Menace to Society

[watcharacters]

Yesterday, was not one of  better driving days for me.

 

I left  home  base to  do some grocery shopping.  I made a left  turn onto a busy street under the protection of a bus that was turning left  onto my street.   The bus was therefore blocking the traffic  to my right.     

 

Halfway into my turn a fellow on a medium sized bike passed the bus by going on the opposite side of the road and nearly hit me as he apparently  thought his maneuver gave him control of the street.      I thought about honking but resisted doing so.

 

I then  watched this  moron  approach the next intersection  where again a car was making a left turn.     The bike swerved around this car and basically cut off the car and then decided to extract revenge for what he must have felt was a wrong done to him.   The bike slowed down so that he was alongside the passenger side of the car.      

 

At this point, the bike rider decided to kick the side of  the car he was angry at.      

 

Instantly, the car driver  tried to knock over the bike rider but was not successful.    The bike rider sped off into traffic ahead of us and  while doing so gave the finger to the driver that upset him.    

 

I have to admit, I honestly was disappointed the car driver was not more skilled at knocking over the bike driver.

 

---    

 

Then after doing my shopping, I was driving in the center  lane and a bike rider from out of nowhere passed me on my  right with absolutely no more than a meter's space between me and the concrete island.        I can only assume he's another one with a death wish.

 

I should add I was in the  center lane going the speed limit with my turn signal on for an upcoming U-turn.     Maybe he's a brother of the first idiot.

 

 

TIT

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tonray]

Thailand Oxymoron : Safe Driving

[Kwasaki]

Sounds like a normal day on a busy Thai road to me, woosha.

[JingerBen]

7 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Sounds like a normal day on a busy Thai road to me, woosha.

For sure.

Driving in this country is like participating in a Demolition Derby.

 

[Social Media]

Dangerous place, never get involved in road rage, just be thankful you got home in one piece. Dont forget locals can and do carry firearms in their vehicles. As the Thai airline pilot found out when he was shot at on his way to the Airport, roadrage at its worst. 

[watcharacters]

 

 

Would you also wish the second car driver managed to knock over the bike of the first moron?

 

As I clearly stated in my post I didn't even tap my horn at the  idiot on the bike.

 

I simply harbored some unkind thoughts towards him..

[Social Media]

No, I dont wish harm on anyone.

 

The restraint not to do something is harder but ultimately the safer option. As a farang you are at a distinct disadvantage right from the start. Simple rule, remove yourself from the problem, dont become part of the problem.

Edited August 2, 2017 by Black Ops

[piersbeckett]

Sure, it's dangerous on Thai roads but for me (as the driver of a pick-up), the most danger is at night; several times over the years I've been driving here, I've had to swerve to avoid either a group of pedestrians, a single pedestrian or a pedestrian pulling a trailer or a bicycle or motorbike with no lights crossing the highway, this mostly on dual or triple carriageways which are not sufficiently lit.

 

Crossing these roads at night for pedestrians is very dangerous but just the wearing of a hi-viz vest or jacket would make it a lot safer.  

 

I suffered on these occasions, a sort of reverse road-rage, a feeling of experiencing a near miss, envisaging the horror of what could have so easily happened.  Driving carefully, unintoxicated and alert as I do is not enough here, a constant expectation of the unexpected is also required!

[robblok]

1 hour ago, piersbeckett said:

Sure, it's dangerous on Thai roads but for me (as the driver of a pick-up), the most danger is at night; several times over the years I've been driving here, I've had to swerve to avoid either a group of pedestrians, a single pedestrian or a pedestrian pulling a trailer or a bicycle or motorbike with no lights crossing the highway, this mostly on dual or triple carriageways which are not sufficiently lit.

 

Crossing these roads at night for pedestrians is very dangerous but just the wearing of a hi-viz vest or jacket would make it a lot safer.  

 

I suffered on these occasions, a sort of reverse road-rage, a feeling of experiencing a near miss, envisaging the horror of what could have so easily happened.  Driving carefully, unintoxicated and alert as I do is not enough here, a constant expectation of the unexpected is also required!

I drive a motorbike and a car, i  hate motorbikes without lights, just real dangerous. I would never go out with my lights not working. Its not like its real expensive to change them. 

Got a dash cam in the car.. to support me in case of an accident if I am not to blame. 

Edited August 2, 2017 by robblok

[cyberfarang]

In Thailand if you prefer to get from A to B on the roads in one piece and unscathed, providing no harm was done to yourself or anyone else, then best to let these bad driving incidents wash over your head and forget all about them. Just avoid getting into road rages here, that may result in serious consequences that at most times serves no useful purpose.

