Road Rage Australian Hurls A Large Stone At Pattaya Taxi

[mikemac]

There is an excuse for it. He's an imbecile, and shouldn't be out without a bell around his neck to warn the rest of us he's on the streets.

I bet it is annoying trying to get some sleep in your soi !

Edited June 10, 2013 by Rimmer
Profanity

[cup-O-coffee]

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.

If we leave it at, "There is no excuse..." and drop the hammer on people, then we may as well all turn in for the night. Emotional outbursts need to be mitigated in order to understand the why's and wherefore's.

[Rimmer]

Two posts all in Capital letters removed.

1. Please do not post in all capital letters, bold, unusual fonts, sizes or colors. It can be difficult to read.

[cup-O-coffee]

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.'

What she said; a black heart. Hmmph! Such a simple, one-liner to sum up the high risks of "sticking around for a Thai to stick it to you".

Was there absolutely any consideration at all by your lovely wife for the ramifications and consequences which would remove any merit for a foreigner to remain and "do the good thing" so that he could have been "thought well of" in the mind of an inconsequential Thai?

I doubt not; respectfully to you and your wife.

Edited June 10, 2013 by cup-O-coffee

[Ohio]

Sounds like this idiot is more dangerous than a Baht Bus full of Iranians !!

[lostmebike]

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.

Got to agree with some of this

[cup-O-coffee]

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.

Road rage in North America gets reported because most roads are well policed by genuine law enforcement officers, as well as by responsible citizens who can dial in 911 and report an incident. Additionally, in North America, people's ID's are really and truly linked directly to their vehicle license plates in a database that puts Thai understanding back to the 1st Century BC.

Here in Thailand, report a license plate and you'll get what kind of info? Say that you are on this or that street and they arrive where; and you have aged how much? Ask to see insurance and they show you what?

In Thailand, road rage rarely gets reported because the two or more involved are capable of fleeing the scene, as well as no one really wants the corrupt bums in brown becoming involved and complicating a situation with their own vices and sordid mechanizations. Additionally, Thais don't get involved with other Thais; they just like to watch and see any gore or other ghoulish details acted out.

Kapisch?

[mikemac]

@ Ohio, From now on when trying to describe a very dangerous situation I will use - " more dangerous than a Baht Bus full of Iranians "

[Maggusoil]

But it goes both ways.

I'm south bound on Soi Buakao but see I can't make a right hand turn (understandable, that intersection creates a lot of traffic jams.) I turn left at Pattaya Tai, then do a U turn at the entrance of Friendship to contine west on Pattaya Tai. A Thai girl is driving up (east) on Pattaya Tai, wrong side of the road, so I stop and yield the right of way into Friendship. She stops and verbally abuses me before riding off to the Friendship parking lot to enter Pattaya Tai again, almost hitting me in the process. Truth be told we were both in the wrong, but that didn't stop her from screaming insults at me. I just stared at her and didn't respond.

At the end of the day, the locals and we westerners really don't get along that well. Sure, superficially we get by but that thin veener of civility is paper thin and easily abrogated.

Just the way it is

Sorry I don't go with this. I have some very decent Thai friends and family who treat me like royalty and royally or whatever. Person for person, driver for driver and I'm talking about being a professional driver in Sydney, and I drive a lot up north and usually much faster than the locals. The Thais are far more polite than drivers in Aus. Far more patient and and considerate, as for the finger, common in Sydney, I have never seen it here.

I think Thailand is an easy place to stay out of trouble and if you see it coming, just duck and look the other way. As easy going as they seem they're also as tough as nails and most importantly for this gentleman's comment, are worse to each other, far worse than they are to us.

By and large we get off extremely lightly in the scheme of things. .. . There is a genuine respect for foreigners. Whether it is commercially oriented, or custom, or tradition, or the religion, or merely fear of their embassy's in the 3 years I have spent here and the 7 years I have been coming here, I have not had a problem. I'd say if someone gets a problem here, unless its a bag snatch, its pretty rare and they probably deserved it.

Aussies are getting uglier and louder every year only probably to be challenged by the Russians in Phuket . . who I have to say are turning away tourists I know who used to love Phuket. . . .

[Overcome]

But it goes both ways.

