Aggressive Driver

[SOTIRIOS]

...one thing that you are overlooking is....: You are obviously not Thai......

...we are visible minorities.....

...we don't think about it....but they do......

...and yes....it is a factor......

Edited March 19, 2015 by SOTIRIOS

[NickJ]

All you need to do is have a clutch of monks fingerpaint some magical symbols all over your hood lining and you can drive like fast and furious with complete abandon........

[NoshowJones]

Lets not blame the culture for everything.

Aggressive idiot drivers are all over the world.

Best thing, as you did, ignore the bastard and only take care of yourself and your wellbeing.

Confrontation can lead you to the hospital or somewhere worst.

I do think there is a cultural aspect to this. I have driven millions of miles in the West and have had near misses (and two accidents--one my fault). I have never experienced anything like this except in Thailand, where I have driven far fewer kilometers.

And there are differences in how people from different cultures/countries drive. Forget about adherence to traffic laws for a moment. In the West, when a person flashes his or her lights at you, that means "I see you, go ahead and come out/cross the street/come back into this lane/whatever." In Thailand, it means "I'm speeding up so don't you dare try to come out."

I am not opining that all is better in the West. This is only one observation about Thailand, and I think there is a cultural aspect to it.

Bonobo, if there was a cultural aspect to this, then the majority of drivers in Thailand would be like this guy that you encountered. So the question is, are the majority of drivers like this guy? I think not. I drove in the US for many years and the road rage (at least in southern California) was probably worse.

I'm a pretty aggressive driver myself (albeit a safe and relatively polite one...most of the time). On occasions, I might make a mistake like cutting somebody off and I'll be the first to apologize. But if the other guy insists on chastising me or honking at me or giving me a dirty look....well, I may not take too kindly. Human nature. Just saying.

Good post Berkshire, but I have to say that although you have driven much more in America than me, I have driven quite a bit in Southern California, the whole length of the Pacific Coast Highway, in both directions, and over much of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and also in Las Vegas, and Nashville, and have never seen any road rage at all, I have always found American drivers to be very courteous.

But, in saying that, if I had driven as much in America as you, I would probably have a very different opinion.

[NoshowJones]

In the West, when a person flashes his or her lights at you, that means "I see you, go ahead and come out/cross the street/come back into this lane/whatever." In Thailand, it means "I'm speeding up so don't you dare try to come out."

In both the west and Thailand flashing the lights can have several meanings, depending on the circumstances.

I don't know about 'several' meanings Steven, but in the UK, it means the exact same as pumping your horn, but unofficially in Thailand, it means 'get out of my way' and in the UK 'that's OK, on you go'.

[fullcave]

Flashing or not flashing the lights has nothing to do with culture.

I disagree. The purpose and meaning of the flashing is a direct reflection of the culture. In Thailand, it generally reflects a sense of entitlement and egocentric thinking. In the West, it generally reflects concern for others.

It is culture that formulates the two ways of thinking.

No, you are confused. They are merely afraid you don't see them coming! Never ass-u-me that the car getting ready to make a right hand or u-turn into the lane in front of you from opposite direction or from side street sees you. Your life and the life of your loved ones may depend on it... On motor bikes this is a particularly important survival tool and has nothing to do with culture..

[NoshowJones]

Now he knows where you live. You'll never beat a thai in a fight, never.

Yes you will, but not six of them together, the way it usually turns out, but I would never worry about one Thai unless he had a weapon, or was trained in some martial art or Muay Thai.

[GlutinousMaximus]

Learning to drive in the West has a "highway code" a way of doing things, rules, an order, one which we learn and expect from others almost instinctively. Those same rules are ingrained into us and thats , all be it, subconsciously, how we expect other motorists to behave around us. Thats where the issues arise, because they have little or no real highway code here, atleast not one that appears to be followed and it ends up a "free for all". Thats when you see things coming at you the wrong way, no lane discipline, under-taking and a whole host of other issues and events that just wouldn'tbeen deemed acceptable by a "trained" driver as most here are not.

As for the confrontation and aggression, to me, it takes more of a man to keep cool and not react, than to react and probably regret it. The last road rage incident I re-call was in the press where the Thai-airways pilot was shot at several times on the highway over an incident. Then you have the ever increasing "yabba" influence here and the fact there is little gun control and it could lead to a deadly end.

I dont know the full circumstances of the Op's altercation, but I do know he acted in a very sensible and appropriate manner for this country and hope others learn "how to handle it" from his post.

