Was hit by car in a crosswalk. Enough is enough.

[Destiny1990]

1 hour ago, RocknRolla said:

Chang Mai for me is too crowded with westerners who all seem a bit loud and unsympathetic to a relaxed environment which CM centre is not. The only city I ever walked down in Thailand and heard many English speakers speaking. Was an odd feeling.

 

It reminded me of a university town with loads of little punks just being punks.

 

I think I went to the wrong spots in that place to be honest. 

 

Bangkok is a polluted hell hole and your escape route is a lift upto the Fresher air. Some things are cool about BKK but overall it was a disappointment and shopping gets boring but the food was great.

 

Khon kaen is my kind of city. Fairly big has a a good amount of variety the farang factor is spread out a bit so it's still got a lot of Thai charm that I like. It's under sold in many respects but maybe that's why I like it. Less like home more like thailand.

 

The islands are full of alcoholic expats in denial. Apologies to the minority who are teetotal or Muslim but you know what I mean. Not met many expats on those islands who were not full blown or enroute. Lovely islands too soften a strange one.

 

 

Yes you will much better blend in with the local Thais in Kong Keang than with that nasty farang crowd in Chiang Mai.

[hobz]

5 hours ago, RocknRolla said:

Chang Mai for me is too crowded with westerners who all seem a bit loud and unsympathetic to a relaxed environment which CM centre is not. The only city I ever walked down in Thailand and heard many English speakers speaking. Was an odd feeling.

 

It reminded me of a university town with loads of little punks just being punks.

 

I think I went to the wrong spots in that place to be honest. 

 

Bangkok is a polluted hell hole and your escape route is a lift upto the Fresher air. Some things are cool about BKK but overall it was a disappointment and shopping gets boring but the food was great.

 

Khon kaen is my kind of city. Fairly big has a a good amount of variety the farang factor is spread out a bit so it's still got a lot of Thai charm that I like. It's under sold in many respects but maybe that's why I like it. Less like home more like thailand.

 

The islands are full of alcoholic expats in denial. Apologies to the minority who are teetotal or Muslim but you know what I mean. Not met many expats on those islands who were not full blown or enroute. Lovely islands too soften a strange one.

 

 

You're right about CM. There's tons of us young farang punks here. But, don't judge us all by the loudest ones. 

[JaseTheBass]

You guys do this time and time again, recycling stats without providing any perspective, only to support your slanted narrative.  Something like 75-80% of the road fatalities in Thailand are motorcycles.  That's because the millions of motorcycles have to share the roads with just as many cars, trucks, vans, buses, etc.  Very few places in the world is like this.  I don't know about Europe, but the USA has a tiny number of motorcycles compared to Thailand (yet, we still kill thousands every year).  In other places, there are far more motorcycles.  Mixing cars and bikes on the roads is not nearly as dangerous for a car driver as it is for a motorcycle rider.

Also take into account that Thailand only reports deaths that occur at the scene of the accident and you can reasonably expect to double the official figures.

[JaseTheBass]

If we took a vote on the worst place in CM to cross a substantial road I would nominate crossing Hang Dong Rd to go to Airport Plaza and returning to maybe catch a songteaw.
 
The previously painted crossing lines have faded into obscurity and around the corner hreading to the airport there are none to my knowledge .People makea  run to the "island" and then gathering their wits make a run towards the Plaza.
 
How a major shopping centre was allowed  not to  provide safe access for pedestrians I will leave to your imagination

'Cultural differences' apparently.

[JaseTheBass]

Next time carry a brick with you and throw it at the vehicle and summon the police at the same time

I learned how to cross the road by myself when I was like six years old. Get a grip!
 


Yes, but you're not an entitled Millennial who expects everything, including thinking, to be done for them.

[dcnx]

The honeymoon period just ended for you and reality set in. Now, you can struggle past this part (it can be difficult if you're not a drunk), or leave. If you struggle forward, Thailand will always be complex and aggravating, but it does get easier.

