Bangkok police hunt Porsche driver who drives the wrong way at Asoke (VIDEO)

[robblok]

Rich people think that they can do whatever they want. Someone needs to give them a real hard lesson.

And the non-rich never do anything wrong?

True, but the rich more so (at least here)

Maybe the motorcycle riders in the video who did the same as the Porsche driver are also rich.

Actually I know lots of rich people ... mostly Americans, some Europeans, and a few Thais ... and they don't "think that they can do whatever they want."

If you equate what a m/c driver does to what the car driver does those are totally different things. I hate m/c drivers doing it but they take up only a fraction of the space, driving a car against traffic is something totally different.

They are not even in the same level of nuisance once m/c drivers start driving in rows of 3 against traffic ill agree with you.

Both are wrong. but what that car does is far more wrong.

*edit*

Yes your edition is exactly what i was getting at so we agree about that and of course its not every rich guy a western rich guy does not have the same connections as a Thai rich guy and can't get away with the same stuff.

Edited August 28, 2015 by robblok

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

not much of a shock for a country that paints bicycle lanes on the sidewalk. Only in Thailand.

[cracker1]

I notice two motor cycles following the Porsche and hope the police will round up those cowboys also, but don't think so ?

[2fishin2]

I notice two motor cycles following the Porsche and hope the police will round up those cowboys also, but don't think so ?

There were more bikes going wrong way before that....

[TEFLKrabi]

I see people doing this every day. The BIB should be working on the Erawan bombing case and stepping up security measures, not responding to some stupid netizens who have only uncovered a common everyday flaunting of the traffic laws.

So you want every single Policeman in BKK to work on the one case? Maybe that's overkill just a little, don't you think?

[tuanku]

Are they also hunting down the 3 motorcycle riders clearly seen doing the same thing???

While not offering an excuse for them, performing 2 u-turns on a small bike in heavy traffic on a multiple lane road is considerably more hazardous for all concerned than driving a few hundred metres the wrong way. especially as most Bangkok drivers are prepared for this and will make allowances. This doesn't apply to cars though.

The u-turn is the most dangerous aspect of driving in Thailand. I saw an article a year or two back identifying the sites with the most traffic accident kills in Thailand and as I remember the top ten were all u-turns on busy highways. [The response to that was to seal them off with concrete barriers, thus making the distance to the text turn longer and increasing the number of vehicles doing the contra-flow thing.]

[tuanku]

If you are criticising the motorbike drivers, consider this;

If they do the legal thing, then they cut across at least 2 lanes of sometimes fast moving traffic, possibly without looking in their mirror, possibly without signalling, possibly carrying a baby or small child in the arms of the passenger - certainly some of them will do it recklessly. If you knock them over it's likely your "fault" If you have to brake or swerve suddenly to avoid them, the chances are another car will pile into you from behind or you will cause an accident. Then they have to complete their u-turn which means blocking up the space for cars until they get a gap that lets them get to safety on the far side of the road. And they have to do this twice in order to get a few hundred metres in the wrong direction.

Alternatively they can do exactly what is expected of them and creep down the wrong side at slow speeds where oncoming traffic can see them and avoid them. If there is an accident it is THEIR fault because they are breaking the law. Also the slow speeds minimise the consequences of any accident that might occur plus they have the option of falling to the pavement and not into the path of your car or a bus which might easily happen if they were caught between 2 lanes crossing to the u-turn.

As a motorbike driver I know how hard it is to safely perform a right turn on a divided road legally by multiple u-turns. As a car driver, give me the wrong way bikes in the left hand lane any time over the same bikes trying to commit u-turns. I want them where I can see them and avoid them, not trying to cut across my front bumper in the outside lane!

[Benmart]

When the police, public transport services, Hi-So, Lo-So and others, ignore, flaunt and otherwise scofflaw the rule of law, chaos is the result. People are injured, killed and life goes on as if nothing extraordinary has happened.

[piewarmer]

Why not just make it legal for motorbikes to go the wrong way.

