Authorities target dangerous foreign drivers in Chiang Mai

[cheshiremusicman]

My wife tells me that they have started the advertising campaign for tourists on T.V already, the only problem is that it is in Thai and not many tourists watch Thai television.

Well there you go! PERFECTLY LOGICAL; to a Thai at least, but NOT to us. I wonder if they have got any more bright ideas?

Maybe one day someone will turn the light on, but I very much doubt it. Xenophobia at its Thai best.; they'd win gold medals for this event hands down!

[shaurene]

Those dämn foreigners again.

Wow they must have caught all the Thais. What does an international licence do to make people drive better.

If they have a licence in their country they can get international licence, no test's or any thing.

The crashes occur but the police believe the Thais that they were run into. Where do they get these people from to run things like this, I bet he does not have a licence he sat the test for.

[CBR250]

Not enough money from the locals - they are too much in debt from buying eco-cars, condos and giant LED TVs. So hope the foreigners brought enough cash with them or BIB will not be able to pay for THEIR eco-cars, condos etc.

[wilcopops]

There are so many foreigners on the raods in Thailand with a smug sense of superiority and absolutely no realisation of what a crap driver they were even back at home.

[shaurene]

Cheek.

Then again I suppose it must be difficult for Americans and Europeans to get used to driving on the correct side of the road, I could see many of them getting into trouble, unlike we Brits who are naturally superior drivers due to our advanced testing, and knowledge of how to drive on the right.

I don't know why you guys couldn't just follow our lead. We tell you not to form your own government but nope, and look at you now, government is shut down. We tell you not to start the Euro but nope, you had to go ahead and cause a financial crisis, and now your over here annoying the Thais with your bad driving habits.

Strewth. Maybe we should restart the Empire and sort you lot out.

How to drive on the RIGHT !!! You back in the U.S.A. ?

I like that Mate. Same with the English language, colour, color, and a few more. Why did Britons ride on the Right side, in the early days people riding their horses were always attacked from the nearest side to them and with most people right handed the could pull their sword out from their left side with their right hand.

[oldsailor35]

There is nothing worse than a farang who wants to be more Thai tan Thai themselves .

I shake my head in disgust every time i see an idiot falang motorcyclist who has hired a motorbike and then immediately copy the stupid Thai who usually rides with no helmet, multiple backsides on the bike, weaving in and out of traffic with no indicators. But today i saw the ultimate on Samui. A idiot falang woman on a bike with one kid standing in front and another about 4 yrs old hanging on the back and not a crash helmet between the 3 of them.

[animatic]

A crack down on Farang drivers whilst Thai drivers continue to run red lights, overtake on the left, fail to indicate whilst swerving in and out of traffic, make left hand turns from the right lane cutting across the path on trafiic going straight ahead in the left lane. Children sitting on drivers laps or jumping around unrestrained in the vehicle.

Yep the carnage of Thai roads is all the fault of the bloody tourists and expats.

When are they going to accept some responsibility themselves instead of always shifting blame to others.

When they can't make pant loads of tea money off the farangs,

more money to skim from creating the new Anti-Farang Driver Center,

and make some face with their bosses upstairs, or up the teamoney chain.

Edited October 8, 2013 by animatic

[oldsailor35]

Local lady almost ran over me and my family while making an illegal turn from a far lane. She approached me while we were entering Big C, and said: You need to look out for me farang! I've been trying to do that all along, but watching 360 for all the locals, who surely are all driving with proper permits, registered motor vehicles and a thorough knowledge of the laws governing the Chiang Mai motorways is quite stressful.

I propose the honorable Chanchai Kilapaeng, require all drivers to install big rubber bumpers surrounding their cars. Not sure what to do about the motorbikes.

Anyone who enjoys driving here must be a thrill seeker or incredibly myopic.

On Koh Phangan i saw a sign which said "Repair rubber motorbike" so i guess they have that problem sewn up Frito !

[tetleythedog]

Actually we Brits drive on the left. Of course the Thais are excellent drivers (any Thai will tell you that).

They never drive the wrong way up a road, never pull out in front of you, never drink and drive, don't use yabba, all of them have a licence. Their vehicles are well maintained regardless of expense, don't belch black smoke, never have bald tyres or defective brakes. And lastly i believe in fairies, reincarnation, and that the Americans don't interfere in other countries !!!

Cheek.

