Three tips for driving in Thailand

[ALFREDO]

Don't drive at night out in the country.

Cannot second that, in night less crazy drivers around, much less traffic and much less motorbikes too.

[ALFREDO]

Drive like your life depended on it.

Drive like you stole it...like everyone else ...and you will be fine!

Right

Sometimes I follow the rule - The most reckless drivers are these, who overtake you, without you can prevent it. -

And have to follow them and if I am in the right mood, return the favor.

I found then some, who had been surely under the influence of something and let them fly, waiting and looking if i see some carnage later.

[Lannig]

I have 3 tips about driving in Thailand.

First tip dont. Second tip dont. Third tip dont.

On the contrary, lol driving here is so much more relaxed and fun then in my over restricted EU Country.

But I live here, since long.

Same goes for me.

I'm no longer a permanent resident in Thailand but I've been driving there for almost 30 years now. Things have changed dramatically IMO. It used to be quite wild indeed, and now I find Thai drivers almost too slow compared to my own country. Well, that's on average, one still crosses the path of suicidal drivers once in a while in Thailand.

However they're still as unpredictable as ever, and that's the key issue for me. Don't assume anything. That they've seen you coming, that they realize you'll hit them if they do their maneuver and you don't brake hard etc.

[nemrut]

Like many developing countries, there are many underage drivers and kids as young as 10-12 driving motorbikes and even trucks. And dont forget all the teens and indestructable 20 somethings who rely on two wheels as their primary mode of transport.

Despite this, I personally find the Thais on the road to be far more civilized than many i've encountered in US/CAN/AUS/EU. If I hear honking it's almost certainly a farang acting out in hostile manner or likely Vietnamese doing it to call attention to their approach.

Thais like their neighbors where motorbikes are heavily relied upon, focus on looking forward and trust those behind are doing the same. That's why you see many drive onto roads without looking because they trust others will see them.

[ALFREDO]

I have 3 tips about driving in Thailand.

First tip dont. Second tip dont. Third tip dont.

On the contrary, lol driving here is so much more relaxed and fun then in my over restricted EU Country.

But I live here, since long.

Same goes for me.

I'm no longer a permanent resident in Thailand but I've been driving there for almost 30 years now.

Things have changed dramatically IMO.

It used to be quite wild indeed, and now I find Thai drivers almost too slow compared to my own country.

Well, that's on average, one still crosses the path of suicidal drivers once in a while in Thailand.

However they're still as unpredictable as ever, and that's the key issue for me.

Don't assume anything. That they've seen you coming, that they realize you'll hit them if they do their maneuver and you don't brake hard eI drive swift

I drive swift, but that is so true =

"one still crosses the path of suicidal drivers once in a while in Thailand."

[bbbbooboo]

We need to learn a lesson from the people routinely slaughtered on a daily basis on Thai roads

[mrfaroukh]

1- You may be a good driver but others are not, so be careful at all time

2- Never speed too much, you never know when someone will jump in front of you or a motorbike turn left and right or a dog jump in

3- Deon't drink and drive, no insurance will take any responsibility if you were drunk

4- Have your license in order. A fine is 400 baht if you don't have a license but if you injure someone or kill someone then story is different. By they way even the insurance take no responsibility.

5- Make sure you have a good travel insurance to cover you in case of any problem, If you are resident have a nice insurance in Thailand too. I have a friend who was very healthy and he never had any health insurance. Few months back he got some heart pain and 3 days in hospital with sting in his heart it cost him over half a million baht. So it worth paying for a good insurance.

6- Wear your helmet at all time. You are not wearing it to avoid fine, but for your protection

Have fun

[soc]

I've been driving in Thailand for quite a few years and in general I don't find it any more of a problem than driving in my home country, the USA except for the amazing traffic jams in Bangkok. My only piece of advice would be to keep an eye out for the motorcycles. And driving varies a lot by region in the USA. I found the drivers in LA where I lived for 10 years much worse than in Bangkok. So many amazingly hostile drivers on the road in LA.

l have driven in both the USA & Australia, & l found that American drivers to be far more courteous & better drivers than in my own country.

Every day, it seems, there are more & more ignorant, entitled, arrogant drivers on Australian roads.

Accelerating when being overtaken, refusing to get over when dawdling along at 80km/h on 100km/h stretches of road, holding up lines of traffic, not using indicators, tail-gating, some clowns think its funny to speed up on the open road then slow down when you cannot overtake.

Last time in Australia l followed one idiot who applied his brakes everytime a car came towards him!

l could go on.