[JAG]

Rich people think that they can do whatever they want. Someone needs to give them a real hard lesson.

Taxi;s also do whatever they want but yesterday i saw one with a wheelclamp, the first one i ever saw in BKK.

Probably just started his shift, and didn't have B200 on him when he was pulled over. Edited August 28, 2015 by JAG

[taony]

Build a real road system and this doesn't happen.

Has nothing to do with the road system. Has everything to do with disregard for traffic laws.

As so, if he could come out to the big street, drive 100m , wait for 60 seconds or less at a light (like in any normal country in a big city) and then make a turn instead of driving how many km in traffic making two dangerous u-turns, he would still opt to drive the wrong way right?

[alanrchase]

Build a real road system and this doesn't happen.

Has nothing to do with the road system. Has everything to do with disregard for traffic laws.

As so, if he could come out to the big street, drive 100m , wait for 60 seconds or less at a light (like in any normal country in a big city) and then make a turn instead of driving how many km in traffic making two dangerous u-turns, he would still opt to drive the wrong way right?

I must have never been to a normal country.

[taony]

If you think this is normal, then i believe it.

[alanrchase]

If you think this is normal, then i believe it.

There are better and there are worse. Does not give people the right to endanger others to save a bit of time. The amount of time he took making his mind up what to do would have been better spent obeying the law.

[oldsailor35]

Are they also hunting down the 3 motorcycle riders clearly seen doing the same thing???

When you are a more experienced driver in Thailand. You will know that M/Cy drivers are excused from traffic regulations, so there !

[richard_smith237]

I'm not sure its irrelevant what car she is in, it leads to many posters jumping to the Hi-So entitlement argument when in reality, motorbikes, Tuk Tuks, pickup, taxis, food carts etc are all guilty of similar socially careless actions....

The issue of driving carelessly, dangerously, breaking the most basic and simple of rules and taking advantage of the lack of law enforcement is not the sole realm of the wealthy, it is simply the actions of the self-centered and ignorant whatever their socio-economic background.

This issue of the Lady in Porsche Cayenne was brought up on Panthip last week - Each and every morning the same car (apparently with a lady driver) is witnessed driving the wrong way down Asoke Road from Soi 16 to the Asoke-Sukhumvit junction.

This apparently occurs with such regularity that someone in an overlooking Condo (across the rd) was able to readily predict and record this.

It would be easy for the BiB to catch this lady.... However, in 1 hr the BiB can extort more money from a number of motorbikes riders, they are perhaps not interested in the minimal traffic fine (of B1000) that this traffic violation would amount to.

[jmacken306]

Well Porsche is such a common car it should be difficult for the BIB to trace it and I'll bet they don't start in Soi 16.

Can't be any worse than the scooters going the wrong way, just more damage if you hit the car rather than the scooter, but the scooter drive may get killed!!!!!

[jmacken306]

Well Porsche is such a common car it should be difficult for the BIB to trace it and I'll bet they don't start in Soi 16.

Can't be any worse than the scooters going the wrong way, just more damage if you hit the car rather than the scooter, but the scooter driver may get killed!!!!!

Edited August 28, 2015 by jmacken306

[Asiantravel]

I'm not sure its irrelevant what car she is in, it leads to many posters jumping to the Hi-So entitlement argument when in reality, motorbikes, Tuk Tuks, pickup, taxis, food carts etc are all guilty of similar socially careless actions....

The issue of driving carelessly, dangerously, breaking the most basic and simple of rules and taking advantage of the lack of law enforcement is not the sole realm of the wealthy, it is simply the actions of the self-centered and ignorant whatever their socio-economic background.

This issue of the Lady in Porsche Cayenne was brought up on Panthip last week - Each and every morning the same car (apparently with a lady driver) is witnessed driving the wrong way down Asoke Road from Soi 16 to the Asoke-Sukhumvit junction.

This apparently occurs with such regularity that someone in an overlooking Condo (across the rd) was able to readily predict and record this.