 

Most people go through stages. After a while you just stop caring, and that probably isn't a good thing. I have become quite indifferent to life and death, brains splattered on the highways, unfair practices, and xenophobia. Worrying about them, a society that is screwed beyond belief and doesn't value their own lives, is futile and only ends in frustration.

 

I've been smashed by cars, always their fault, but the police always say it's mine and the CCTV cams nearby never work when you need them, but I'm still alive. I've been in fist fights, had to defend myself against a Thai with a weapon, and the police did nothing other than take notes. Meh. This is Thailand, take it for what it is. Most of the time it's great, but when it goes bad, it usually goes really bad.

 

Whatever you choose, good luck.

[JimCrane]

i keep telling people they dont know how to yield here like other asian countries such as vietnam.

 

in heavy traffic you walk towards oncoming traffic down the center lane when someone fails to yield (like a traffic cop would do) not side to side. you keep walking down the center lane until someone slows or you see an opening.

 

seems like your cock got a harsh awakening underneath they dont particularly like strangers like you thought they did (same as most other places in the world).

[Brightly]

I was badly injured by a hit-and-run driver while in a crosswalk in the US.  Shattered leg, titanium knee replacement, the whole bit.  Now I walk with a cane, retired early because of it, and moved here

 

Yep, the irony: moved to the second-worst traffic accident country on earth after a terrible accident at home!

 

But I knew this going in.  I take my exercise in the gym or pool, and have almost entirely elimated pedestrian activity altogether.  (Thank You Uber!)

 

That's how I do it.  MIght not work for you, but so far (knock on titanium knee), it's worked for me.

 

 

 

[hobz]

Bumping this thread to tell you why Thai drivers don't stop to let pedestrians cross...

 

Today I was driving around 8am, morning rush hour,, traffic is moving slowly...

Driving slowly (40km/h)

I approach a pedestrian crossing. (unmonitored, meaning no lights)

I notice pedestrians waiting to cross.

Since traffic is moving slowly i decide to stop and let them walk.

I come to a full stop. (not a hard full stop,, just a normal full stop)

One or two seconds after I stop, there's something hitting the side of my car.

A motorbike behind me crashed into my side, probably because he wasn't expecting to stop and panic'd.

Dent in my brand new car... 

Motorbike driver was ok.. left the scene after picking up his motorbike...

Guess who has to deal with insurance and repair shops and just losing alot of time in general now? ME

Guess if the pedestrians crossed the road? Nope, it was all for nothing.

 

Moral of the story, I will never stop for pedestrians in Thailand again unless something changes here.

 

So now you know why they won't stop.. It's just too dangerous (This is the second time I see an accident now from stopping for pedestrians, and it's been close a couple of other times.)

[sharktooth]

On 4/12/2017 at 2:01 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

I never was able to find any locals crossing the road in C M when I wanted to. 

However, to the OP, if not actually working in LOS, there are beautiful places in Thailand where one can cross  the road safely- the islands or the gulf coast below Chumphon.

Would be a pity to give up on Thailand just because of C M traffic.

If I had the choice I'd move to Chaloklum on Phangan. Nice quiet village and beautiful sea views.

I lived and worked in Chaloklum around 15 years ago. Got a trifle boring after a while and needed escape to Thongsala, Haad Rin or even Samui once in a while. Quietness and sea views not maketh the man,...

[searcher22]

7 hours ago, hobz said:

Bumping this thread to tell you why Thai drivers don't stop to let pedestrians cross...

 

Today I was driving around 8am, morning rush hour,, traffic is moving slowly...

Driving slowly (40km/h)

I approach a pedestrian crossing. (unmonitored, meaning no lights)

I notice pedestrians waiting to cross.

Since traffic is moving slowly i decide to stop and let them walk.

I come to a full stop. (not a hard full stop,, just a normal full stop)

One or two seconds after I stop, there's something hitting the side of my car.

