who would be the worst drivers in los

[tagalong]

A 5 year old would know.....ALL THAIS!

[dotpoom]

My wife laughs every time we come across an "outside lane hugger" (one of my pet irritations) and I ask her ....."Can you see the Chanote?"...At first she didn't know what I meant so I explained that he must have bought the Soi recently and has the Chanote stuck on one of his windows.

[georgemandm]

no question. many thai drivers lack basic driving skills. no proper education results in no proper skills.

but living with that is part of living here, part of the freedom we enjoy. it goes both ways.

i just love driving up here in issan, no red light cameras, no speed traps, no booze bus.

if i wanted to live and drive by 'western rules' - why would i have left?

have you ever driven a car in germany? try and get back to me after.

Sorry to say are you stupid , you trying to tell me it is ok to drive like a f??k wit in issan sorry you are so wrong .

Just look at how many get kill in thailand on the roads and you think you can go to thailand and drive like a dick head you sorry need to see a doctor .

I am a very good driver and I would not drive like a f??k wit in thailand, I respect the roads and thailand and try and drive like I do back home in Australia safely.

[Emster23]

no, sorry, i would rather be dead than bored.

as i wrote before, life - for me - is about living. at top speed, all the time. as if there is no tomorrow.

if i can not burn the candle at all three ends...

i love living here.

Fine, live as you will but don't put others in your self absorbed flames who just might prefer being alive. Go drive like a maniac drunk on a closed course, but when you are on public roads, pretend you are a responsible adult. Takes practice, but can be done.

[NoshowJones]

Americans

I found Americans to be the most courteous drivers, so I just joined them and was courteous back.

[smotherb]

Americans

That's understandable, we are always right; therefore you should always make way and wait.

[smotherb]

My wife laughs every time we come across an "outside lane hugger" (one of my pet irritations) and I ask her ....."Can you see the Chanote?"...At first she didn't know what I meant so I explained that he must have bought the Soi recently and has the Chanote stuck on one of his windows.

Yeah, I can see why your wife had no idea to what you referred; even with your explanation it makes little sense.

[bazza40]

no, sorry, i would rather be dead than bored.

as i wrote before, life - for me - is about living. at top speed, all the time. as if there is no tomorrow.

if i can not burn the candle at all three ends...

i love living here.

That's fine,as long as you don't take anyone with you. They may not appreciate your attitudes when it affects them directly.

[giddyup]

Give me a Thai who knows very little against an arrogant Farang who thinks he is the best driver since Juan Manual Fangio or Michael Schumacher

Give me someone who actually makes sense and doesn't have his head buried in the sand.

[JohanB]

From my experance of 10 years driving in Thailand, I have noted some major important differences about traffic behavior and the many motorcycles on the roads.

A) At left turn, watch out for motorcycles passing on the inside. If possible block their way by holding tight to the left before turning

Never stop for pedestrians if not light regulated. Even at zebra crossings the risk is that a passing car will hit them if you stop.

C) Dont regulary obey STOP signs. If there are no crossing traffic nobody obey them. Great risk of being hit from behind by a driver not expecting you to stop.

D) Right turn on country roads, never stop in th middle of the road and wait for oncoming traffic. You'll be hit from behind! Hold to the left and wait for free crossing of the opposite lane.

E) Blinking headlights means " GET OUT OF MY WAY" , not that they see you and will let you pass as in European traffic.

F) Most tourist buses drive constantly in the left fast lane on motorways. Carefully pass them on the inside, instead of trying to blink them out of your way.

Please continue with G...H.....etc if you have more experenced differences of Thai Vs Farang traffic, so we can have a list of Thai unwritten traffic laws.....

The statistic of traffic deaths is quite missleading compared to Europe, as 85% of the killed are motorcycles involved accidents.

There are many times more MC's in Thailand than in any comparable European country.

Johan

Edited May 14, 2016 by JohanB

[HasipHasip5]

Obviously, anyone driving a benz.

[JohanB]

From my experance of 10 years driving in Thailand, I have noted some major important differences about traffic behavior and the many motorcycles on the roads.

