My wife's brother's driving is driving me 'round the bend

[TomYumpoochai]

as youre still new to the thai driving style id suggest you dont buy him an ipad or a smart phone as he will be sat with his face in that while driving. i sometimes think they use ultrasound like a bat as they rarely look out of the windows when making turns and can only see the car in front when you can hear the radio inside it.

[marquis22]

I reckon the Thai's are more skillful on a motorbike tho.

Well except the young speed hoons who end up killing themselves.

[gemguy]

hahahahaha, mate, welcome to Thailand. My wife drives exactly the same way, I am forever telling her to change gear, taking off in second or third and wondering why we stall, overtaking with the car chugging as she accelerates from 30 kph while in top gear etc, etc.

You will get used to it, well maybe, I still hide my face after 2 years........

He should spend some time in Vietnam and experience the drivers and driving there.

Back In 1992 / 1993 I rented a car for business purposes and I had 6 different cars and 7 different drivers in one month when I had made a contract with the car rental company specifically explaining I wanted one 4 door car and one good driver that was from Saigon ( Ho Chi Minh ) that knew his way around the city.

What I received was 7 different drivers in 1 month and 6 different cars and not one of the drivers was from Saigon while none of them knew where they were going.

I had to shout at them using my newly aquired Vietnamese language skills telling them: "go right", "go right", "go right" while I put my hand on their shoulder and squeezed their shoulder a little and forced them to understand to "go right", go right" ...or "go left" , "go left"....or "go straight"..... in Vietnamese.

I knew my way around the city better than any of drivers.

All of them drived their stick shift 4 speed cars the way that the OP was explaining in his post.

From bad to worse with the clutch burning away while they revved the engine in 4th gear at the stop lights when the light turned green...then stall the car 2 or 3 times and then realise they had to down shift ...to 3 gear .....and try it again while I can smell the clutch burning until finally downshifting to 2nd gear and then accomplishing the task.

Going up hills in 4th gear at 10 MPH with the engine severly "pinging" loudly and the engine shuttering and the car almost stalling...but not downshifting ......as the top of the hill is almost there anyhow.

Just as the OP said: 1st gear to second gear at 5 MPH then 2nd to 3rd gear at 10 MPH and finally 4th Gear at less than 20 miles per hour and basically leave it in 4th gear as long as their moving...then coming to a red light and having to stop and leaving it in 4th gear and not disengaging the clutch..rather let the car stall at the same time as coming to a stop.

Then disengage the clutch and start the motor and leave it in 4 th gear.

Some tried to start the engine with the clutch still engaged while the car was lurching forward until realising they had to push the clutch peddle in to stop the car from lurching forward.

When the light turns green, dump the clutch and it stalls..oooops ..start all over again...oooops, stall it again...start all over again...hmmm ..oh yeah ..revv the engine some more that will help...oooops not working...Oh..I know.. down shift to 3rd ...ooops stall it again...hmmm...try 2nd gear.....hmm that seems to work but never mind the you can smell the clutch burning..just keep on revving the engine as that seems to be working.

Each driver had his day(s) when he bumped off someone on a motorcylce and sometimes several times in one day.

Nothing serious but simply bumping them out of the way if they were not going at his pace and speed while the driver was mere inches away from the back end of another vehicle or motorcylce or cyclo.

I was shouting at my female Vietnamese assistant telling her to tell the driver to drive safely and learn to use the clutch and stick shift correctly.

Neither of them could understand my concerns while I was telling her I would be the one held responsible if the stupid driver kills someone or maims someone for life while also informing her if the driver keeps on driving the way he does he is going to break something or burn out the clutch and guess who will be paying for that ....not him . not you... but the foreigner.

Did not make one bit of difference as the both of them carried on as if I was not there.

When passing through crowded areas people had to scatter and jump out of the way while the drivers never used the horn to forewarn anyone...just plough right on through as if they were more important.

U turns in the middle of the road and nearly crashing into everyone in the immediate area.

Stopping suddenly without any thought at all about the traffic behind him or around him.

Just pulling out into traffic as if no one else was around and almost causing accidents several times per day while driving around the city and around the outskirts of the city to various factories I had to visit.

After 1 month I cancelled the contract and luckily I had the sympathy of a Vietnamese women who was married to an American and had lived in Texas for 15 years and Singapore for 5 years before coming back to Saigon and she spoke English perfectly.

