Things That Wind Me Up Driving In Thailand

[buksida]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is courtesy. Most of us are from countries that have some degree of common courtesy on the roads, other motorists will let you out/go and give way.

The concept does not exist on Thai roads and that is an annoyance because you have to drive aggressively to get anywhere. I often have to urge the Mrs to pull out or just go when she's driving as there's no way in hell anyone will let you out, even in slow-moving traffic and she'd sit there all day otherwise!

Its the "f#ck you, I'm more important" attitude at its best, a definite Thai driver trait.

[Big Boy]

Yes, I did think of including that in the original list. The times I've been trying to pull on to Petchkasem, and it can sometimes take several minutes. I've often seen a gap coming, but the following vehicle will speed up to prevent me pulling out. Such driving doesn't justify, but explains why many just pull into oncoming traffic.

Then there's the complete opposite (usually Bangkok Number Plates) when you can be driving along major roads at national speed limit when the vehicle in front just stops to allow people waiting to U-Turn make their maneuver. IMHO this is a very dangerous maneuver, which must cause a lot of rear ending. OK, I'm a Brit, and learnt to drive in the UK, but you just can't contemplate somebody stopping in the outside lane of any motorway during rush hour. There would be carnage.

[Nereus]

Its the "f#ck you, I'm more important" attitude at its best, a definite Thai driver trait.

While this is absolutely true, the problem is as mentioned previously.
They cannot and DO NOT look at the big picture, or "read the road". The road directly in front of the car is where they look, hence so many rear enders and other preventable "accidents".

[HHTel]

And of course when there's heavy rain reducing visibility, it seems the mindset of drivers here is "If you can't see the car in front, then get closer!!"

[Big Boy]

You've got to get closer to see the guy in front's hazard lights

[bigston]

Happens very often
the motor bike , often with the Mrs and a Very Young child just dawdling along oblivious to everything, even on the phone, with the left indicator on, usually in the left lane or some part of it
all of a sudden it decides its going to turn right or do a u turn so just veers straight in front of you to where its wanting to go
hit none yet,but a few very close calls

the other is
while driving slowly, looking for a parking space, indicator on, some moron on a motor bike appears from behind a few parked cars travelling down the road ON THE WRONG SIDE straight at you, sometimes at quite a speed

it would be so nice if the lack of Authorities started watching, policing, and fining people for blatant stupidity acts of breaking the unpoliced laws

[buksida]

it would be so nice if the lack of Authorities started watching, policing, and fining people for blatant stupidity acts of breaking the unpoliced laws

Agreed. They'd make a fortune.

I've often said that a few unmarked squad cars patrolling dedicated sections of highway pulling over drivers going the wrong way, making dangerous u-turns, hogging the outside lane doing 45kph, weaving in and out like Max Verstappen, tailgating, undertaking in the bike lane, and generally increasing the risk to the lives of others, would make them millions in fines and possibly discourage such reckless driving.

But no, they'd rather loiter in the shade nabbing scooter riders with no helmets or license. Highway and active policing/patrolling is non-existent here unless some bigwig needs to get somewhere quicker than the plebs.

[HHTel]

Lol. But the police themselves are some of the biggest offenders. They'd have to arrest themselves!!

[HHTel]

You've got to get closer to see the guy in front's hazard lights

That might have come across wrong. In heavy rain, drivers like you and me drop further back from the guy in front whereas others move up closer. I've seen several accidents on the Rama II caused by that.
A few years ago, coming back from BKK, traffic was moving to the outside lane preparing to move to a contraflow. It was raining heavily and I'd allowed a larger gap between me and the car in front because of it although cars were tailgating me along with others behind me.
Suddenly the car in front was cut up by an idiot causing him to brake heavily. Quick look in the mirror and I had time to pull out of the line of traffic as braking would have been dangerous with a car on my tail. Having cleared the line I watched the 3 cars behind me hitting each other in the arse finishing by hitting the car that had braked in front of me.
So I was car number 2 and able to escape and cars 1, 3, 4 and 5 were all in a bad shunt.

I don't think there were any injuries and as I watched, I couldn't help laughing before going on my way!

That's not unique at all and happens quite a lot leaving the chalk marks drawn by the police as a reminder.

[buksida]

Another problem with leaving a safe distance is that some dick behind you will want to undertake to get into it, then you leave another gap and it happens again ... in heavy traffic you end up going backwards!

[Dannie Boy]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is courtesy. Most of us are from countries that have some degree of common courtesy on the roads, other motorists will let you out/go and give way.

The concept does not exist on Thai roads and that is an annoyance because you have to drive aggressively to get anywhere. I often have to urge the Mrs to pull out or just go when she's driving as there's no way in hell anyone will let you out, even in slow-moving traffic and she'd sit there all day otherwise!

Its the "f#ck you, I'm more important" attitude at its best, a definite Thai driver trait.

I did mention this in my first post as being in the UK at the moment, the difference in courtesy is amazing
quote="Dannie Boy" post_id=561431 time=1654526530 user_id=4801]
I don’t know why but I’ve rarely had specific issues with motorcycles, certainly nothing like BB has experienced. I only have a few gripes, first are the Lane weavers, be them the lowered, souped-up pickups belching black diesel fumes, or somebody (probably from Bangkok) doing the same in their BMW or Merc. Second is the lack or late use of indicators, especially when you’re at a junction waiting to pull out and the approaching car turns into your road without signalling. The last has been highlighted much more now that I’m temporarily in the UK, here other drivers will often let you out at busy junctions (maybe 1 in 4), whereas in Thailand it’s probably 1 in a 100 that does it.


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[Big Boy]

You've got to get closer to see the guy in front's hazard lights

That might have come across wrong. In heavy rain, drivers like you and me drop further back from the guy in front whereas others move up closer.

It came across fine - just my bad attempt at humour.

Tailgating is a problem everywhere, regardless of country or weather conditions. Of course heavy rain makes it worse.

The tailgating niggle here is when you're behind Somchai cruising at 60kph whilst overtaking slower traffic in the outside lane. There's often some dick appears behind you, sits on your bumper whilst weaving from left to right and back again. I'm never sure if they are trying to intimidate me or are so stupid to think a car might squeeze through the 3' gap between me and the central reservation. Whatever he's doing does not work. In fact I'll make sure I keep him behind me longer than necessary.

[HHTel]

Reading it again, I see that it was humour.
I'm not well so not as sharp as usual ...... lol

[STEVE G]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is courtesy. Most of us are from countries that have some degree of common courtesy on the roads, other motorists will let you out/go and give way.

That might of been the case in the past but I don't see any courtesy when using roads in the West now, particularly at commuting times. To be honest, you're more likely to encounter road rage than courtesy.

[buksida]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is courtesy. Most of us are from countries that have some degree of common courtesy on the roads, other motorists will let you out/go and give way.

That might of been the case in the past but I don't see any courtesy when using roads in the West now, particularly at commuting times. To be honest, you're more likely to encounter road rage than courtesy.

I know I haven't been there for 3 years, but I found driving in the UK far easier, more predictable, and less stressful than the video game road antics and abhorrent behaviour you see here. In other words, the other road users are not trying to kill you (or themselves) every 15 minutes.