Driving in Bangkok!

[BkkPaddy]

Well well well - when will the visitors to Thailand remember this is not their country – and if they don’t like how This drive
simply stay off the roads – I have seen some very angry drunken foreigners taking some seriously idiotic action on Thai roads –
So it would seem its OKAY for the foreigner to self police all their own actions ???
Stay calm and keep an eye on the road - put down the mobile - don't drink and drive - and when rubber necking make sure the car is stopped or parked - other than that enjoy the ride

[NorDevil]

Well well well - when will the visitors to Thailand remember this is not their country – and if they don’t like how This drive
simply stay off the roads – I have seen some very angry drunken foreigners taking some seriously idiotic action on Thai roads –
So it would seem its OKAY for the foreigner to self police all their own actions ???
Stay calm and keep an eye on the road - put down the mobile - don't drink and drive - and when rubber necking make sure the car is stopped or parked - other than that enjoy the ride

Now I have only been here since 2003 having worked as a taxidriver in Europe,haveing been to 42 countries before coming here to Thailand.There is one problem . . . . . . if I want to go anywhere I have 2 choices.1-To take a taxi where the driver does not speak English or the meter works or 2 - Drive myself.As I have said before I have had to install a cctv camera in the car just to be sure on being belived.The people I see every day talking on phones,driving the wrong way on a oneway road and not useing any lights at night are Thais.There are offcourse 99.99% more Thais on the road than farang but still I say that Thailand is one of the most dangerous places to drive in my opinion.
In theory the problem is easy to fix but in practical terms impossible.All that needs to be done is for the Thai police to their jobs !!!!! but most dont even know the traffic laws or they just dont care as long as they can collect their 200 bath.

[Aussie2000]

Lord forbid that Thailand become like Australia. Thailand is beautiful because of the freedoms it has. “Safety” is not based on the law but on the persons (drivers) behavior just as it should be. After all - doesn’t the Australian police always say that it’s up to road users to behave appropriately? no matter what they do they end up with egg on their face. This is what happens when the law takes responsibility away from the individual. In a refreshing approach Thailand gives the responsibility back to the driver. As far as the “bribes” are concerned, who cares, you going to pay a fine anywise, might as well give it to the cop and make friends with him rather then give it to the politicians and have it used against you. Don’t like Thailands ways stay away!

[gemma.laming]

Hi everyone,
I lived in Bangkok as a child, and the traffic was awful. I have not read every last post in this line, so I apologize if I have repeated anything. It is, however a personal experience.

My first return in 30 years, last year, was very welcome.

One of the most striking things I discovered was just how GOOD the driving in the city was. Whatever you say about the drivers now, they actually stop at the red lights on the road, rather than taking them as a challenge to their virility. There was also the unwritten law that all the best drivers were on the outside lane, which of course included bus drivers: note that they would need to be on the inside lane for their passengers.

Now, a policeman can stand in the street and be obeyed.

As a pedestrian, the place was much nicer to be in, for one thing it was possible to cross the road without having to drive there. The father of the friends I stayed with on soi Intamara (Th. Suttisan) (did I spell that right?!) still drove me to the other side of the street, but I think it was more out of courtesy than of need!

Would I prefer Bangkok driving to Dutch driving? I'm not sure, the traffic lights here are quite annoying, staying on red for far longer than they need, and having (I think) a built in sensor for my black VW so that they always turn red when I have just driven up to them from the last one at 45kms. What I did not like about the new Bangkok traffic was that it never stopped, it went on all night; back when I was little, it did at least go to sleep for a while.

[aliboy7]

Hi guys - I must be the odd man out - I actually feel very safe driving with Thais, including Thai taxi drivers. I also note that there is little or no 'road rage' of the extent that we have in say Australia. For all the scooters, bikes, cars, trucks, buses, tuk-tuks etc on the road at any one time, there is also an amazing absence of horn blowing. There is a 'politeness' or sense of cooperation on the road which is lacking in most Western countries....it's great!

