Things That Wind Me Up Driving In Thailand

[Big Boy]

A lot of us complain about the standard of driving here in Thailand, but I don’t think we have a list of what actually winds us up. Of course, most of us adapt, but that doesn’t mean we like it. I’ve sat down and put down my main grievances, which can be seen every day on Thailand’s roads. My list is heavily biased against motorcyclists – probably because I can think of at least 8 instances that they’ve driven into my truck. Motorcyclists might have a different view of the situation. Please add things that wind you up when driving in Thailand.

Motorcycles – As a truck driver these have to be well in front of my gripes e.g.:

• At number 1 it has to be what I know as the suicide move. Waiting to make a U-Turn I am sat concentrating on approaching traffic. Impatient motorcyclists will come up my right-hand side. When a suitable gap appears in the traffic, they will go at the same time as me, but drive straight in front of my truck heading for the left-hand lane. Plain stupidity.

• At number 2, almost as bad as number 1. Waiting to turn right on to a road, impatient motorcyclists will come up on my right-hand side. Again, when a gap appears in traffic, they will go at the same time as me, but drive straight in front of my truck heading for the left-hand lane.

• Number 3 is the left-hand turn. Motorcyclists don’t realise that when a truck turns left, the movement of the truck is not an exact 90 degrees. There is a little drift towards the curb. If I’m indicating left, any apparent gap is an illusion. If you try to squeeze through, and I haven’t noticed you, squeezed will be the operative word.

• Number 4 is giving way at stop signs. Most motorcyclists can’t read a stop sign, so will continue through the junction.

• Number 5 is giving way at pedestrian crossings. This is something I will only do if I am 200% sure there isn’t a motorcycle within 100 yards (very rare). Motorcycles rarely give way, and my truck is so large, an unsuspecting pedestrian will be given a false sense of security by my actions, and will run a severe risk of injury through motorcycle collision.

• Number 6 is motorcycles riding in the wrong direction. If, for example, I am pulling on to a busy duel carriageway e.g. Petchkasem Road, I don’t want to be worrying about a Grab or Food Panda rider taking the shortest delivery route – I’ll be looking for a gap in the opposite direction.

• Number 7 is motorcycles stopping, with no indication, in the middle of the road to buy their lunch from a roadside food vendor, creating an unexpected chicane.

• Number 8 is motorcyclists use or non-use of indicators. This one has too many variations to list, but it can be very dangerous to react to a motorcycle’s indicator.

• Number 9 is seasonal, and hasn’t been too much of a problem during the Covid years. Farang motorcyclists trying to emulate Thai motorcyclists whilst on holiday. They don’t realise Thais have been learning this all of their lives, whereas many of the Farangs probably get on a motorcycle whilst on holiday, because they wouldn’t dare try it in their home country. There’s only one word for it, Arseholes.

Cars, trucks and mini-vans:

• Parking. This has to be my biggest gripe. Rather than park and walk, they just park at the closest part to their destination with no regard to any obstruction they may cause to other road users. Double parking is regular, but their favourite is to park on already (almost) blind corners.

• (Usually) Bangkok registered vehicles driving at a snail’s pace around town. They drive so slowly. I often wonder how many days it took them to drive to Hua Hin from Bangkok.

• Looking for a parking space. Cars drive at 1kph in the hope a parking space will miraculously appear, but all following traffic then has to drive at the same speed.

• Turning right. Many drivers, if they see another vehicle approaching their junction will pull into the oncoming traffic’s lane forcing it to stop or have a collision. Of course. Nobody deliberately collides with an oncoming vehicle, so basically, they are saying you give way until I’ve completed my maneuver.

• Similar to motorcycles, is giving way at pedestrian crossings. This is something I will only do if I am very sure there isn’t a vehicle on my blindside. My truck is so large, an unsuspecting pedestrian will be given a false sense of security by my actions, and will run a severe risk of injury through collision.

• Parking on narrow roads adjacent to overhanging bushes/trees. They will stand and argue that the road is wide enough for my truck to pass. Of course, the road is wide enough, but not without removing the paint from the nearside of my vehicle.

• Cutting corners when turning right. The correct maneuver is to pull forward and turn into the left-hand lane. Many drivers simply turn diagonally into oncoming traffic.


Buses and Lorries:

• Buses driving in convoy in the right-hand lane of the motorway. Because they drive so close together at fairly low speeds, combined with slower vehicles in the inside lanes, it can take an eternity to get past them.

• Similar to the above but any vehicle dawdling in the outside lane. OK, it is unlikely to be dawdling in convoy, but will still create a rolling chicane.

Police/Security:

• Directing traffic usually creates a much longer tailback than you would normally experience.

• Use of whistles trying to make you move faster when you’re already riding the bumper of the person in front of you.

• People who have probably never driven a car in their lives, trying to direct you how to park in car parks.

• Road blocks – stopping you, and then waving you on with no explanation.

[handdrummer]

That pretty well covers it.

Sat., Sun., & Mon., I drove for the first time in 8 yrs. I encountered nearly all of those items between Smorprong and Bangkok Hospital and on the return trip.

Very tempting to run over the motorbike riders that pass on the left between a parked car and my car and cut in front of me. Just a slight move, by me, to the left and there would be a Yamaha pancake with red syrup dripping from it.

The only reason Thai bike riders have mirrors is to look at themselves at a stop light.

I also like the bikers that are talking on their mobile phones, while weaving in and out of traffic.

The driving here reminds me of Italy in the early 1960s, where you were safer in a car than as a pedestrian.

I think what happens is that Thai drivers take a stupid pill in the morning and it lasts all day.

