Why Do People Drive So Bad In Thailand

[wilko]

Absolutely....something awry there!!!

[Jai Dee]

I have posted this somewhere before on the forum but can't be arsed searching for it... so I'll post it again...

The following is a “reference” to Thai road rules. I have no idea who wrote it or indeed where I picked it up so if anyone reading it is the author please let me know so you can be credited with the composition. While it has its fun side I am sure that some long term residents will have experienced or at least witnessed most of its content.

RULES OF THE ROAD IN THAILAND

In order to successfully drive a motor vehicle in Thailand you must understand the transportation gestalt in an entirely different way. Definitions which you once thought were above definition will be immediately re-defined.

Please note the following:

THE ROAD

The road includes not only the paved portion of the highway, but also what we might call the verge, the curb, the sidewalk, the front yard, the roadside footstalls and the Wat. The paved portion of the roadway is generally one lane wide. Not one lane wide in each direction – just one lane.

ROAD MARKINGS

These colorful white and yellow lines mark the center of the lanes and are especially useful on dark and rainy nights.

PASSING OR OVERTAKING

Passing or overtaking is the national pastime in Thailand. Observant motorists among you may have encountered the following:

1. The Vertical Triple Maneuver

The act of passing three vehicles in one accelerated movement.

2. The Horizontal Triple Maneuver

The act of passing a vehicle that in itself is in the act of passing another vehicle.

3. The Double, Double Maneuver

The act of passing a vehicle at precisely the same time that another vehicle, coming from the opposite direction, is also engaged in the act of passing.

TAILGATING

Tailgating is what you do when not overtaking.

BEING OVERTAKEN

The act of being overtaken is an insult not to be endured. The greater the differential between the vehicle being passed (BMW) and the passing vehicle (pickup or a low ranking saloon) the greater the potential loss of prestige and face. The owner of the more expensive vehicle must always do everything possible to thwart the attempt of the less expensive vehicle attempting to overtake.

HEADLIGHTS

Rapidly flashing headlights can mean anything including but not limited to the following:

• OK to pass now.

• Do not pass now

• Get out of my way

• Help, I am in trouble

It takes years or sometimes an entire lifetime to learn this subtle, intriguing, and non-verbal communication skill. Generally however, you have three seconds

THE HORN

When sounded loudly and frequently, the horn sets up an invisible energy barrier protecting the vehicle and its passengers from all harm. The faster the vehicle is traveling, the better the horn works.

SEAT BELTS

Not only are seatbelts not worn, seatbelts are absolutely unnecessary. Driver and passengers are protected by the horn.

HAZARDS

Motorcycles will appear from nowhere and are to be treated with absolute and complete disregard. Animals on the other hand must be treated with great respect. It is presumed that highly evolved creatures like water buffalos, prized bulls, cows, chickens and ducks know how to sidestep a modern vehicle travelling at 150 Km. per hour on a rain slicked road. Dogs born in Thailand on the other hand possess an inbred instinct to leap in front of a speeding vehicle.

ACCIDENTS

Accidents are rare in Thailand and are usually the result of a malfunctioning horn. Be aware that most heavy vehicle drivers if involved in a serious accident will immediately leave the scene of and run to the nearest police station to inform them of the accident. This age old practice is commonly known as “fleeing the scene”

LIGHTS

Lights on vehicles are not needed especially at night as they are a drain on the battery. The larger the vehicle (10 wheeled truck, bus, etc.) the less need for illuminating it. Motorcycle riders are presumed to have 20/20 vision in the dark and are immune to all other traffic on the road. If lights are used however, at least one headlight must be pointing in the air. This will ensure that low flying aircraft are detected and will have the added advantage of blinding on-coming drivers.

INSURANCE

It is recommended that others purchase insurance. This will ensure that any foreigner involved in an accident will be in a position to take the blame and let the insurance company pay for any damage to both vehicles as well as all hospital bills.

[wilko]

Great reply!

I did hear the other day a plausible explanation for the running off habit...whereas I would concede that in some cases this is purely an attempt to avoid the consequences, on many occasions they run off so as to contact their insurance rep to make sure he is standing next to them when confronting the police. This is because without the insurance rep to put up bail almost everyone on the scene will be arrested and locked up until the police can work out who's to blame....so make sure you have bail cover on your insurance.