The truck drivers are the best drivers on Aussie roads.

Capable, courteous & they must have the patience of Job, putting up with the fools in cars.

[ardokano]

A blinking direction indicator doesn't even mean 'I intend to turn right but may change my mind later', it means nothing at all.

A blinking right direction indicator can mean "you can overtake, the road ahead is free" on roads with one lane very common.

I'm sorry but you are so wrong. If someone gave me a RH blinker I'd stay, it's the left hand blinker that signals the road ahead is clear and it's ok to overtake. How long have you been in Thailand and driving here? In the western world, what you say is correct.

Yes

sorry I make mistake..

in one lane RH blinker -" wait- not overtrake, have car"

in two ore more line if car in rigth line RH blinker its can be mean- "you can overtrake me by left line"

In Two line or mpore also RH blinker can be mean- "hey I am overtraking you now by rigth "

[JAFO]

I've been driving in Thailand for quite a few years and in general I don't find it any more of a problem than driving in my home country, the USA except for the amazing traffic jams in Bangkok. My only piece of advice would be to keep an eye out for the motorcycles. And driving varies a lot by region in the USA. I found the drivers in LA where I lived for 10 years much worse than in Bangkok. So many amazingly hostile drivers on the road in LA.

l have driven in both the USA & Australia, & l found that American drivers to be far more courteous & better drivers than in my own country.

Every day, it seems, there are more & more ignorant, entitled, arrogant drivers on Australian roads.

Accelerating when being overtaken, refusing to get over when dawdling along at 80km/h on 100km/h stretches of road, holding up lines of traffic, not using indicators, tail-gating, some clowns think its funny to speed up on the open road then slow down when you cannot overtake.

Last time in Australia l followed one idiot who applied his brakes everytime a car came towards him!

l could go on.

The truck drivers are the best drivers on Aussie roads.

Capable, courteous & they must have the patience of Job, putting up with the fools in cars.

One thing when using the US as a reference, its a huge place and driving behaviors are so dependent on where one lives or has driven. If you are cruising along in say Montana or Nebraska you will definitely have a perception that drivers are courteous, respectful and you will likely not see a wreck at all.. However, drive in California, New York, Florida you will have a totally different comment. I am from California and have driven all along the west coast all my life. California is utterly terrible and only getting worse. Way worse then Thailand by a large margin. There are far more accidents with multiple cars then one can imagine. Its a daily activity in the morning commute and evening commute. The death rate isn't as high due to all the cars have excellent safety features but injuries are significant. Also the car to motorcycle ratio is very high. Compared to Thailand which is opposite. So Yes Thailand has a lot more traffic deaths because of the ratio of motorcycles to cars and no safety protection.

One thing I find funny in the US is that the # 1 selling point of a car is always its safety features and its JD powers ranking. What does that tell you about the confidence level of the drivers?. Its all about wrecks and technology to save people. Also California and New York have the highest vehicle insurance rates anywhere.

But back to the OP, the tips offered are common sense anywhere one will go. You have to pay attention to the road, you can't be eating, playing movies, texting, on your phone etc etc. People some how think they get in their car, close the door, turn on the AC that they are in some indestructible little bubble and do not need to worry.

[ardokano]

I have 3 tips about driving in Thailand.

First tip dont. Second tip dont. Third tip dont.

So how moved in Thailand?

Walk?Fly?Train?

You do not trust your life youself as driver, but you trust others?

You're a bad driver?

I cannot drive now because of a crazy Thai driver who ruined my life OK.

I am paraplegic, not a bad driver, now a non driver.

OH! So sorry.

I don't want hurt you

[ChrisKC]

Drive like your life depended on it.

Yes, but Thais drive as if their DEATH depends on it

[ardokano]

Drive like your life depended on it.

Yes, but Thais drive as if their DEATH depends on it

Not realy.

many( not all) drivers( Thai and Foreigners) in Thailand " drive as if their DEATH depends on it"

[manfredtillmann]

I've been driving in Thailand for quite a few years and in general I don't find it any more of a problem than driving in my home country, the USA except for the amazing traffic jams in Bangkok. My only piece of advice would be to keep an eye out for the motorcycles. And driving varies a lot by region in the USA. I found the drivers in LA where I lived for 10 years much worse than in Bangkok. So many amazingly hostile drivers on the road in LA.

l have driven in both the USA & Australia, & l found that American drivers to be far more courteous & better drivers than in my own country.

