Taboo Of Using Your Horn In Thailand.

[Tarteso]

I have no information on spending for road safety education in thailand , I suppose a handful of coins, right?

[RT85]

i live in bangkok and i bip the horn whenever i feel it is necessary to avoid an accident or even a potential one..

usually just 2-3 short and "polite" beeps

i drive a compact MPV with totally blacked out windows (not my choice but done already.. so..)

never really got into trouble for "polite" beeping..

the only times i ever actually used the horn was when some idiot nearly smashed into me while overtaking and changing lanes...

another incident was when it was dark and rainy... i filtered slowly from a left only lane as i was going straight...

i signaled and checked and moved slowly because the car in front was really close...

suddenly this large pickup who was obviously speeding came right at me and started honking and flashing lights..

i let it go.. as i managed to safely change lanes and drove off normally.. he kept flashing and honking.. tailing me.. then he pulled up on my right and slowed down to my speed.... i just drove extremely slowly... he slowed down too.... him being on the right lane soon had other cars behind him... so he just sped off...

i could tell he was aching for a fight and intended to slow down ahead waiting for me again...

oh well..

i guess the very black tinting may have partially been to blame..

otherwise i may have noticed him coming over the bridge behind me as i was changing lanes.

i lived to tell the tale.. so bob's your uncle and life goes on.

Edited June 2, 2015 by RT85

[hugh2121]

The real reason could be that they think it uses the battery,same as with turn signals,

regards worgeordie

Funnily enough, I attribute that to the reason a lot of Thai drivers wait till it is almost pitch black before turning on their headlights.

Maybe they should be taught what an alternator is.

Don't be silly.

[hugh2121]

A major problem where I live is foreigners on bikes going the wrong way- all to save a few minutes by not using the Uturn. ( apologies for being a bit mean- usually grandpa types wobbling all over the place) They just drive at you , so a blast on the horn- I don't give way, hopefully they are not carrying a gun!

Oh dear! Those U-turns are dangerous in a car but on a bike???

[Minnehaha]

People not hitting their horns every second is one of the nice things about driving in Bangkok. Have you ever been to Cairo? Or China?

I have had a guy get out of his super sports car with a large weapon and approach our car because he was upset that I waved him past me so I could reverse into a parallel park. I am not sure if he wanted the spot or did not like the wave. He never said but he yelled at us and lightly struck the window. I have a friend who knows a policeman and we ran the license plate of the imported sports car. It was owned by a Military General. The driver could be the son or young male relative.

I know a Thai guy who had an altercation and a week later found his tires slashed. Another had a windscreen smashed.

It is always a good idea to drive defensively and let others pass as they want to do. Not worth being right.

The difference in mentality can be explained:

Westerners drive thinking "I am not going to hit you."

Thais drive thinking "You are not going to hit me."

If you keep this in mind it is possible to navigate the more safely than otherwise.

[longstebe]

Is "pip pip" an American saying?

I never heard that once when I lived over there.

I'll stick with " beep beep" :-)

For sure is not American! 555

I thought that was a Britsh thing, "Pip pip, cheerio!"

Beep beep .. now that is American

Ha ha

I've just remembered, don't you guys say " honk"?

[Johnny S]

Use the horn to make others aware of you approaching especially motorbikes coming out of side roads. Driving is not about being pleasant its about being safe and making sure others don't hit you.

Just travel with Taxi driver and see often they use the horn. You will find they use a quick little polite pap not a long blast.

It also says in the Thai highway code "If approaching from the rear make the person you intend to overtake aware you are there" In other words a little polite pap.

I was on a country road riding my motorbike and lorry about to overtake me gave a little pap and I appreciated the fact he made me aware of him about to overtake me.

And here i thought i had three mirrors in a car and two on a bike to see what is happening behind me not to meantion the head turning when changing lane either with car or bike. I guess the mirrors in Thailand are for women to make up while driving and for men to fix their hair.

You forgot the squeezing of pimples!

and pulling hairs out the chin

not to mention picking nose ...

[Old Croc]

The real reason could be that they think it uses the battery,same as with turn signals,

regards worgeordie

Funnily enough, I attribute that to the reason a lot of Thai drivers wait till it is almost pitch black before turning on their headlights.