[Euro Boy]

What is the deal with the way people drive here ?

Hi Vespa!

Today is my first day to Thai Visa Forum, Hi everybody, i am willing to share my opinion about The Land of Smile! Sawasdee Krap!

Vespa, as we all know, Thailand is one of the third-world countries where things don't just work right. Im afraid that the more we talk, the more we become offensive and rude but anyway i still wanted to share my opinion and my bad experience. Hope that this thread would not be broken soon...

Why do people drive so bad in Thailand? I would say that speaking in western way, it has to do more with the lack of respect, lack of obedience, lack of well-organize, and lack of good infrastructure development. Whether it is the western driving laws or eastern, they are normally international or standard: European or North American system. So far as i know, there are North American System and European Union System. I bet that Thailand uses the American Driving laws and with American's Warning Signs: Triangled Yellow Signs. But... many of the infrastructures like roads, streets and signs were in bad shape and sometimes the signs don't even exist as well as many Thais don't care very much about them. I personally would NEVER EVER DRIVE in Thailand especially in Bangkok where Traffic Jams never ends and for security reasons. If you have to drive in Thailand then you must at least have a car's insurance just in case an id*ot crash into you or making "hit and run". Sometimes there aren't pedestrian's cross on the intersection! Sometimes, the old buses would hit small car on a far right lane (non-bus lane) and then escaped! Sometimes, Thai police intentionally makes the Traffic worse during rush hour, said by many local Thai people. Sometimes, pickup trucks can carry more than 20 people which is definitley illegal but it is common in Thailand or mini bus appeared to be light duty trucks which was used as passenger mini bus! A Pickup Truck hit on the side of my friend's car and escaped, then my friend did the same thing by hitting the side of the pickup truck without realizing that the driver was a police so he had to pay 700 bahts simply because the guy was a policeman! You see? Strange things can happen there.

Anyway, Thailand is still better than many other third world countries but many things still needs to change. However i would recommend you to take metros/subway or skytrain and don't take taxis or buses, in case if you can avoid road vehicles.

Good Luck Vespa and Be Careful!!!

Edited November 23, 2006 by Euro Boy

[Maigo6]

Why do people drive so bad in Thailand? I would say that speaking in western way, it has to do more with the lack of respect, lack of obedience, lack of well-organize, and lack of good infrastructure development.

So explain why in USA there are over 40,000 road deaths per year, can you ?

I drive in Thailand all the time, I mean drive, not sit in a traffic jam in a city. Sure I have seen some bad driving, but I also saw bad driving in England and France too.

I see it like this, westerners think they are superior to Thai people, so when they see bad driving, they say " Those Thais are stupid " not the individual, the whole nation.

If they see bad driving in their own countries, they can't slate the whole population, cos they are included, so they say the individual is stupid, not the whole nation.

Farangs in Thailand are a minority, they feel that everything is against them, but thank god that in Thailand, Farangs are given a lot more respect than Asian people are given in the western countries where Farangs come from.

If a Farang sees an accident involving 2 Farangs, they will shrug and just say, accidents happen.

If a Farang sees an accident involving 2 Thai people, they assume the Thais are stupid.

Luckily, Thai people are not that way inclined towards Farangs, yet.

Edited November 24, 2006 by Maigo6

[HDRIDER]

Why do people drive so bad in Thailand? I would say that speaking in western way, it has to do more with the lack of respect, lack of obedience, lack of well-organize, and lack of good infrastructure development.

So explain why in USA there are over 40,000 road deaths per year, can you ?

I drive in Thailand all the time, I mean drive, not sit in a traffic jam in a city. Sure I have seen some bad driving, but I also saw bad driving in England and France too.

I see it like this, westerners think they are superior to Thai people, so when they see bad driving, they say " Those Thais are stupid " not the individual, the whole nation.

If they see bad driving in their own countries, they can't slate the whole population, cos they are included, so they say the individual is stupid, not the whole nation.

Farangs in Thailand are a minority, they feel that everything is against them, but thank god that in Thailand, Farangs are given a lot more respect than Asian people are given in the western countries where Farangs come from.

If a Farang sees an accident involving 2 Farangs, they will shrug and just say, accidents happen.