[georgemandm]

Driving in thailand is like paying  Russian roulette with a  loaded gun .

Not much you can do about it , like most  comments here do not get in  Voled  in Road rage .

It all go's back to  training drivers and the thai government dose not care about thai people, if they did they would fix up thai driver.

[watcharacters]

20 hours ago, Black Ops said:

No, I dont wish harm on anyone.

 

The restraint not to do something is harder but ultimately the safer option. As a farang you are at a distinct disadvantage right from the start. Simple rule, remove yourself from the problem, dont become part of the problem.

 

 

I commend you for your kind feeling towards the perp but I honestly have to admit I was hoping as I witnessed the car swerve  that he could knock down the bike.    I suspect the car driver was a Thai person.

 

My reasoning is that the man did two things one right after the other  that were not proper  driving  procedures and without any consequences  he will just continue to do them until there is an accident and then even after that.

 

Thailand does not  have traffic enforcement and  at the expense of what many like to call a nanny state, I think road law enforcement benefits society as a whole.

 

I've only seen one time in Thailand  a policeman try to enforce the traffic laws and that was when an impatient motorbike driver blantly drove through a red light at a large intersection.      On the opposite side of the intersection a lone policeman tried to stop the motorbike but finally had to jump out of the way of the bike as the biker kept heading for the policeman.    Certainly  this serves as a good example why a roadside police presence should not be done with a lone cop as in this case  the biker with his passenger simply sped off into the sunset.

 

No consequences here for piss poor driving

 

I never even honked in my home country.    Road rage is not limited to Thailand.

 

[watcharacters]

18 hours ago, robblok said:

I drive a motorbike and a car, i  hate motorbikes without lights, just real dangerous. I would never go out with my lights not working. Its not like its real expensive to change them. 

Got a dash cam in the car.. to support me in case of an accident if I am not to blame. 

 

 

A few years ago a TVF member posted   his dash cam video of running over a female  with his truck after another vehicle had run over the  lady who drove her motorbike  into oncoming traffic without looking.

 

The lady  died at the scene.

 

He stated how the video was the saving thing for him to avoid being at fault for the accident.     I immediately went shopping for a dash cam and feel a degree of  security from it.

 

Can anyone recommend a 60 minute  continuous loop dash cam available in Thailand?    Mine is only 6 minutes.  

[robblok]

Just now, watcharacters said:

 

 

A few years ago a TVF member posted   his dash cam video of running over a female  with his truck after another vehicle had run over the  lady who drove her motorbike  into oncoming traffic without looking.

 

The lady  died at the scene.

 

He stated how the video was the saving thing for him to avoid being at fault for the accident.     I immediately went shopping for a dash cam and feel a degree of  security from it.

 

Can anyone recommend a 60 minute  continuous loop dash cam available in Thailand?    Mine is only 6 minutes.  

Mine is a lot longer then that i just bought a black vue one (was praised to be good bought it online installed it myself) its actually not hard to install. 

 

Mine has data like how fast i go embedded in it, also nice to prove your not speeding.

[jeab1980]

17 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

A few years ago a TVF member posted   his dash cam video of running over a female  with his truck after another vehicle had run over the  lady who drove her motorbike  into oncoming traffic without looking.

 

The lady  died at the scene.

 

He stated how the video was the saving thing for him to avoid being at fault for the accident.     I immediately went shopping for a dash cam and feel a degree of  security from it.

 

Can anyone recommend a 60 minute  continuous loop dash cam available in Thailand?    Mine is only 6 minutes.  

It will loop 6mins (which is a good loop most have 3 min tops) then another 6 mins untill SD or internal storage is full will then re write from the begining of storage. So your not just getting 6 mins then wiped and another 6 mins. If you are your dash cams crap. With the loop you miss nothing by the way.

Edited August 4, 2017 by jeab1980

[Been there done that]

On 8/2/2017 at 0:18 PM, piersbeckett said:

Sure, it's dangerous on Thai roads but for me (as the driver of a pick-up), the most danger is at night; several times over the years I've been driving here, I've had to swerve to avoid either a group of pedestrians, a single pedestrian or a pedestrian pulling a trailer or a bicycle or motorbike with no lights crossing the highway, this mostly on dual or triple carriageways which are not sufficiently lit.

 

Crossing these roads at night for pedestrians is very dangerous but just the wearing of a hi-viz vest or jacket would make it a lot safer.  

 

I suffered on these occasions, a sort of reverse road-rage, a feeling of experiencing a near miss, envisaging the horror of what could have so easily happened.  Driving carefully, unintoxicated and alert as I do is not enough here, a constant expectation of the unexpected is also required!

You forgot one thing, shame on you ; sleeping dogs on the road at night time.