Then again I suppose it must be difficult for Americans and Europeans to get used to driving on the correct side of the road, I could see many of them getting into trouble, unlike we Brits who are naturally superior drivers due to our advanced testing, and knowledge of how to drive on the right.

I don't know why you guys couldn't just follow our lead. We tell you not to form your own government but nope, and look at you now, government is shut down. We tell you not to start the Euro but nope, you had to go ahead and cause a financial crisis, and now your over here annoying the Thais with your bad driving habits.

Strewth. Maybe we should restart the Empire and sort you lot out. alt=coffee1.gif width=32 height=24>

[lowbo]

...the whole of this article is an oxy-moron...gimme a break, I know of not a single local national whom has been properly trained and tested prior to getting behind the wheel...my apologies, but the faces of the most recent horrific road tragedies where not farang...

[oldsailor35]

I wonder if this latest "crackdown" on evil farang will include Chinese motorcycle renters?

BTW if you want a good laugh, you cant go past a shady Coffee Station table at the Petronas servo on Kotchasarn as you sip the excellent espresso.

Here you have a ringisde seat as they roar off with their 100 THB petrol fill, side stand down, helmets on back-to-front, feet drragging, upside down freebie map in hand and cut accross all the oncoming red songtheouws belching smoke as they troll for customers.

I am compiling a photo essay - so far it is pretty darn hilarious,

My Honda Click will not start if the side stand is down !

[Timwin]

Chiang Mai?! Farangs as rare as white elephants Local village oddity and still scaring the toddlers...

[pgrahmm]

'Authorities Target Dangerous Foreign Drivers in Chiang Mai'

So what do the Authorities look for first, dangerous drivers or foreign drivers ? Or are dangerous and foreign synonymous?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ - Farang tax - easy to collect with high profits and no complaints.........

[oldsailor35]

Looks like I'm late to the party on this thread, but I'll throw in my 2 cents worth.

“…to ensure foreign drivers and those visiting the city abide by the local traffic laws.”

“Many of these drivers are also unlicensed”

Sounds like a perfect description of the Thai populace.

“…get behind the wheel of a vehicle without having the correct documentation, such as an international driving license…”

Yeah, that’s exactly what an International License does, makes you a better driver, NOT! Are they joking or just stupid. I'll opt for the latter. An IDP proves nothing except that you can jump through useless hoops to be legal. All an IDP is, is a translation of your national license and the irony of that is Thai is not one of the languages they translate it to.

“Police will then actively begin cracking down on dangerous foreign drivers who violate traffic laws and/or drive without a valid license from 1st November 2013.”

You mean more than they do now. Wow!

And do you know how many Thai drivers have licences

[PETERTHEEATER]

The international licence is once again a law that is rarely enforced. It's probably to do with being able to find fault, of last resort, if anything goes wrong.

It is not a license it is an International Driving Permit and has to be backed up by a valid national driving licence from the country in which the IDP was issued. By itself it has no validity.

[Hugh Jarse]

Rental cars do not require international driving licenses ... does anyone know if Thai law does.?

I've had two long term contracts with Avis. They require a drivers license or in my case an International drivers license.

Whenever I have rented a car or motorcycle ((in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Had Yai) I have always had to show my non Thai or Thai driving licence.

[koratjohn]

This is not a bad thing for them to do. And yes they could always do more like enforce the same standards for everyone.

Sounds like they are trying to protect the image of Thailand anyway they can. Just think what happens every time a foreigner is driving here in Thailand and an a major accident occurs; their hometown (no matter where they are from) newspaper picks up the story and runs it on the front page. The major take away from this news story is "Thailand is not safe" and "you should not go there for vacation", why wouldn't the Thai government make every effort possible to make the place safer?

Personally, I wish they had a jay-walking enforcement team for the downtown area. Can't tell you how many farang visitors I have nearly ran over because they "assumed" they were safe to just walk across in front of moving traffic by raising their hand (as if to say Halt!).

I also wish the farang visitors dressed a little better or modest when out and about. Just today, I say a female visitor with shorts so short the bottom of her ass cheeks were unable to be contained by her shorts. She was literally trying to walk and hold the bottom of her shorts down to cover her bottom with every step. She miserably failed at her attempt. There were 2 contributing factors to her failure; 1 the shorts were way too short and her bottom was way too big to be wearing shorts like the ones she had on.