Be safe people, your life is worth more than an idiot making a wrong turn/move.

I agree 100% with this.

The major problem I'm always struggling with is my own inbuilt assumptions (mostly automatic) based on driving experience in the West:

• Of course that car is going to stop, he has a red traffic light showing on his side
• That couldn't possibly be a 13 year old girl driving the car
• There's only 20 feet between me and the car in front, there's no way that the guy on the left is going to try and cut into the space
• I'm coming up to a sharp bend, of course there won't be an oncoming car from the opposite direction in my lane
• etc. etc.

Even if you can adjust your own mindset sufficiently, there is always a strong risk you're at the wrong place at the wrong time and a car hits you through no fault of your own. You may be "in the right" but that does no good if you're injured or dead.

A good driver is mentally modelling the future 2-3 seconds out, what happens if that car pulls out etc. etc. - I see very little of that out here. Contingency is also crucial - e.g. the 2 second rule. You can ignore if it you like, but you run out of options when things go wrong.

My craziest experience? I was in the overtaking lane of a 2 lane highway, saw a car coming up behind me very fast and at that point I couldn't pull in again as there was slower traffic on the left. At that point in the road, there was a u-turn lane space on my right, he swerved past me, into the u-turn lane, then back into my lane, all at very high speed. If I'd failed to notice him and accelerated sharply as he was just behind me, he'd have run out of road space. If a car was turning into our lane and had their nose poked out a bit too far (as they often do), he would have crashed and burned and probably taken me with him. He'd obviously seen all this and rather than making the sensible decision to hit the brakes, he went balls to the floor and executed a manoeuvre worthy of an F1 driver - cutting it extremely fine indeed.

I've also been keeping a mental straw poll - who are the more aggressive drivers, the men or the women? Based on the percentages I see on the road out here in the sticks, it seems to be 80% of cars are driven by men, and they are the most aggressive.

[bonobo]

Flashing or not flashing the lights has nothing to do with culture.

I disagree. The purpose and meaning of the flashing is a direct reflection of the culture. In Thailand, it generally reflects a sense of entitlement and egocentric thinking. In the West, it generally reflects concern for others.

It is culture that formulates the two ways of thinking.

No, you are confused. They are merely afraid you don't see them coming! Never ass-u-me that the car getting ready to make a right hand or u-turn into the lane in front of you from opposite direction or from side street sees you. Your life and the life of your loved ones may depend on it... On motor bikes this is a particularly important survival tool and has nothing to do with culture..

I am not confused at all. I am stating an opinion, and I could be wrong, but I am not confused.

Given the fact that the flashing is usually accompanied by speeding up to give the other driver less room to act, or the fact that they car flashing is behind the object of the flashing, I don't think this is merely a way to make sure the other person sees the one flashing. When a car is coming up in back, the only reason to flash is to tell the other driver to get the heck out of the way, they are coming through. And if you dare not to give way, they will often pass on the shoulder, then get in front of you and slow down to show their displeasure that you did not accede to their demands.

[ToddinChonburi]

This is todays modern culture, everywhere it is the all about me attitude. America has fist fights and shootings now over road rage. Atleast you can call the police in most other countries, but here will do you no good.

Did you see the story of the traffic cop that shot the guy on the big bike in Si Racha ?

[stevenl]

In the West, when a person flashes his or her lights at you, that means "I see you, go ahead and come out/cross the street/come back into this lane/whatever." In Thailand, it means "I'm speeding up so don't you dare try to come out."

In both the west and Thailand flashing the lights can have several meanings, depending on the circumstances.

I don't know about 'several' meanings Steven, but in the UK, it means the exact same as pumping your horn, but unofficially in Thailand, it means 'get out of my way' and in the UK 'that's OK, on you go'.

Here it can mean 'that's ok, you can go' as well, and in the UK it can mean 'get out of my way' as well.

I find your post confusing though, aren't "in the UK, it means the exact same as pumping your horn" and "in the UK 'that's OK, on you go'" contradicting?

[seedy]

One Troll / Flaming post hidden

[superal]

In the West, when a person flashes his or her lights at you, that means "I see you, go ahead and come out/cross the street/come back into this lane/whatever." In Thailand, it means "I'm speeding up so don't you dare try to come out."

In both the west and Thailand flashing the lights can have several meanings, depending on the circumstances.

