Is this something that just 'happens'?

It seems no matter what speed anyone is travelling scooters or cars will pull out in front of them into the smallest space causing you to slam on the brakes.

The idea of buying a fast car or Burke over here is daunting.

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(almost) any car is a fast car in Thailand.

most of the time it seems that keeping a steady 100km/h will qualify one to the inside/fast lane.

apart from the rare occasions when the road is real empty, going above 100 is outright dangerous. not because you cant handle the car, but because you cant anticipate when an idiot decide to cross your way without a second thought that you also there.

What is a 'fast Burke'?

What is a 'fast Burke'?

A Burke that travels at a greater speed than the average Burke.

What is a 'fast Burke'?

A Burke that travels at a greater speed than the average Burke.

Ah ... so that's where the expression 'Back of Burke' came from ...

Cars and especially bikes(Burkes?) will pull out anytime and then look to see if it was safe to have done so. I am told that bikes are actually allowed to enter traffic from Soi's on left and join the flow - happy to be corrected.

You need to be expecting vehicles to do this and try to be going slowly enough to deal with this without brake slamming. Sometimes easier said than done.

Also with things like ignoring centre lines on mountain roads, merging(nose in front goes in front), reversing back a km to a missed Motorway exit...

Our Thai hosts are not going to change so we need to adjust, chill and be DEFENSIVE.

scooters or cars will pull out, just to me it appears that they wait until you are almost there before pulling out...

​The other thing that get me is someone turns in front across you, [coming the other way] OK you slow they just made it, but then you must slam on because 2 or more other cars follow..... looking in my mirror there in nothing behind me, so why can these cars/Pickup not wait 2 seconds and cross safely ? it is something that happens every day often many times a day.

What is a 'fast Burke'?

A Burke that travels at a greater speed than the average Burke.

Ah ... so that's where the expression 'Back of Burke' came from ...

Burkha. I'm guessing she's a lady driver

I always drive defensively at let cars pull in front of me - I've tried driving like a Thai and to give them credit it's actually really difficult. You need to tailgate the car in front and it's impossible to predict what they will do. It's not worth the hassle/stress.

Lights and a finger work for me.

If approaching a junction and you can see someone about to do what you say a quick flash of the headlights seems to work. If on the motorway/expressway and a car can pass you and fill the gap you left open, he thinks you left it there for him as if you wanted to go faster you would still be in front. Their really is no solid answer other than to drive here you have to be fluid. You cannot dogmatically stick to driving the way you do in your home country unless you are from Paris/Naples!

One thing I have noticed is that local drivers seem to be totally incapable of accelerating to merge, they have to brake to merge!

When someone blinks the lights at me, it makes it clear that they see me (thus prepared to hit the brakes) so I go for it. If they dont blink, I am not sure they see me, so better wait.

Burke......meant bike but was caught out by predictive text and big fingers little phone syndrome or something. I'll think of some more excuses later hopefully.

Flashing the headlights back home means 'go on, I'm being nice and letting you out' here its 'get out the way compadre'!

I just don't get why they stare at the large space before them then wait till you are nearly upon them before pulling out. I nearly hit a schoolgirl this way last year and it scared me. I was literally an inch from her.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6A using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Only one law applies here.

Adapt or Die!

Their country, their rules.

Be alert at all times!

No time for day dreaming on the road here.

And don't dream of changing Thai driving habits.

Good Luck!

When someone blinks the lights at me, it makes it clear that they see me (thus prepared to hit the brakes) so I go for it. If they dont blink, I am not sure they see me, so better wait.

I hope you are taking the piss...

Burke......meant bike but was caught out by predictive text and big fingers little phone syndrome or something. I'll think of some more excuses later hopefully.

Flashing the headlights back home means 'go on, I'm being nice and letting you out' here its 'get out the way compadre'!

I just don't get why they stare at the large space before them then wait till you are nearly upon them before pulling out. I nearly hit a schoolgirl this way last year and it scared me. I was literally an inch from her.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6A using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

The way to get your head around driving in Thailand is to realise they drive with the maturity of an 11 year old and the self preservation instincts of a 4 year old.

If whilst driving you see something ahead and you start thinking to your self "no way is he going to do that" assume he will do that.

Defensive driving is a must.

When someone blinks the lights at me, it makes it clear that they see me (thus prepared to hit the brakes) so I go for it. If they dont blink, I am not sure they see me, so better wait.

Usually, when they blink the lights, they also accelerate to cut you off. I don't play chicken with such crazy guys. In any case, using the lights works to freeze them in place (also with pedestrians who are crossing when you are going too fast).

Having a big SUV, I generally avoid stopping for pedestrians, for one simple reason: the driver behind me, cannot see the pedestrians in time, and they often overtake me at a fast speed. Pedestrians do not always look around my car for oncoming traffic...

Another thing to beware off: the extremely bad sense of timing by Thais. They will start crossing at any point in time, esp. when it is almost too late for you to brake safely.

So, when you see pedestrians or bikes, move your foot to the brakes, this might be a lifesaver (for you and them!).