If a Farang sees an accident involving 2 Thai people, they assume the Thais are stupid.

Luckily, Thai people are not that way inclined towards Farangs, yet.

Come on man

give us a break, do you think i would still be living here if that was the way i was thinking??

maybe you think that way (dont know where you are from)

I like Thai people othervise i would not be living here,,, but i still think there driving is bad, very bad, you know and i know if there is an accident the Farang will be the one to blame, thats the way it is, Farang has money Thai not, maybe you think i am wrong but after 5 years here i will not change my mind (not yet)

[jumnien]

When you point your finger at other people, there's always three pointing back at you; so I'll take my own inventory on this one. The serious lack of enforcement in Thailand causes one to be become lazy. It is just about impossible to be pulled over from behind for not signalling, cutting someone off, driving erratically, etc. In our home countries we are constantly checking our rearview mirrors for cops and worried about the $150 ticket and the $500 increase in our insurance for our 12 mph over the speed limit infraction.

Here in Thailand, we all tend to take the mai pen rai attitude. I've caught myself buckling up or reaching for a helmet as I feared a cop might be in the area. Back home, I would automatically buckle up and wear a helmet, you know what I mean!

So I say it's the lack of enforcement. I think if you take all enforcement away in Los Angeles and the scene will be much worse than Thailand!

[wilko]

I wonder about people who say they would never drive in Thailand.....it doesn't really require a lot of skill or nerve, it would seem that they experience difficulty in adapting to a different environment, or are just plain crap drivers wherever they are.

Another observation....have you ever tried telling someone that they are a crap driver?!?! No one absolutely no one will ever admit to it....it’s a kind of ego thing....everyone else is driving badly but I’m doing fine. My Aunt used to complain about other motorists using their horns all the time, but she was such a dreadful driver, she could turn a country lane in the middle of Wales into a maelstrom of hooting and road-rage. Back in Europe, an old friend of mine once argued the toss whilst driving with one wheel on the sidewalk and the other on the asphalt...when confronted with the inevitable lamppost he merely swerved and said "who put that there?"

There is without a doubt a lot that can be done to make driving in Thailand safer, but I don’t think that they are innately more inadequate than any other nation on earth. The 2 factors to look at are the driving environment and education of the drivers.

In the mean time drivers from elsewhere wake up and smell the coffee, learn how to drive here....you WILL meet elephants in the night, you WILL meet sidecars in the outside lane coming towards you, trucks WILL serve to miss potholes......blah-di-blah-di-blah........get used to it!

Edited November 24, 2006 by wilko

[Maigo6]

In the mean time drivers from elsewhere wake up and smell the coffee, learn how to drive here....you WILL meet elephants in the night, you WILL meet sidecars in the outside lane coming towards you, trucks WILL serve to miss potholes......blah-di-blah-di-blah........get used to it!

Well said Wilko.

[Maigo6]

I like Thai people othervise i would not be living here,,, but i still think there driving is bad, very bad, you know and i know if there is an accident the Farang will be the one to blame, thats the way it is, Farang has money Thai not, maybe you think i am wrong but after 5 years here i will not change my mind (not yet)

You see what I mean,. you have the attitude that Thais drive bad, not an individual Thai, but a whole nation!!, a them and us attitude, a typical minority attitude actually.

Farang has money and Thais don't...lol....I beg to differ on that.

After 5 years here you won't change your mind eh, well I have been here 16 years, maybe I'm more flexible now in my attitude.

Edited November 24, 2006 by Maigo6

[elkangorito]

Vespa, as we all know, Thailand is one of the third-world countries where things don't just work right.......

On the contrary, I think things are generally very right here in the LOS...especially driving. To come to this conclusion, I firstly realise & accept an irrefutable fact...NOTHING can be forecast & therefore NOTHING can be controlled. Secondly, apply the reverse logic that if there are no rules (which there really aren't...anywhere in the world), one will generally be more aware of their immediate situation & hopefully not be complacent. Conversely, rules make us lazy & also give us a way to avoid REAL responsibility.

Conclusion:

enforcing western style thinking & rules would ultimately destroy the wonderfully FREE place that Thailand currently is.