I'm south bound on Soi Buakao but see I can't make a right hand turn (understandable, that intersection creates a lot of traffic jams.) I turn left at Pattaya Tai, then do a U turn at the entrance of Friendship to contine west on Pattaya Tai. A Thai girl is driving up (east) on Pattaya Tai, wrong side of the road, so I stop and yield the right of way into Friendship. She stops and verbally abuses me before riding off to the Friendship parking lot to enter Pattaya Tai again, almost hitting me in the process. Truth be told we were both in the wrong, but that didn't stop her from screaming insults at me. I just stared at her and didn't respond.

At the end of the day, the locals and we westerners really don't get along that well. Sure, superficially we get by but that thin veener of civility is paper thin and easily abrogated.

Just the way it is

"At the end of the day, the locals and we westerners really don't get along that well."

Yes, because in Thailand all westerners love each other and Thais never disagree with one another. Moreover, back in our home countries drivers blow kisses at one another and often demonstrate their appreciation for one another's driving skills, ever mindful of their shared western values.

It always amazes me how people assume daily life in Thailand is so different from back in Happy Farang Land and how these alleged differences are always attributable to the some racial divide. Two individuals can never have some disagreement, it has to be a dispute between "all of us" and "all of them."

Whenever my Thai friend is driving us around Pattaya he makes frequent disparaging comments about other drivers, more often the other drivers are Thai rather than farang. His ire is directed at their driving, not their race, and it's almost always done with humor (and kept to ourselves).

Nicely put. Reminds me of the time in a Hong Kong taxi in deepest darkest Kowloon the driver (whom I had basically ignored after giving my destination in best pidgin-Cantonese) had to swerve to avoid another taxi. "F..ng chink drivers", said my driver in a broad Aussie accent, causing us both great mirth.

[chooka]

another quality oz expat

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

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

From Van Diemen's Land? AKA Tasmania

[simple1]

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.

Take your point, but some Thais have had enough of rude Westeners in Pattaya and have lost patience with this behaviour. My Thai wife lived with me in Australia and had to deal with racism from time to time, but the good out weighed the bad. Now retired here in Pattaya, her home town, she is shocked by the general rudeness that is often displayed by some Westerners.

Edited June 10, 2013 by simple1

[happysanook]

Score

=====

Taxi/Tuk-Tuk drivers: 10,435,384

Farang: 1

[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.

'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.

Same same here in Chiang Mai. But once stopped they just sit there patiently or pull up behind a car double parked and wait patiently for a chance to go around it. There is more to driving than trying to be at the head of the line at stop lights.

[starkey_rich]

Obviously this OZ is a tourist and not an expat who has spent any time in Thailand or he would have known that he got off VERY lucky. You cannot insult Thais and get away with it.

I know it can be annoying sometimes with taxis, motorbike taxis, vendors all trying to get your business but hey they are just trying to make a living. Just a polite mai aow khrap would always get you a smile and keep you out of danger.

Throwing a brick that large I'm surprised he is still not recovering in Pattaya Bkk Hospital. (The Oz I mean).

No but Thai's can and do insult foreigners and there is not a thing that you can do about it.

Maybe the Ozzy guy did not like what was said to him and the Thai thought he would get away with it as usual.

Edited June 10, 2013 by starkey_rich

[lee b]

large stone? Looks more like a concete slab !

[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.

Road rage in North America gets reported because most roads are well policed by genuine law enforcement officers, as well as by responsible citizens who can dial in 911 and report an incident. Additionally, in North America, people's ID's are really and truly linked directly to their vehicle license plates in a database that puts Thai understanding back to the 1st Century BC.

Here in Thailand, report a license plate and you'll get what kind of info? Say that you are on this or that street and they arrive where; and you have aged how much? Ask to see insurance and they show you what?

In Thailand, road rage rarely gets reported because the two or more involved are capable of fleeing the scene, as well as no one really wants the corrupt bums in brown becoming involved and complicating a situation with their own vices and sordid mechanizations. Additionally, Thais don't get involved with other Thais; they just like to watch and see any gore or other ghoulish details acted out.

Kapisch?

Please reread my post. It has nothing to do with the number reported to police. It is about the number in the news papers. In North America it is so common it is not considered news worthy. Here in Thailand it is so uncommon that it makes the front page in a news paper.

