Accident In Sukkumvit Soi 3

[Scott]

I am the "stupid" dude who follows the law and will continue to follow the law. Yes, I stop and yes, I let people cross. I do keep an eye on the traffic behind me because if the butt hole behind me is going so fast that he can't reasonably stop, then neither do I.

I don't know where you folks live, but most of the time in Bangkok, the traffic is puttering along at a snails pace, meaning there is no problem with being courteous.

By the way, you might want to check on the law about what happens if you hit someone in a pedestrian crosswalk.

[terry57]

i think the longer you hang around los the more you get used to the traffic situation and learn to adapt.

i know this is no help to the newbies but its a fact of life. i try and avoid crossing roads and will walk the extra to get a pedestrian bridge.

i take sky train, river and underground if possible to avoid road travel as they all turn into lunatics when they get behind the wheel.

if i have to cross a major road on foot i always get in the middle of the pack and cross as a group.

i think thats a good tip. cross as a group always works as they dont like to kill ten people in the one go.

i avoid road travel like the plague when its raining as thais aint worked out yet that the rules change when its been raining.

good tip for pedestrians is to allow alot more room between you and a thai driver when its been raining.

[GracelessFawn]

Tragic!

I hope the dude is alright.

[dantilley]

Even more unnerving is the fact that here they flash their lights to mean I'm NOT stopping! I remember reading a thread before about 2 tourists who were mown down by a truck because the truck flashed its lights and so they assumed it meant "OK, there you go, I'm stopping, it's safe to cross".

[qualtrough]

The lack of concern for pedestrians is terrible, but some peds make things worse by refusing to use pedestrian overpasses even when they are very close. I can't tell you how many times I have been driving along only to see idiots crossing wide roads with fast traffic right beneath an overpass.

[Axel]

Check Bangkok Sukhumvit between Robinson's and Soi 3. You drive on the right side of the road, people crossing underneath pedestrian bridges and look to the wrong side.

[corkscrew]

i think the longer you hang around los the more you get used to the traffic situation and learn to adapt.

i know this is no help to the newbies but its a fact of life. i try and avoid crossing roads and will walk the extra to get a pedestrian bridge.

i take sky train, river and underground if possible to avoid road travel as they all turn into lunatics when they get behind the wheel.

if i have to cross a major road on foot i always get in the middle of the pack and cross as a group.

i think thats a good tip. cross as a group always works as they dont like to kill ten people in the one go.

i avoid road travel like the plague when its raining as thais aint worked out yet that the rules change when its been raining.

good tip for pedestrians is to allow alot more room between you and a thai driver when its been raining.

That's a good tip. Especially if it is a group of school kids all crossing in mass. Or, old ladies. Or a bunch of cops.

[kiakaha]

Regardless of the country I am in, the type of throughfare I am crossing, the crossing rules/structures/laws or lack of them..I always use the following technique :

1) look left

2) look right

3) determine it is safe to start walking

4) whilst walking continually scan left and right until safely on other side.

[teddy_bare]

really surprised there was no traffic in Soi 3. It's usually jammed with taxis and easy to cross (it you're brave). I drive a lot thru out thailand and i have found some of the driving styles although not always safe are predictable and allows me to drive like an arse.

What amazes me is that there aren't more accidents in Bkk. I avoid at least 5 per day!

[Cigarette Burn]

If you need to cross a busy road in Bangkok the simple trick is to keep moving at a constant pace, let the vehicles avoid you, no speeding up and slowing down, that only confuses the drivers.

Edited December 6, 2006 by Cigarette Burn