Thailand's roads: Why are they so dangerous?

[fgmr]

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You can have all the above in buckets, but you first have to overcome one very important problem: the sense of self-entitlement. As witnessed during the Yingluck govt's rebate frenzy (sorry, not being political, just topical), a million cars were added to the roads and tens of thousands of new drivers suddenly appeared. As witnessed with a neighbor, the attitude was, "I can afford a car, therefore I am a driver. You can't stop me."

And then there is arrogance ... oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. That wretched bloody arrogance. Once again, none of the above matters a jot just as long as Thai drivers (who have a refined sense of arrogance when behind the wheel) refuse point blank to accept responsibility for their actions. It's not just their refusal to accept the rules of the road, but their refusal to believe that they need to LEARN the rules of the road, or indeed that there should be any rules of the road that apply to them, or accept that there is a generally accepted culture of driving that starts and ends with SAFETY (by that I mean generally accepted on a community-wide basis, a community mindset).

I do not think it is arrogance but sheer ignorance and duplicity on the part of authorities responsible for road safety, highway and vehicle maintenance, education pre and post driving licence award.

I have held a Thai licence for the last 7 years, first issue being valid for one year, then 5 yrs and last year, my current licence for another 5 years. Before being issued with the new licence I was required to sit and listen to a lecture on the "Highway Code" and presumably good driving practices.Even though I do not understand more than a dozen words of Thai I still had to listen and watch the presentation. At the end of a rather theatrical presentation I waited expecting to hear a few questions from the audience. Silence reigned so I stepped into the breach and stepped toward a whiteboard and marker. As there did not appear to be any mention of roundabouts and rights of way I drew a roundabout with 4 approach roads, marking vehicle approach and on the roundabout. With hand signals and much gesturing I wanted the examiner/lecturer to tell the audience who had right of way. Fortunately a young man from the audience understood my intentions and taking the marker from me redrawing vehicle positions and marking them 1, 2, 3. Basically it was first come first served, ignoring traffic on the roundabout to the right. The lecturer agreed with a smile and thumbs up. Fortunately I still had the little pocket handbook issued to me back in 2007 and pointed out the error. The lecturers response was later translated for me. It want something like this, "I am glad I do not have to take the driving test these days."

Most of the audience were young males about to take a motorcycle test, such as it may be termed. There was no mention of the use of rear view mirrors, but I did notice that on exit from the building and sitting on their bikes that the mirrors and combs were widely used prior to their practical test.

Well perhaps it is both arrogance and ignorance that afflicts the nations drivers.

To expat drivers I say " If in doubt hang about, smile in return and forgive them for they know not what they have done, are doing or are about to do."

[rijb]

Thai authorities play with fatality statistics. They don't count people who die in the ambulance or the hospital, only the ones who actually die on the road - so if you count properly, Thailand would be number one in the world for road fatalities, if they used WHO standards.

and that's the truth

American Doctor told me this same "system" was used with American KIA's during Desert Storm.He was stationed in Landstuhl, Germany.

What does your 'shrink' have to do with this thread?

[seedy]

One Troll / Flaming post removed

[bazza40]

Just "Fit In" and stop bleating, nothing will change.Its not that bad.

Tend to agree, provided one drives defensively it's possible to negotiate the idiots.

My main irritant is drivers who can't make a decision, and crawl into traffic from a soi. It's quite simple - stop or go.

Don't know about other nationalities; however, the majority of Thai drivers seem to use rear vision mirrors very rarely. And Thais are great optimists,

some of the loads on vehicles defy belief. One bit of crosswind or adverse camber and they're gone.

When I see a larger vehicle either looming behind me or coming towards me on the wrong side of the road, I get out of the way.

Better a whole skin than an accident after an insistence on your road rights.

[cumgranosalum]

Just "Fit In" and stop bleating, nothing will change.Its not that bad.

Tend to agree, provided one drives defensively it's possible to negotiate the idiots.

My main irritant is drivers who can't make a decision, and crawl into traffic from a soi. It's quite simple - stop or go.