Interesting take on flashing lights with quote from UK highway code -

http://www.drivingtesttips.biz/flashing-headlights.html

Courtesy and consideration for other road users are both alien acts to Thai drivers . When they buy or acquire a car it is no different than buying a washing machine , just use it and

never mind the instructions or lessons . My rule is never to assume anything on the Thai roads and number 1 is never to believe an indicator on bikes or cars .

[pomchop]

perhaps it's just an IDIOT culture as there always seem to be road rage folks in every country around the world.

Last time I was in Honolulu...you know the land of aloha etc....i was behind a car at a stoplight in traffic...obviously the two cars in front of me were in some kind of road rage macho BS conflict....front car guy gets out with a baseball bat...walks back to "offending" car and calmly breaks windsheild out, gets in his car and drives off.....at least the driver of car two had the good sense not to get out to see how he would fare against said bat.....of course driver two could well have had a gun and blown the other guys head off right on the spot...

i try and give road rage people as wide a berth as possible as one just never knows what kind of idiot may be driving, what kind of yaba or whatever he may be taking , or how many and what kind of weapons he may have under his seat. It' s not worth to end up dead right.

[Shadychris]

In the West, when a person flashes his or her lights at you, that means "I see you, go ahead and come out/cross the street/come back into this lane/whatever." In Thailand, it means "I'm speeding up so don't you dare try to come out."

In both the west and Thailand flashing the lights can have several meanings, depending on the circumstances.

Interesting take on flashing lights with quote from UK highway code -

http://www.drivingtesttips.biz/flashing-headlights.html

Glad you posted that link. I was interested and also concerned to note the number of posts from Western (possibly UK) drivers, all claiming to be proficient drivers, but claiming that flashing headlights means allowing right of way to another vehicle.

I think the wording of the Highway code may have changed somewhat since I took my test many years ago, but I seem to recall at that time it said something along the lines of flashing headlights have no 'official' meaning at all, and should not be used as a way to convey any message to other drivers.

Similarly the horn should only be used as an audible warning of approach, and not to indicate displeasure at someone else's mistake. In the case of the OP the use of his horn was really rather pointless as the other guy had already pulled across in front of him so it was too late to warn him of anything. To be fair the Thai's use of flashing lights and horns seems to align more closely with the UK Highway codes definition of being used as a warning, than a lot of UK drivers use of same does....

[off road pat]

Lets not blame the culture for everything.

Aggressive idiot drivers are all over the world.

Best thing, as you did, ignore the bastard and only take care of yourself and your wellbeing.

Confrontation can lead you to the hospital or somewhere worst.

I do think there is a cultural aspect to this. I have driven millions of miles in the West and have had near misses (and two accidents--one my fault). I have never experienced anything like this except in Thailand, where I have driven far fewer kilometers.

And there are differences in how people from different cultures/countries drive. Forget about adherence to traffic laws for a moment. In the West, when a person flashes his or her lights at you, that means "I see you, go ahead and come out/cross the street/come back into this lane/whatever." In Thailand, it means "I'm speeding up so don't you dare try to come out."

I am not opining that all is better in the West. This is only one observation about Thailand, and I think there is a cultural aspect to it.

Well, in the west were I drive sometimes,....people flash there lights to warn you that the police is a bit further on the road !!!

On the other hand In Thailand, I have learned to keep a cool heart, if nothing really happened, like a accident or something like that. I would never do anything to inflame the situation like giving the middle finger or any offensive gesture like this....a near miss is a near miss,...!! just like nothing happened...I might explode inside and want to shoot the guy and get this moron of the road....to save people and avoid real accidents in the future...!..but I don't,... I just go on ....

You don't want to know how many people were killed in Thailand for giving the finger !!....I remember (I think it was a German) a motorcycle drive in Chiang Mai who was cut off by a reckless (moron) driver (I think it was near Tha Pae Gate) he persued the driver to the next red light and showed him his displeasure by showing the finger...the driver got out and shot him dead....I heard this story several times from several people....and of course, there was no follow up in the newspapers so nobody knows if the driver was punished or not for that crime...!!!......A honest guess is NO ! Never....! T.I.T.

If I am cut off or have a near miss in any way, I get very angry of course, but I always think,..Is it worth to get shot for giving the finger...

I try to learn from other people's mistakes just like from mine....

Best regards....

[giddyup]

Is it possible that the negative opinion of a number of posters toward Thai drivers may be due to the old age of these posters ? With advanced age come slower reaction. What is perceived as aggressiveness from Thai drivers may actually be due the inability from older drivers to cope with Thailand fast and busy traffic. These posters are used to be shown some respect due to their advanced age and act (some would say take advantage) accordingly but they don't realize that in their car nobody see them so they are treated as everybody else.

