Important rules and behaviours for driving in Thailand

[Philly]

2 hours ago, JamesR said:

He makes me laugh, this forum is quite good as it is a bit like the singing contests you get each year on the TV in the UK, you like to listen to the people who can sing, but you really want to hear the ones who can't sing and laugh at them.

6 cars today a usual journey of 45 minutes was over 2 hours. I don’t have time for key board warriors- work away

[JamesR]

15 minutes ago, Philly said:

6 cars today a usual journey of 45 minutes was over 2 hours. I don’t have time for key board warriors- work away

I thought it was Song Kran again (spelling?) where the people returning home to Issan from Bangkok stop near the airport, park on the highway in their hundreds and get out their food, eat it on the flatbed part of their pickup truck and get on with having a mini party. 

[gazmo16]

On 10/22/2021 at 11:33 AM, ExpatPattaya said:

Best answer is to make driving a privileged and not a right.  People who are retired should be strongly discouraged or penalized highly for driving IMO.  Everything can be delivered nowadays.  Bolt and Grab drivers if you need to go to hospital or get a check up.  Time to make ride sharing and public transpo mandatory, like the vaccines !  55 

Where would you like us to wait for the bus or light train in our village to avoid the congestion ? Our nearest Big C is 25Km and hospital 15Km . 

[ExpatPattaya]

1 hour ago, gazmo16 said:

Where would you like us to wait for the bus or light train in our village to avoid the congestion ? Our nearest Big C is 25Km and hospital 15Km . 

Am retired and stay where I can walk most places.

Retirees should always be close to hospitals and markets IMO. 

15 kilometres is easily reached on a EV scooter or bike

[Faraday]

45 minutes ago, ExpatPattaya said:

15 kilometres is easily reached on a EV scooter or bike

And that isn't driving ...??

[cowslip]

15 hours ago, Faraday said:

And that isn't driving ...??

most accidents occur within 10 km of home.

[ExpatPattaya]

18 hours ago, Faraday said:

And that isn't driving ...??

Yes it is, but no license, insurance, or helmet necessary. Same with EV bicycles under 500 watts

Plus infinitely safer than getting hit by a 1300 kg car or truck

[gazmo16]

21 hours ago, ExpatPattaya said:

Am retired and stay where I can walk most places.

Retirees should always be close to hospitals and markets IMO. 

15 kilometres is easily reached on a EV scooter or bike

Like I'd feel even safer on an EV scooter on rural roads ! Good job the hospital is closer than the supermarket if I had one of those things 

[gazmo16]

5 hours ago, Khunwilko said:

most accidents occur within 10 km of home.

Didn't Jimmy Saville say something similar ? Clunk click every trip (another rule of the road ignored often )

This statistic is easily explained as people are on auto pilot in familiar places so attention  to their environment at this time is at minimum 

[Bluesofa]

21 hours ago, ExpatPattaya said:

Am retired and stay where I can walk most places.

Retirees should always be close to hospitals and markets IMO. 

15 kilometres is easily reached on a EV scooter or bike

Perhaps you should move to Udon?

AEK Udon Hospital have rental apartments in their grounds. In the event of feeling under the weather, the hospital is only fifty metres away.
If you do survive and need a market there's one within five hundred metres.

Send my commission to...

[Smithydog]

On 10/23/2021 at 12:32 AM, Khunwilko said:

It is a health and safety problem and the government needs to adopt it - It's the Safe System and it needs to be take on completely not just piece meal.

everyone can give examples of "driving" in Thailand but unless the root problems are tackled nothing will happen

 

The introduction of a “Safe System” is valid for many countries, however in my opinion, Thailand is not at a stage to be able to adopt the paradigm shift accompanying such a program. This is simply as they have seemingly not done the hard work to get to the point where adoption would be workable.

Many of the countries who are now working to, or have adopted the approach, have spent years in developing driver training systems, public awareness, reducing drink driving rates and improving policing of roads, in their efforts to substantially lower their annual volume of deaths and injuries from accidents.  This, to me, is a clear piece of the pie missing for Thailand to successfully adopt such a mindset shift.

Unless significant improvements are made to driving habits and are properly policed to ensure compliance, the human element, that still forms part of the “Safe System” approach, is simply too overwhelming for other key features like road design to promote the benefits of such a program.

https://www.pacts.org.uk/safe-system/

To me, it would be like taking a student from junior school to university without doing the grades in between that help the student to gain knowledge, experience and social development for later use at university level. A holistic program is good in theory but only if applied by the right programs at the right time.