Don't know about other nationalities; however, the majority of Thai drivers seem to use rear vision mirrors very rarely. And Thais are great optimists,

some of the loads on vehicles defy belief. One bit of crosswind or adverse camber and they're gone.

When I see a larger vehicle either looming behind me or coming towards me on the wrong side of the road, I get out of the way.

Better a whole skin than an accident after an insistence on your road rights.

"Fit in" - depends on how you interpret it....but if you are a competent f=driver you will appreciate and adapt to driving in thailand and should remain relatively safe.....distasters aren't restricted to Thai roads.

As for change - I've been driving over a decade in Thailand and some changes are quite dramatic - the amount of traffic has increased exponentially yet road deaths have actually reduced over that period...cars are changing - look at the traffic around you and ask yourself how many of those vehicles were even in existence 6 years ago.

thailand has thw 9th biggest motor industry in the world and car ownership is passing from equipment to replacement markets - if you know what they are....this is bringing about a big change in who drives and how ....but the changes are not all acceptable.

[GlutinousMaximus]

“Yet both countries have about the same number of RTCs”

Whilst I agree that the collection of stats is highly dubious anywhere and Thailand must rate as one of the worst in this field, if one follows that logic, we have to ignore all stats re motoring. I think the problem lies only partly with the stats themselves and the way they are gathered...it is also the way they are interpreted that is also severely flawed.

As according to some or one set of figures Thailand has the highest death rate per 100 k of population, the general interpretation is that driving in Thailand must be very dangerous. I don’t see this as a naturally logical progression of reason, however I do think it is a good indicator of the situation here.

When it comes to counting collisions - I have to say yet again that anecdote is not data, and I firmly believe there is an important factor there. However I know personally that for various reasons in UK, Europe and Australia, that collisions go unreported regularly - largely to avoid massive insurance bureaucracy and possible traffic /vehicle infringements. - Splitting hairs over stats is of course a complete waste of time especially with road safety, where so many, many factors are involved.

There also seems to be a preponderance of people on this and other threads who rather than seriously look into the topic of road safety like to draw erroneous and single-issue solutions based on their own untutored observations......

Some posts are simply “giving examples” this is just silly - telling anecdotes about motoring horror stories that are selected to back up a pre-held view that is at best myopic and can hardly be taken seriously - I could tell similar stories about any country in the world.

People like to blame individuals for what they perceive as bad driving, when the reality is far more complex than that and often they are applying principles that are themselves are quite outdated or ill-informed.

Many posters are also making derogatory assumptions about “how Thais think” - this is both ignorant and racist.

There are 65 million or so people in Thailand and to suggest that you know how everyone thinks is just plain daft.

Another aspect here is that people love to bandy about the word “culture” - when they are in reality just using it as a substitute for their own prejudiced view.

Culture is NOT a static thing, neither are the demographics and attitudes of drivers on Thai roads.

There is one interesting point though that is occasionally touched upon by those who really research Thai culture; check out “Very Thai” for instance. Here they allude to the cultural HISTORY of transport in Thailand and point out that unlike Europe and USA, who in general, graduated slowly from horses and carts to automobiles, Thailand has switched to automobiles vey rapidly (in no more than 2 generations) and not from horses and carts, but from BOATS. If you take time to consider many of the Thai driving ways and more and mays and mights, you’ll see they have a remarkable resemblance to how one pilots a boat on a river.

I wonder why there are no forums like 'My UK M6 horror stories' - it's because nobody has any to share.

I've driven extensively in the UK and fairly extensively in Thailand (at least up in the North East). Going by my own experience, I've had hairy / near miss scenarios if not on a daily basis, certainly a weekly one (none that I can recall about driving in the UK). Part of that may be down to infrastructure, UK motorway driving is very predictable for example; intersections are designed with safety in mind, and you don't have the crazy mix of bicycles, mopeds, pedestrians, buffaloes, cows, dogs, ducks etc. that you do over here.