I was lightheartedly complaining to her about the woes I was having with the car rental company and the various stupid drivers and she was amused by all of this.

Then one day she told me I could rent her car and driver for the same price and assured me her personal driver was great and would do as I instructed him and if I had any problems she would make sure they were fixed.

Well..she was true to her word and it was smooth sailing after that and no more stupidity on the drivers part.

Anyhow..just part of the many frustrations I had to endure while trying to conduct business in Vietnam back in 1992 , 1993

[harber8]

Hi Rikdao

Thailand is in the top 10 counties with Namibia Malawi and Swaziland for the world's worst road fatalities statistics. Your brother in law isn't a one off case believe me.

You will find a lot of instances like this in Thai society. Most of the time these problems come down to a lack of education.

My advise with your brother law is....refuse to ride with him. If you want to see your "beautiful home state again" take my advise.

IT AINT WORTH IT.

Goodluck

[harber8]

hahahahaha, mate, welcome to Thailand. My wife drives exactly the same way, I am forever telling her to change gear, taking off in second or third and wondering why we stall, overtaking with the car chugging as she accelerates from 30 kph while in top gear etc, etc.

You will get used to it, well maybe, I still hide my face after 2 years........

He should spend some time in Vietnam and experience the drivers and driving there.

Back In 1992 / 1993 I rented a car for business purposes and I had 6 different cars and 7 different drivers in one month when I had made a contract with the car rental company specifically explaining I wanted one 4 door car and one good driver that was from Saigon ( Ho Chi Minh ) that knew his way around the city.

What I received was 7 different drivers in 1 month and 6 different cars and not one of the drivers was from Saigon while none of them knew where they were going.

I had to shout at them using my newly aquired Vietnamese language skills telling them: "go right", "go right", "go right" while I put my hand on their shoulder and squeezed their shoulder a little and forced them to understand to "go right", go right" ...or "go left" , "go left"....or "go straight"..... in Vietnamese.

I knew my way around the city better than any of drivers.

All of them drived their stick shift 4 speed cars the way that the OP was explaining in his post.

From bad to worse with the clutch burning away while they revved the engine in 4th gear at the stop lights when the light turned green...then stall the car 2 or 3 times and then realise they had to down shift ...to 3 gear .....and try it again while I can smell the clutch burning until finally downshifting to 2nd gear and then accomplishing the task.

Going up hills in 4th gear at 10 MPH with the engine severly "pinging" loudly and the engine shuttering and the car almost stalling...but not downshifting ......as the top of the hill is almost there anyhow.

Just as the OP said: 1st gear to second gear at 5 MPH then 2nd to 3rd gear at 10 MPH and finally 4th Gear at less than 20 miles per hour and basically leave it in 4th gear as long as their moving...then coming to a red light and having to stop and leaving it in 4th gear and not disengaging the clutch..rather let the car stall at the same time as coming to a stop.

Then disengage the clutch and start the motor and leave it in 4 th gear.

Some tried to start the engine with the clutch still engaged while the car was lurching forward until realising they had to push the clutch peddle in to stop the car from lurching forward.

When the light turns green, dump the clutch and it stalls..oooops ..start all over again...oooops, stall it again...start all over again...hmmm ..oh yeah ..revv the engine some more that will help...oooops not working...Oh..I know.. down shift to 3rd ...ooops stall it again...hmmm...try 2nd gear.....hmm that seems to work but never mind the you can smell the clutch burning..just keep on revving the engine as that seems to be working.

Each driver had his day(s) when he bumped off someone on a motorcylce and sometimes several times in one day.

Nothing serious but simply bumping them out of the way if they were not going at his pace and speed while the driver was mere inches away from the back end of another vehicle or motorcylce or cyclo.

I was shouting at my female Vietnamese assistant telling her to tell the driver to drive safely and learn to use the clutch and stick shift correctly.

Neither of them could understand my concerns while I was telling her I would be the one held responsible if the stupid driver kills someone or maims someone for life while also informing her if the driver keeps on driving the way he does he is going to break something or burn out the clutch and guess who will be paying for that ....not him . not you... but the foreigner.

Did not make one bit of difference as the both of them carried on as if I was not there.

When passing through crowded areas people had to scatter and jump out of the way while the drivers never used the horn to forewarn anyone...just plough right on through as if they were more important.