Maybe they should be taught what an alternator is.

Finally, somebody said it! An alternator. There must be more than "worgeordie, RustBucket and myself" who understand that the use of horns and lights will not harm or shorten the life of your car battery.

I'm guessing there are thousands of posters on Thaivisa who understand vehicle electric systems, but don't see the need to state the obvious.

[northernphil]

PCX with a Truck Horn, by the time they look around for Truck, I'm Gone...

Damn ! The number of times I have been looking round one of those places where you bang yer head walking round that sell everything from hairbands to air horns and seen those meter long chrome trumpets and thought ' if I had those on mt PCX and gave a blast I would get everyone in the vacinity thinking , " Where the f..... lippin eck is that truck " '

Where are they mounted Dannyboy and don't be flippant and say Pattaya mostly.

[chilli42]

The horn is infrequently used here. Certainly compared to India where all trucks carry a sign "Horn please". As a generalization most people hate being beeped at - it startles and it seems to indicate that they made a mistake and we know how people enjoy being told they are doing something wrong. Appears you were right to use the horn. Certainly seems you did so with someone that either has a screw loose or was on edge in a major way. At least there is less of a chance here of being shot by an irate motorist than back in the US

[4u2mad]

Use the horn to make others aware of you approaching especially motorbikes coming out of side roads. Driving is not about being pleasant its about being safe and making sure others don't hit you.

Just travel with Taxi driver and see often they use the horn. You will find they use a quick little polite pap not a long blast.

It also says in the Thai highway code "If approaching from the rear make the person you intend to overtake aware you are there" In other words a little polite pap.

I was on a country road riding my motorbike and lorry about to overtake me gave a little pap and I appreciated the fact he made me aware of him about to overtake me.

And here i thought i had three mirrors in a car and two on a bike to see what is happening behind me not to meantion the head turning when changing lane either with car or bike. I guess the mirrors in Thailand are for women to make up while driving and for men to fix their hair.

And squeeze zits! See behind? Oh no! They must be adjusted to see how cool I look when driving!

[northernphil]

People not hitting their horns every second is one of the nice things about driving in Bangkok. Have you ever been to Cairo? Or China?

I have had a guy get out of his super sports car with a large weapon and approach our car because he was upset that I waved him past me so I could reverse into a parallel park. I am not sure if he wanted the spot or did not like the wave. He never said but he yelled at us and lightly struck the window. I have a friend who knows a policeman and we ran the license plate of the imported sports car. It was owned by a Military General. The driver could be the son or young male relative.

I know a Thai guy who had an altercation and a week later found his tires slashed. Another had a windscreen smashed.

It is always a good idea to drive defensively and let others pass as they want to do. Not worth being right.

The difference in mentality can be explained:

Westerners drive thinking "I am not going to hit you."

Thais drive thinking "You are not going to hit me."

If you keep this in mind it is possible to navigate the more safely than otherwise.

Some good advice is to remember that if someone out there on the highway pi$$es you of and you start to give chase or cut them up they are dictating how you drive not how you want to drive. The way you are now driving is not how you would like to drive. Not easy for me to apply I am sorry to say as I get annoyed with their bloody awful driving as there are 2 sets of lights between my soi and T/Lotus.

Oh just a thought, only geeks, nerds and dweebs seem to wear bins when driving ,( non ferlung that is ) so what about those that can't afford glasses , drive at night half drunk ,can't see and have no lights , no insurance and no idea ?

[xerostar]

What annoys me is when you're on a two lane carriageway doing 110/120 in the right lane just before entering a long uphill climb when a heavy tanker driver decides to overtake "farmer brown" in his old pickup doing 60. The tanker driver just changes into your lane doing 80 then slows to 60 trying to get up the hill.

No amount of beeping helps. As soon as you try to overtake on the inside he decides to move back to the left lane.

Worse still when you get a convoy of heavies going up the hill and one decides he can overtake by accelerating to 65. You join the long queue of impatient tail gating drivers in the right lane.

At any minute some idiot on a samlaw will pull out from a soi without looking, the tankers pull to the right to avoid him and all the drivers in the right lane have to hit the brakes real hard to avoid a multiple pile-up.

I was in queue of cars sitting on 110 when all the cars in front of me started braking heavily.