A) At left turn, watch out for motorcycles passing on the inside. If possible block their way by holding tight to the left before turning

Never stop for pedestrians if not light regulated. Even at zebra crossings the risk is that a passing car will hit them if you stop.

C) Dont regulary obey STOP signs. If there are no crossing traffic nobody obey them. Great risk of being hit from behind by a driver not expecting you to stop.

D) Right turn on country roads, never stop in th middle of the road and wait for oncoming traffic. You'll be hit from behind! Hold to the left and wait for free crossing of the opposite lane.

E) Blinking headlights means " GET OUT OF MY WAY" , not that they see you and will let you pass as in European traffic.

F) Most tourist buses drive constantly in the left fast lane on motorways. Carefully pass them on the inside, instead of trying to blink them out of your way.

Please continue with G...H.....etc if you have more experenced differences of Thai Vs Farang traffic, so we can have a list of Thai unwritten traffic laws.....

The statistic of traffic deaths is quite missleading compared to Europe, as 85% of the killed are motorcycles involved accidents.

There are many times more MC's in Thailand than in any comparable European country.

Johan

Edit at F) Should be 'right fast lane' instead of left fast lane

[1BADDAT]

There are bad drivers all over the world but the Thais sure have a unique driving style I have never seen anywhere else. They seem to lack spatial awareness. I don't know if they have bad depth perception or what but they will go into oncoming traffic to avoid a parked car by 1-2 meters. They seem to be trained to drive race cars as they Clip every apex.

Really funny that the apologists think farangs who have been trained properly how to drive are somehow less able to drive safely here.

[thai3]

The only driver worse than a Thai is a drunken Thai

[wprime]

BKK drivers drive like they're the king of the road, ban nok drivers drive like they're the only ones on the road. I prefer the BKK ones, they're more predictable.

[thehelmsman]

no question. many thai drivers lack basic driving skills. no proper education results in no proper skills.

but living with that is part of living here, part of the freedom we enjoy. it goes both ways.

i just love driving up here in issan, no red light cameras, no speed traps, no booze bus.

if i wanted to live and drive by 'western rules' - why would i have left?

have you ever driven a car in germany? try and get back to me after.

An education has nothing what soever to do with driving skills. In Issan where I am red light cameras are common, as are speed traps with radar 2 Km from stop point. Flashing headlights are used to warn oncoming traffic.

For the Americans driving on wrong side of road is first thing to get used to, hit the blinkers and wipers come on. Your motor memory skills have to be readjusted.

[bermondburi]

no question. many thai drivers lack basic driving skills. no proper education results in no proper skills.

but living with that is part of living here, part of the freedom we enjoy. it goes both ways.

i just love driving up here in issan, no red light cameras, no speed traps, no booze bus.

if i wanted to live and drive by 'western rules' - why would i have left?

have you ever driven a car in germany? try and get back to me after.

An education has nothing what soever to do with driving skills. In Issan where I am red light cameras are common, as are speed traps with radar 2 Km from stop point. Flashing headlights are used to warn oncoming traffic.

For the Americans driving on wrong side of road is first thing to get used to, hit the blinkers and wipers come on. Your motor memory skills have to be readjusted.

Driving on a different side of the road, is what I think you meant for the mericans.

[Roomuck]

Brits

[kannot]

My wife laughs every time we come across an "outside lane hugger" (one of my pet irritations) and I ask her ....."Can you see the Chanote?"...At first she didn't know what I meant so I explained that he must have bought the Soi recently and has the Chanote stuck on one of his windows.

Yeah, I can see why your wife had no idea to what you referred; even with your explanation it makes little sense.

Makes sense to me " he owns the road"

[Roomuck]

The OP is a troll. He purposely posted something on a guaranteed "controversial topic" in the hopes of getting all you yahoos arguing with each other, and you didn't disappoint him.

Another one. How many user names does this one have?

Interesting that another website exposed this happening before on Thaivisa and they haven't posted again since.

Outed.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Roomuck

[soc]

Americans

I found Americans to be the most courteous drivers, so I just joined them and was courteous back.

l drove grain trucks in the US(Nebraska)& l found Americans to be far more courteous drivers than back in Australia.

