News Forum - New year’s road safety campaign sees spike in accidents across Thailand

[riclag]

11 hours ago, cowslip said:

Actually it stems from the priority on the left rule - read your highway code.

Nonsense ! If the motorbike was a cement truck they wouldn’t pull out, they would yield to on coming traffic

[cowslip]

3 hours ago, riclag said:

Nonsense ! If the motorbike was a cement truck they wouldn’t pull out, they would yield to on coming traffic

Now you're  contradicting yourself by saying they wouldn't.

The defualt law in Thailand is priority to traffic on the left. It depends on the junction and the road.

Anyone who has driven in Europe will be aware of this is the form of priority from the right....especially in France. Whereas France has done a lot to rectify this...e.g. signs and road markings, it is still heavily engraved in Thai Road culture.

Unfortunately many UK and US drivers have never experienced this a so make up their own reasoning based on their assumptions from home.

[cowslip]

Just now, cowslip said:

The defualt law in Thailand is priority to traffic on the left. It depends on the junction and the road.

Anyone who has driven in Europe will be aware of this is the form of priority from the right....especially in France. Whereas France has done a lot to rectify this...e.g. signs and road markings, it is still heavily engraved in Thai Road culture. Especially amongst older drivers.

Unfortunately many UK and US drivers have never experienced this a so make up their own reasoning based on their assumptions from home.

 

[cowslip]

12 hours ago, gazmo16 said:

The left turn is actually only permitted "if safe to do so" and is not a priority over traffic flow on the primary route despite what people assume.

You are not quoting any law except at some traffic lights... read the highway code.

[gazmo16]

11 hours ago, cowslip said:

You are not quoting any law except at some traffic lights... read the highway code.

 

Who has the right of way in Thailand? (Google)

Speaking of right of way, Thai Traffic Laws state that when 2 moving vehicles reach a junction spot head on, the car in the left lane is given the right of way. Unless there is a designation of a principle roadway mark, the vehicle on that mark has the right of way.

 

so road markings apply and a stop line or give way line on the secondary road would apply as wait until safe to proceed on to the primary road. You are talking about head on vehicles only or uncontrolled or unmarked junctions only. 

 

[cowslip]

7 hours ago, gazmo16 said:

Who has the right of way in Thailand? (Google)

Speaking of right of way, Thai Traffic Laws state that when 2 moving vehicles reach a junction spot head on, the car in the left lane is given the right of way. Unless there is a designation of a principle roadway mark, the vehicle on that mark has the right of way.

 

so road markings apply and a stop line or give way line on the secondary road would apply as wait until safe to proceed on to the primary road. You are talking about head on vehicles only or uncontrolled or unmarked junctions only. 

Unfortunately road markings and signs seldom exist. Have you ever seen a "priority to the left" sign in Thailand? (Or "end of priority" sign?)

I had a case in point just before Covid which brought it home to me 

In an urban area, a road that I used almost everyday had a fork off to the left and a vehicle came out in front of me. He politely pointed to the little blue street sign that I had never noticed before.

It said "Sai" and not Soi. Although the road I was on appeared to go straight  on, it was a "Soi" so technically the designated minor road...I was in fact making a right turn the "main" actually was the fork on the left.

Do you read all of those little blue street number signs as you drive along? And translate the Thai writing?

In countries like France in towns and cities the default rule is "prioritee a droite" but the roads are signed and marked so people are aware of the situation.

In Thailand road signs and markings are not clear or even there at all....and foreign motorists make priority judgements made on assumptions based on the roads back home.

Meanwhile in Thailand motorists still drive under the assumption that they have priority when entering a road from the Kent which continually surprises  motorists from countries which don't have this kind of rule.

 

BTW the French version of this was why French crossroads became famous death traps. France now has more roundabouts than any other country..they have REVERSED priority rules...this is the same as Thailand which also explains why Thai motorists often seem confused on roundabouts as they are counter instinctive to Thai motorists.

[cowslip]

the "law" part of this is mentioned in the Highway code translation which actually dates from 1979

 

Land Traffic Act, B.E. 2522 (1979)

 

"

 

THis is a tiny paragraph but it outlines a culture on Thai roads that stretches back probably to the Japanese occupation that finally settled which side of the road traffic should drive - not UK as people normally attribute road rules in Thailand.

It may even stem from river transport upon which a lot of road driving culture in Thailand is based.

[cowslip]

52 minutes ago, cowslip said:

Speaking of right of way, Thai Traffic Laws state that when 2 moving vehicles reach a junction spot head on, the car in the left lane is given the right of way

this is the Japanese part