Oh, one more thing...we are all going to die. None of us will ever have any control over when, how, where or why, although some of us might foolishly believe that we can control our ultimate fate.

Live & let live. Live & let die.

[JacknDanny]

Why do people drive so bad in Thailand? I would say that speaking in western way, it has to do more with the lack of respect, lack of obedience, lack of well-organize, and lack of good infrastructure development.

So explain why in USA there are over 40,000 road deaths per year, can you ?

I drive in Thailand all the time, I mean drive, not sit in a traffic jam in a city. Sure I have seen some bad driving, but I also saw bad driving in England and France too.

I see it like this, westerners think they are superior to Thai people, so when they see bad driving, they say " Those Thais are stupid " not the individual, the whole nation.

If they see bad driving in their own countries, they can't slate the whole population, cos they are included, so they say the individual is stupid, not the whole nation.

Farangs in Thailand are a minority, they feel that everything is against them, but thank god that in Thailand, Farangs are given a lot more respect than Asian people are given in the western countries where Farangs come from.

If a Farang sees an accident involving 2 Farangs, they will shrug and just say, accidents happen.

If a Farang sees an accident involving 2 Thai people, they assume the Thais are stupid.

Luckily, Thai people are not that way inclined towards Farangs, yet.

I suggest you take a chill pill and maybe change the company you keep.

I have lived over here 7 years and have NEVER met any farang with the attitude you describe above.

I love Thailand and I treat people (farang/Thai) as they treat me. Howver for you to say that you drive and compare it favorably to the UK I can only assume you are out in the boonies with no other vehicles about. I live and drive in Bangkok and I can tell you the standard of driving by most Thais is terrible. That is NOT a racist comment, it is simply fact.

[Thaddeus]

Oh, one more thing...we are all going to die. None of us will ever have any control over when, how, where or why, although some of us might foolishly believe that we can control our ultimate fate.

That's as maybe, but I'd rather it wasn't caused by a head-on collision with a bus..... and there is a much larger risk of that happening here than in my previous home.

Howver for you to say that you drive and compare it favorably to the UK I can only assume you are out in the boonies with no other vehicles about. I live and drive in Bangkok and I can tell you the standard of driving by most Thais is terrible.

I do live in the boonies, trust me, there is plenty of traffic... road sense - zero.

And just for Euroboy ..... please tell me when the skytrain between Nikhom Prasat and Nang Rong will be completed? I'd just love to know

[Jared]

Ive been driving in Thailand for 4 months now and I hated the first month but once you get used to it, its ok. I find myself constantly having to look in every direction when I pull out of a junction because bikes just come from everywhere. It just takes a lot more concentration to drive on these roads.

I have to say somethings I have seen in Thailand on the roads are down to pure stupidity like, Driving at night time with no lights <deleted>. Most of the bad driving I have seen has been from young Thais mainly girls on bikes. I saw a bike yesterday, it had 3 girls on it they were in front of me, a giant bus was flying down the road beside us and what did the girls do, pull out in front of it. they were millimeters from being splattered all across the road.

[wilko]

I also am not at all sure about the accepted "truth" that if there is an accident the farang is to blame.

Firstly if there is an accident including a farang there must be some chance that he WAS to blame...secondly he/she may think it's not because they are using driving norms from their own country, thirdly they might be wrongly accused of being at fault....similar to admitting to bad driving, getting someone to admit it was their fault in an accident is a nigh-on impossibility....so the evidence to suggest that a farang is always picked on is somewhat wobbly if you ask me.

Personal or anecdotal experience and is just not reliable “it was his fault he just came from nowhere” = “I wasn’t looking” to another witness.....

If people drive around assuming that they will get the blame in the unfortunate event of an accident, then the chances are that their attitude on having one will fulfil their expectations....

[wilko]

Ive been driving in Thailand for 4 months now and I hated the first month but once you get used to it, its ok. I find myself constantly having to look in every direction when I pull out of a junction because bikes just come from everywhere. It just takes a lot more concentration to drive on these roads.

I have to say somethings I have seen in Thailand on the roads are down to pure stupidity like, Driving at night time with no lights <deleted>. Most of the bad driving I have seen has been from young Thais mainly girls on bikes. I saw a bike yesterday, it had 3 girls on it they were in front of me, a giant bus was flying down the road beside us and what did the girls do, pull out in front of it. they were millimeters from being splattered all across the road.