There are some dkhds on the road in Australia. l don't like driving in the city there now.

Thais, ah yes, Thais. what can you say? just surprised that there are not more accidents.

Try driving in lndonesia!

Out shopping with my brother's lndo girlfriend.

Came to a crossroads where all 4 roads had red lights, but about to change for the road across in front of me.

l stopped as the light was red, not amber.

Cars overtaking me on both sides, furious honking behind me, and a petite 5' lndogirl screaming "go go go go"!

Have you ever tried to deliberately drive through a red light?

lts a psychological barrier to overcome.

So l had to.

Then l had motorbikes overtaking on both sides, then cutting in in front of me.l was just waiting for two of them to collide! But that never happened.

And the motorcyclists wear ridiculous little plastic helmets.

Keeps their hair out of the wind, l suppose!

[nev]

Thai van drivers, they think they own the road, have no respect for orher drivers.

And if you get in there way they will tailgate you and force you out of their way.

[simon43]

Elderly Sikhs, (oh sorry! that's in the UK)

[Farang99]

The most dangerous drivers on Thai roads? Anyone on the road is likely to be a danger to you. You have to drive defensively at all times and everywhere.

[Keesters]

no question. many thai drivers lack basic driving skills. no proper education results in no proper skills.

but living with that is part of living here, part of the freedom we enjoy. it goes both ways.

i just love driving up here in issan, no red light cameras, no speed traps, no booze bus.

if i wanted to live and drive by 'western rules' - why would i have left?

have you ever driven a car in germany? try and get back to me after.

So does that mean you go thru red lights,speed and drink ?

And yes I have driven in Germany for a number of years

and just came back from holidays i's safer then anywhere

in Thailand including Issan

safer equates to boring.

the regulated driving in germany creates aggression and frustration. it makes germans run you over with their shopping trolleys in the supermarket instead.

yes, i do go through red lights when i am the only one parked in front of a light globe trying to cancel out my ability to make a proper judgment. the last time i got fined for that was in january 1977 - that either makes me very lucky or a good judge of circumstances.

and i do speed and i do drink - but not at the same time.

life is not about surviving, life is about living.

i am trying to learn how to be carefree and happy from my thai neighbors. unlearning how to drive 'safe' is just part of it.

Sir, you are a danger to the general public. One day your breaking of road safety laws will kill, maim, or injury somebody. My only hope it is yourself and not an innocent member of the public.

[StefanBBK]

To answer OP.

Here in Bangkok

1) Taxis

Busses

BMTA vans

2) generally the more expensive the car

3) pimped up medium priced vehicles

4) old heap of junk cars

Motorbikes are excluded on purpose. They are a different league altogether.

Sad to admit in 15 years in Bangkok I have adopted some bad habbits myself.

[Sayonarax]

Expats, Toyota Camry Drivers, Bus Drivers, people who text whilst driving and my favorite people who don't know what the indicator is for..

Don't block the lane so motorbikes cant filter pass you or align your self next to another cars mirror so your cars mirror are parallel.. When your mirror gets hit don't cry about it, because you wont be able to do a damn about it.

[sangfroid]

Have to agree, when i get back to farang land the aggression on the roads, high strung people and cops, excessive rules and regulations, lack of awareness of motorcycles (ive had far more near misses in australia then thailand) really kills the enjoyment of travelling on the roads there

"Road Rage" in Australia has reached the stage where people are being attacked in their cars

and there have been deaths!!

[Ireland32]

Expats, Toyota Camry Drivers, Bus Drivers, people who text whilst driving and my favorite people who don't know what the indicator is for..

Don't block the lane so motorbikes cant filter pass you or align your self next to another cars mirror so your cars mirror are parallel.. When your mirror gets hit don't cry about it, because you wont be able to do a damn about it.

you missed Fortuners, absolute Worst...

[hugh2121]

I've recently been told by several Thai people that Thai's do not like to have or obey rules. They don't like being told what to do. They just do what they like. If it's easier for them to ride a motorbike on the pavement etc. then that is what they will do. I think that about sums it up.