I've always felt that driving (in any country) is the most dangerous activity you can engage in. Here, my perception is that the risk is tripled or quadrupled. I'm sure most posters here feel the same - their own real-world experience tells them just how risky driving here is. I haven't seen overturned vehicles by the side of the road on a single journey in the UK - I've seen it here regularly. I live in a medium size town in the NE and have heard several anecdotes (i.e. in the region of 10 or more) of relatives or friends of people in our social network who were injured or killed in serious RTAs, for the UK I can recall one incident and that was 30 years ago.

Over here, you have to give the road 100% of your attention - if you're not on your driving A-game, you can bet the other guy won't be. In the UK, you can rely a bit more on the drivers around you if you have a wobbly.

As you say, it doesn't do to make derogatory assumptions about the locals, nevertheless judging by the road-going behaviours I see around me on a daily basis, it's hard not to let those experiences colour your view. Some other TV poster started a thread a while back 'Have you changed your viewpoint of Thais and Thailand since arriving' - for me it's a definite yes and it's been the roads wot done it.

Culture is NOT a static thing, neither are the demographics and attitudes of drivers on Thai roads.

You can say that again - the last thing the locals are on the roads is static!

[cumgranosalum]

“Yet both countries have about the same number of RTCs”

Whilst I agree that the collection of stats is highly dubious anywhere and Thailand must rate as one of the worst in this field, if one follows that logic, we have to ignore all stats re motoring. I think the problem lies only partly with the stats themselves and the way they are gathered...it is also the way they are interpreted that is also severely flawed.

As according to some or one set of figures Thailand has the highest death rate per 100 k of population, the general interpretation is that driving in Thailand must be very dangerous. I don’t see this as a naturally logical progression of reason, however I do think it is a good indicator of the situation here.

When it comes to counting collisions - I have to say yet again that anecdote is not data, and I firmly believe there is an important factor there. However I know personally that for various reasons in UK, Europe and Australia, that collisions go unreported regularly - largely to avoid massive insurance bureaucracy and possible traffic /vehicle infringements. - Splitting hairs over stats is of course a complete waste of time especially with road safety, where so many, many factors are involved.

There also seems to be a preponderance of people on this and other threads who rather than seriously look into the topic of road safety like to draw erroneous and single-issue solutions based on their own untutored observations......

Some posts are simply “giving examples” this is just silly - telling anecdotes about motoring horror stories that are selected to back up a pre-held view that is at best myopic and can hardly be taken seriously - I could tell similar stories about any country in the world.

People like to blame individuals for what they perceive as bad driving, when the reality is far more complex than that and often they are applying principles that are themselves are quite outdated or ill-informed.

Many posters are also making derogatory assumptions about “how Thais think” - this is both ignorant and racist.

There are 65 million or so people in Thailand and to suggest that you know how everyone thinks is just plain daft.

Another aspect here is that people love to bandy about the word “culture” - when they are in reality just using it as a substitute for their own prejudiced view.

Culture is NOT a static thing, neither are the demographics and attitudes of drivers on Thai roads.

There is one interesting point though that is occasionally touched upon by those who really research Thai culture; check out “Very Thai” for instance. Here they allude to the cultural HISTORY of transport in Thailand and point out that unlike Europe and USA, who in general, graduated slowly from horses and carts to automobiles, Thailand has switched to automobiles vey rapidly (in no more than 2 generations) and not from horses and carts, but from BOATS. If you take time to consider many of the Thai driving ways and more and mays and mights, you’ll see they have a remarkable resemblance to how one pilots a boat on a river.

I wonder why there are no forums like 'My UK M6 horror stories' - it's because nobody has any to share.

I've driven extensively in the UK and fairly extensively in Thailand (at least up in the North East). Going by my own experience, I've had hairy / near miss scenarios if not on a daily basis, certainly a weekly one (none that I can recall about driving in the UK). Part of that may be down to infrastructure, UK motorway driving is very predictable for example; intersections are designed with safety in mind, and you don't have the crazy mix of bicycles, mopeds, pedestrians, buffaloes, cows, dogs, ducks etc. that you do over here.