U turns in the middle of the road and nearly crashing into everyone in the immediate area.

Stopping suddenly without any thought at all about the traffic behind him or around him.

Just pulling out into traffic as if no one else was around and almost causing accidents several times per day while driving around the city and around the outskirts of the city to various factories I had to visit.

After 1 month I cancelled the contract and luckily I had the sympathy of a Vietnamese women who was married to an American and had lived in Texas for 15 years and Singapore for 5 years before coming back to Saigon and she spoke English perfectly.

I was lightheartedly complaining to her about the woes I was having with the car rental company and the various stupid drivers and she was amused by all of this.

Then one day she told me I could rent her car and driver for the same price and assured me her personal driver was great and would do as I instructed him and if I had any problems she would make sure they were fixed.

Well..she was true to her word and it was smooth sailing after that and no more stupidity on the drivers part.

Anyhow..just part of the many frustrations I had to endure while trying to conduct business in Vietnam back in 1992 , 1993

We don't need your life story.

[thailandbeachisland]

Who is crazy/stupid enough to let a Thai drive a car that is not automatic ? Even with these ones they have problems...

[thehelmsman]

Yes, it would behove you to have a current International Drivers License when applying for a Thai license. It makes the process easier.

[Daniel Boon]

Are you sure its her brother (a la Private Dancer)

[mgjackson69]

That's why most people here drive automatics...

That has not been my experience...I have seen very few cars, outside of rentals, that are equipped with automatic transmissions.

If I was to single out one trait that seems to cause the majority of bad driving events we see, it is the Thai inability/unwillingness to wait behind another car...rather than wait for whatever (often unseen) even caused that car to slow, the immediate response is 'swerve into another lane and pass'.

Thai people will talk the simplest pending decision to death, yet will change lanes in the blink of an eye without any clue or consideration of what might be happening ahead.

Sent from my Xoom using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Gandtee]

Welcome to the Land of Smiles. I would suggest that you insist on driving if you have a U.S.A. license. Any problems that you may have with the police or insurance company will be better than the problem that you may have with hospital bills. As you are one of the 'good ol boys from Texas', I suggest that you shoot him. I've seen on TV and the cinema that that is the way Texan problems are solved.

[Gandtee]

hahahahaha, mate, welcome to Thailand. My wife drives exactly the same way, I am forever telling her to change gear, taking off in second or third and wondering why we stall, overtaking with the car chugging as she accelerates from 30 kph while in top gear etc, etc.

You will get used to it, well maybe, I still hide my face after 2 years........

He should spend some time in Vietnam and experience the drivers and driving there.

Back In 1992 / 1993 I rented a car for business purposes and I had 6 different cars and 7 different drivers in one month when I had made a contract with the car rental company specifically explaining I wanted one 4 door car and one good driver that was from Saigon ( Ho Chi Minh ) that knew his way around the city.

What I received was 7 different drivers in 1 month and 6 different cars and not one of the drivers was from Saigon while none of them knew where they were going.

I had to shout at them using my newly aquired Vietnamese language skills telling them: "go right", "go right", "go right" while I put my hand on their shoulder and squeezed their shoulder a little and forced them to understand to "go right", go right" ...or "go left" , "go left"....or "go straight"..... in Vietnamese.

I knew my way around the city better than any of drivers.

All of them drived their stick shift 4 speed cars the way that the OP was explaining in his post.

From bad to worse with the clutch burning away while they revved the engine in 4th gear at the stop lights when the light turned green...then stall the car 2 or 3 times and then realise they had to down shift ...to 3 gear .....and try it again while I can smell the clutch burning until finally downshifting to 2nd gear and then accomplishing the task.

Going up hills in 4th gear at 10 MPH with the engine severly "pinging" loudly and the engine shuttering and the car almost stalling...but not downshifting ......as the top of the hill is almost there anyhow.

Just as the OP said: 1st gear to second gear at 5 MPH then 2nd to 3rd gear at 10 MPH and finally 4th Gear at less than 20 miles per hour and basically leave it in 4th gear as long as their moving...then coming to a red light and having to stop and leaving it in 4th gear and not disengaging the clutch..rather let the car stall at the same time as coming to a stop.

Then disengage the clutch and start the motor and leave it in 4 th gear.

Some tried to start the engine with the clutch still engaged while the car was lurching forward until realising they had to push the clutch peddle in to stop the car from lurching forward.