 

[ExpatPattaya]

1 hour ago, Bluesofa said:

Perhaps you should move to Udon?

AEK Udon Hospital have rental apartments in their grounds. In the event of feeling under the weather, the hospital is only fifty metres away.
If you do survive and need a market there's one within five hundred metres.

Send my commission to...

Am a love-seeker so retired in Pattaya, the beautiful beach town everyone dreams about  555

[Faz]

A number of off topic posts and the replies have been removed.
Prostate examinations are neither required for the Thai Driving test or the ability to drive motorcycles or cars. 

Haemorrhoids may present a different and uncomfortable driving experience though. 
Please remain on topic and no mention of 'piles' either. 

[Faz]

On 10/20/2021 at 7:28 PM, Khunwilko said:

Unfortunately there are a lot of drivers here who think that their IDP is Ok - and they use it for years,

Considering they're only valid for 12 months.

On 10/20/2021 at 7:28 PM, Khunwilko said:

They are also often the ones who complain loudest about Thai drivers.

What would you like us to call them, non racially of course. 'Thai farangs'?

On 10/22/2021 at 9:36 PM, Khunwilko said:

I'm sorry but if you don't know how to find the info how can you comment?

No, my friend, if you want to state facts, the forum has a rule, which is why you were asked by a moderator to provide a link to your claims.
Understand that the Forum considers “Facts” to differ from a “Personal Opinion.” Facts may be inferred or quoted. Members are responsible to make sure their Posts are not misleading and do not knowingly share articles, pictures and videos previously identified as Misinformation.
The Thaiger Talk Forum Guidelines | Thaiger

Don't try reading the rules on a mobile whilst driving, as is the normal practice for Thai drivers, it's dangerous

On 10/23/2021 at 12:32 AM, Khunwilko said:

It makes me very sad to see that the vast majority of foreigners have absolutely no concept of what the problem is preferring to make racist comments about Thai drivers and implying that they themselves are so superior.

We understand what the problem is, but if the Thai authorities had any concern for road safety and the welfare of their citizens, they have to make radical changes to the law and enforce it, but that's going to happen.

[cowslip]

4 hours ago, Faz said:

which is why you were asked by a moderator to provide a link to your claims.

really where?

 

[cowslip]

4 hours ago, Faz said:

Considering they're only valid for 12 months

Ater 3 months in Thailand you need a Thai licence - IDP is no good - officially.

 

[Faz]

3 minutes ago, Khunwilko said:

really where?

 

  Having trouble understanding what you read.

On 10/22/2021 at 7:47 PM, KaptainRob said:

Please supply verified and comparable data plus links to the source(s). 

 

 

[cowslip]

On 10/22/2021 at 1:47 PM, KaptainRob said:

Can you describe this 'safe system' and how it might be applied in Asian countries please?

Please supply verified and comparable data plus links to the source(s). 

The problem with Asian. esp. Thai stats, is the high proportion (75&) of motorbike accidents and deaths which skew country comparisons.

I have described how it can be applied

It is common knowledge, you are seasoning me.

[Faz]

3 minutes ago, Khunwilko said:

Ater 3 months in Thailand you need a Thai licence - IDP is no good - officially.

Is that a fact -can you supply a link to that please, or is this just more dross.

[cowslip]

 

Road traffic injuries can be prevented. Governments need to take action to address road safety in a holisticmanner. This requires involvement from multiple sectors such as transport, police, health, education, and actions that address the safety of roads, vehicles, and road users.

Effective interventions include designing safer infrastructure and incorporating road safety features into land-use and transport planning, improving the safety features of vehicles, improving post-crash care for victims of road crashes, setting and enforcing laws relating to key risks, and raising public awareness.

 

What does road safety really entail? – a lot more than just “driving”.

 

In fact the Safe System offers a guide of 5 “E”s of road safety

For over 3 decades Thailand has had various “Road Safety Action Plans” and has espoused the virtues of the 5 “E”s (it has to be said with little effect) ............... but without them, Road Safety is doomed.

 

1. Education

2. Enforcement

3. Engineering

4. Emergency

5. Evaluation

 

1. Education

This is fairly self-explanatory - people need to be told/shown how to drive and given the “tools” to share the road with other users - UK had several government TV campaigns in the 60s and 70s. Clever well thought out ads with a bit of humour that weren’t condescending and helped to establish the country as a safe place to drive. (Do you remember the elephant in the fog?).

The first people to educate in Thailand would be the police.