I've always felt that driving (in any country) is the most dangerous activity you can engage in. Here, my perception is that the risk is tripled or quadrupled. I'm sure most posters here feel the same - their own real-world experience tells them just how risky driving here is. I haven't seen overturned vehicles by the side of the road on a single journey in the UK - I've seen it here regularly. I live in a medium size town in the NE and have heard several anecdotes (i.e. in the region of 10 or more) of relatives or friends of people in our social network who were injured or killed in serious RTAs, for the UK I can recall one incident and that was 30 years ago.

Over here, you have to give the road 100% of your attention - if you're not on your driving A-game, you can bet the other guy won't be. In the UK, you can rely a bit more on the drivers around you if you have a wobbly.

As you say, it doesn't do to make derogatory assumptions about the locals, nevertheless judging by the road-going behaviours I see around me on a daily basis, it's hard not to let those experiences colour your view. Some other TV poster started a thread a while back 'Have you changed your viewpoint of Thais and Thailand since arriving' - for me it's a definite yes and it's been the roads wot done it.

Culture is NOT a static thing, neither are the demographics and attitudes of drivers on Thai roads.

You can say that again - the last thing the locals are on the roads is static!

Almost every point here is a case of perception (in particular that of a foreigner) over reality.......it is this kind of thinking that clouds people seeing the reality of what is happening on Thai roads

[Johpa]

The author of the article has essentially missed the point....he/she thinks that by concentrating mainly on statistics a conclusion can be reached - and does this purely on their own observations - the whole thing is misleading - whereas drink-driving is obviously an issue seeing it as the single be-all and end-all is simply wrong. There is a clue in the OP question - i.e "Thailand's roads" - here is a significant contribution to the appalling death rates.

Road safety relies on proper use of the 5 Es.

1 Education

2 Enforcement

3 Engineering

4 Emergency

5 Evaluation

Not sure what article you read, but Austin seems to have touched upon most of your points. Or did you fail to see that the article was not written by a Thai and thus felt it needed some criticism? When the statistics indicate that drinking has a ridiculously high association with the fatalities then it makes sense, from an efficiency perspective, to use the statistics to put efforts where you might get the biggest bang for the buck in desired outcomes. Overall a good article from one of the young hands writing some insightful articles on the Kingdom geared towards both the domestic Thai scene as well as an international audience.

[GlutinousMaximus]

Almost every point here is a case of perception (in particular that of a foreigner) over reality.......it is this kind of thinking that clouds people seeing the reality of what is happening on Thai roads

I'm not sure what reality you're referring to.

I (and many other posters) have in fact 2 sets of reality to judge by - driving in farangland and driving over here.

If a car hits you, it's real-world physics in action regardless of whether you're a Thai or a farang.

[goreme]

It seems the usual loser expats coming out of the woodwork to complain about how bad Thai drivers are while projecting their own racial biases on the deficiencies of Thai culture. I take it all you whiners come from small, perfect little towns where everyone is upstanding, polite and smells like roses while on the crapper.

Yet for all your rules/regulations, advanced infrastructure and 'extensive' drivers education, why is there so much road rage, incivility and acts of aggression where you come from(esp UK, Russia, Australia, US)? One only has to see the plethora of incidents coming from your own countries on Youtube which is probably just the tip of the iceburg.

I have never witnessed anything remotely close to road rage coming from Thai drivers, yet in my own anecdotal experience-- more often than not - it is farangs that are most likely to flip out and cause unnecessary drama while on the road (eg, excessive honking, middle fingers, assaulting others). It's amazing Thais are so tolerant of your loudmouth belligerence, let alone put up with you while youre in their country. One wonders why more Thais don't go ballistic when theyve had their share of farang behavior.

As you've been asked often enough, if you dislike so much Thais, their culture and the way they drive, why not go back to your own idyllic country where drivers get extensive education on how to drive competently with the utmost courtesy and respect...