Every day, it seems, there are more & more ignorant, entitled, arrogant drivers on Australian roads.

Accelerating when being overtaken, refusing to get over when dawdling along at 80km/h on 100km/h stretches of road, holding up lines of traffic, not using indicators, tail-gating, some clowns think its funny to speed up on the open road then slow down when you cannot overtake.

Last time in Australia l followed one idiot who applied his brakes everytime a car came towards him!

l could go on.

The truck drivers are the best drivers on Aussie roads.

Capable, courteous & they must have the patience of Job, putting up with the fools in cars.

thank you!

not many aussies would share your view.

i just admire the supermarket delivery drivers getting in and out of stuff that most people would not walk into!

[CarolJadzia]

Like many developing countries, there are many underage drivers and kids as young as 10-12 driving motorbikes and even trucks. And dont forget all the teens and indestructable 20 somethings who rely on two wheels as their primary mode of transport.

Despite this, I personally find the Thais on the road to be far more civilized than many i've encountered in US/CAN/AUS/EU. If I hear honking it's almost certainly a farang acting out in hostile manner or likely Vietnamese doing it to call attention to their approach.

Thais like their neighbors where motorbikes are heavily relied upon, focus on looking forward and trust those behind are doing the same. That's why you see many drive onto roads without looking because they trust others will see them.

Teenagers iz teenagers wherever in the world they are. In fact the latest research suggests that the human race has covered the planet because of Teenagers, rebelling against their parents and heading off into the world to find their own futures.

As you say with the not looking, it's the same as what we do when on foot. We trust those around us to get out of our way, or we are dodging from side to side, little adjustments to avoid other people. The way many Thais drive is by the same rules as pedestrians. We can even see why this is the case. Poor Theory test, no on-road interactive rider or driver training. People can only apply what they know. Even the ones that have a better understanding and experience will still be the same, as they have learned to live in a system dominated by the current situation so have developed coping strategies. It's a "Catch 22" situation.

[soc]

I've been driving in Thailand for quite a few years and in general I don't find it any more of a problem than driving in my home country, the USA except for the amazing traffic jams in Bangkok. My only piece of advice would be to keep an eye out for the motorcycles. And driving varies a lot by region in the USA. I found the drivers in LA where I lived for 10 years much worse than in Bangkok. So many amazingly hostile drivers on the road in LA.

l have driven in both the USA & Australia, & l found that American drivers to be far more courteous & better drivers than in my own country.

Every day, it seems, there are more & more ignorant, entitled, arrogant drivers on Australian roads.

Accelerating when being overtaken, refusing to get over when dawdling along at 80km/h on 100km/h stretches of road, holding up lines of traffic, not using indicators, tail-gating, some clowns think its funny to speed up on the open road then slow down when you cannot overtake.

Last time in Australia l followed one idiot who applied his brakes everytime a car came towards him!

l could go on.

The truck drivers are the best drivers on Aussie roads.

Capable, courteous & they must have the patience of Job, putting up with the fools in cars.

One thing when using the US as a reference, its a huge place and driving behaviors are so dependent on where one lives or has driven. If you are cruising along in say Montana or Nebraska you will definitely have a perception that drivers are courteous, respectful and you will likely not see a wreck at all.. However, drive in California, New York, Florida you will have a totally different comment. I am from California and have driven all along the west coast all my life. California is utterly terrible and only getting worse. Way worse then Thailand by a large margin. There are far more accidents with multiple cars then one can imagine. Its a daily activity in the morning commute and evening commute. The death rate isn't as high due to all the cars have excellent safety features but injuries are significant. Also the car to motorcycle ratio is very high. Compared to Thailand which is opposite. So Yes Thailand has a lot more traffic deaths because of the ratio of motorcycles to cars and no safety protection.

One thing I find funny in the US is that the # 1 selling point of a car is always its safety features and its JD powers ranking. What does that tell you about the confidence level of the drivers?. Its all about wrecks and technology to save people. Also California and New York have the highest vehicle insurance rates anywhere.

But back to the OP, the tips offered are common sense anywhere one will go. You have to pay attention to the road, you can't be eating, playing movies, texting, on your phone etc etc. People some how think they get in their car, close the door, turn on the AC that they are in some indestructible little bubble and do not need to worry.

Yes you are probably right.

l drove grain trucks in Nebraska & Colorado & it was mostly flat without a lot of traffic.

l also drove a company car from San Francisco to Salt Lake City, although the traffic was heavier, with the excellent roads & powerful car, it was no trouble.

l still found the drivers more courteous though.