I've seen loads of stuff like this on the roads of Thailand and other countries...it is really how you interpret it that counts.....I think it is equally moronic to see someone stopped on a motorway in UK having a picnic!

[nakhonsi sean]

Maigo6 Posted Today, 2006-11-24 07:20:05

So explain why in USA there are over 40,000 road deaths per year, can you ?

Maybe, but the US has a population of about 300,000,000, Thailand 65,000,000. The Thai figures on road deaths are questionable to say the least. Govt. seems to quote around 10,000 - 15,000. You need to look at the way they collate their statistics. I have Thai friend, a doctor in ER. In conversation with him I was told they only count a a road death if the person was dead at the scene of the accident, die in the ambulance or the hospital and you die of other causes! His hospital has about five road fatalities a day. His estimate for Thailand was over 50,000 a year! Compare this with the UK, about the same population - approx. 2500!

JacknDanny Posted Today, 2006-11-24 08:47:24

I live and drive in Bangkok and I can tell you the standard of driving by most Thais is terrible. That is NOT a racist comment, it is simply fact.

I Agree. I have lived here on and off, Nakhon and Bangkok for over 30 years. I have many Thai relatives who I am very close to, the vast majority are terrible drivers. Many of them have studied in Europe and the States, all of them who have driven over there have had accidents or problems with the police!

The thing that really gets me is that driving here I end up doing some of the same things that piss me off I find I am forced into bad habbits just to keep moving, I constantly try to check myself but its an uphill struggle!

[Jared]

Cant say Ive ever seen anyone stop on the motorway for a picnic and im pretty sure that if someone tried that they would be moved along pretty quickly as you can only stop on the hard shoulder in emergencys.

[wilko]

Cant say Ive ever seen anyone stop on the motorway for a picnic and im pretty sure that if someone tried that they would be moved along pretty quickly as you can only stop on the hard shoulder in emergencys.

As isaid personla anfd anecdotal experience is next to worthless....I was for some time a professional driver in UK and Europe and given the more restrictive laws, I can assure you that moronic driving is NOt the preserve of Thailand

[Jared]

Im not saying it is, I was merely stating some of the things I have seen since driving in Thailand. How different it is to the UK and that once you get used to it, its not so bad.

[HDRIDER]

I like Thai people othervise i would not be living here,,, but i still think there driving is bad, very bad, you know and i know if there is an accident the Farang will be the one to blame, thats the way it is, Farang has money Thai not, maybe you think i am wrong but after 5 years here i will not change my mind (not yet)

You see what I mean,. you have the attitude that Thais drive bad, not an individual Thai, but a whole nation!!, a them and us attitude, a typical minority attitude actually.

Farang has money and Thais don't...lol....I beg to differ on that.

After 5 years here you won't change your mind eh, well I have been here 16 years, maybe I'm more flexible now in my attitude.

Farang has money and Thais don't...lol....I beg to differ on that

I did not mean it that way, i mean that it is the way many Thais se it, hope you understand that, also i dont mean that ALL Thais drive bad, but still a lot of them do

i hope i can say the same after 15 years here ( i hope i will stay here that long)

[Euro Boy]

Jezus Chr*st!!!

I knew it! I knew that many people on this forum don't admit that Thai people drive sooo bad for years in Thailand and started to outsmart me by saying that in the US there are many road accidents too or it is because we westerners got more money. What a Shame! Please admit it sir otherwise the discussion would never ends.. Be Rational and Logic!

Face the facts:

It seemed that road accidents happened more in the US because US is a very big country with very high number of population so road accidents would be happening more in the US than in Thailand but that was mainly caused by bad weather or flooding include small numbers of drunk drivers. The ones that happened in Thailand were very strange, suspicious and we must observe them carefully, like the "hit and run" scene or having no traffic signs or having never ending traffic jams or police pissing people off.

I also have rights to say that i don't drive in Thailand because i don't want to stay in the Traffic for 3 hours and using bad streets/roads so thats why i used Skytrains or (M)etros. I also don't want Untrained Thai Taxi Drivers to cheat on me and bringing me to a wrong place. i drive only in the US and Europe because the traffic is less, the roads are smooth, nice and the majority people had more respect towards one another as well as respect for the traffic signs and for the traffic laws. The Western government also commits less corruption and they are much more honest to its people and are willing to develop western infrastructure. You see?