As more and more Farongs move here they will bring it with them. What a farong considers cutting them off is just the normal way to drive for a Thai hence very little road rage.

I am not in any way saying they are good or bad drivers. That is another story.

Edit

Is it reported in the land of down under in the news papers and if so is it filler in the back or front page news?

I have never been to the land of Oz so I don't know.

Edited June 10, 2013 by hellodolly

[hubahuba]

another quality oz expat

So you think other ex pats do not get frustrated by the driving standard's in Thailand where they get their "licence" from the nearest "noddle packet". I am not saying that he was doing the correct thing but there was no mention in the report what caused the "road rage". What did the taxi driver do to cause such a "normal one finger salute" as is common practice in "falang" country's when another driver does a stupid thing.

[hellodolly]

another quality oz expat

So you think other ex pats do not get frustrated by the driving standard's in Thailand where they get their "licence" from the nearest "noddle packet". I am not saying that he was doing the correct thing but there was no mention in the report what caused the "road rage". What did the taxi driver do to cause such a "normal one finger salute" as is common practice in "falang" country's when another driver does a stupid thing.

Probably just normal Thai driving

[Loptr]

One has to ask just why the Aussie went ballistic. Could it have been that the Taxi almost ran him down as is so often the case when trying to cross 2nd road. We all know just how compassionate Thai drivers can be toward pedestrians. Just saying.

[chooka]

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

I Googled his surname, a bloody Dutchman ! Our mob gets into enough strife without clowns like this adding to our rap sheet.

Is there many Dutch people living in Australia?

Are there many Kangaroos? The Dutch have been part of Australia for generations and you don't even think about a persons family name, the prefix of Van is just like "Smith"

There is even a State named after a Dutchman. "Tasmania" named after Abel Tasman.

[marell]

Idiot, there is no excuse for this,

+1

+2

[BradinAsia]

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.

A lot of westerners (and Aussies) seem to have this strange urge to "flip the bird."

Maybe such immature behavior is to be expected from high school age kids, but

intelligent folk seem to outgrow such uncivilized tactics by the time they graduate

from uni.

But, it seems some never grow up...

[Rimmer]

Racist post and quoted reply removed, also

Off topic posts discussing moderation and attempting to hijack the topic have been removed.

[oldsailor35]

another quality oz expat

I suppose you confront every aussie ex pat you can and insult them face to face .

[Arkady]

I'm forever staggered the way law is administered in Thailand.

Check photo 5 in the Pattaya One news clip.

Following a heated and violent confrontation on the street between the victim and offender, here are the two of them up close and personal at the cop shop, 'negotiating a settlement'.

Excellent chance for emotions to be tipped over the edge again. I suppose that would just up the ante for the amount of compensation.

You got it in one. The police are only interested in their share of the settlement which is likely to be 50%. They are not interested in filling out paperwork to charge anyone.

[Arkady]

I often have strange urges to heave paving stones through taxi windows in Bkk when the driver pauses for a whole minute to consider my destination request before saying "No, lot dit" or quoting a fixed fare that is 2-3 times the norm. Another possibility would be take a picture of his licence plate and make him a candidate for a B 1,000 fine for refusing a fare which I hear (from taxi drivers) has actually been imposed on occasion.

At the end of the day it's not worth it. Just keep on flagging the bastards down until one takes me. Then he might turn out to be very nice and friendly and make me feel guilty about all those nasty urges towards taxi drivers.

[chooka]

another quality oz expat

I suppose you confront every aussie ex pat you can and insult them face to face .

probably get stoned to death.

[jacko45k]

That is a junction where some will use the right turn only lane get held up and push in to go straight on....... there is a good chance the taxi driver made an infringement of some sort, but that is commonplace in fun city...the baht buses do it a lot too. No excuse for losing it though...the middle finger seems to get taken seriously here!

I often get annoyed at Bangkok drivers in Pattaya as their driving style is infuriating and different, often arrogant, just have to keep thinking butterflies and daisies. Too many guns around to let rage get to you.

I think there is likely more to this tale but still inexcusable........ wow 20,000 baht, sounds like he was towing a jetski!

Edited June 10, 2013 by jacko45k

[MILT]

another quality oz expat

Where does it say he is a expat?