Maybe l struck some good drivers.!

I haven't been to New York or anywhere in the east, so cannot comment about it.

l found most UK drivers to be well mannered also.

However that was in the 70s & things may have changed.

[Tonawatchee]

I try to time my travel after the morning rush and before the schools let out. It took me a while to get into the rhythm. My biggest gripe is the traffic lights. They're rigged to have just a two second caution yellow light so the traffic cam above it will catch you crossing as the light has quickly turned red. Bastards.

[fiddlehead]

Guys: If it was the same as where you come from, you probably would have never come here.

It's different.
Get used to it.
It's not so bad.

[Scouse Twoccer]

What happened to Tip #3

You can't miss it if you open your eyes, right after No. 3.

[jay1980]

have driven in thailand including BKK on and off since 2004, my 3 tips are:

1. don't be intimidated about the mass of traffic around you but concentrate on what is in front of you and what is in your side mirrors. IMO you need to pay more attention to your side mirrors in Thailand than westen countries as there is less lane discipline here. Also there are less road markings so be aware and read the road to be in the best lane for the smoothest and safest route around turnings, U-turns, intersections etc.

2. Have a dash cam that is fairly visable to others including police, had some crazy drivers around me before, pointed to my dash cam and they have backed off, no thai's want to be on youtube or facebook doing something on the road that might cause them to lose face on social media.

3. Stay calm and chilled out at all times. When someone does something retarded, try and react in the safest way, eg when some pickup, fortuner or van is tailgating you as 120 is tempting to brake test him but better just indicate left and get out of his way when you can. make sure you are comftable in the car, can see everywhere around you (i hate driving cars with a heavy window tint at night for example) the mirrors ,aircon etc are adjusted perfectly and I like to have some chill out type music on the stereo when driving in the city or heavy traffic on the motorways or expressways.

Edited June 15, 2016 by jay1980

[Tomtomtom69]

First tip about driving in Thailand is never start off with how "the steering wheel is on the wrong side" "driving is on the wrong side" just because you're American. For those of us from other parts of the world, Americans drive on the "wrong" side of the road, yet we generally don't jabber on about that.

Secondly, it only takes a few days (at most) to get used to something you haven't experienced before to the point it's not worth mentioning anymore. Every time I hear an American (it's usually Americans) talk about how driving on the left hand side of the road is wrong, I start giving out a long sigh.....yawn.

If the writer of this article wanted any credibility he would have mentioned the proliferance of scooters that drive up the wrong side of the road against the flow of traffic, something that would get you arrested in any developed western country but is quite normal here. Now that's what I would call out of the ordinary, especially if you've never been to a developing country before.

Not to mention running stop signs (got hit with a huge fine for doing that in Los Angeles once, cost me a whopping US$391 and that was back in 2008 - it's probably gone up to like US$500 now); running red lights, tailgating, speeding, forcing you out of your lane onto the shoulder when overtaking etc. all normal actions when driving in Thailand.

Edited June 16, 2016 by Tomtomtom69

[Tomtomtom69]

have driven in thailand including BKK on and off since 2004, my 3 tips are:

1. don't be intimidated about the mass of traffic around you but concentrate on what is in front of you and what is in your side mirrors. IMO you need to pay more attention to your side mirrors in Thailand than westen countries as there is less lane discipline here. Also there are less road markings so be aware and read the road to be in the best lane for the smoothest and safest route around turnings, U-turns, intersections etc.

2. Have a dash cam that is fairly visable to others including police, had some crazy drivers around me before, pointed to my dash cam and they have backed off, no thai's want to be on youtube or facebook doing something on the road that might cause them to lose face on social media.

3. Stay calm and chilled out at all times. When someone does something retarded, try and react in the safest way, eg when some pickup, fortuner or van is tailgating you as 120 is tempting to brake test him but better just indicate left and get out of his way when you can. make sure you are comftable in the car, can see everywhere around you (i hate driving cars with a heavy window tint at night for example) the mirrors ,aircon etc are adjusted perfectly and I like to have some chill out type music on the stereo when driving in the city or heavy traffic on the motorways or expressways.

2. Yes, definitely have a dash cam. Strange though that anyone would point at your dash cam. What happened that caused these drivers to point at your dash cam? I've noticed an ever increasing number of Thai drivers use dash cams so you or me having one isn't that special anymore.