When the light turns green, dump the clutch and it stalls..oooops ..start all over again...oooops, stall it again...start all over again...hmmm ..oh yeah ..revv the engine some more that will help...oooops not working...Oh..I know.. down shift to 3rd ...ooops stall it again...hmmm...try 2nd gear.....hmm that seems to work but never mind the you can smell the clutch burning..just keep on revving the engine as that seems to be working.

Each driver had his day(s) when he bumped off someone on a motorcylce and sometimes several times in one day.

Nothing serious but simply bumping them out of the way if they were not going at his pace and speed while the driver was mere inches away from the back end of another vehicle or motorcylce or cyclo.

I was shouting at my female Vietnamese assistant telling her to tell the driver to drive safely and learn to use the clutch and stick shift correctly.

Neither of them could understand my concerns while I was telling her I would be the one held responsible if the stupid driver kills someone or maims someone for life while also informing her if the driver keeps on driving the way he does he is going to break something or burn out the clutch and guess who will be paying for that ....not him . not you... but the foreigner.

Did not make one bit of difference as the both of them carried on as if I was not there.

When passing through crowded areas people had to scatter and jump out of the way while the drivers never used the horn to forewarn anyone...just plough right on through as if they were more important.

U turns in the middle of the road and nearly crashing into everyone in the immediate area.

Stopping suddenly without any thought at all about the traffic behind him or around him.

Just pulling out into traffic as if no one else was around and almost causing accidents several times per day while driving around the city and around the outskirts of the city to various factories I had to visit.

After 1 month I cancelled the contract and luckily I had the sympathy of a Vietnamese women who was married to an American and had lived in Texas for 15 years and Singapore for 5 years before coming back to Saigon and she spoke English perfectly.

I was lightheartedly complaining to her about the woes I was having with the car rental company and the various stupid drivers and she was amused by all of this.

Then one day she told me I could rent her car and driver for the same price and assured me her personal driver was great and would do as I instructed him and if I had any problems she would make sure they were fixed.

Well..she was true to her word and it was smooth sailing after that and no more stupidity on the drivers part.

Anyhow..just part of the many frustrations I had to endure while trying to conduct business in Vietnam back in 1992 , 1993

We don't need your life story.

Snore

[fabphil]

Enjoy

[bushman1666]

Come to think of it, the French drive a lot like Thai people. Off topic I know but what the hell.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[RikDao]

Please note: I'm not English, OK, so that's why I put that little apostrophe next to "round" in the title, OK?

Being English, this has really annoyed me. So much so, that I've forgotten what the thread was about.

Why he says he's not English, having stated he comes from Texas I've no idea. However, he should be a lot more at home with Thai driving as the deaths/100,000 in the States are over 3 times greater than in the UK.

OUCH!

Actually, the real reason I started the thread has nothing to do with Brother's driving. In fact, I just enjoy being analyzed by people like you! But hey, at least you read the thing!

However, I think I've come up with a solution to theThai driving situation: have them switch over to the correct side of the road! Just because the English drive on the wrong side doesn't mean Thailand has to. I mean, they could do it gradually, like half the country makes the change one day, then after a couple of weeks, the other side switches.That way, after a month or so, driving in Thailand would be just like driving in England, uhmm, I mean, Germany!

[telldem]

My wife drives like your brother inlaw. When I criticize her driving she turns her head to me taking her eyes off the road, so I just bite my tongue. It's safer that way.

[mgjackson69]

My wife is one of the rare exceptions to those 'features" of Thai drivers noted here. She does not use the phone while driving, she understands and uses the concept of matching the gear selection to the current travel speed (selecting the proper gear before it is needed), does not pass on hills, curves, or in no passing zones, uses turn signals properly, and obeys lane markings and traffic lights.

But then, I did teach her to drive.

Sent from my Xoom using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Nayet]

Another thing I don't understand are the drivers who cannot seem to find proper cruising speed. They will floor it for 2 seconds and then remove their foot from the accelerator, then open up full throttle again and so on instead of just maintaining even pressure.

[mgjackson69]

Another thing I don't understand are the drivers who cannot seem to find proper cruising speed. They will floor it for 2 seconds and then remove their foot from the accelerator, then open up full throttle again and so on instead of just maintaining even pressure.

Taxi drivers seem to be the worst for this.

