Are Thais really bad drivers?

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I understand there are bike fatalities all the time. I also understand there are no laws and accountability if you are somewhat rich. However, after living 15 years in Canada and now 3 in Thailand I think I only saw one fender-bender here (and no fatalities so far, knock on wood). In Canada I saw car crashes almost weekly and some really bad accidents from time to time. I commute using a public transport about the same in both countries. Actually I think I use it here more because of boredom.

Of course, when reading daily news it would appear that there are a lot more accidents here.

So, have I just been lucky or perhaps minor accidents are less likely to happen here?

[davidst01]

Another guy writing a book

[theguyfromanotherforum]

If one paragraph is too much for you, perhaps you could join a Pattaya sexpat forum which seems something up your alley.... literally speaking.

[johng]

I would say that Thais are not so much "bad" drivers ( they can mostly control the vehicles )

but they are impatient,un attentive and inconsiderate drivers

together with poorly designed and built roads with very little policing of traffic laws makes Thailand number 2 in the most dangerous roads rankings.

[pgrahmm]

No - most aren't....And they will extend room for/to you usually with the traffic flow.....Other countries absolutely will not.....

If anything they don't manage their lane(s) well & have little spacial awareness....

The way they drive is how it's been done for decades.....New to some of us - old school to them.....

Common ownership of cars is relatively new so many manage/drive their cars using the same habits from their motor bikes - that's not good....

But now the newish riders have more powerful/faster motorbikes & drive more aggressively - shooting the lanes and passing on all sides & ways....

Once the new bike riders (that don't kill themselves) start getting their own cars they'll not be as conservative as the one's from past generations.....

I also have not seen any of the horrific accident scenes.....Don't live near the at risk areas/people & luckily haven't stumbled across any on road trips.....

Edited June 7, 2016 by pgrahmm

[oxo1947]

My Thai wife told me that I should wear a seatbelt because if I don't & had a crash, the force could throw me out of the car.

She is over 50, I can't believe that she thinks Star Wars is real...............................

[bridge2bridge]

Does the DESERT have SAND.

[Toscano]

Not all Thai drivers are bad , but some are . You mention motorcycles , the problem with motorcyclists is often not obeying the rules of the road , driving on the wrong side of the road , cutting corners , veering in front of cars , jumping the traffic lights , using their telephone , driving under the influence of drink or drugs . There doesn't seem to be any special training for motorcyclists , nor is there really for driving cars . A higher proportion of accidents are motorcycles .

[Kwasaki]

Been a topic that's kicked about more than a few times.

My view is there's good and bad drivers what ever country you go to.

You would only use public transport where I live if you wanted to be bored.

[LawrenceN]

johng used the word "inconsiderate." That hits the nail on the head for me. I often see drivers blocking the middle lane while making a left turn on Chiang Mai's six-lane highways. Or blocking the passing lane instead of moving fully right into the U-turn lane. I mean, <deleted>. Nothing is gained by blocking two lanes. It's dangerous and seems to be an invitation to a rear-end collision. They seem to have convinced themselves that their vehicles can't possibly make a turn in the space allotted. Maybe it goes back to what johng said about spatial awareness. I drive a pickup and know it can be done. The worst offenders are drivers in the most expensive SUVs and pickups.

[LawrenceN]

Oh, sorry, that was pgrahmm's remark about spatial awareness.

[Dmaxdan]

The lack of patience and courtesy is quite a volatile mixture when it comes to driving. So individually Most Thais are okay drivers, but collectively......that's a different story.

[mrmicbkktxl]

They are more than bad,no driving skills at all.They are able to drive straight but in the moment the direction changes,they have a problem.

Traffic is bad allover because thais not keep the rules and police is to lazy to enforce the law.For example if there is a street with 2 lanes with a congestion,thais will make 4 lanes out of 2 lanes,and at the end of the congestion everybody has to slow down to let the other cars come back into the correct lane,total stupidity.IF the police would punish every single traffic offense and keep the laws by them self,traffic would improve and accidents reduced.But that's wishful thinking

[alfieconn]

I think I only saw one fender-bender here

I think it depends on where you live, how often you are out on the road's and at what times.

I use to have to drop my daughter off and pick her up every day from school and usually saw on average at least one accident a week, one time on a 5km stretch of road i see 3 accidents.

Now she has left us i don't see so many.

[Rykbanlor]

The 2nd highest road fatalities by country in the world, multiple years running, speaks for itself.

Some people are being quite tactful when discussing what is actually bad - inconsideration for other drivers, driving too fast - particularly when conditions forbid, inattentiveness, disregard for laws, whatever, these are all examples of BAD driving.

I live in Krabi, and yes, there are a LOT (not all, but a lot) of very bad drivers here. Like, really bad!

[Jedsada3]

I don't think Thai drivers are worst or better than anywhere else.

What could make the difference is the state of the roads and of some vehicles.

[GreasyFingers]

As said above there are good and bad but I drive a lot on two lane rural/regional roads. The biggest problems i see every day is the inability of the bad drivers to drive around a bend without crossing the center line, overtaking when there is an oncoming car, forcing that car into to bike lane, overtaking on blind bends or hills over double yellow lines.

[Shiver]

I tend to spout two somewhat opposing views on this, depending if it's rag week or not:

1. The proportion of motorcycles to cars is higher here, so naturally I would expect more fatalities in any country, even if full of so called 'smart' drivers/riders if they were on two wheels.
2. They break the rules all the time, but it reminds me of more natural behaviour, like ants negotiating passage going to their nest or something, which works reasonably well. I'm sure we've all seen those time lapse videos of major junctions where traffic self regulates without a scratch.