I just don't get why they stare at the large space before them then wait till you are nearly upon them before pulling out. I nearly hit a schoolgirl this way last year and it scared me. I was literally an inch from her.

It's because the signal from their eyes to their brain and then to their feet takes a hell of a lot longer than it does with foreigners

You only got half of it, OP.

They pull out without looking, regardless of traffic, presumably because they can not wait .....

Then they go veeeeerrrrrrryyyyyy slooooooooow.

Driving back to the office just now I realized one of the signs that I have been here too long is that I drive like a local! Merge onto the expressway where the white hash lines are... cross to the left across the lanes entering the expressway and then drive on the shoulder to the next exit (mine)... when expressways merge cut across three lanes to the outside... pass on the left... all in a day's work! Mind you, that is driving in Bangkok.

When someone blinks the lights at me, it makes it clear that they see me (thus prepared to hit the brakes) so I go for it. If they dont blink, I am not sure they see me, so better wait.

I used to slow down but now I flash my lights back at them and keep going making them pull back in. For some reason they do not realize that with 2 lanes on their side of the road they do not need your lane on the opposite side as well, I actually think it has something to do with their eyes as they need at least 1.5 metres plus clearance to pass anything, car, bike, pedestrian and I do not swerve or stop because they are unable to judge distance or even indicate they are going to do it.

Had one guy on the open road about 500 meters behind me flash his lights when I indicated to pull out into the middle lane to pass a bus going very slow (I was doing just over 100k)then I pulled back in. Just as he passed me he swerved in front of me hitting his brakes making me slam on my brakes & swerve to avoid him, guess he lost face because I didnt do what he wanted, I had all the family in the car or I would have run him off the road, bloody idiot.

When someone blinks the lights at me, it makes it clear that they see me (thus prepared to hit the brakes) so I go for it. If they dont blink, I am not sure they see me, so better wait.

Had one guy on the open road about 500 meters behind me flash his lights when I indicated to pull out into the middle lane to pass a bus going very slow (I was doing just over 100k)then I pulled back in. Just as he passed me he swerved in front of me hitting his brakes making me slam on my brakes & swerve to avoid him, guess he lost face because I didnt do what he wanted, I had all the family in the car or I would have run him off the road, bloody idiot.

Was that you?

(almost) any car is a fast car in Thailand.

most of the time it seems that keeping a steady 100km/h will qualify one to the inside/fast lane.

apart from the rare occasions when the road is real empty, going above 100 is outright dangerous. not because you cant handle the car, but because you cant anticipate when an idiot decide to cross your way without a second thought that you also there.

^^ what he said

What is a 'fast Burke'?

A Burke that travels at a greater speed than the average Burke.

Thai (and most alien drivers/riders) are well aware of one traffic rule: If you hit another participating object in traffic you are wrong.

So if a Burke/Burka/Bike or any other moving object pulls out just in front of you and you hit it............you are wrong.

If the out-puller hits you.......in between the front and rear bumper the out-puller is wrong.

Very easy, but very annoying in most cases!

What is a 'fast Burke'?

David Burke. Ex-Palace left back. Actually he wasn't that fast.

When someone blinks the lights at me, it makes it clear that they see me (thus prepared to hit the brakes) so I go for it. If they dont blink, I am not sure they see me, so better wait.

I used to slow down but now I flash my lights back at them and keep going making them pull back in. For some reason they do not realize that with 2 lanes on their side of the road they do not need your lane on the opposite side as well, I actually think it has something to do with their eyes as they need at least 1.5 metres plus clearance to pass anything, car, bike, pedestrian and I do not swerve or stop because they are unable to judge distance or even indicate they are going to do it.

Had one guy on the open road about 500 meters behind me flash his lights when I indicated to pull out into the middle lane to pass a bus going very slow (I was doing just over 100k)then I pulled back in. Just as he passed me he swerved in front of me hitting his brakes making me slam on my brakes & swerve to avoid him, guess he lost face because I didnt do what he wanted, I had all the family in the car or I would have run him off the road, bloody idiot.

He was probably an ass for swerving in front of you after passing, but why didn't you just slow down behind the bus for abit? When you're doing 100km/h and someone pulls out in front of you doing 50km/h its pretty annoying. So when others are doing 150km/h and you are doing 100km/h, its pretty annoying for them too.

Bear in mind that you will see very few Thais wearing eye glasses because 1: don't look good (like crash helmets) and 2: cost money (like crash helmets).

Risking getting banned without a peel, orange peel or anything: every day I drive over country roads down to the main road. Every day the same village dogs, lying in the same places on the road, getting up reluctantly and moving over as though they had never seen a car before.They don't learn. A certain comparison comes to mind sometimes, sorry about that, I love Thailand but it does need some getting used to.

1. Spot <deleted> about to pull out. Been here long enough to know <deleted> symptoms.

2. Flash lights and/or use horn. Horns work well with both dogs and dickheads. Kind of wakes them up momentarily from a state of mental torpor despite being conscious.

3. Girlfriend hits me for using horn.

and repeat.