Driving in LOS or other Countries

[Torneyboy]

Driving in LOS not so much in Bkk as you dont move,but out of town seen some scary stuff??

 

My worst was in Cario a year or so ago,they are mad they drive with the lights OFF for Ch***t sake.

Was in a cab coming from a restaurant and we missed a mother and child standing in the middle of the raod trying to cross,we missed by a whisker.

Every car we saw had dings and scratches on mercs or old bomb didnt matter all damaged in some way.

 

My hotel overlooked a large roundabout and you could see crashes etc all day.

 

Any comments?

[Guest]

thai highway code:

 

1) you will drive on the wrong side of the road whenever possible

2) lights are optional (especially if its dark)

3) that basket on you bike is for carrying your helmet

4) the helmet is to keep your rice warm

5) do not let farangs overtake you ... its bad luck

6) the outside lane is for big slow vehicles

7) when broken down always leave your vehicle in the outside lane (with your lights off)

8) mercedes drivers can ignore all regulations

9) always carry 100 baht notes for traffic violations

10) propane cylinders should be loosly tossed into the back of your vehicle, and never secured

11) when transporting cargo, never take less than 15 tons

12) when driving a car, motorcycles should not be treated as road vehicles

13) when driving a motorcycle pull out in front of every car possible

14) blinkers make your vehicle look pretty, always re-wire them to flash simultaneously everytime you want to stop

15) above all if you dont get away from the lights first ... you're a buffalo

[CondomKing]

From what I've seen in Thailand everyone seems very concerned about dings and scratches. The traffic accidents here are more often of the "total wreck with fatalities" variety.

 

We recently bought a small pick up truck (more like a car with a cargo bed) and I am increasingly concerned about having my wife drive from one end of Thailand to the other each month.

 

I cannot always be there with her but when I am we do a lot of driving and everyone, including us, just drives too fast. Night driving worries me also and I have asked her to avoid taking trips which will require her to drive much past dark. Paranoid? I don't think so, some of the wrecks I've seen on the roadside have been horrendous, especially the ones involving cars with trucks or buses.

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

"I have asked her to avoid taking trips which will require her to drive much past dark. Paranoid?"

Hardly paranoid.

 

We too avoid driving at night / evening outside of the main cities. It is just too dangerous with lots of trucks on the road (often with the drivers high on yabaa or kratang daeng).

 

On a lighter note, Chanchao wrote a really nice article on driving in Thailand. It's in the memberarea, but a free sample can be found here

 

Sanuk!

 

[greedisgood]

I actually enjoy driving in LOS. Up here in CM I think the drivers are pretty mindful of each other. BKK no one moves anyway so it is easy :: Pattaya can be a drag with all the Bhat Buses and you don't really need a car unless you like to hit the links early like we do. At least drivers know how to merge and keep the flow going. Agree about driving the Hgwy's at night, especially in the countryside, not a good idea.

I will take it anyday over the encounters I have had in Portugal, Spain, Peru, Mexico, and Nigeria !

[sayjann]

i fear Portugal very much.

 

very frightened driving there.

[SUZIBANDIT]

[color:"red"] My worst was in Cario a year or so ago [/color]

 

Egypt is the only place I have been where the driving has been crazier than LOS.

 

Trying to walk around Cairo is mad, absolutely f-ing mad.

 

My greatest cab ride was in Egypt. Going from Seatown to seatown on the Sinai.

 

The driver, stoned out of his mind, driving on the wrong side of the road (they like to drive on the opposite side and then switch when an oncoming car is arriving), speeding like mad, no lights on at night, honking the horn to go around a sharp bend (but not slowing down) and rolling a joint with both hands. Now that was an experience.

 

::

[Zaad]

(often with the drivers high on yabaa or kratang daeng).

---

True.

For this reason I prefer to travel to BKK by train instead of by car.

I once drove from Phitlok to BKK, about 400km, and this drunk, stoned, whatever farmer almost got me killed.

I was driving over 100km/h and saw this old red pick up about 200m in front of me wanting to enter the 'main road'.

As I was approaching him he didn't move and was waiting till I passed him, but he suddenly puts his ugly red heavily-scratched pick up in front of me.

The only thing I could do was step on the brakes and steer to the point he just came from, a bumpy sandy area beside the main road. What a F***ER.

WHen I passed this ass a couple of minutes later I saw there were two dark old Thai farmers in the pick up smiling and probably not being aware of what just happened earlier.

Driving between the bigger cities is a HELL!

[Torneyboy]

same as me !

i had another bad one in vienna as a transfer from the airport.

Was a clear day good road but they drove like a bat out of hell,scared sh***s all the way

[samak]

"(often with the drivers high on yabaa or kratang daeng)"

 

i agree with yabaa, but how can somebody be high on krating dang (probably now more on carabao dang). in western countries, truck drivers also from time to time make a break and drink a strong coffee.

i used to work for a company, which had as well a large truck fleet. for each trip, depending on distance, the driver got 1-3 krating dang. however we made strict checks that the drivers did not take yaa ba.

managing a truck fleet is another chapter of TIT. once a driver and a guy on customer site stole regularly gasoline out of the truck's tank. other driver's sold out spare parts and pallets etc.etc.