It would be easy for the BiB to catch this lady.... However, in 1 hr the BiB can extort more money from a number of motorbikes riders, they are perhaps not interested in the minimal traffic fine (of B1000) that this traffic violation would amount to.

yeah well rumour has it that the policeman on the motorbike who also goes the wrong way offered to " escort " her for 200 baht ( in his pocket )

[thailandforumaddict]

BLABLABLA of a poor...

Rich people think that they can do whatever they want. Someone needs to give them a real hard lesson.

[MaxYakov]

It wasn't to avoid u-turns, that's nuts- it was to jump the traffic queue, which is more than acceptable in Thailand!

That wasn't it altogether, either. It's to avoid a long and multi-kilometer circuitous route to legally get to the Exchange Tower entrance from Sukhumvit Soi 16. The legal way is to go the other direction on Soi 16 and use the back sois to get to either Soi 20 or Soi 22 (I agree that their are often queues at these two) and then turn left on to Sukhumvit west-bound, taking the Rachada Phisek south-bound merge lane which is only maybe 20 meters from the Exchange Tower entrance.

I traverse the Soi 16/Rachada Phisek required left turn many times a day and have never seen anything larger than a motorbike go opposed-traffic there except for a car the other day that mistakenly entered Soi 16 and decided to back up all the way to the exchange tower curb - effectively doing what the Porsche did, except doing it in reverse gear!

This is an extremely dangerous congestion/merge point because there's not a dedicated, separate merge lane for the Soi 16 traffic. I saw the results of a bad rear-end collision there just today. Apparently a Mercedes hit what was probably a double-parked pickup truck at what looked to be full-speed.

Of course the motorbikes go opposed-traffic there hundreds if not thousands of times a day - some of them going all the way down to the Sukhumvit intersection to circumvent the light and go east-bound on Sukhumvit.

We all understand that motorbikes operate under a separate and distinct set of traffic laws in Thailand, don't we.

Edited August 28, 2015 by MaxYakov

[cookee68]

Thats just the norm in Thailand, and if you look there was countless motorbikes went up the same road too, why arn't the BIB looking for them too

[Taco]

I just lost 2 minutes of my life. That was the most boring video I have ever seen.

[Skeptic7]

This is really "Not News". Happens all the time. One-Way streets mean nothing. Footpaths/sidewalks mean nothing. The Rules Of The Road...THERE ARE NO RULES!

Edited August 28, 2015 by Skeptic7

[taony]

It wasn't to avoid u-turns, that's nuts- it was to jump the traffic queue, which is more than acceptable in Thailand!

That wasn't it altogether, either. It's to avoid a long and multi-kilometer circuitous route to legally get to the Exchange Tower entrance from Sukhumvit Soi 16. The legal way is to go the other direction on Soi 16 and use the back sois to get to either Soi 20 or Soi 22 (I agree that their are often queues at these two) and then turn left on to Sukhumvit west-bound, taking the Rachada Phisek south-bound merge lane which is only maybe 20 meters from the Exchange Tower entrance.

I traverse the Soi 16/Rachada Phisek required left turn many times a day and have never seen anything larger than a motorbike go opposed-traffic there except for a car the other day that mistakenly entered Soi 16 and decided to back up all the way to the exchange tower curb - effectively doing what the Porsche did, except doing it in reverse gear!

This is an extremely dangerous congestion/merge point because there's not a dedicated, separate merge lane for the Soi 16 traffic. I saw the results of a bad rear-end collision there just today. Apparently a Mercedes hit what was probably a double-parked pickup truck at what looked to be full-speed.

Of course the motorbikes go opposed-traffic there hundreds if not thousands of times a day - some of them going all the way down to the Sukhumvit intersection to circumvent the light and go east-bound on Sukhumvit.

We all understand that motorbikes operate under a separate and distinct set of traffic laws in Thailand, don't we.

You are completely right.

