Thai Style lane chances. Purposefully making it difficult. Why?

[irwinfc]

44 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

Good luck with your blood pressure and your drive style hope it brings u far.I try to be polite set a good example let pedestrians cross infront me let cars zip in no big deal other participants in the traffic  will appreciate this more than your dumb competitive attitude.

letting pedestrians pass, following slow vehicles (as long as they're within speed limits), keeping junctions open, etc. yeah, i do those too. but vehicles intentionally jumping off lanes to cut cars patiently lined up and cause more traffic? nah. those dimwits don't sit well with me. drivers like those lack road courtesy, hence, deserve none. my horn works up a sweat with such selfishness.

[Destiny1990]

5 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

Methinks some of you guys have been here too long. Complaining about people cutting line in 7-11, looking at you cross-eyed, changing lanes improperly, etc. ad nauseum. Don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself bloviate?

 

Having come from America only 5 months ago I can tell you these things happen everywhere in the world where there are humans.

 

You'll live longer and be happier if you just roll with the punches and take these things as examples of how not to treat others. That skill will benefit you wherever you go.

 

Make it a challenge to catch yourself acting up and immediately  reverse direction. Soon you'll  be proud of yourself for your own self-control and even allow yourself some smugness about being better than they are.

Some guys get cynical and grumpy when they get older and also their testosterone levels decline and than they come online here to blame everything on this country and its citizens.??.Is it fair no not always.I like to give positive criticism look for improvements but for example to compare london with Bangkok and expect all things to be the same here as there but for 10% of the price as in London  is insane.

[bazza73]

I am conflicted saying this, as there are a lot of things to dislike about America. However, as an Aussie who has driven cars in the USA, I have to say American drivers are very polite and considerate, provided you indicate what you are trying to do.

If you want to see some real aggression, try driving in Melbourne, Australia.

Thailand? Just drive defensively, and you'll be OK.

[Happy Grumpy]

3 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

road rage

What's being discussed isn't road rage.

 

 

[Happy Grumpy]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

To answer the OP's question: Because they have the mind of a child.

Interesting theory. But there must be more behind it.

 

In many aspects and situations they have the behavior of a Western 9 year old.

 

Often a spoiled Western 9 year old.

 

I guess that would lead to the question (if  in fact it is the answer to the OP question), Why do so  many Thais have the maturity and emotional level of a Western child? 

[Dumbastheycome]

9 hours ago, canthai55 said:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x799302

"...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. "
~Last Speech of Hubert H. Humphrey

 

And  the  relevance of that  as it pertains  to Thailand  as  a developing  nation which attempts a  minimal  social welfare system  is  what? 

[canthai55]

19 hours ago, Happy Grumpy said:

Actually yes, it is a common theory.

 

If you want to know the measure of a people, watch how they are on their roads (where they are faceless and have power over others) and how they treat those at their mercy.

 

 

 

19 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

And  the  relevance of that  as it pertains  to Thailand  as  a developing  nation which attempts a  minimal  social welfare system  is  what? 

This is the post I was referring to.

[Dumbastheycome]

Just now, canthai55 said:

 

This is the post I was referring to.

Ah!  Ok.

 

[topt]

2 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Good luck with your blood pressure and your drive style hope it brings u far.I try to be polite set a good example let pedestrians cross infront me let cars zip in no big deal other participants in the traffic  will appreciate this more than your dumb competitive attitude.

You obviously have comprehension issues - nowhere was anything mentioned other than deliberately cutting in to get ahead.

There is no competition involved.

As irwinfc mentions it is just selfishness.

 

You drive your way and I will drive mine

[dotpoom]

20 hours ago, Happy Grumpy said:

Actually yes, it is a common theory.

 

If you want to know the measure of a people, watch how they are on their roads (where they are faceless and have power over others) and how they treat those at their mercy.

 

 

What I heard wasn't quite the same.

  You got the measure of a nation by how their country treated their children, their elderly, their sick and infirm.

[Moonlover]

3 hours ago, topt said:

I also hate this and do the same.

Why - they do it deliberately to get ahead knowing they will have to cut in and often you end up missing the light change because of it.

No it wouldn't - traffic lights in Bowin on the 331 take ages to change. Cars and mini vans go in the left hand lane to turn and then stop as close to the cars in the next lane to pull in and go straight ahead. As long as everybody lets them in they will keep on doing it.

 

UK lorry drivers put a stop to this kind of shit years ago when approaching well signposted roadworks by blocking the lane that was closed far enough back to stop people jumping the queue and it invariably worked.

