I have no vehicle what so ever but at times I can feel a little road rage just sitting in the back of a tuck tuck or Sonhgtel.

I know a fellow who has been here about 17 years and he still gets mad at the Thai drivers. Expects every one to drive like they were in North America. (probably the road rage hub of the world). What has always puzzled me is how patient the Thai drivers can be but the second they get on the elevator they are reaching for the close door button.

'What has always puzzled me is how patient the Thai drivers'

You must be in a special, reserved, well-mannered part of Thailand. Everywhere I've been they rush to pull in front of you at the lights just to gain a metre or so, tail gate and under take you.

[Joe Mamma]

Now I understand what a good black friend was telling me once. "When your own kind make trouble, it's a bad reflection on you, even if you don't behave bad".

[Exsexyman]

another quality oz expat

Yeah Aussie, with a name like Van Mil......

Presumably you are an Aborigine?

[Gone]

Its ok to drive and endanger people???

I live here and not one day goes past that some idiot Thai does something stupid in a car or bike. There are laws to uphold and expats tend to obey them while Thais dont.

Yeah, Id be pissed off too...

If Thai's weren't so selfish and thick, then many incidents like this wouldn't happen. -sic-

Why do you live here or visit here if you hate Thais so much?

[britinthai]

Sounds to me like the Taxi driver was at least partly to blame. Doesn't say what provoked the Australian to give him the fingers (If it was just the taxi pulling up next to him, then he shouldn't give the fingers to him, if he offered him "services of ill repute" or to take him somewhere for an excessive price, then giving the fingers is justified).

However regardless of whether giving the fingers were justified or not, the taxi driver parking up to "confront" the Aussie isn't really on either, throwing a rock at the taxi isn't justified either, but then it's basically just an escalating situation, for which both could probably be charged with something (The Aussie caused the most property damage, but the Taxi driver caused the most physical injury.... tit for tat)

So many of the Taxi drivers carry pipes or something of that nature. It seems the Taxi driver was not happy with the finger and wanted to cause trouble by stopping, as he knows very well other Thais will support him - the driver should have know that most tourist or those that live there are somewhat intoxicated by that time and take such insults with a pinch of salt and carried on driving.

[briboy]

another quality oz expat

Yeah Aussie, with a name like Van Mil......

Presumably you are an Aborigine?

have a peek at some of their surnames in english, not their tribal names, lol

[aechzen]

yes aussie Farmers are low brows , everybody knows !!