[bigston]

Only One
i think most consume a bucket of them,
beats having anything nutritious and good for the brain

[Dannie Boy]

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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[handdrummer]

Only One
i think most consume a bucket of them,
beats having anything nutritious and good for the brain

Brain?

[HHTel]

The problem here is that although they have adequate traffic laws, almost none are enforced unless a particular cop needs a handout.
Pretty much everything that BB mentions is actually against Thai law. It'll not change until there is actual enforcement and I don't see that happening anytime soon.

I always drive on the understanding that every other vehicle on the road is driven by an idiot and be prepared for any eventuality. Having been driving here for many years, I can usually predict what the idiot in front, behind, at either side is probably going to do.
As far as indicators go, I'll never take notice of those on a motorbike as once triggered, they're usually left on until the next turn. One that does annoy me is the habit of driving with hazard lights on. I'm not sure what the intended message is supposed to be but it happens a lot. At a junction, they use hazard lights to indicate they're going straight on. What they don't seem to realise is that depending where you are in the queue, you may only see one indicator and assume they are turning one way or the other.

All in all, after 20+ years of driving here, I've only had one accident when a Thai driver, despite the signs, didn't realise he was approaching a roundabout and consequently drove straight across the 'circle' hitting me whilst traveling round the roundabout.

Just something we have to tolerate here.

[STEVE G]

During the nineties I spent six years driving daily in Jakarta, Indonesia, so after that I've never found driving in Thailand to be much of a problem particularly outside of Bangkok.
The one thing I do find frustrating about driving around Hua Hin is being held up by car drivers slowing down to walking pace for every slight defect in the road surface. I can actually cycle faster down some roads on a mountain bike than some cars are prepared to drive.

[huahin4ever]

I think I have been here too long. I just don't care anymore. Everyone except me are idiots in the traffic

YNWA

[HHTel]

A good policy. All other drivers are idiots and all snakes are poisonous. Get that in your head and you'll be much safer.

[buksida]

I reckon BB has covered most of it, though my gripes would be more about cars/trucks/busses since I spend more time on two wheels than four and most of the bike rants apply to them too!

[joelle]

Here is some of my hates which just came to mind :
- bikes/cars driving the opposite way (or not) at night with no lights on
- bikes darting from a side road to the main without looking
- double and treble parking on a main busy road when there's a market
- stopping in the middle of a roundabout to let vehicles coming from left pass
- at school times cars stopping in the middle of the road to offload or pick up their angels regardless of the traffic building up behind
- tooting at you to go forward when you have cars in front of you
- the most shocking around Hua Hin, for me, is nobody moves to let ambulances go by even when they have the sirens on
As said 《most of us adapt, but that doesn’t mean we like it》.

[HHTel]

stopping in the middle of a roundabout to let vehicles coming from left pass

I'd forgotten that one. I used to sit in a restaurant at the end of 112 and watch the traffic gridlock themselves at the roundabout because of stopping to let traffic enter. If all traffic stops at all 4 exits when it's busy, a gridlock is unavoidable. Then the fun starts watching them trying to unravel themselves.

In spite of signs at every entrance dictating to allow traffic on the roundabout to proceed first (in Thai language)

[Big Boy]

stopping in the middle of a roundabout to let vehicles coming from left pass

I'd forgotten that one. I used to sit in a restaurant at the end of 112 and watch the traffic gridlock themselves at the roundabout because of stopping to let traffic enter. If all traffic stops at all 4 exits when it's busy, a gridlock is unavoidable. Then the fun starts watching them trying to unravel themselves.

In spite of signs at every entrance dictating to allow traffic on the roundabout to proceed first (in Thai language)

I was waiting before making any response, but I'll jump in on this one now,

In the UK (and I presume every other country where you are taught to drive properly), it is not just learning how to turn the ignition key, press the accelerator, press the brake, etc. You are taught to read the road, which includes road signs, paint on the road and what is actually happening all around you. Here in Thailand, those are skills that are sadly lacking. It is not just roundabouts, but on Thai roads in general.

You can be driving in traffic, knowing you have right of way, when the driver in front of freezes, and does something completely unexpected because he/she doesn't know how to read the road. This can be very dangerous, and something nobody expects.

An example is departing Khao Tao most days. When I get to the main road, there is a Stop sign. Very few people seem to understand the meaning. At this point my direction is straight on, whereas the traffic on the main road is doing a 90 degree turn. I often find myself stopped at the junction, with traffic in both directions on the main road afraid to take the bend because they just assume the car going straight has to go first - they don't know how to read the road. I then have to take the risk of crossing traffic on a main road, which in every sense of the word has right of way. I'm sure, most of the time, I'm being criticised as the one not knowing what I'm doing/can't drive.

[buksida]

In the UK (and I presume every other country where you are taught to drive properly), it is not just learning how to turn the ignition key, press the accelerator, press the brake, etc. You are taught to read the road, which includes road signs, paint on the road and what is actually happening all around you. Here in Thailand, those are skills that are sadly lacking. It is not just roundabouts, but on Thai roads in general.

This is because the driving test, just like the education system, was designed half a century ago and they refuse to change it. You don't have to go near a road to pass your test and get a driving license in Thailand. Playing with apps, watching more videos, and getting into military-style queues is not going to improve driving skills or road awareness.

[migrant]

I always drive on the understanding that every other vehicle on the road is driven by an idiot and be prepared for any eventuality.

That is almost exactly what my grandfather told me when I started driving ( along time ago!).

I'll add that many drivers here have no sense of what speed you are going when they pull into your lane. Many times I've had to slam on my brakes when some fool pulls in front of me for no reason.