These are what i witnessed with my own eyes in Thailand for years. FOR YEARS!

Check this out:

Australia exist after most Southeast Asian countries and it is now more developed! How come?! Well, the answer propably is lying on most people's mind: Thailand needs more good infrastructure development and it needs good quality people who must respect the laws as well as good government with no corruption. And... It is not the cause of the geographic location of the country. Ooooops! Did i just offended someone?

If you people drive well in Thailand then it is good for you but most of the people who drove in developed countries don't like the ways how Thais drive and i personally don't like the Thai infrastructure development.

Explain this:

All im saying was there are more drivers in Thailand who disrespect the rules and there was lack of good infrastructure development. Sometimes, we could not even find the U-Turn because it was created more than 5 miles away!!! There are very less roads but more streets which would put your ass in the traffic for hours!!! The Thai policemen were not very honest and can put you into trouble!!!

One time, im almost dead because a car approach with high speed to an intersection without stopping while there was pedestrian's cross and a stop sign. That almost never happen to me in the US or in Europe.

Those who does not admit the truth, should simply go and bang their head on the wall just like those who recommend others to drive in the third world country like Thailand. Go and make a post card of the busy Thailand's streets and you'll see how many foreigners will come and drive in Thailand. OOOO!!!

Thailand is the Third-World Country with less good infrastructure development and with soo many drivers who disrecpect the traffic laws. Period.

Maigo6 Posted Today, 2006-11-24 07:20:05

So explain why in USA there are over 40,000 road deaths per year, can you ?

Maybe, but the US has a population of about 300,000,000, Thailand 65,000,000. The Thai figures on road deaths are questionable to say the least. Govt. seems to quote around 10,000 - 15,000. You need to look at the way they collate their statistics. I have Thai friend, a doctor in ER. In conversation with him I was told they only count a a road death if the person was dead at the scene of the accident, die in the ambulance or the hospital and you die of other causes! His hospital has about five road fatalities a day. His estimate for Thailand was over 50,000 a year! Compare this with the UK, about the same population - approx. 2500!

JacknDanny Posted Today, 2006-11-24 08:47:24

I live and drive in Bangkok and I can tell you the standard of driving by most Thais is terrible. That is NOT a racist comment, it is simply fact.

I Agree. I have lived here on and off, Nakhon and Bangkok for over 30 years. I have many Thai relatives who I am very close to, the vast majority are terrible drivers. Many of them have studied in Europe and the States, all of them who have driven over there have had accidents or problems with the police!

The thing that really gets me is that driving here I end up doing some of the same things that piss me off I find I am forced into bad habbits just to keep moving, I constantly try to check myself but its an uphill struggle!

WOW! That was an excellent reply Nakhonsi Sean! Thanks for explaining to those who did not admit the truth and those who did not wanted to understand. Thats also a good fact! Keep it up! Thankyou!

It looks like we got at least few people who admits the truth here and having a good post. Keep the facts up about Thailand!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

PS: Anyway, the discussion is going nowhere as we all know, only some silly people wanted to continue with none sense and with bad counter-arguments to my posts. Also, discussion about Thailand would not easily do Thai a favor and may sounded offensive because of many negativities in Thailand. Its Thai's problems Not foreigner's. Chill out Dude! Well at least let me breath! This discussion no longer interest me..

Third World Countries: Countries which are not allies in the Second World War but yesss, normally used as rank of development by many people.

GOOD BYE FROM EUROPE! SAWASDEE CRAP!!

Edited November 24, 2006 by Euro Boy

[roytheboy]

What is the deal with the way people drive here ?

Mate I regularly drive in London ! give me Bankok or Pattaya anyday, less aggression in LOS, central London speed cameras evey 500 meters, box junction cameras, red route cameras, traffic wardens that are corrupt as the mayor of London that hates cars.

I defy you to drive in and out for the day and come back without a severe fine ! with motorists that have a severe attitude problem !............roy

[nakhonsi sean]

roytheboy Posted Today, 2006-11-25 00:35:23

Mate I regularly drive in London ! give me Bankok or Pattaya anyday, less aggression in LOS, central London speed cameras evey 500 meters, box junction cameras, red route cameras, traffic wardens that are corrupt as the mayor of London that hates cars.