I do enjoy the reaction from Thai Immigration Officers when the transients apply for a visa extension while wearing a tank-top (sleeveless) shirt. Quite funny to see the Immigration officers have their fun with this issue.

Everyone should respect the local modest culture along with the laws and we'll all be better.

[qdinthailand]

snip...

What about streamlining the process for expats to obtain a Thai driver licence for a start. Instead of making them jump through hoops, roll over and beg whilst balancing a baby elephant on their nose simply accept their international licence or countries licence showing yrs of experience. snip...

It is not the Farangs not knowing the road rules in Thailand or lack of driving experience that causes accidents it is the lack of knowledge on how the thais disrespect the laws and drive as tho they are the only ones on the road.

snip

What hoops?

You have a valid, unexpired license from your home country, with International Driver Permit translation, you can get a drivers license without taking a test. (the red/yellow/green light thing hardly qualifies). So you need proof of address, and proof of medical suitability - that you aren't blind or in some other way incapacitated to drive.

Again, how are those hoops?

OK, so you don't have a valid, unexpired license from your home country when you do the process, so you have to take the tests just like you would in your home country. And you'd have to study for them there. Here, they let you review the materials and take the tests in one day.

Again, what hoops?

Obviously the farangs are causing problems. There is no information I've seen in this thread that provides stats on numbers, types and other info on such farang involved accidents, but apparently the traffic police in Chiang Mai are having a problem with it. Especially from the uninsured farang who not only cause damage to the vehicles they rented, but to the other party(s) involved, and the farang with out proper drivers licenses - like scooter and motorcycle drivers who have never driven a scooter before, never mind having a license for such.

So, I'm still looking for hoops.

[TomyumFarangSe]

They are totally right ... Let's crack down on that damn foreigners who drive so bad.

I will continue to use vans, buses, taxi driven by national drivers it's really more safe....

[SCARLETIBIS1]

The police official also stated that the police are having great difficulties targeting the elusive drivers as when they are stopped they all are wearing fake Thai masks.

On another note, I personally applaud the police for targeting the abusive drivers. Some of those idiot foreigners are actually stopping when the lights turn red causing major hazzards for the competent thai drivers behind them who are just trying to obey the traffic laws by going thru red lights.

Last week, after 7 years of riding my motorbike with no accidents I was hit broadside by another Thai biker who never looked before he barrelled out on to the Superhighway and hit me. I had no chance to avoid getting hit. My bike was banged up as was I. When I asked him if he had any insurance he sped off. Clearly, he was another foreigner in disguise. I could barely walk so I could not chase him. I am sure he had a driver's license and insurance but was just late to the zoo picnic.

Edited October 8, 2013 by SCARLETIBIS1

[gopis108]

OH OH-the shakedown begins here in Chiang mai as well-they must have picked that tip up from Pattaya and Phuket Police, regarding checking that Farangs have an international license-just another way to suck the blood of the foreigners and line their own pockets of course-the Pattaya Police are expert at that-especially the ones that are drunk on Duty( but still respected of course).Really guys-cannot you see what a farce this is-this non-sense might well drive more foreigners away from Thailand no matter how well you disguise it as a safety issue..

[qdinthailand]

Cheek.

Then again I suppose it must be difficult for Americans and Europeans to get used to driving on the correct side of the road, I could see many of them getting into trouble, unlike we Brits who are naturally superior drivers due to our advanced testing, and knowledge of how to drive on the right.

I don't know why you guys couldn't just follow our lead. We tell you not to form your own government but nope, and look at you now, government is shut down. We tell you not to start the Euro but nope, you had to go ahead and cause a financial crisis, and now your over here annoying the Thais with your bad driving habits.

Strewth. Maybe we should restart the Empire and sort you lot out.

How to drive on the RIGHT !!! You back in the U.S.A. ?

I like that Mate. Same with the English language, colour, color, and a few more. Why did Britons ride on the Right side, in the early days people riding their horses were always attacked from the nearest side to them and with most people right handed the could pull their sword out from their left side with their right hand.

Brits had to drive with a sword in one hand, and I'm sure their prissy schools taught them all to use the right hand for the sword, so they drive on the left.. Americans learned to drive on the right side of the road because they carry guns to ward of villains and evil-doers. You can shoot out both windows with guns!

[bobmac10]

Those dämn foreigners again.