3. Agreed. Generally I find it bizarre that anyone needs to tailgate me if I'm already doing 140km/h in a 120km/h zone on the motorway (being careful to slow down to 120km/h or less near the speed cameras) when they could just switch to another lane, there are 3 more lanes after all. Of course, sometimes all the other lanes are blocked but even so, I find that behavior infuriating but for obvious reasons of not wanting to be in an accident I would never EVER even consider brake testing as that could end up costing you your life just because you have an ego.

While I find Thai drivers who weave in and out of traffic pretty darn annoying psychopaths, at least in Thailand one doesn't experience overly aggressive behaviour on the roads by someone who feels slightest because you accidentally cut them off. In Australia and the USA, cut someone off and at the very least they will wind down their window, give you the finger and abuse you, or they may even chase you down and try to run you off the road. Thai drivers are (for the most part) far more civilized and restrained in this regard, not withstanding the occasional YouTube video that shows some truck driver forcing a van off the road but as it turns out, the van driver provoked him to such a point that he decided to undertake this dangerous maneuver.

Drivers in western countries drive extremely cautiously and like wimps in comparison to the Thais, rarely breaking traffic laws so they have this expectation that you follow suit. Personally, apart from the occasional annoyance like seeing scooters drive against the flow of traffic and zig-zag weaving pickup truck drivers on steroids, driving in Thailand is much more pleasurable than driving in the west.

[Tomtomtom69]

My thoughts on the issue:

Thai drivers expects everyone else on the road is driving perfectly without errors and always doing the right thing. There is no thought about how they themselves are driving or how they affect the surroundings. Most of this behavior stems from not having driver education. Also Buddha will take care of them at all times along with the 10 amulets they wear around the neck.

Westerners are educated from the first driving lesson to expect everyone else to drive erroneous and expect the unexpected at all times.

For example if I approach a crossing and I know I have the right of way, I always expect the waiting cars and motorcycles coming from the crossing road to unexpectedly drive out in front of me while I am approaching (which actually has happened on more than one occasion), being ready for it enabled me to avoid an accident. However Thai drivers, especially motorcyclists just drive through the crossing without any worries in the world, looking at everything except the traffic, possibly chatting with passengers or the phone...

This is not a joke but only my observations from real life, Thais actually expect everyone else to drive perfect, and they drive just as that is the case. There is no planning ahead of risk assessment during driving.

Actually, Thais expect the unexpected, while westerners (at least at home) expect other motorists to drive according to the law.

On a 2-way road, when a Thai motorist encounters a vehicle heading in the opposite direction who decides to overtake a slower moving vehicle enroaches into their lane, they will instinctively move onto the road shoulder to avoid a collision.

By contrast, if you tried that maneouver back home, you'd hit the oncoming vehicle causing a serious, likely fatal accident. This is because in our countries, we almost never encounter such behaviour on our roads and therefore, most motorists have no way of reacting to it. Motorists back home are trained to obey the law, not to expect the unexpected. Quite the opposite to Thailand - most motorists don't obey the law hence they do expect the unexpected.

Otherwise, there would be far more accidents.

[prestburypark]

Don't drive at night out in the country.

the best time to drive, only proper animals to avoid!

No its not, slow unlit farm vehicles, bikes and even trucks that you will not see until you are on them, then there are the drunks, out in more numbers by the nighttime and protected by their amulets and alcohol.

Oh and the ghosts of course, they are real here you know.

[Anon999]

The first tip is "DON"T"

Haven't met many foreigners that don't drive except for those in BKK. After 20 years you get pretty used to the Thai way of 'driving'. Bangkok, well there are worse cities to drive in.

Edited June 16, 2016 by Anon999

[JaseTheBass]

Number 1 tip......when the light turns green...wait.......9 times out of 10 somebody runs the red.....

Or use your eyes and actually look to see if anyone is going to run a red light...

[CarolJadzia]

Number 1 tip......when the light turns green...wait.......9 times out of 10 somebody runs the red.....

Or use your eyes and actually look to see if anyone is going to run a red light...

What about the impatient driver behind you who is watching the lights and not you? Need eyes in the back of your head as well!

Or to put it another way. We need to be aware of what is around us at all times. There is no right answer. We can't cover everything. But we can try to cover all the things we might expect to reasonably happen. Even in Thailand!

No Surprise / No Accident

[siamcrut]

Never play chicken with a black fortuner, heading towards you on your lane while flashing his headlights!

[bazza40]

Never play chicken with a black fortuner, heading towards you on your lane while flashing his headlights!

You can if you're driving a cement truck. Otherwise, agree.

[siamcrut]

Like that, na kab