[overhaul38]

The European drives in Thailand at their peril knowing that any accident will be considered their fault.
It is well worth the money to hire a driver or take a taxi.

[Andy781]

To add to your list Polapat
- Kids riding motorbikes without crash helmets.

-3 or 4 people on a moped or motorbike.

- Mopeds driving in what I would call the fast lane.

-Young very young children on motorbikes with there parents also with no crash helmets.

_Tailgating very often I have a taxi or some other Jap motor nearly touching my number plate.

_ And these fairy lights on bikes & cars is that legal , it sure looks stupid.

-All round tinted windows can they really see at night ? And I see taxi drivers putting up t-shirts as sun blocks in there windows ? left and right sometimes that's got to be illegal.


- Drivers that drive with hazard lights on for no reason ?

-Not useing indicators , cars just pulling out in front of you , mopeds going behind you when your reversing the list is endless...

Thai drivers have no common sense when it comes to driving , there test is a joke and the police just don't enforce the law , its a lawless driving country and very dangerous.

And I agree the Thai goverment could earn 40 Billion Baht per year in fines if the law was enforced......300 people died in 5 days over the Songkran I wonder why ?

[Jason McDonald]

I live between Australia and Thailand, having a place in Bangkok. I also have family up in Udon Thani. Whilst staying in Udon I regularly drive the Chevy pick up and motorbikes. I find the drivers to be very good skill wise. Much better than Australian drivers. However there is a certain anarchy with regard to obeying the road rules. However i think that the skill level of the drivers tens to compensate for this. If the average Australian drove here they would end up getting killed or worse end up killing a motor bike rider. The Thai drivers have always been very courteous and have virtually no road rage. The police have also been kind to me. They have never stopped me when I have appraoched a check point and have always looked and waved me through. Even though i am carrying 10 people in the back of the pick up. i drive so that the thai guys can drink without driving. But in Bangkok. I don't really have access to a car or motorbike yet so have not driven aroung bangkok yet. Mind you I think that on average the drivers in bangkok are much better skill wise than drivers in Australia. The police have been cracking down on law breakers. Police regularly pull over motorbike riders with no helmets and cars doing illegal u turns. People do stop at red lights. However motorbikes still ride on the pavement.

But I would rather catch a taxi it is so much more convenient.

[AmericanDriver]

I've been in Thailand for about a month now, and looking for work. I liken the Thai driving style to a herd of water buffaloes. Sure it's a bit chaotic, but unless you put a lion or tiger in the mix no one is stampeding and trampling each other. Even my wife says it was much worse ten years ago, and to be fair it's not completely the fault of the drivers since the roads are essentially cattle runs, you sort of have to change your driving style to that of a water buffalo. I mean really the traffic engineers here kind of stink, I haven't seen a single test strip laid along the roads to measure traffic density and flow, so no statistical data is being collected to make road improvements for efficiency and safety.

However.... the guys on scooters, they run like wild dogs. They are a real nuisance and I'd wager that even Thai drivers have beef with their fellow Thais on scooters road etiquette. In the U.S. Drivers and Motorcyclists (at least in California) have become a lot more courteous in this respect, with riders spending ample time in your line of site prior to passing you, making sure you know that they are there.

[Limey]

Hi, I'm new here!

I've just been to Thailand for the first time and spent most of my month in Bangkok. I saw many of the things mentioned on this thread: large volumes of traffic, overloaded motorbikes with few if any crash helmets being worn, some very iffy manoeuvres, widespread undertaking, etc.

However, the thing that really concerned me relates to taxis. Their drivers vary greatly in their driving styles, from very cautious to very reckless. Of the many taxis I travelled in, only one had seat belts fitted in the rear. I would have felt MUCH safer if I had had the option to put a seat belt on. I remember one ride, a long one away from Bangkok, where the driver was doing well over 100kph and chose to put his belt on, just in case, while I could only cross my fingers...

So what I would like to see is the compulsory fitting of seat belts for rear-seat passengers in taxis. Wearing them could remain optional though I personally always would.