I was driving a Toyota pickup, I didn't hit the guy in front but the guy behind wasn't paying attention and after a few seconds of screeching tyres ran up my backside and wrote off the front of his Isuzu. The back of my pickup bumper was slightly bent.

The reason for the right lane slowing down suddenly?

Major roadworks up ahead, road narrowed to one lane on the left, no warning signs indicating the roadworks up ahead !.

So the situation continued. We saw plenty of chalk marks in that lane when we passed by a few days later.

Chalk marks are supposed to make everyone feel better because the crime scene is being scientifically analysed.

But the bib knows there will be no investigation and the insurance company will deny any liability.

The main thing is it gives him something to do to make him look important.

So after "an accident" (crash) make sure you call the bib to get your obligatory chalk marks down on the road !

[Pinot]

Just returned from a few weeks in Vietnam where the horn is in constant use in normal driving. Approaching an intersection, you start honking the horn midway through the block, keeping the horn blaring through the intersection. I saw no aggressiveness with the horn. It's just in constant use to let everyone there know you're there. As an American, now Thai expat, it's very unnerving to drive like this but like everything else in Asia you have to adapt.

[DLang]

the use of a car horn and why it seems not to be acceptable to some people and seen as rude, provocative or downright offensive and confrontational in some circumstances.

Only to delicate little egotistical primadonnas that cannot accept any sort of perceived criticism and can explode in uncontrollable rage at the flick of a switch over some perceived challenge to their place as the perfect center of the universe.

So yes, best not to use it around Thais.

[DLang]

Flashing lights and beeping horn, likely to get you shot in Thailand.

Newbies mistake the lack of light flashing and horn beeping as politeness and patience.

It isn't. It's because they know the other Thais might well shoot them dead if they did either of them.

Thainess.

[Asheron]

The horn is infrequently used here. Certainly compared to India where all trucks carry a sign "Horn please". As a generalization most people hate being beeped at - it startles and it seems to indicate that they made a mistake and we know how people enjoy being told they are doing something wrong. Appears you were right to use the horn. Certainly seems you did so with someone that either has a screw loose or was on edge in a major way. At least there is less of a chance here of being shot by an irate motorist than back in the US

Don't know who you are talking about in general but i don't know anyone (non-thai that is) getting upset if someone honks at them when they did something wrong or maybe didn't pay attention that it had been green for 10 seconds.

[Asheron]

Another "fascination" thing with traffic in Thailand is that not a single thai person EVER give way. A classic example is when two roads merge to one. The normal civilized thing to do in such a situation is that the drivers alternate merging to the road by doing something like this: car A on road X, car 1 on road Z, car B on road X, car 2 on road Z.

If someone says "yeah, i have experience such nice civil way of merging into one road in Thailand" then they either dreamt it or are lying.

[goreme]

My wife uses the horn like a crazy woman and I love her for it. She really goes mental at idiot drivers sometimes pushing it for 30 seconds or more. If I'm driving and someone does something stupid she makes a video of it with her phone and post it on line. I think it's partly because I taught her to drive with all the proper rules and courtesies we learn in the UK. That and she has a really short fuse.

That's pretty laughable given the number of road rage incidents posted to Youtube from the UK, which is probably only the tip of the iceburg.

[DLang]

Another "fascination" thing with traffic in Thailand is that not a single thai person EVER give way. A classic example is when two roads merge to one. The normal civilized thing to do in such a situation is that the drivers alternate merging to the road by doing something like this: car A on road X, car 1 on road Z, car B on road X, car 2 on road Z.

Yup.

And when someone does pull in, the other person purposefully goes out of their way to pull up as close as possible in order to make it difficult for them!

What a people!

[Tonto21]

In my own experience, Thais in general don't like to be 'horned' or 'biped' at ..... I think it all stems back to the saving face thing....... This happened to me.....I was driving along, in Chiangmai with my wife a few years ago, some bloke decides he wants to cross without looking, I brake....hard and hit the horn at the same time, (I was going for the combo approach, I stop before hitting him, or he hears my horn and jumps clear........ hopfully a little from column a and b!