 

2. Enforcement

Again self-explanatory - but Thailand has the added problem of ingrained corruption, graft and briber which impedes this no matter how many laws are passed. The laws need to be reasonable applicable and equitably enforced too.

 

3. Engineering: - most critics of (Thai) road safety usually ignore this aspect of road safety. It falls into 2 categories ….

 

A - Vehicle engineering - Safer car design and engineering: - car safety is both “passive” (seat belts, airbags and construction etc.) and “Active” (braking steering, handling, traction control etc.) these two are really interdependent now with so much computerised and hi-tech features on modern vehicles.

• Anti-locking brakes

• Traction control

• Air-bags

• Side impact bars

• AVCSS 

• More reliable engine, tyres and components

• Vehicle dynamics in general (vary from UK and Thailand)

Of course roadworthiness checks are vital - but totally unenforced in Thailand.

 

B - Road Engineering - 

The design and construction on the roads, bridges, junction, road surface, camber, drainage etc. 

• The use of barriers (e.g. Armco), the removal of roadside hazards - e.g. trees or boulders on the side and centre of roads. The clearing of billboards and vegetation that obscure drivers’ vision 

• Traffic - the use of lines, signs, bollards etc. etc. to dictate how and where the traffic flows and at what speed - virtually non-excitant in Thailand and seldom noticed by drivers in countries that make good use of it.

• The use of barriers (e.g. Armco), the removal of trees from the side and centre of roads. The clearing of billboards and vegetation that obscure drivers’ vision.

• Better infrastructure and engineering

• Better road surfaces

• Better signage

• More forgiving 

• Traffic calming

• Shared space - keeping various road users apart is key to safety in some situations - if they are separated they can’t collide.

 

Like so many things on the roads in Thailand, the only reason that U-Turns happen is because the roads ALLOW it.... this is an engineering problem (and cost), not so much a driver problem.

 

 

4. Emergency

 

- What happens in the event of injury... this is a major factor in who lives or dies.

It has been well documented that the time between accident and getting treatment is crucial in the survival of RTI victims. 

Treatment on the scene and reducing the time it takes to get the patient to hospital is vital. Thailand still has NO EFECTIVE UNIVERSAL EMERGENCY SERVICE!! Ambulances have no standard equipment levels and what comes to your aid at an accident could be anything from a boy-racer pickup truck trough van to a partially equpement ambulance. Paramedics ae seldom fully trained.

 

5. Evaluation

 

- How do we ascertain if measures are effective and what new ideas can be implemented.

Most governments have agencies of some sort that after engaging any road scheme, whether it is construction or a safety campaign, review in detail every aspect of that project; effects on local population, environment, accident statistics etc. etc. Statistics are gathered and monitored and appropriate action taken. - Whereas Thailand may nominally have such bodies their effectiveness is just about zero. Road safety in Thailand is left largely to ill-thought out, baseless pronouncements made by members of the government with little better to do. Statistics collected in Thailand are incomplete, amateurish and don’t eve correlate with international conventions.

7 minutes ago, Faz said:

Is that a fact -can you supply a link to that please, or is this just more dross.

sealioning again.

 

[Faz]

"sealioning" as "A disparaging term for the confrontational practice of leaping into an online discussion with endless demands for answers and evidence." 

Guilty as charged @Khunwilko
But then if you understood the roles of moderators and bothered to read the forum rules you'd understand why. The Thaiger Talk Forum Guidelines | Thaiger

 

Understand that the Forum considers “Facts” to differ from a “Personal Opinion.” Facts may be inferred or quoted. Members are responsible to make sure their Posts are not misleading and do not knowingly share articles, pictures and videos previously identified as Misinformation.

You've now be asked once by a member of Admin and once by a moderator to provide links if your going to infer what you post is facts. It's obvious your not a native English speaker, so you've been given the benefit of the doubt so far. 

Once again and for the final time can you please provide links to your post 90894 and the above post which is obviously copied and pasted from a source.

 

[JamesR]

On 10/24/2021 at 4:24 AM, gazmo16 said:

Where would you like us to wait for the bus or light train in our village to avoid the congestion ? Our nearest Big C is 25Km and hospital 15Km . 

Easy start walking to Big C before you become hungry and start walking to the hospital before you begin to feel ill.

[JamesR]

2 hours ago, Khunwilko said:

I have described how it can be applied

It is common knowledge, you are seasoning me.

You should really be seasoned and not allowed to write any more rubbish until Spring 2022.

[Faraday]

Just doesn't give up....

[gummy]

16 minutes ago, Faraday said:

Just doesn't give up....

Overdosed on exlax maybe