I defy you to drive in and out for the day and come back without a severe fine ! with motorists that have a severe attitude problem !............roy

I lived and drove in London for four years and was a fast driver but I have never had a ticket in the UK. Was stopped three times for speeding, once 40mph over the limit but got off each time with a warning. I think aggression depends on where you are in Thailand, I have never seen as much aggrssion as I have seen here in Nakhon.

Wherever you are seems to be bad at the time. When someone carves you up you forget all the past instances, That guy is the worst! I remember driving in London and many other cities in Europe, North America, North Africa and Asia. All seemed to have hot heads and bad drivers. But thinking about it rationally I would rather be driving allmost any where else than here! I used to love driving in Europe and Canada, would go out and just drive for a bit of relaxation. Here I hate driving!

[wilko]

OK some generalisations.......- drivers from North America are crap, their driving has become lazy.....they are unskilled and can't deal with any untoward or unusual situations so they are particularly unsuited to driving in Thailand.

European drivers are far more adaptable as they frequently drive in other countries with different road systems and due to the nature of the roads develop much higher driving skills on average.

Aussies unfortunately suffer from the same problems as North Americans

Thai drivers....well they really are fledglings at present, the car in is only a recent thing here, in fact that applies to most forms of road transport, but they are developing their own road rules as they go; quite a different mind-set to us westerners

[pistonpilot]

On the contrary, I think things are generally very right here in the LOS...especially driving. To come to this conclusion, I firstly realise & accept an irrefutable fact...NOTHING can be forecast & therefore NOTHING can be controlled. Secondly, apply the reverse logic that if there are no rules (which there really aren't...anywhere in the world), one will generally be more aware of their immediate situation & hopefully not be complacent. Conversely, rules make us lazy & also give us a way to avoid REAL responsibility.

Conclusion:

enforcing western style thinking & rules would ultimately destroy the wonderfully FREE place that Thailand currently is.

Oh, one more thing...we are all going to die. None of us will ever have any control over when, how, where or why, although some of us might foolishly believe that we can control our ultimate fate.

Live & let live. Live & let die.

Do you belong to that class of scum I like to call the "free Farang" You know the type, they come here and have a little bit of money, buy a big car, and then tailgate some poor bastard on a motorbike just because the Thais do it.

They become a lawless, gutless, bully driving their big SUVs pushing some little girl off the road. These scumbag Farang know better, they were taught better and yet they revert to the animal they really are. Are you one of them?

I hope you meet me one day, just try doing that to me. Ask the german piece of crap who last did that to me. I was on a bike but we both ended up at the same place. He wasn't such a big man when he got out from behind the wheel. He was bigger than me, but he wasn't such a big man when had to face me on foot.

Your last sentence says it all. Let me tell you something, I choose my fate and I have control of my fate. You can be sure that my daughter won't get hung over the side of the bike waiting for someone to break her neck just because "we have no control."

I'm sure if I met you I would take an instant dislike to you and make sure you never came near any of my children.

It all boils down to morality. Where is yours?

[Jai Dee]

Some off-topic posts and flames have been deleted.

Please remain on topic and keep the personal insults out of this thread.

[elkangorito]

Dear Pistonpilot,

Please get a life & do try to calm down a touch because driving, when as angry as you, could be fatal. God forbid you may even kill a loved one.

[Jai Dee]

... do try to calm down a touch because driving, when as angry as you, could be fatal.

A "jai yen" attitude on the roads will get you to your destination much safer (and enjoyably) than a "jai lon" approach... and that goes for anywhere in the world... not only Thailand.

[Rajah]

... population [in] Thailand 65,000,000. The Thai figures on road deaths are questionable to say the least. Govt. seems to quote around 10,000 - 15,000. ... I have Thai friend, a doctor in ER. ... His estimate for Thailand was over 50,000 a year!

In Germany it is between 5.000 and 6.000 (population about 80.000.000).

Another thought: If air traffic would be that dangerous and - let's say - 10.000 people were killed every year worldwide, it would have been probited a long time ago!