Western countries start to realize that lifetime driving license are not such a good thing. For their own sake older driver should act responsibly and stop driving when they feel they could not cope with the traffic anymore especially in foreign country with different driving habits.

Get off your ageist bandwagon will you. You have made it quite clear with your comments in previous posts that you think anyone over 60 is a doddering old fool and should probably be euthanised. I'm nearly 73 and have been driving here for 6 years without an accident (one accident in over 55 years of driving) and don't have any problem coping, but that doesn't prevent me from shaking my head at the craziness of Thai drivers. It's all been reported here before, the riding on the wrong side of the road, speeding through red lights, unlicenced drivers etc, the list is endless, and you want to blame the older drivers for this? (DELETED) BTW, it's not old falangs killing themselves on the road by the thousands, it's Thais, so how do you account for that?

Edited March 19, 2015 by seedy
troll / flaming

[Bench499d]

On the subject of flashing headlights or using the horn, I was taught, in the UK, that it means "I am here". Often used on blind bends for example. The current UK usage of using it to let people out at junctions is wrong and in fact some insurance fraudsters have engineered accidents in this way to claim damages.

In Thailand, flashing is often used as described above, but more often than not it is not aggressive, but used as a warning to other drivers. So for once the Thai drivers are applying a "Highway Code" rule correctly.

[joebrown]

Is it possible that the negative opinion of a number of posters toward Thai drivers may be due to the age of these posters ? With advanced age come slower reaction. What is perceived as aggressiveness from Thai drivers may actually be due the inability from older drivers to cope with Thailand fast and busy traffic. These posters are used to be shown some respect due to their advanced age and act (some would say take advantage) accordingly but they don't realize that in their car nobody see them so they are treated as everybody else.

Western countries start to realize that lifetime driving license are not such a good thing. For their own sake older driver should act responsibly and stop driving when they feel they could not cope with the traffic anymore especially in foreign country with different driving habits.

Get off your ageist bandwagon will you. You have made it quite clear with your comments in previous posts that you think anyone over 60 is a doddering old fool and should probably be euthanised. I'm nearly 73 and have been driving here for 6 years without an accident (one accident in over 55 years of driving) and don't have any problem coping, but that doesn't prevent me from shaking my head at the craziness of Thai drivers. It's all been reported here before, the riding on the wrong side of the road, speeding through red lights, unlicenced drivers etc, the list is endless, and you want to blame the older drivers for this? BTW, it's not falangs killing themselves in the thousands, it's Thais, so how do you account for that?

I believe it's purely down to culture. What are these "me, me, me, I'm first, can't wait" people like when there is a queue in 7/11. Just the same! Have you ever seen their understanding of etiquette on the golf course. Same, same, same, "me, me, me". A 'leopard can't change it's spots' so nothing here will change in my lifetime. Fortunately there are more 'pros than cons' about LOS to maintain my enjoyment of the country and it's citizens.

[giddyup]

Is it possible that the negative opinion of a number of posters toward Thai drivers may be due to the old age of these posters ? With advanced age come slower reaction. What is perceived as aggressiveness from Thai drivers may actually be due the inability from older drivers to cope with Thailand fast and busy traffic. These posters are used to be shown some respect due to their advanced age and act (some would say take advantage) accordingly but they don't realize that in their car nobody see them so they are treated as everybody else.

Western countries start to realize that lifetime driving license are not such a good thing. For their own sake older driver should act responsibly and stop driving when they feel they could not cope with the traffic anymore especially in foreign country with different driving habits.

Get off your ageist bandwagon will you. You have made it quite clear with your comments in previous posts that you think anyone over 60 is a doddering old fool and should probably be euthanised. I'm nearly 73 and have been driving here for 6 years without an accident (one accident in over 55 years of driving) and don't have any problem coping, but that doesn't prevent me from shaking my head at the craziness of Thai drivers. It's all been reported here before, the riding on the wrong side of the road, speeding through red lights, unlicenced drivers etc, the list is endless, and you want to blame the older drivers for this? Grow up and get some common sense. BTW, it's not falangs killing themselves in the thousands, it's Thais, so how do you account for that?