A motorbike behind me crashed into my side, probably because he wasn't expecting to stop and panic'd.

Dent in my brand new car... 

Motorbike driver was ok.. left the scene after picking up his motorbike...

Guess who has to deal with insurance and repair shops and just losing alot of time in general now? ME

Guess if the pedestrians crossed the road? Nope, it was all for nothing.

 

Moral of the story, I will never stop for pedestrians in Thailand again unless something changes here.

 

So now you know why they won't stop.. It's just too dangerous (This is the second time I see an accident now from stopping for pedestrians, and it's been close a couple of other times.)

What's also frustrating is when I stop  for pedestrians at crosswalks, they are often staring at the sky and not paying attention to the traffic ... and then they run along the crosswalk, which is even more dangerous. Many  seem surprised that I actually stop for them and wai thankfully to me as if I'm doing them a big favour when in fact I'm just following the law.

Edited May 18, 2017 by searcher22

[hobz]

44 minutes ago, searcher22 said:

What's also frustrating is when I stop  for pedestrians at crosswalks, they are often staring at the sky and not paying attention to the traffic ... and then they run along the crosswalk, which is even more dangerous. Many  seem surprised that I actually stop for them and wai thankfully to me as if I'm doing them a big favour when in fact I'm just following the law.

Yes, i have same experiences.

 

I will stop doing it now... If there is no vehicles behind me, then the pedestrians can cross after me.

If there are vehicles behind, then it is too dangerous. 

[XGM]

Non confrontational, considerate and polite face to face, those supposed Thai qualities disappear when they sit behind the wheel. When their face is hidden behind the windshield there is no consideration or compassion to young or old. The only conclusion that can be drawn from the contradiction is that the apparent Nahm Jai face to face attitude is just a superficial conformity to social values, a hypocrisy, as those value don't really run very deep.

 

One way to get through this is to try to make an eye contact with the driver. Don't look at the front of the car and run like a scared rabbit. Look at the driver. When they realize you see them (if that's at all possible), in their mind, they become accountable. Even better is to use hand gestures. Looking at the driver and making a clear stop signal helps a lot.

[khunpa]

After 12 years of living, doing business and driving in SEA (Vietnam and Thailand), I seem to have become adjusted and numb to it all.

 

The first couple of years I was furious at times and it took a lot of adjustment and mental training to start ignoring all the daily challenges. I have seen many foreigners leave this place and just give up. And in many ways I understand them.

 

However, it is possible to adjust to it all. It just requires you to become kind of numb. Today nothing can surprise me any longer. Possibly because I just know that ANYTHING can happen and there is no logical right and wrong here. 

 

When you reach that state og mind (and otherwise keep for yourself and keep things simple), then you will reach a point where things are actually pretty good here. At least thats how I feel about living here. 

[JayBird]

I attended the driving school and driving lessons (4 hour lecture), and read through the book. And I can safely say:

 

If you follow the rules taught, you *WILL* have an accident!

 

No one follows the rules and if you attempt to do so it will cause an accident.  It's exactly as if you are introducing 'your own' rules into traffic while everyone else is obeying the 'road rules', and this will cause accidents.

 

The safest thing to say to new drivers now is to totally ignore the rules explained in school unless you want to have a fatality.

 

And when policemen stand on the side of the road and gaze bored like into the distance whilst drivers are blatantly ignoring various traffic laws, there is no reason at all to expect this to stop.

 

Recent example: I was waiting at an intersection to cross the road.  The lights changed, it was my turn (and a crowd) to start walking, I was half way across and suddenly a motorbike whipped in front of me to go into its line.  Barely missed me (if I did not see it out of the corner of my eye I would have been hit).

 

This was at a lit intersection, in daytime, with traffic lights... meanwhile the policeman standing at the other end of the crosswalk just looked across as if he was half asleep, and the one inside his little hut just gazed off in a dream like state.