Actually, I think this story is about the hundreds and thousands of Chinese honeymoon couples who have arrived like lemmings and rent motorbikes to drive around with no idea or care about other drivers.

It's quite interesting to watch them moon about laughing, high on love or whatever drifting into a line of moving traffic while sweetheart on the back points to a wat or something of interest.

it's like Chiang Mai is one giant amusement park and its an all day ride for them.

i've nearly cleaned up a few as they just don't seem to think the cars up here can hurt.

The Chinese embassy will have it's hands full repatriating injured people back to China if the authorities don't get pro-active.

Maybe better to put them in tour buses and show them around.

[sawadee1947]

..why not give the Thais some driving lessons up to our level. Then the amount of accidents will be reduced immediately

[jcb2001]

"...but who also get behind the wheel of a vehicle without having the correct documentation, such as an international driving license."

Rental cars do not require international driving licenses ... does anyone know if Thai law does?

From my understanding you do require an international licence that is translated into Thai and if you are in the country for 3 months or more then you require a Thai driver licence. Australia has the same laws. I have also heard that if you are involved in a collision then the Thai insurance companies will only accept a Thai driver licence but I will stand corrected.

Been driving all over Thailand for the past 5 years with my Nevada DL. Never got a Thai DL or International DL. Checked numerous times at police checkpoints without any problems.

Guess I'll have to get a Thai DL if they press the issue now.

[qdinthailand]

Ridicolous. The Thai police should better control to own people then to blame foreign tourists. Driving without licence, without a helmet on motorbike, drunk driving, reckless speeding and overtaking, Thais are worst drivers I have seen in my life. I visited 58 countries so far, but in no country the driving level is so bad like in Thailand. The view of Chiangmai Police is very narrow-minded and racist too.

You ever driven in Africa? Like Nairobi, Kenya for example?

while most of Africa doesn't have what you would call a traffic problem, where there is traffic, there are problems.

Drive overland - you see the buses coming up the road, you can read the name of the bus printed on the side, the frames are bent so far out of alignment.

for truck carnage, do the highway between port in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania and Zambia.

[HyperRai]

I am driving in Thailand since several years and had many small accidents. If you hit somebody or have no license or else you are wrong, If somebody hit you he is wrong. If you have an insurance you are most likely wrong. Who cares. Joust insure yourself. When driving in Thailand you should know the rules.

[chiangmaicharlies]

Amazing Thailand - just when you think you've heard it all ............... more drivel comes along!

Thai driving

[chiangmaicharlies]

Those dämn foreigners again.

Actually, I think this story is about the hundreds and thousands of Chinese honeymoon couples who have arrived like lemmings and rent motorbikes to drive around with no idea or care about other drivers.

It's quite interesting to watch them moon about laughing, high on love or whatever drifting into a line of moving traffic while sweetheart on the back points to a wat or something of interest.

it's like Chiang Mai is one giant amusement park and its an all day ride for them.

i've nearly cleaned up a few as they just don't seem to think the cars up here can hurt.

The Chinese embassy will have it's hands full repatriating injured people back to China if the authorities don't get pro-active.

Maybe better to put them in tour buses and show them around.

Seen so many examples, I couldn't agree more. An amusing aside on a similar subject; two of us were swimming lengths in a swimming pool last week. A Chinese swimmer got in and proceeded to swim circles in the middle of the pool.

Edited October 8, 2013 by chiangmaicharlies

[umbanda]

Very interesting.

I do not drive in Thailand because I am from America, very spoiled with orderly traffic, and I know that I will cause an accident here. My Thai wife drive, not very safely most of the time, but she never had an accident in 30 years. She knows well "the Thai way"....but we have a French friend, living in Thailand for 8 years now. He drives a nice BMW new SUV because he had an accident with his Toyota Fortuner recently...He killed 2 people on a motorbike because them were ridden on the wrong way. He said was not his fault. He drives worst than any Thai people on the road, at high speed, cutting everybody, and cursing everybody. I do not have doubts that if a Thai person was facing those Thai guys on a motorbike, even ridden on the wrong way, those people are alive today.

For a coincidence, just yesterday driving on Chiang Rai downtown my wife encounter a caravan of 3 SUV, 2 Land Rovers and 1 Porche with foreign licenses. I do not know what country, blue color licenses, not Thailand. I told to my wife to be careful with them.

I just finish saying that, one of them cut in front very close to hitting us.