I take no credit for finding this.  It was posted by one of the sponsors on the Chiang Mai forum and, as several people suggest, should be required reading for anyone who drives here.  Even if you have been doing it for years it gives some interesting insights into why the locals behave the way they do.  Traffic Rules In Thailand

Well thought out. The cultural relevance is important.

They are quite famous for the 'no look' when merging onto a main road...as if the assumption is that they will be seen everytime and avoided.

When riding a motorbike, consider a full face helmet that even unstrapped would have some resistance coming off. With the way people drive here, i'm surprised that more thai motorbike riders dont insist on it. Apparantly showing off their face or hairdo takes precedence to keeping one of the most vital organs protected. My helmet is over 6 years old and has saved my life 3 times. Legs and arms can get scraped, but your head is much more sensitive to damage.

Bit of a easy Thai bash IMO.

As l always comment there is no reasonable age restrictions or good initial training in Thailand like there is in western countries. 

but because Thai people are inherently lazy

 

The author is also being lazy by not sticking to the point without deviation into Thai bashing.

 

I would love to see this guy complete one shift in the baking sun with Thai rice farmers just to see who is lazy and who is not.

5 hours ago, onthesoi said:

but because Thai people are inherently lazy

 

The author is also being lazy by not sticking to the point without deviation into Thai bashing.

 

I would love to see this guy complete one shift in the baking sun with Thai rice farmers just to see who is lazy and who is not.

Agree, I switched of after reading

" Most of Thai-style driving (in so far as it deviates from the international norms) derives from Thai culture and Thai mentality¹: laziness, carelessness, recklessness, cutting corners and being flexible. "

On 1/12/2017 at 7:25 PM, 4evermaat said:

Well thought out. The cultural relevance is important.

They are quite famous for the 'no look' when merging onto a main road...as if the assumption is that they will be seen everytime and avoided.

 

When riding a motorbike, consider a full face helmet that even unstrapped would have some resistance coming off. With the way people drive here, i'm surprised that more thai motorbike riders dont insist on it. Apparantly showing off their face or hairdo takes precedence to keeping one of the most vital organs protected. My helmet is over 6 years old and has saved my life 3 times. Legs and arms can get scraped, but your head is much more sensitive to damage.

 

 

Your helmet is totally useless even after a single shock. Some foreigners also need to learn a lot...

 

 

 

 

Some farangs are just as bad as the thais. I think the problem stems from the fact that no traffic laws are enforced. Faced with that situation many (most) people drive carelessly.

Under common causes of accidents, texting while driving is omitted. 

Agreed it is quite a good article.

Two real life examples of the (lack of) driving skills of the indigenous here.

 

When my ex. wife was learning to drive, I paid for her to have 'professional'  lessons as my patience was not up to the task of doing it myself, came back from 6 weeks offshore and she had 'passed' the test and had a license, so let her drive me, after 9km I said, "you haven't looked in the mirrors once", her reply "They taught me that I don't need to, as anything behind me has to worry about me"

 

A friend's ex. wife, many times she would indicate and immediately change lanes regardless, when asked why, the answer was "I'm indicating so can" another one of her sayings was when asked why she hadn't put her lights on, as it is dark, answer "no need, I can see"

 

Say no more!

On 1/13/2017 at 5:25 AM, onthesoi said:

but because Thai people are inherently lazy

 

The author is also being lazy by not sticking to the point without deviation into Thai bashing.

 

I would love to see this guy complete one shift in the baking sun with Thai rice farmers just to see who is lazy and who is not.

 

 

Ridiculous comment from someone who could not even write 10 lines as well as it is written on this article.

At least respect people who are smarter than you and can write what you will never be able to write your whole life !

 

 

 

On 1/13/2017 at 10:27 AM, stevenl said:

Agree, I switched of after reading

" Most of Thai-style driving (in so far as it deviates from the international norms) derives from Thai culture and Thai mentality¹: laziness, carelessness, recklessness, cutting corners and being flexible. "

 

 

Another who knows nothing and keep talking.

 

 

 

44 minutes ago, Mattd said:

Agreed it is quite a good article.

Two real life examples of the (lack of) driving skills of the indigenous here.

 

When my ex. wife was learning to drive, I paid for her to have 'professional'  lessons as my patience was not up to the task of doing it myself, came back from 6 weeks offshore and she had 'passed' the test and had a license, so let her drive me, after 9km I said, "you haven't looked in the mirrors once", her reply "They taught me that I don't need to, as anything behind me has to worry about me"

 

A friend's ex. wife, many times she would indicate and immediately change lanes regardless, when asked why, the answer was "I'm indicating so can" another one of her sayings was when asked why she hadn't put her lights on, as it is dark, answer "no need, I can see"

 

Say no more!

 

 

This is exactly the way it is and people in this country are just happy to die as stupid as they are born !

 

 

3 minutes ago, BsBs said:

 

 

Another who knows nothing and keep talking.

 

 

 

No, just someone who disagrees with the author.

 

Strange conclusion you come to.

4 minutes ago, BsBs said:

 

 

Ridiculous comment from someone who could not even write 10 lines as well as it is written on this article.

At least respect people who are smarter than you and can write what you will never be able to write your whole life !

 

 

 

Since when is writing well a requirement to agree or disagree with the opinion of an author?

2 minutes ago, BsBs said:

 

 

This is exactly the way it is and people in this country are just happy to die as stupid as they are born !

 

 

Seems you really have some issues.

10 minutes ago, BsBs said:

This is exactly the way it is and people in this country are just happy to die as stupid as they are born !

 

Not true. All people are born without knowing anything except how to breath. The link in the OP is another bit of overblown Thai bashing. As well as BS.

"For example, you could make signs that you want to move sideways from one lane to another or make strange movements and you'll find, to your surprise perhaps, that someone behind you is waiting for you to cross lanes,  "

 

Well in BKK it would be a surprise since your signal to change lanes is a signal to the car in that lane to quickly accelerate forward to prevent you coming into that lane.

 

Thanks for sharing - some good points.