 

Ignore the official rules and laws, and you'll live a longer life :)

[hobz]

3 hours ago, JayBird said:

I attended the driving school and driving lessons (4 hour lecture), and read through the book. And I can safely say:

 

If you follow the rules taught, you *WILL* have an accident!

 

No one follows the rules and if you attempt to do so it will cause an accident.  It's exactly as if you are introducing 'your own' rules into traffic while everyone else is obeying the 'road rules', and this will cause accidents.

 

The safest thing to say to new drivers now is to totally ignore the rules explained in school unless you want to have a fatality.

 

And when policemen stand on the side of the road and gaze bored like into the distance whilst drivers are blatantly ignoring various traffic laws, there is no reason at all to expect this to stop.

 

Recent example: I was waiting at an intersection to cross the road.  The lights changed, it was my turn (and a crowd) to start walking, I was half way across and suddenly a motorbike whipped in front of me to go into its line.  Barely missed me (if I did not see it out of the corner of my eye I would have been hit).

 

This was at a lit intersection, in daytime, with traffic lights... meanwhile the policeman standing at the other end of the crosswalk just looked across as if he was half asleep, and the one inside his little hut just gazed off in a dream like state.

 

Ignore the official rules and laws, and you'll live a longer life :)

Thank you, I agree completely. 

 

I tried telling this to some people in a thread about self-driving cars. That's it's a huge dilemma for self-driving cars. Because they would need to be programmed to break the law or they would be involved in a million accidents and insurance would be reluctant to cover them.

 

*edit* As for the traffic police, I think they should be held responsible for the carnage. I think due to the number of people that has died from their lack of action the death penalty is warranted. At least for the leadership. Ofcourse a court would have to decide that. But it seems like it would be according to Thai law.

 

Edited May 22, 2017 by hobz

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Drivers might stop or slow down at the zebra crossings but it's not reliable. I have seen many motorbikes etc blow thru them with pedestrians in the zone. 

 

Your best bet is to be swift of foot. 

[JayBird]

On ‎5‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 11:29 AM, CobraSnakeNecktie said:

Drivers might stop or slow down at the zebra crossings but it's not reliable. I have seen many motorbikes etc blow thru them with pedestrians in the zone. 

 

Your best bet is to be swift of foot. 

I've purposely tried this and paid attention to car behavior whilst I was on a zebra crossing.  The behavior does not change from when I'm not on a zebra crossing.  In other words:

 

They do not slow down if I'm waiting on the curb.

They do not slow down if I'm on the zebra crossing in front of them.

They only slow down if it looks like they might hit me (irregard of me being on a zebra crossing or not).

 

On a similar note, I've paid attention when at four way crossings with lights and zebra crossing and have come to the following conclusion:

 

It is *safer* to cross the road *NOT* at the four way intersection on the zebra crossing with lights, but in the middle of the road where there is no zebra crossing or lights.  Reason:

 

At a zebra crossing you have to pay attention for cars/motorbikes in all directions.

All vehicles are waiting for the light to switch over before testing how fast their acceleration is.

 

In the middle of a road, you only have to look in two directions unlike a four way intersection which requires four way checking.

 

Therefore, the safest way to cross the road in Thailand:

 

Go for the middle of the road where there are no lights, and no zebra crossing, and only traffic in two directions.  Wait for a lull, then quickly go across.

 

Unlike some experiences I've had in America, the Thai drivers are NOT trying to kill you.  They either do not pay attention or mis-judge your ability to get out of their way.  If they are not intoxicated, paying attention, and not driving at crazy speeds, they tend to slow down enough to let you get across.

 

 

[Bikeman93]

Beware of the white paint on the road. Its not a pedestrian crossing rather the collection of police body outline chalk.

[JayBird]

16 hours ago, Bikeman93 said:

Beware of the white paint on the road. Its not a pedestrian crossing rather the collection of police body outline chalk.

 

I thought it was a vertical progress bar, to see how far you make it before getting hit?