[cumgranosalum]

Almost every point here is a case of perception (in particular that of a foreigner) over reality.......it is this kind of thinking that clouds people seeing the reality of what is happening on Thai roads

I'm not sure what reality you're referring to.

I (and many other posters) have in fact 2 sets of reality to judge by - driving in farangland and driving over here.

If a car hits you, it's real-world physics in action regardless of whether you're a Thai or a farang.

OK - yet again - the plural of anecdote is not data.

[cumgranosalum]

The author of the article has essentially missed the point....he/she thinks that by concentrating mainly on statistics a conclusion can be reached - and does this purely on their own observations - the whole thing is misleading - whereas drink-driving is obviously an issue seeing it as the single be-all and end-all is simply wrong. There is a clue in the OP question - i.e "Thailand's roads" - here is a significant contribution to the appalling death rates.

Road safety relies on proper use of the 5 Es.

1 Education

2 Enforcement

3 Engineering

4 Emergency

5 Evaluation

Not sure what article you read, but Austin seems to have touched upon most of your points. Or did you fail to see that the article was not written by a Thai and thus felt it needed some criticism? When the statistics indicate that drinking has a ridiculously high association with the fatalities then it makes sense, from an efficiency perspective, to use the statistics to put efforts where you might get the biggest bang for the buck in desired outcomes. Overall a good article from one of the young hands writing some insightful articles on the Kingdom geared towards both the domestic Thai scene as well as an international audience.

It would help if you included the post you are referring to.

[redandyellow]

It seems the usual loser expats coming out of the woodwork to complain about how bad Thai drivers are while projecting their own racial biases on the deficiencies of Thai culture. I take it all you whiners come from small, perfect little towns where everyone is upstanding, polite and smells like roses while on the crapper.

Yet for all your rules/regulations, advanced infrastructure and 'extensive' drivers education, why is there so much road rage, incivility and acts of aggression where you come from(esp UK, Russia, Australia, US)? One only has to see the plethora of incidents coming from your own countries on Youtube which is probably just the tip of the iceburg.

I have never witnessed anything remotely close to road rage coming from Thai drivers, yet in my own anecdotal experience-- more often than not - it is farangs that are most likely to flip out and cause unnecessary drama while on the road (eg, excessive honking, middle fingers, assaulting others). It's amazing Thais are so tolerant of your loudmouth belligerence, let alone put up with you while youre in their country. One wonders why more Thais don't go ballistic when theyve had their share of farang behavior.

As you've been asked often enough, if you dislike so much Thais, their culture and the way they drive, why not go back to your own idyllic country where drivers get extensive education on how to drive competently with the utmost courtesy and respect...

You are right. There is no road rage in Thailand - until you take off the mental blinders, that is.

I could sit here and give you a good example of it, but I forgot my reading glasses down in the shop. Anyways, as I was surrounded by about 10 Thais, after I bumped into a motorbike going 1 Km an hour, a farang came by, honked his horn and laughed. I would have too, if the shoe was on the other foot. Reason number 688 why I generally avoid other expats in Thailand.

[Thaimike370]

Thailands roads are not dangerous, idiot drivers are dangerous.

[cumgranosalum]

Thailands roads are not dangerous, idiot drivers are dangerous.

This is a classic misunderstanding of what is happening on Thai roads.

[cumgranosalum]

There seems to be an increasing plethora of distorted views of how people drive in Thailand and the motoring environment in general.

Of course there is road rage in Thailand - just as any other country - ever wondered why those drivers were waving shoes at you?

Remember too that many Thai subjects carry hand guns too.

If you are in any doubt, here are some examples......

http://driving-in-thailand.com/accidents-road-rage/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt4ETf_VhOE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADAPf6Hw0mc

[Ace of Pop]

Near misses on a daily basis .?.time tat poster gave up before he kills someone

[cumgranosalum]

Near misses on a daily basis .?.time tat poster gave up before he kills someone

There is a documented tendency for drivers to consider OTHER road users to always be the ones to blame.