Drivers of large trucks as well. You can hear them pulling away from a stop, or even reversing, and they are fluctuating/modulating the throttle for no reason'

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[Tintin1810]

Welcome, just tell your brother there is a very nice new model with a great automatic transmission for him at Toyota, Isuzu or Chevrolet for that matter....

I am praying for your health!!

Was thinking you would complain about all the racing drivers here in Thailand, yet you have not yet found Turbo in your brother in law's way of driving, have you?

Thank God you are not living in a densely populated area like Bangkok, Samut Prakarn or Ayutthaya.

[unbiased1]

Can Americans not get an Internaitional Drivers License??

[bbbbooboo]

Stupidity IS what stupidity DOES ?

[akirasan]

I'll just leave this here

[salapau]

I drove for a year on a British driving licence, no problem. There should however be no difficulty in you obtaining a Thai licence. Go to immigration for a set letter, then to a clinic for a medical certificate ( 5 minutes and they only take your blood pressure. ) With your wife take these to your local office with your passport and your home country licence, you'll be there about an hour. Take the simple practical test in the office and you will have licences for both car and motor bike. Then get your own transport and drive yourself. Your brother in law can join you whilst you're driving, BUT DON'T LET HIM DRIVE.

[iamariva1957]

I hear you! Coming form the mountains of California I know how you feel here. But also remember that the yellow line down the middle of the road here is just a suggestion... especially around blind corners! For the love of God... where do these people learn to drive? By correspondence school! No wonder there are so many deaths on these roads. No one cares a damn it seems, just as long as they can get past you on the corner as the tandem over loaded truck is coming the other way! I have been here for 6 years and I still wet myself and try and push that imaginary brake pedal through the floor when I am not the one driving! But when I do drive I leave the headlights on for safety... though I know that it pisses the hell out of everyone else. But at least they actually see me!

[StreetCowboy]

I drove for a year on a British driving licence, no problem. There should however be no difficulty in you obtaining a Thai licence. Go to immigration for a set letter, then to a clinic for a medical certificate ( 5 minutes and they only take your blood pressure. ) With your wife take these to your local office with your passport and your home country licence, you'll be there about an hour. Take the simple practical test in the office and you will have licences for both car and motor bike. Then get your own transport and drive yourself. Your brother in law can join you whilst you're driving, BUT DON'T LET HIM DRIVE.

Why do you need to take your wife? Is it like a joint licence?

Can single people get a Thai licence?

SC

[newermonkey]

Well... I see nothing wrong here... you are just too darnd sensitive. come-mon its a diesel it can do the low revs thing and save fuel, whats the rush big guy?

(Oh almost forgot there is a rule here- "the bigger the transport the more priority you have" so don't worry your head about running over the kids, they don't have any rights here because they are small)

[newermonkey]

I drove for a year on a British driving licence, no problem. There should however be no difficulty in you obtaining a Thai licence. Go to immigration for a set letter, then to a clinic for a medical certificate ( 5 minutes and they only take your blood pressure. ) With your wife take these to your local office with your passport and your home country licence, you'll be there about an hour. Take the simple practical test in the office and you will have licences for both car and motor bike. Then get your own transport and drive yourself. Your brother in law can join you whilst you're driving, BUT DON'T LET HIM DRIVE.

BTW. you don't need a wife to get your driving license (weard comment)

If I was the old guy I would not let you drive the truck. all that revving out of the power band, fiddling around with the gear stick trying to find the non existent 6th gear!, changing down when overtaking "which will in fact slow a diesel powered vehicle down"!

"My god no I would keep you away from my truck"!

[mgjackson69]

The wife is to talk to the people. If you speak good Thai, then a translator is not needed.

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[Sam Gold]

If I was to single out one trait that seems to cause the majority of bad driving events we see, it is the Thai inability/unwillingness to wait behind another car...rather than wait for whatever (often unseen) even caused that car to slow, the immediate response is 'swerve into another lane and pass'.

Very true, and I would add the tendency to drive much too near the preceding vehicle. When a driver abruptly changes lanes with no prior notice (but still turning on the indicators while he's changing lanes as if that made any difference whatsoever), the oncoming car hits the brakes major time and gets rammed into by the one behind him. I saw it happen again the other day.

[StreetCowboy]

The wife is to talk to the people. If you speak good Thai, then a translator is not needed.

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D'you reckon that women are generally better at languages?