Dexi Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 maybe to teach him a lesson ...I think he said something agout having a few beers the night before so maybe some alco. still in the system...I did notice that only the newer/more expeensive vehicles were being pulled over...any old/battered pickups were just waved on - maybe locals...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Given the traffic, lack of enforcement, complete disregard for traffic laws and signals, I consider Thais very good drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted July 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Next time I am walking over one of Sukhumvit's many pedestrian overpasses' date=' I will snap a few photos of the traffic patterns and let the data do the "talking" but I am sure I will see the majority of the vehicles "hogging" 1 1/2+ lanes of the road as well as autos using 1 1/2+ of the lanes to make their turns on to Suk, as I see this all the time. [/quote'] So maybe the question should be "Why are Thai Auto Drivers on the final 10 KM of Inner City Major Highway Driving into the CBD (Centeral Business District) of a Major SE Asian Capital City So Bad?" Sukhumvit from On Nut to Ploenchit is not 100% indicative of the overall standards within Metro BKK let alone Thailand, unfortunatley you are allowing your myopic experiences to Tar not only the whole capital but also the whole nations drivers with the same brush. You chose to live in the jungle so roam with the lions and get bitten, personally if I was to hit Sukhumvit I would take a MC taxi up the soi and catch rot daai din. For sure, on days when I do not feel so lucky, I take the bus, BTS, taxi...leaving the motorsai parked. Better to stay low and fight the good war another day. I have putt-putted all over BKK, within a 50 Km radius of the city so I have a good idea of the driving habits around and a little outside BKK. I am seeing PSA (Public Service Announcements) on the TV regarding things such as, eating fried foods and getting fat, so the Thai gov is doing things to shift the Thai thinking, which I heartedly applaud! Maybe the Thai gov will start a PSA campaign to improve the driving? What is your better 2/3's take on the drivers? as she is a very heads up person and I would be curious... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardinalblue Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 So Thai are good drivers because they don't follow the rules of the road? Isn't this an oxymoran? CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 What is your better 2/3's take on the drivers? as she is a very heads up person and I would be curious... Good Question Cav, On occassions in the past when I have made comments such as "that asshole would be booked for that in England" her simple reply was "you are not in England now but Thailand ... get used to it" and there is a lot of truth in that statement. For those of us who learned to drive and have experience of driving in the west we tend to (initially) apply western driving standards to Thailand, one that particulaly comes to mind is not overtaking in the inside lane which over here is totaly acceptable. No need to tailgate flash the lights or honk the horn, just undertake them and be on your way. I have driven all over the world in my years and have experienced many differant scenarios, I would not say Thai drivers are bad it is just that the style of driving in Thailand is unique, whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is open to question but it works for Thailand. You have been here long enough to realise that in many daily activities that the Thai way is differant from what we are used to in the west, driving being one of them, but is it not these differances that make the place more appealing to live in for us expats. I admit that I probably do drive more like a Thai than a farang nowadays (but I can keep in my own lane), the things that used to piss me off I now just accept, Jai Yen Yen, afterall This is Thailand it is their country and their way of doing things and as an alien you have to learn to accept and adapt. I actualy find driving in Thailand a lot less stressful than I did in the west, that being said if I was ever to go back to the UK to visit and rent a car I would probably have my drivers licence revoked within 10 minutes of hitting the highway back there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTO Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Oddly she finds my comment when watching a idiot do something stupid "I hope he hasn't contributed to the gene pool yet" quite funny - not sure who though she's laughing at Her attitude for slow trucks and over loaded vehicles is they have to make $ to live - just go around them carefully - overloaded and fast moving is STOOPID she quotes her husband and fast bus drivers she HATES Buses is what's pushes her buttons - the other's she ok - forgot - drunk motorbike and fast young kids opn motorbikes she hates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 So Thai are good drivers because they don't follow the rules of the road? Isn't this an oxymoran? CB No. You missed my sarcasm...the point is, they do well, despite all the crap associated with driving in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage_Kwai Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 I didn't drive in my first three years here as public transport was able to meet my needs. In that time I got used to how the traffic systems worked. Something to remember back then was that taxis did not have meters and traffic gridlock was really a problem. The beauty of that was you could get off anywhere and walk. Like Mekhong, these days I drive around 2000 km per month, half the time in Bangkok, and the rest on a mix of main highways and back roads. The highways are for most part in pretty good condition, and if the traffic flows the Thais typically do not do anything untoward. Police speed enforcement has definitely made a positive difference as well. I've not had problems with police checkpoints - the post by IHL sounds like he's been scammed by his driver. It did not matter whether I was driving the newer Altis or the (much older) Swedish import, there has been no disrespect shown at any checkpoint. I was once in a pickup just out of Bangkok with two of our Thai workers when we got stopped. The policeman could have booked the guy driving the pickup for having an expired licence, but a small unregistered fine and some advice on renewing the licence was all that happened. It would have been more of a hassle, and probably more expensive, to go to the station. IHL probably needs to change drivers. Cav, I'd feel extremely vulnerable riding a bike, so I'm wary of even getting on a motocycle taxi. Your point is taken as I've noticed many Thai drivers tend to disregard motorcyclists. Do note on the other hand that a lot of motorcyclists are not exactly blameless either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drogon Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 A Spanish colleague who has been driving motocycles for at least 10 years told me after visiting Thailand that he found Thailand safer for a motocycle than Spain.... At least, in his opinion, in Thailand the drivers just do not pay attention to motocycles but they do not deliberately try to remove you out of the road. I tend to agree with him, here in every European country I witnessed multiple times the agressivness of many drivers... Now, of course, the accident statistics might be worst in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTO Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Agree totally - most people in Thailand have driven a motorbike and understand the problems involved - most people driving a car in the west would never have driven a motorbike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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