It certainly seems that drivers who experience a high number of "idiots" whilst driving should look to their own driving skills for a possible alternative answer

[Ace of Pop]

Seems to Me that the Thai Bashers here may have been here some time,but their yearly mileage adds up to nothing. Ive averaged 35 K.P.A. for 25 years working here but dont claim Bragging Rights, or any desire to slag off Thais. In that time only one bump with Ferang Clown on a rented Super-bike,+ many night roamin Dogs and Windscreens Chips monthly , it feels like............ in reality 1 new screen a year. I love my driving here,warts n all.

[giddyup]

Seems to Me that the Thai Bashers here may have been here some time,but their yearly mileage adds up to nothing. Ive averaged 35 K.P.A. for 25 years working here but dont claim Bragging Rights, or any desire to slag off Thais. In that time only one bump with Ferang Clown on a rented Super-bike,+ many night roamin Dogs and Windscreens Chips monthly , it feels like............ in reality 1 new screen a year. I love my driving here,warts n all.

Well something is killing off Thais in the thousands every year, what do you put it down to AOP, just bad luck?

[Ace of Pop]

DRINK /Class A. mainly.

[Ocicat]

I live in a little village about 45 kms west of Khon Kaen just off AH16. Travelling this road at night is a bloody nightmare. What with motorbikes with no taillights and headlights obscured by a basket full of stuff, sugar cane trucks, grossly overloaded and their loads leaning in precarious manners, and drivers in a super hurry going nowhere except to probably eventually meet their maker and supplier of lau kau. These motorbike drivers will pull out or change lanes without looking except for after the fact to see what missed them. Most don't wear helmets either..north American police enforcers would have a hayday here and not not be susceptible to being bribed off instead of issuing a ticket . Come on Thailand, wake up and see what the problem is.

[goreme]

There seems to be an increasing plethora of distorted views of how people drive in Thailand and the motoring environment in general.

Of course there is road rage in Thailand - just as any other country - ever wondered why those drivers were waving shoes at you?

Remember too that many Thai subjects carry hand guns too.

If you are in any doubt, here are some examples......

http://driving-in-thailand.com/accidents-road-rage/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt4ETf_VhOE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADAPf6Hw0mc

Any road rage among Thais pales in comparison to the frequency it occurs in western countries. More than likely, the road rage is directed at other farangs who have pushed it too far.

Many of you seem to be oblivious to the fact that youre in a developing, 3rd world country with your entitled attitude of how people should behave according to your rules back home.

Try to step out of your little mental box, learn the language and understand the culture.

[NangrongJ]

Using the term 'third world country' is a pathetic excuse for negligence. As is stated above, Thailand has had many opportunities to improve and offers of help, and declined. It is the ignorance and insularity of the people, and that is down to a system that, again as mentioned, hides them from reality. We all accept when living in a foreign country ( I have lived and worked in over 20) that we accept their laws and customs. It does seem that we are the only ones that do this. We have every right to comment on matters of personal safety be they actual or potential. The one law that everyone is subject to, no matter where you live is the laws of physics and that seems to target a lot of Thais on the road.

[giddyup]

Using the term 'third world country' is a pathetic excuse for negligence. As is stated above, Thailand has had many opportunities to improve and offers of help, and declined. It is the ignorance and insularity of the people, and that is down to a system that, again as mentioned, hides them from reality. We all accept when living in a foreign country ( I have lived and worked in over 20) that we accept their laws and customs. It does seem that we are the only ones that do this. We have every right to comment on matters of personal safety be they actual or potential. The one law that everyone is subject to, no matter where you live is the laws of physics and that seems to target a lot of Thais on the road.

Well said, even though the Thai apologist will want you burnt at the stake.

