Government to install Chinese road signs to reduce accidents in Northern Thailand

BANGKOK: -- With the recent boom numbers of Chinese visiting Thailand a boom in Chinese involvement in road accidents has closely followed. In order to counteract this, the government is set to install Chinese road signs.

The Tourism Department and the Transport Ministry will install direction signs in Chinese next year in a bid to reduce the number of accidents caused by tourists travelling from China to Thailand especially around Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai is becoming one of the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists with many arriving by car via route R3A through the Chiang Khong checkpoint in Chiang Rai. However with a lack of understanding of local traffic laws and directions the boom in tourism caused a boom in traffic accidents.

In March 2015 a speeding Chinese tourist killed a motorcyclist in Chiang Rai, the car he was driving had been driven from China.


-- Samui Times 2015-07-01

If they add more signs in Thai will that reduce Thai accidents?

Peaceful Chiang Mai is a thing of the past. Chinese drivers are notorious. Putting up Chinese road signs will only encourage more cars from China. Thai government should perhaps try to help retain Chiang mai's peaceful and serene environment. One of the ways is to restrict the number of cars traveling from China.

Only will work if they say "U turn, go back home"

Peaceful Chiang Mai is a thing of the past. Chinese drivers are notorious. Putting up Chinese road signs will only encourage more cars from China. Thai government should perhaps try to help retain Chiang mai's peaceful and serene environment. One of the ways is to restrict the number of cars traveling from China.

Are they driving around insured? If so, insured with what? A Chinese policy? Yeah right....

It would be a start if the Thai signs prevented carnage on the roads.

Don't think the Chinese will believe in paying extra for insurance.

Yep, assimilation has begun! Resistance is futile, krap!

Nice start. Next, force the Northern Thailand to speak Chinese. Gotta give it to them, the Chinese know how to infiltrate and conquer. Must be 'em Genghis genes.

Teach them to drive a car first!

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This one will create massive confusion ...

Ok, so the Chinese are to blame for the rampage on Thai roads, and not the excellent Thai drivers of course.

Are Thais (and other foreigners) allowed to drive in China?

If the answer is no, then no need for Chinese signs on Thai roads.

In March 2015 a speeding Chinese tourist killed a motorcyclist in Chiang Rai, the car he was driving had been driven from China.

This could have been avoided if the sign with the maximum speed also had a Chinese translation...

I must be the only one here who thinks this is a good idea.

.....road signs are supposed to be international last I checked....

Please don't forget the signs giving direction to the toilets "reserved" for Chinese.

I suggest Thai authorities set up a Drive Through at the Chiang Khong checkpoint.

All (Chinese) drivers to be handed a leaflet describing Thai signs in Chinese/English/Thai, with a few fundamental reminders (drive on the left in Thailand, do not cross double solid lines, emergency phone numbers, no queue jumping/cutting in, etc). Cost = 0.10 Baht per leaflet.

What???!

It is as if Europe started putting road signs in arabic

thais really dont see the bigger picture of things. They really dont have a clue

Hmm...I'd love to get the contract for all those new signs.

Peaceful Chiang Mai is a thing of the past. Chinese drivers are notorious. Putting up Chinese road signs will only encourage more cars from China. Thai government should perhaps try to help retain Chiang mai's peaceful and serene environment. One of the ways is to restrict the number of cars traveling from China.

Road traffic signs are the same in China as in ASEAN countries.

Most tourists seem to be on foot, but insist on walking with their backs to the traffic. YES, they should walk on the left in China, Europe, USA, but most traffic here is on the left.

If only there was some kind of system that could be employed to check on the suitability of a person to drive internationally to a common standard.

Not sure how it could work but maybe like a kind of test?

I don't think the Chinese give a shit.

This is a problem that is about to disappear. Soon, very few Chinese will be able to afford to drive to Thailand. Their stock market bubble has just burst and is deflating at a record pace, despite the government's attempts to fix prices. The overall economy, already mired in fake deals, ghost cities, and substandard public projects is next. Chinese bubbles bursting everywhere. Thailand bet on the wrong horse.

Would they be "wong, wai", "now you turn", "sto at red lie", "mer ging lay come soon"

yeah its other people that cause all the road-kills in Thailand, definately not the thais ....

Chinese and Thais, both equally bad drivers. I fail to see how adding Chinese to road signs

will improve the driving skills of either Chinese or Thais.

Nice start. Next, force the Northern Thailand to speak Chinese. Gotta give it to them, the Chinese know how to infiltrate and conquer. Must be 'em Genghis genes.

There's 1.3 billion people in China, and about 65 million in Thailand. If you relax travel restrictions, and have more freedom of movement of people, and because China is closer to Thailand than what most people think, well, it's not surprising that Thailand will resemble China more and more.

The Chinese are already in Thailand, look at the Thais themselves. About a third of them look the same as the Chinese, that's because they are Chinese.

Fun with Chinese signs