2nd para 1st. So you're another who has been fooled by HGV drivers in the UK into thinking that they are working in consort for your benefit. Sorry, it's an illusion. All they are doing is working together for their own mutual benefit by putting the chaos of of blending traffic behind them, instead of in front of them. Self interest is their only motivation and is actually, in legal terms, obstruction.

 

The lights in Bowen (where ever that is) may be frustrating, but it sounds to me like any badly designed traffic light  junction anywhere in the world.

 

Back on topic, my view is that an aggressive driver, who is trying to barge in front of me, is better placed in front of me, not blocked in behind me. That way I avoid the possibility of that same driver working out his frustration by trying to barge in front of of me later, maybe in more dangerous circumstances. I loose nothing by surrendering one place in a traffic queue.

 

Yes. politeness does have its advantages.

Edited April 7, 2017 by Moonlover

[Destiny1990]

12 minutes ago, dotpoom said:

What I heard wasn't quite the same.

  You got the measure of a nation by how their country treated their children, their elderly, their sick and infirm.

Thais in general treat their children and their parents with lots of care.There are rarely elderly homes here where they get dumped in..I like it seeing Thai families sitting together in their group on jomtien beach road from one month year old till 99 years old and their interaction is very warm!

[Dumbastheycome]

5 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

2nd para 1st. So you're another who has been fooled by HGV drivers in the UK into thinking that they are working in consort for your benefit. Sorry, it's an illusion. All they are doing is working together for their own mutual benefit by putting the chaos of of blending traffic behind them, instead of in front of them. Self interest is their only motivation and is actually, in legal terms, obstruction.

 

The lights in Bowen (where ever that is) may be frustrating, but it sounds to me like any traffic light  junction anywhere in the world.

 

Back on topic, my view is that an aggressive driver, who is trying to barge in front of me, is better placed in front of me, not blocked in behind me. That way I avoid the possibility of that same driver working out his frustration by trying barge in front of of me later, maybe in more dangerous circumstances. I loose nothing by surrendering one place in a traffic queue.

 

Yes. politeness does have its advantages.

I  would  rather the  crazed  be in front of  me  than  rammed  up  my exhaust  too.  As  much as I would  prefer to  be in front of  creaking weaving overloaded units. Defensive  driving .

[Dumbastheycome]

3 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

Thais in general treat their children and their parents with lots of care.There are rarely elderly homes here where they get dumped in..I like it seeing Thai families sitting together in their group on jomtien beach road from one month year old till 99 years old and their interaction is very warm!

That  is  very  true  in  many  social  situations.  

But  once  on the  road? For  too many a  different  mindset   abandons rationality !

[Destiny1990]

5 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

That  is  very  true  in  many  social  situations.  

But  once  on the  road? For  too many a  different  mindset   abandons rationality !

Even in traffic most Thais drive normal but there is about 10% that lack clear judgement and lack decent manners for strangers and or have insufficient driving skills.A tv show about driving and road safety and behavior would be welcome.

[carken]

16 hours ago, canthai55 said:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x799302

"...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. "
~Last Speech of Hubert H. Humphrey

 

Thank you canthai55

 

some more if interested

"Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members".
~Pearl S. Buck

"Any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members -- the last, the least, the littlest."
~Cardinal Roger Mahony, In a 1998 letter, Creating a Culture of Life

"Any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members -- the last, the least, the littlest."
~Cardinal Roger Mahony, In a 1998 letter, Creating a Culture of Life

"The measure of a society is found in how they treat their weakest and most helpless citizens. As Americans, we are blessed with circumstances that protect our human rights and our religious freedom, but for many people around the world, deprivation and persecution have become a way of life."
~James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr

[NanLaew]

13 hours ago, RocketDog said:

Methinks some of you guys have been here too long. Complaining about people cutting line in 7-11, looking at you cross-eyed, changing lanes improperly, etc. ad nauseum. Don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself bloviate?

 

Having come from America only 5 months ago I can tell you these things happen everywhere in the world where there are humans.

 

You'll live longer and be happier if you just roll with the punches and take these things as examples of how not to treat others. That skill will benefit you wherever you go.

 

Make it a challenge to catch yourself acting up and immediately  reverse direction. Soon you'll  be proud of yourself for your own self-control and even allow yourself some smugness about being better than they are.

...and allow for an extra 3 to 5 hours on your trip home.

[hobz]

17 hours ago, Moonlover said:

So, you think that makes you a good driver do you? Driving lessons the hobz way!

 

Has it occurred to you that if you pull back, you would give them a lesson in politeness?

That's a good point moonlover. I have emotions and being from Sweden my blood starts boiling when people cut in line (ask any swede about this).