Anyway on him obviously hearing my horn and tyre squeal he turns towards me like a Thai Ninja and does his best impression of startled water buffalo....... and just stood there......I managed to stop an inch, or there about from him, (horn still giving it some) I stopped...horn stopped...... People around stopped. The guy then looked around and saw everyone looking he then got angry and started gobbing off at me, after first stepping to the side of the pick-up, (maybe so I wouldn't finish him off).....

Long story short I contained myself from getting out the pick up and snotting this little maggot. I drove off. It was then about a minute that my wife made a 'tut tut' sound.......... I said ...."You are joking right?" She then says to me, "that is very rude in Thailand to use the horn like that" 55555555555.......This from a woman who is educated, (please don't read in to that) She's just not stupid, if you understand what I'm saying.

I have told this story now and then to people who don't live in Thailand, they laugh, but can't get there head around it!

I learnt a lot of things since living in Thailand....... from that experience it was don't show anyone up, by 'beeping your horn' most Thais prefer a physical death as opposed to a social one.

[thhMan]

Sad thing is they dont know what the horn is used for

They also dont know how to use a roundabout

They also dont know that they can turn a steering wheel quite a lot, so instead move to the right lane, to turn left

They have no idea the purpose of an indicator

They have no idea of what a "safe breaking distance" is

They dont know what the basic road rules are....

Now that I have mentioned the Police, let me tell you what the Public dont know about road rules.............................

[dodojero]

Buy a BIGGER CAR (eg. Fortuner, Pajero etc ). Get the car in black color with black tinted windows ( mafia style ) and no one will bother or chase you anymore when you use your horn or change lane, etc. Even the police won't check your car that much. They suspect that someone "important" is the owner.

[wowfactor10]

Honking it is not really done especially if u are a farang and the other person is a Thai.My advice is better too just crash into the other vehicle..then you make some wais and off u go..

[DLang]

How would a spoilt, angry, armed, 5 yr old child, who considers themselves as the center of the universe and on par with a deity, react to being beeped at in the playground?

that's why Thais don't beep each other.

Unless they know that they have a bigger gun.

[Patmalone]

The real reason could be that they think it uses the battery,same as with turn signals,

regards worgeordie

Funnily enough, I attribute that to the reason a lot of Thai drivers wait till it is almost pitch black before turning on their headlights.

Maybe they should be taught what an alternator is.

I have been told if you turn your lights on it attracts the spirits, and not the drinking kind.

[paulchiangmai]

I don't know which country you are from but I would contest that British drivers are by default " Better " drivers than the Thai's. I used to drive around 1000 /1100 Miles a week in the UK. It was very stressful and I hated it but it was part of my job. I'm now back in the UK and things haven't changed any since then. Give me Thailand any day. You mention Thai's can't parallel park but the vast majority of British drivers can't either and their attitude on the road goes from the majority driving at 25 MPH or under as they are fearful of getting a speeding ticket to the arrogant bullies that think they own the road and have one hand attached to the horn at all times and if you ever venture onto a motorcycle here you do so at your peril.

I took my nephews R1 for a spin the other weekend and it was scary. In the UK drivers just don't see or expect motorcycles to be on the road. Again give me Thailand any day for a nice ride on a Bike.

I can't wait to get back to the Thai driving again. It can't come quick enough for me

Who are you trying to kid? Do a poll and see if you can find one in a thousand who agree with you. Time to give up the drink when you spouse such drivel.

[paulchiangmai]

The real reason could be that they think it uses the battery,same as with turn signals,

regards worgeordie

Funnily enough, I attribute that to the reason a lot of Thai drivers wait till it is almost pitch black before turning on their headlights.

Maybe they should be taught what an alternator is.

Finally, somebody said it! An alternator. There must be more than "worgeordie, RustBucket and myself" who understand that the use of horns and lights will not harm or shorten the life of your car battery.

And great that you escaped that potential road rage incident.

But what about the additional petrol you use?

[onionluke]

I use a little peep peep , like Thomas the tank engine , when I am getting close to slow moving traffic , farm vehicles and so on . I always slow down and try to keep good distance when passing on country roads. When I drive on the highway or roads with lorries I give a slow flash of the headlamps when a lorrie has passed me suficiently and sometimes the lorries flash back to say " hi ,thanks " .

[nifty11]

Horns are only for tooting when you drive pass a Buddha statue.