[Tomtomtom69]

Using the term 'third world country' is a pathetic excuse for negligence. As is stated above, Thailand has had many opportunities to improve and offers of help, and declined. It is the ignorance and insularity of the people, and that is down to a system that, again as mentioned, hides them from reality. We all accept when living in a foreign country ( I have lived and worked in over 20) that we accept their laws and customs. It does seem that we are the only ones that do this. We have every right to comment on matters of personal safety be they actual or potential. The one law that everyone is subject to, no matter where you live is the laws of physics and that seems to target a lot of Thais on the road.

The laws that nobody in this country take seriously, whether by locals or foreigners alike (both tourists and residents) are traffic laws. Because they aren't enforced, nobody cares.

[Tomtomtom69]

It seems the usual loser expats coming out of the woodwork to complain about how bad Thai drivers are while projecting their own racial biases on the deficiencies of Thai culture. I take it all you whiners come from small, perfect little towns where everyone is upstanding, polite and smells like roses while on the crapper.

Yet for all your rules/regulations, advanced infrastructure and 'extensive' drivers education, why is there so much road rage, incivility and acts of aggression where you come from(esp UK, Russia, Australia, US)? One only has to see the plethora of incidents coming from your own countries on Youtube which is probably just the tip of the iceburg.

I have never witnessed anything remotely close to road rage coming from Thai drivers, yet in my own anecdotal experience-- more often than not - it is farangs that are most likely to flip out and cause unnecessary drama while on the road (eg, excessive honking, middle fingers, assaulting others). It's amazing Thais are so tolerant of your loudmouth belligerence, let alone put up with you while youre in their country. One wonders why more Thais don't go ballistic when theyve had their share of farang behavior.

As you've been asked often enough, if you dislike so much Thais, their culture and the way they drive, why not go back to your own idyllic country where drivers get extensive education on how to drive competently with the utmost courtesy and respect...

You are right. There is no road rage in Thailand - until you take off the mental blinders, that is.

I could sit here and give you a good example of it, but I forgot my reading glasses down in the shop. Anyways, as I was surrounded by about 10 Thais, after I bumped into a motorbike going 1 Km an hour, a farang came by, honked his horn and laughed. I would have too, if the shoe was on the other foot. Reason number 688 why I generally avoid other expats in Thailand.

You could have just driven off, it's what many Thai drivers do after being involved in an accident.

[Ace of Pop]

Just look how many ferangs who bleat here drive vehicles with tinted windows after Sunset and in poor visibility,just as thick as Thais aint they.!! The Wife insisted no doubt. . Third World isn't a factor imo.

[cumgranosalum]

Seems to Me that the Thai Bashers here may have been here some time,but their yearly mileage adds up to nothing. Ive averaged 35 K.P.A. for 25 years working here but dont claim Bragging Rights, or any desire to slag off Thais. In that time only one bump with Ferang Clown on a rented Super-bike,+ many night roamin Dogs and Windscreens Chips monthly , it feels like............ in reality 1 new screen a year. I love my driving here,warts n all.

Well something is killing off Thais in the thousands every year, what do you put it down to AOP, just bad luck?

Yes "something" - or rather a whole selection of things - but just to try and racially stereotype Thai drivers and these repeated accusations linked with anecdotal stories just shows how little grasp many people have on the issues surrounding road safety here.

it is a combination of factors that all contribute not just to the death rate, but various other ills resulting from RTCs.

[cumgranosalum]

There seems to be an increasing plethora of distorted views of how people drive in Thailand and the motoring environment in general.

Of course there is road rage in Thailand - just as any other country - ever wondered why those drivers were waving shoes at you?

Remember too that many Thai subjects carry hand guns too.

If you are in any doubt, here are some examples......

http://driving-in-thailand.com/accidents-road-rage/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt4ETf_VhOE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADAPf6Hw0mc

Any road rage among Thais pales in comparison to the frequency it occurs in western countries. More than likely, the road rage is directed at other farangs who have pushed it too far.

Many of you seem to be oblivious to the fact that youre in a developing, 3rd world country with your entitled attitude of how people should behave according to your rules back home.

Try to step out of your little mental box, learn the language and understand the culture.

that is an argument you will find extremely hard to substantiate.