Humans didn't really evolve to travel faster than they can run. Watching a busy pedestrian street rarely sees a fatality relating to collisions.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Shiver

[Jonathon]

If anyone doesn't believe that 90%+ are dangerous, never mind bad, drivers then a drive over the hilly bits of highway 304 will soon change your mind.

[BuaBS]

Been a topic that's kicked about more than a few times.

My view is there's good and bad drivers what ever country you go to.

You would only use public transport where I live if you wanted to be bored.

And like in any country , women are worse drivers ....especially the parking ones.

[Jonathon]

They are more than bad,no driving skills at all.They are able to drive straight but in the moment the direction changes,they have a problem.

Traffic is bad allover because thais not keep the rules and police is to lazy to enforce the law.For example if there is a street with 2 lanes with a congestion,thais will make 4 lanes out of 2 lanes,and at the end of the congestion everybody has to slow down to let the other cars come back into the correct lane,total stupidity.IF the police would punish every single traffic offense and keep the laws by them self,traffic would improve and accidents reduced.But that's wishful thinking

You may remember the return from a Pattya weekend before the motorway; hard shoulders both sides of the two lanes used as extra running lanes then total chaos at the frequent bridges where the additional "lanes" ended, delaying everyone.

The road is much improved but the drivers hardly at all. Of course there are exceptions, but even the good ones seem to turn bad the second that they are delayed.

[eastendanto]

My tuppence worth here and from experience of driving in Thailand is if you compare to how you were taught in your own country e.g. Europe, US, Oz etc.... then they are not bad drivers they are downright suicidal drivers when comparing to what you have been taught and the test you had to pass in your own country. The Thai driving test itself for those who take it may raise their driving skills up a notch (but not much). The trick is to not only understand their mentality when they drive but to incorporate it within your own driving skills, which will aid you in anticipating what the driver in front of you or coming towards you is going to do. It is not 100% foolproof but is better than nothing.

The thought that bad roads make bad drivers is misleading, does that mean if the roads were perfect then the Thais would be perfect drivers!! Anyway in their mindset they are perfect drivers so what's the issue :-)

[NoshowJones]

Yes, the vast majority certainly are, they have no qualms about pulling out in front of you and causing you to brake, even just

to save one or two seconds.

I have driven in the UK, Canada and America, and none of these drivers are anywhere near as bad as the Thais.

[NoshowJones]

I would say that Thais are not so much "bad" drivers ( they can mostly control the vehicles )

but they are impatient,un attentive and inconsiderate drivers

together with poorly designed and built roads with very little policing of traffic laws makes Thailand number 2 in the most dangerous roads rankings.

The main part of the Thai drivers is the very big lack of common sense, of which about 80% is required IMO.

[off road pat]

I would say that Thais are not so much "bad" drivers ( they can mostly control the vehicles )

but they are impatient,un attentive and inconsiderate drivers

together with poorly designed and built roads with very little policing of traffic laws makes Thailand number 2 in the most dangerous roads rankings.

I don't think the roads are so bad in Thailand. Recently, My wife and I have driven over 4000 km round Thailand from Mae Sai to Sadao and the roads were very much OK. .....compared to Laos !!!!!

Some dangerous things are when they work on the roads they sometimes don't warn in advance, and some of the workers don't ware fluorescent clothing !!! and you don't see them because they blend into the surroundings....

Best regards.

[NoshowJones]

Not all Thai drivers are bad , but some are . You mention motorcycles , the problem with motorcyclists is often not obeying the rules of the road , driving on the wrong side of the road , cutting corners , veering in front of cars , jumping the traffic lights , using their telephone , driving under the influence of drink or drugs . There doesn't seem to be any special training for motorcyclists , nor is there really for driving cars . A higher proportion of accidents are motorcycles .

All the training in the world will not help Thai drivers and motorcyclists, a lot of common sense is required and that's one thing

the majority of Thais do not have.

[NoshowJones]

I don't think Thai drivers are worst or better than anywhere else.

What could make the difference is the state of the roads and of some vehicles.

"What could make the difference is the state of the roads and of some vehicles".

You certainly make a good point there, but it does'nt matter about any road rules or police doing their job, a lot

of common sense is required when driving in any country, and that is not compatible with the biggest majority of Thai drivers.

[pgrahmm]

Been a topic that's kicked about more than a few times.

My view is there's good and bad drivers what ever country you go to.

You would only use public transport where I live if you wanted to be bored.

And like in any country , women are worse drivers ....especially the parking ones.

If you live/drive in a country with very few women drivers or forbidden to drive it's like driving on another planet - in the starwars bar....

Testosterone city.....And that ain't good.....

[Roomuck]

Depends what you call a "good" driver.

If that means driving safely, obeying road rules and being courteous to other road users, then NO.

If it means getting somewhere fast, then YES. I did a visa run to Laos last year, in phenomally quick time. I reckon the driver may have been a direct descendant of the legendary Prince Bira.

[NoshowJones]

Been a topic that's kicked about more than a few times.

My view is there's good and bad drivers what ever country you go to.

You would only use public transport where I live if you wanted to be bored.

And like in any country , women are worse drivers ....especially the parking ones.

Wrong, men are much more likely to speed and drive when drunk, and these are the main causes of accidents IMO.

Women do tend to be less skillful on the road than men, tend to be to over cautious, have poor road positioning, and are generally very poor at reversing.