How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

[Ginjaninja]

Overtaking on the left...... yeah right!
What about the selfish bu**ers that hog the outside lane and refuse to budge...... death by rocket launcher?

[Big Boy]

I look at the above picture, and so many things come into my mind:

• The penalty for drunk driving - I now understand why every driver was being breathalysed when we were stopped Sunday morning - it's a decent earner.

• Driving without a licence - easy pickings here in Thailand, especially amongst the visitors. However, even then, the tea money is a much lesser deterrent than the proper fine. I have many visitor friends who laugh at the £5 punishment for being caught, and how they talk it down to £4. Charge to proper £25 a shot or even higher, and it isn't quite as funny.

• Noisy Vehicles - Thailand, the land of lorries with noise problems. How many do you see pulled over? No, easier to sit under a shady tree to wait for a moped with a designer exhaust fitted to make it sound like a real bike. Even if it isn't too noisy, say it is anyway - they are the law, so must be right.

• Overtaking on the left - guilty as charged . However, if nobody overtook on the left, Thailand's roads would come to a standstill with buses and overloaded trucks doing 99% of their driving at 30KPH in the right hand lane. Better they get off their arses and make these people drive on the left in the first place.

• Taking a U-Turn without using blinkers - maybe this should be changed to enforcement of correct use of blinkers when driving.
  I could write a book on the occasions I see people (especially motorcyclists) using their blinkers incorrectly.

• Driving without a motorcycle helmet - a case of do as I say, not as I do. Every day driving through Hua Hin I see BIB not wearing proper helmets. Actually, whenever I hear of an accident/head injury my first question is, "Were they wearing a helmet?" The answer is usually, "No." I lose all sympathy. Pure stupidity/self inflicted.

So, we have inadequate fines, and judging by my comments (of course only my opinion), inadequate laws.

[HHTel]

I've always noticed the difference in the spread of traffic in Thailand compared with the west, even Malaysia, a neighbour, where driving is more akin to the west.
In the west, you'll notice the majority of traffic is in the nearside lane with less and less as you move to the outer lanes. The far offside lane (for overtaking) is usually almost empty.
Here in Thailand it's quite the opposite with the majority of traffic on the far outside lane which encourages overtaking on the left.
In Malaysia, qualifying for a driver licence is even more strict than the UK. Hence, after spending around 3 years to get your licence then it's a big incentive to not jeopardise losing it.
Thailand take note. Nah! Forget it. Pigs will fly!

[Big Boy]

Here in Thailand it's quite the opposite with the majority of traffic on the far outside lane which encourages overtaking on the left.
In Malaysia, qualifying for a driver licence is even more strict than the UK. Hence, after spending around 3 years to get your licence then it's a big incentive to not jeopardise losing it.

I rarely drive in the left hand lane here so as to avoid motorcycles and oncoming traffic

As for driving slowly in the right hand lane, on the rare occasion you encounter a police patrol car, it is not unknown for the car to be cruising at a hideously slow speed in the right hand lane, forcing undertaking.

Of course, after yesterday's Loy Krathong entrapment, maybe this is just another example. I have often thought as I've undertook a police patrol car that I hope it isn't a camera car - I might have to pay a massive 400฿ if caught.

[buksida]

I think you'll find the 'noisy vehicle' fine is double that in Hua Hin ...

[hhinner]

Overtaking on the left is not illegal. See section 2 in http://driving-in-thailand.com/land-traffic-act/#03.2

[lomuamart]

Despite being very new to driving in Thailand, I have been on the roads here for over 20 years.

IMHO, one of the worst faults - and I'm sure it's been mentioned before - is the abandon with which they drive too close to the vehicle in front - tailgate. Christ, they can't see past the vehicle if they want to overtake and they certainly can't stop in time.

It really gets me when I'm trying to keep a decent distance and I see in my mirrors some idiot try to overtake me in the inside lane to take that space up. Well, I just speed up a bit and block them in which unfortunately makes me as bad as them in terms of aggression and spacing - I'm learning to drive like a Thai very quickly!!

Mind you, the twats do that in the UK when coming towards roadworks of which they'll get 3 miles warning on a motorway. It's not quite the same but still an instance of selfishness.

If my dashcam has recorded audio, which my wife says it has??, then it's all XXX rated.

Oh, and the parking ability. Ie, nil which leads to sudden stops and swerving out by other vehicles, especially motorcycles.

I'm sure I might have more to say after I plough into some traffic incident but for now - sod them. I'm insured, aren't I?

This post is probably not politically correct but right now I don't care.

[buksida]

welcome to the joys of driving on Thai roads mate ...

I despise driving here and mrs buksi does most of it as she is calmer than me with the phalanxes of selfish aholes out there. Gimme two wheels any day!

[Dannie Boy]

One of the (many) things that get me, are the lack or wrong use of indicators - how many times do you see a bike or car with its indicator going that has probably been in that position for at least 10 minutes, or the fact that they will stop turn or manoeuvre right or left without using the indicator at all. Not to mention the wrong use of the emergency hazard warning indicators, so you have no idea what they might be planning?

[lomuamart]

But, DB, one of the things my driving instructor told me in the UK was to never trust indicators. A car indicating left might just go straight on.

[Big Boy]

Yes, it's even part of the UK's Highway Code.

When I'm cursing the people who don't use their indicators, I often say, "Try selling a bike with no indicators to these clowns, they wouldn't want it." I think the worst kind are the ones who indicate right and go left, or vice versa.

[buksida]

The bottom line is - you just have to remove your western head when driving here, none of what you learnt on UK/US/European roads applies here. This is mayhem, like a video game where everything ignores the rules and tries to kill you.

Shields up, weapons armed ... ready player one ...

[lomuamart]

Not sure I'd agree with you there.

I walked and took public transport all over this country for ages. As a pedestrian, I thought I could never drive here. Things just go by so quickly. On public transport - well, I'm still alive.

But, getting behind the wheel? I don't think it's so bad. As long as you drive like a lunatic, then there you are!!

Buks, you've got way more experience of roads here than me but apart from the single carriageway stuff that I know scared you up north, there's little to worry about here, IMHO.

Except a Thai wife who just can't square the wheel up to park. There's definitely trouble or a dent or two ahead.

[Dannie Boy]

But, DB, one of the things my driving instructor told me in the UK was to never trust indicators. A car indicating left might just go straight on.

I was intending for one moment to suggest I would accept the indicator as given, simply the fact that the drivers are in another world and completely forget that some time back they did give a correct indicator signal!!

[buksida]

Buks, you've got way more experience of roads here than me but apart from the single carriageway stuff that I know scared you up north, there's little to worry about here, IMHO.

Wait till you have a couple of 'near deaths' on the roads and come back and say that. I drove from Portsmouth to Aberdeen in the summer with out a glitch, now a drive from Bangsaphan to Hua Hin always involves at least one very close encounter as the standards and behaviour here is simply atrocious - you have to drive like a loon to survive.