I believe it's purely down to culture. What are these "me, me, me, I'm first, can't wait" people like when there is a queue in 7/11. Just the same! Have you ever seen their understanding of etiquette on the golf course. Same, same, same, "me, me, me". A 'leopard can't change it's spots' so nothing here will change in my lifetime. Fortunately there are more 'pros than cons' about LOS to maintain my enjoyment of the country and it's citizens.

You might want to add your comments underneath instead of making them part of my post.

Edited March 19, 2015 by giddyup

[seedy]

A number of posts edited.

Please refrain from discussing any posters age, or lack thereof.

[giddyup]

Is it possible that the negative opinion of a number of posters toward Thai drivers may be due to the old age of these posters ? With advanced age come slower reaction. What is perceived as aggressiveness from Thai drivers may actually be due the inability from older drivers to cope with Thailand fast and busy traffic. These posters are used to be shown some respect due to their advanced age and act (some would say take advantage) accordingly but they don't realize that in their car nobody see them so they are treated as everybody else.

Western countries start to realize that lifetime driving license are not such a good thing. For their own sake older driver should act responsibly and stop driving when they feel they could not cope with the traffic anymore especially in foreign country with different driving habits.

Get off your ageist bandwagon will you. You have made it quite clear with your comments in previous posts that you think anyone over 60 is a doddering old fool and should probably be euthanised. I'm nearly 73 and have been driving here for 6 years without an accident (one accident in over 55 years of driving) and don't have any problem coping, but that doesn't prevent me from shaking my head at the craziness of Thai drivers. It's all been reported here before, the riding on the wrong side of the road, speeding through red lights, unlicenced drivers etc, the list is endless, and you want to blame the older drivers for this? Grow up and get some common sense. BTW, it's not old falangs killing themselves on the road by the thousands, it's Thais, so how do you account for that?

Read again this thread : The aging driver has difficulty yielding the right of way, turning, and changing lanes. ( http://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=28934 )

I don't say that (DELETED) drivers should give up their driving license but they should be aware that driving in Thailand is challenging and there is no way for the people in the other cars to make the difference between a local driver and an old foreigner. So they should be careful and consider taking a taxi if they feel uncomfortable about driving in Thailand.

And what has this to do with the OP's subject about an aggressive driver, and who are you to be telling an elderly driver they should take a taxi? I'm sure if someone feels uncomfortable about driving, they don't need advice from you and are quite capable of making their own decisions. There are a myriad of problems regarding bad driving in Thailand, perhaps you should get your priorities in order.

[gemguy]

Lets not blame the culture for everything.

Aggressive idiot drivers are all over the world.

Best thing, as you did, ignore the bastard and only take care of yourself and your wellbeing.

Confrontation can lead you to the hospital or somewhere worst.

I do think there is a cultural aspect to this. I have driven millions of miles in the West and have had near misses (and two accidents--one my fault). I have never experienced anything like this except in Thailand, where I have driven far fewer kilometers.

And there are differences in how people from different cultures/countries drive. Forget about adherence to traffic laws for a moment. In the West, when a person flashes his or her lights at you, that means "I see you, go ahead and come out/cross the street/come back into this lane/whatever." In Thailand, it means "I'm speeding up so don't you dare try to come out."

I am not opining that all is better in the West. This is only one observation about Thailand, and I think there is a cultural aspect to it.

The altercation has a whole lot to do with the fact that you are a foreigner and they are Thai.......nothing more needs to be said nor is there a need to psychoanalyze it any further.

Cheers

[nemrut]

OP - did you signal your intention to turn? Did you slow down or maintain speed up until last minute before turning?

It sounds like you've had numerous other incidents in your driving history and only giving one side of the story.

Have you ever wondered why you hardly ever hear anyone honk in Thailand aside from mostly farang drivers?

You seem to have reacted like many American/Canadian drivers presuming you have been done wrong vs giving other driver the benefit of the doubt.

It's amazing how so many farang like you come to Thailand bringing your pre-conceived notions of what is right and fair in a developing, 3rd world country. Youre quick to complain and whine about the 'natives' when they dont kowtow to your notion of respect.

It speaks of entitlement and arrogance.

You say you've never encountered such aggression in the US when road rage and uncivil behaviour is the norm on the roads especially in the eastern corridor and metro areas of the west coast.

I'm always amazed at how patient, tolerant and highly civil Thai drivers are given the lack of enforcement and chaos on the roads.

You can bet if the US had as many scooters on the roads as Thailand the road rage would be much worse.

[bonobo]

OP - did you signal your intention to turn? Did you slow down or maintain speed up until last minute before turning?