Anyway I save the politeness lesson for other situations and always try to be generous in letting people in etc. Except for these <deleted>. But I will reconsider. Maybe it's better to let them in, just be happy and friendly, maybe some of them ended up there as an honest mistake as opposed to blatantly disregarding everyone by cutting in line.

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, hobz said:

That's a good point moonlover. I have emotions and being from Sweden my blood starts boiling when people cut in line (ask any swede about this).

Anyway I save the politeness lesson for other situations and always try to be generous in letting people in etc. Except for these <deleted>. But I will reconsider. Maybe it's better to let them in, just be happy and friendly, maybe some of them ended up there as an honest mistake as opposed to blatantly disregarding everyone by cutting in line.

Cool Hobz. Have a happy, safe and smiley Songran. 

[louse1953]

On 07/04/2017 at 8:49 AM, richard_smith237 said:

Agreed... sometimes its quite safe to 'pick them off' one by one... that is until some idiot decides that you were not there first so have no right to try and over take until those in front of you have. Unfortunately, some are so hesitant they never overtake....

.... It seems that a healthy balance is never found in these situations - we always see some crazy pulling off an impossible manoeuvre or someone who's overdosed on their 'Jai-yen pills', is in no rush to get anywhere but remains in the way. 

 

In the interests of balance an fairness - while I do see daily selfishness - driving in Thailand is not so awful. I've been driving here for 15 years (in and around Bangkok) and feel fairly relaxed behind the wheel.

What about the lunatics that come from 10 cars back,uphill and coming up to a corner?Then want to push in when a car suddenly appears and there is no where to go.

 

[Wallabi]

On 07/04/2017 at 0:17 AM, richard_smith237 said:

I call it the F.U. switch... some people get in a car and forget themselves... 

 

...I find Thai's in cars to be very chilled and relaxed given the daily frustrations of driving in every day gridlock.

 

And with that in mind I also call it the 90/10 ratio... 90% of drivers are very polite... however, 10% are bloody minded, self centred, selfish morons.

 

...Today I watched a car deliberately block a motorcycle from filtering through, there was space but he made it clear it was his (the car's space). The motorcycle was patient, the driver clearly being difficult... it took about 5 mins for the Motorcycle to filter through very slowly moving (5kmh) queuing traffic and pass the car which seemed to go out of its way to obstruct the bike. 

 

WHY ??? No idea.. because they can, because such antisocial behaviour rarely leads to a confrontation... because there is no social grounding, people rarely tell each other they are behaving like a moron.... It seems to happen so regularly with very little consequence and just a few rare stories of the 'falling down' (*movie) snapping point.

 

......

 

I was once told by a visitor that the measure of a nation is how its roads are. This seems relatively valid on some level. 

Thailand's roads are chaotic, yet generally non-confrontational with a general indifference and lack of consideration towards anyone else outside of an immediate circle...  Thats not a Thai bash, its a simple observation...

 

 

 

Well now I might appear like a moron but I do that pretty often in traffic, I mean, moving close enough to the rear bumper of the car in front of me so that motorcycles cant go through.

 

And you know why I do that?

 

Now you re probably thinking thats because I m a selfish self-centered asshat right?

 

Well... many months ago I was waiting at the red light, and a motorcycle that was zooming through traffic hit my front bumper and left a huge scracth on it. Obviously he didnt want to be a responsible adult, probably had no insurance, so he ran off and I could neither follow him nor have enough time to get the number plate...

 

result : I had to pay 5000 baht for repairs at a body shop as they had to spray paint the whole bumper to fix it.

Since I have class 2 insurance which covers repairs up to 300,000 baht BUT only if the perpetrator stays at the scene until the insurance guy arrives, I basically got screwed.

 

So now I act in a kind of selfish way perhaps, but I do so in order to protect my car and my bank account from irresponsible poorly-trained riders.

 

Feel free to debate me on that point if you wish to.

 

As for the topic itself, I also noticed that it s a kind of 50/50, some people will be nice and let you merge, some will stomp the gas pedal as soon as you put your turning light on. Before I used to be scared being a westerner, used to western driving habits, now I just do it the Thai way, well sort of, because many Thais dont check their mirrors before merging whereas I do, if I see there is sufficient space, I merge, if I see the guy behind me is starting to speed up to prevent me from merging, I start merging anyway, usually the afflux of testosterone in their body comes back to normal and they end up letting me merge because well, they dont want to damage their car, like anyone else.

 

Some people will say you need to drive as defensively as you can, imho that is not true, unless you want the shortest of trip to take 2 hours here. Just drive like the Thais, dont drive offensively like a douche but stand your ground.