Things That Wind Me Up Driving In Thailand

[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.

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.

Sorry but I disagree - although I know road rage does exist, I’ve been in the UK for over a month and I’ve not seen any, whereas I’ve experienced countless moments when people will stop to let me out of a side road or enter a side road when traffic is busy. It’s also good to see that at pedestrian crossings, almost everybody will stop when someone gets to the crossing, with no fear that a motorcycle will try to overtake and wipe the pedestrian out.

[buksida]

with no fear that a motorcycle will try to overtake and wipe the pedestrian out.

I see a lot of generalizing about motorcycles, that should be changed to "cop on a Ducati" ...

[HHTel]

That was quite an eye opener when I had the kids in the UK some years ago. If they stopped on the pavement by a crossing, all the traffic would come to an immediate halt. They thought this funny and started to do it deliberately. I had to have strong words with them but I could understand their amusement and would probably have done the same thing at their age.

[Big Boy]

A couple of niggles that I should have included in the Car section of the OP:

Traffic Lights - Thais are incredibly slow pulling away from traffic lights. It must take them a mile or more to reach their cruising speed. I normally fly past traffic (when safe) pulling away from the lights, only to find the same vehicles shooting past me as if I've stopped a few miles up the road. If you can't get past them, you find yourself in a very slow procession of traffic.

U-Turns - cars and trucks (I don't include lorries and buses because they don't have much option) who remain in the right hand carriageway as opposed to the U-Turn slip road when waiting to make their turn. Don't these guys realise what a danger they are stopping on the outside lane of a dual carriageway?

[handdrummer]

A couple of niggles that I should have included in the Car section of the OP:

Traffic Lights - Thais are incredibly slow pulling away from traffic lights. It must take them a mile or more to reach their cruising speed. I normally fly past traffic (when safe) pulling away from the lights, only to find the same vehicles shooting past me as if I've stopped a few miles up the road. If you can't get past them, you find yourself in a very slow procession of traffic.

U-Turns - cars and trucks (I don't include lorries and buses because they don't have much option) who remain in the right hand carriageway as opposed to the U-Turn slip road when waiting to make their turn. Don't these guys realise what a danger they are stopping on the outside lane of a dual carriageway?

"Realise." Thanks for today's laugh. That's like, don't they pay attention to what's going on around them?

[VincentD]

Thais take their time pulling away from a traffic light (I do too) in case the other bloke is going through a red light. Have had a few close calls so would rather err on the side of caution.
Re those blokes cutting into the outside UTurn lane, it's just plain bad manners, and I hate getting cut off when you're in the right.
Did have a m/c driver cut in front of me once going straight across 3 lanes to the UTurn, my screeching tyres must have turned his trousers brown. Idiots.

[buksida]

Another one is when they pull back out into the fast lane to get a better swing at the u-turn. "Fck you jack, I'm making a turn" - I'd like to take a swing at these idiots.

[Big Boy]

Thais take their time pulling away from a traffic light (I do too) in case the other bloke is going through a red light.

Yes, I understand the caution at the lights, but they dawdle (haven't used that word for a long time ) for about a mile afterwards. It's like 0-60 in one mile. Then they find their wings, and shoot past like bullets.

[Dannie Boy]

Thais take their time pulling away from a traffic light (I do too) in case the other bloke is going through a red light.

Yes, I understand the caution at the lights, but they dawdle (haven't used that word for a long time ) for about a mile afterwards. It's like 0-60 in one mile. Then they find their wings, and shoot past like bullets.

The other thing is when somebody goes screaming past you at maybe 140 kph and then pulls over to turn left a few hundred metres in front - they obviously have no clue about fuel economy let alone safety!!

[Big Boy]

In fairness DB, that used to happen a lot in the UK as well - it is probably a worldwide problem.

[Gregjam]

The other thing is when somebody goes screaming past you at maybe 140 kph and then pulls over to turn left a few hundred metres in front - they obviously have no clue about fuel economy let alone safety!!

While it does happen elsewhere I rarely see it in UK or Australia but here it is a daily occurrence. Frequent offenders are parcel couriers in orange pickup trucks or grab riders.

[STEVE G]

As a bit of local comment on Thai driving, tonight I was doing some Issan style shop drinking out in Hin Lek Fai.
A pick up truck went roaring by with screeching tyres and racing gear changes and an old guy drinking with us watched this truck dissappear into the distance, he paused for about a minute and then said, "There's nothing over there worth going to that fast!"

[Ratsima]

One of my pet peeves is these guys with overloaded pickup trucks swaddled in blue and white striped Sukhumvit fabric who insist on driving 60 KPH in the right (fast) lane and will not move over for hell or high water. Apparently the blue and white striped Sukhumvit fabric endows them with the right to irritate their fellow drivers who would like to use the fast line to dive somewhere in the vicinity of the speed limit.
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[Big Boy]

I won't disagree with that. In fact they are so big, you just can't see past them either for undertaking. If I have somebody riding shotgun, I often ask them if it's clear down the inside lane.

[thecolonel]

Can't believe I've only just found this thread!

What winds me up..... where do I start?!!

OK, here's one for starters, I used to live in a condo which had multi storey style car parking at ground level but same thing applies at Market Village or the Airport etc

I'd be sat in taxi taking me to my drop off point and some local driver(I always look) is blocking my path as they are trying to reverse into a spot

Have you watched most Thai drivers trying to reverse a car? The majority of them are utterly hopeless. I'm talking 3 to 5 attempts to reverse into a standard space that should present no difficulty at all.

What's more, they can't even drive forward into a space correctly. They do so at the worst possible angle, thus completely screwing themselves when it comes to backing out again!

And occasionally some of these people are actually my taxi drivers so it winds me up even more being sat in the car with them. Hardly inspires me with confidence for the upcoming journey.

Even if they're not being taught correctly at driving licence stage, you would think they would develop the skill over time. Or practice getting better at it as I did many years ago(yeah I know, different cultures and all that jazz).

They clearly didn't watch Reginald Molehusband all those years ago!

In all seriousness it's no wonder the road accident stats are amongst the world's worst here.

The simple fact is that their motoring skills are atrocious.


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