Its jusy the last sentence i see a little differently. If the situation you describe didn't exist, all over the damn place, i doubt many motorcycles would be violating traffic regulations if their was a viable alternative . I said in threads before, cars would be doing it just often if they could. (Drive on sidewalks etc.)

I ride my bike to work everyday. I dont care about the motorcycles riding the wrong way, they disappear back to the correct side when they need to. But the cars don't. They ride the wrong way all the time, especially when there is a green light up ahead and they want to turn.. much of the time there is a cop telling them to do it. Oftentimes, they just take it upon themselves to do. Its dangerous as hell and sad that the only way to get cars through the intersection in time is to let them ride the wrong way.

i think much of the situation is created by the road plan. And blaming the public for all the ills, even though they are not responsible for the plan, is par for the course - blame someone else.

[MaxYakov]

It wasn't to avoid u-turns, that's nuts- it was to jump the traffic queue, which is more than acceptable in Thailand!

That wasn't it altogether, either. It's to avoid a long and multi-kilometer circuitous route to legally get to the Exchange Tower entrance from Sukhumvit Soi 16. The legal way is to go the other direction on Soi 16 and use the back sois to get to either Soi 20 or Soi 22 (I agree that their are often queues at these two) and then turn left on to Sukhumvit west-bound, taking the Rachada Phisek south-bound merge lane which is only maybe 20 meters from the Exchange Tower entrance.

I traverse the Soi 16/Rachada Phisek required left turn many times a day and have never seen anything larger than a motorbike go opposed-traffic there except for a car the other day that mistakenly entered Soi 16 and decided to back up all the way to the exchange tower curb - effectively doing what the Porsche did, except doing it in reverse gear!

This is an extremely dangerous congestion/merge point because there's not a dedicated, separate merge lane for the Soi 16 traffic. I saw the results of a bad rear-end collision there just today. Apparently a Mercedes hit what was probably a double-parked pickup truck at what looked to be full-speed.

Of course the motorbikes go opposed-traffic there hundreds if not thousands of times a day - some of them going all the way down to the Sukhumvit intersection to circumvent the light and go east-bound on Sukhumvit.

We all understand that motorbikes operate under a separate and distinct set of traffic laws in Thailand, don't we.

You are completely right.

Its jusy the last sentence i see a little differently. If the situation you describe didn't exist, all over the damn place, i doubt many motorcycles would be violating traffic regulations if their was a viable alternative . I said in threads before, cars would be doing it just often if they could. (Drive on sidewalks etc.)

I ride my bike to work everyday. I dont care about the motorcycles riding the wrong way, they disappear back to the correct side when they need to. But the cars don't. They ride the wrong way all the time, especially when there is a green light up ahead and they want to turn.. much of the time there is a cop telling them to do it. Oftentimes, they just take it upon themselves to do. Its dangerous as hell and sad that the only way to get cars through the intersection in time is to let them ride the wrong way.

i think much of the situation is created by the road plan. And blaming the public for all the ills, even though they are not responsible for the plan, is par for the course - blame someone else.

Yes. I should have added "generally". The motorbikes are much more capable of "creative driving" than are the cars due to their very nature and, probably, the mindset of the operator as well.

I'm out all the time also and in my observations, cars are more likely to perform "creative parking" than they are "creative driving" of the motorbike style. They would probably be doing what the motorbikes do if it were physically possible and sometimes it is.

Yeah, I agree with one poster - slow news day.

[Maestro]

Well Porsche is such a common car it should be difficult for the BIB to trace it and I'll bet they don't start in Soi 16.

It should not be difficult, more so since the licence plate and the driver are clearly visible on the image of this 300,000 Baht camera, or isn't it?

[Lobber]

Build a real road system and this doesn't happen.

Has nothing to do with the road system. Has everything to do with disregard for traffic laws.

Just an ignorant w4nk3r

[sammygood]

if motosai can do it, why not car

lol

[takkatan in the land]

police hunt.... that's the news because everyday a lots of brainless thais drive the wrong way and police do nothing

like those motorbike taxi drivers who ride their motorbikes by the sidewalks anytime