It sounds like you've had numerous other incidents in your driving history and only giving one side of the story.

Have you ever wondered why you hardly ever hear anyone honk in Thailand aside from mostly farang drivers?

You seem to have reacted like many American/Canadian drivers presuming you have been done wrong vs giving other driver the benefit of the doubt.

It's amazing how so many farang like you come to Thailand bringing your pre-conceived notions of what is right and fair in a developing, 3rd world country. Youre quick to complain and whine about the 'natives' when they dont kowtow to your notion of respect.

It speaks of entitlement and arrogance.

You say you've never encountered such aggression in the US when road rage and uncivil behaviour is the norm on the roads especially in the eastern corridor and metro areas of the west coast.

I'm always amazed at how patient, tolerant and highly civil Thai drivers are given the lack of enforcement and chaos on the roads.

You can bet if the US had as many scooters on the roads as Thailand the road rage would be much worse.

You are presuming, or at least insinuating quite a bit. I had my signal on, and I slowed down. I had the right of way, period. And yes, with millions of miles driven I have had some oops moments (I would like to know who hasn't). I have only caused one accident, and that is because I did not notice the rain turning to ice (27 cars had accidents in a three mile stretch, but still, I was at fault and caused $300 of damage to the car next to me).

I did not get upset at his initial action. Stuff happens. I merely went on my way. I posted because the guy found a place to turn around, then drove over a kilometer to chase me down and stop me. So please, pray tell, how is that speaking of entitlement and arrogance? How is that me somehow being imperialistically upset with a lack of respect? Because I am in Thailand, I should accept blatant aggression that could have turned ugly had I not scooted around him and gone into my mooban? Your logic escapes me.

[GlutinousMaximus]

You are presuming, or at least insinuating quite a bit. I had my signal on, and I slowed down. I had the right of way, period. And yes, with millions of miles driven I have had some oops moments (I would like to know who hasn't). I have only caused one accident, and that is because I did not notice the rain turning to ice (27 cars had accidents in a three mile stretch, but still, I was at fault and caused $300 of damage to the car next to me).

I did not get upset at his initial action. Stuff happens. I merely went on my way. I posted because the guy found a place to turn around, then drove over a kilometer to chase me down and stop me. So please, pray tell, how is that speaking of entitlement and arrogance? How is that me somehow being imperialistically upset with a lack of respect? Because I am in Thailand, I should accept blatant aggression that could have turned ugly had I not scooted around him and gone into my mooban? Your logic escapes me.

I hear you Bonobo, but "right of way" doesn't appear to be a readily understood concept over here from what I've observed. If anything, it's "might of way" and your aggressive driver was in a SUV so maybe figured he took precedence (not sure what you were driving?), plus there's often the status baggage that seems to go with driving an expensive Fortuner or whatever it happens to be.

Just try going round one of the few roundabouts here to witness the complete confusion about who has priority - everyone just creeps forward really cautiously.

[Briggsy]

Another good reason to get a dash cam or even a body cam.

[kkerry]

I find you have fewer problems with road rage when you drive a larger vehicle... parking is also easier...

[fullcave]

Flashing or not flashing the lights has nothing to do with culture.

I disagree. The purpose and meaning of the flashing is a direct reflection of the culture. In Thailand, it generally reflects a sense of entitlement and egocentric thinking. In the West, it generally reflects concern for others.

It is culture that formulates the two ways of thinking.

No, you are confused. They are merely afraid you don't see them coming! Never ass-u-me that the car getting ready to make a right hand or u-turn into the lane in front of you from opposite direction or from side street sees you. Your life and the life of your loved ones may depend on it... On motor bikes this is a particularly important survival tool and has nothing to do with culture..

I am not confused at all. I am stating an opinion, and I could be wrong, but I am not confused.

Given the fact that the flashing is usually accompanied by speeding up to give the other driver less room to act, or the fact that they car flashing is behind the object of the flashing, I don't think this is merely a way to make sure the other person sees the one flashing. When a car is coming up in back, the only reason to flash is to tell the other driver to get the heck out of the way, they are coming through. And if you dare not to give way, they will often pass on the shoulder, then get in front of you and slow down to show their displeasure that you did not accede to their demands.

they will

Note: The right lane is for passing! In Germany on the Autobahns they tend to get really pissed off as well. It's even worse in LA. So I reiterate it's not a cultural phenomenon but merely road educate to move over and let them pass.

[seedy]

One Troll / Flaming post removed.

[seedy]

One Off Topic post Removed

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