Driving

[mai thai]

I wouldn’t discount driving altogether. It can be a bit confusing in built up areas, but once you get into the countryside it’s actually pretty easy as long as you are cautious.
It’s not worth hiring a car just to get around Hua Hin, but if you want to explore further a field I would consider giving it a try.
The advantage is that you can find out of the way places off the main roads where there is no public transport.

very true you can go sam roi yot for starters its a real nice drive with spectaclar veiws,well worth a trip (and cheap prawns)for bait or eating .monkeys in the middle of the road too and some lovely beaches caves etc

[bluezephyr]

I had never driven a car in Thailand until in Nakhon Sawan my friend had an accident and i had to drive back, I was nervous to start with but its just the same with a few more things to worry about. In some ways its a bit easier as you can get away with more ridiculous manouvers, If lets say going down soi 80 during the day and wanting to turn right onto Petchasem road, How long would you wait until pulling out of an equivalent junction in the UK? It would never happen.

Take all the driving knowldege youve know with you, and just watch out for the unexpected, As it will probably happen!

[norm]

I'm curious, how many of your wifes drive? My wife is farang and she does not drive in Thailand, no desire to. She says she will start soon going out with a girl friend. She knows how and is a reasonable good driver in the USA and Australia.

Why is it a Thai can only turn a corner or do a U-turn at 5khr. It seems like they feel if they are going slow and there is a accident it isn't there fault, even if they are occupying 3 lanes.

[usual suspect]

A customer told me of his mate riding a scooter+sidecar.(in HH) He was hit face-on by a Thai driver with no licence,no insurance,drunk and totally coming the 'wrong way' up the carrigeway!..Police verdict?..the scooter/outfit was 20cms to far away from the curb,hence no charge against driver!

ps..Have you noticed when the traffic is snarled-up and moving unusually slow then time+time again its a Thai girl driving her husbands/partners pick-up/SUV. Many Farangs seem quite content to let an ex Bar-girl drive their million baht motor...look for a car drifting to middle of road...the 5 baht gold bracelet on her right wrist makes the car do this..ha,haa!
(lets see who gets tetchy over this fact?)

[STEVE G]

(lets see who gets tetchy over this fact?)

I won’t because the truck keys are in my hotel room in Luxembourg!

[hhfarang]

I've noticed that when I'm trapped in the worst traffic jams downtown it usually turns out to be when the police are controlling the traffic lights instead of leaving them on the automatic timer! In most countries the traffic police are trained to make things better, not worse...

[norm]

I've noticed that when I'm trapped in the worst traffic jams downtown it usually turns out to be when the police are controlling the traffic lights instead of leaving them on the automatic timer! In most countries the traffic police are trained to make things better, not worse...

I think they have an ongoing bet to see who can back up traffic the furthest.

I've seen it backed up all the way from the light to market village.

[brit583]

I can only imagine from what i've seen so far, that the thai driving test is a joke. Scooter riders never seem to look before they pull out and swinging over 3 lanes to make a turn is a standard maneuver.

Would be nice to seem more helmets in use. Was in vietnam last year and gov had just introduced law to make them mandatory. Within 3 months everyone seemed to be wearing them. There must be so many accidents where whole families get wiped out on bikes.

I did see in tesco's helmets on sale for 199bhat. Think I'd rather strap egg boxes to my head!

[Takiap]

A customer told me of his mate riding a scooter+sidecar.(in HH) He was hit face-on by a Thai driver with no licence,no insurance,drunk and totally coming the 'wrong way' up the carrigeway!..Police verdict?..the scooter/outfit was 20cms to far away from the curb,hence no charge against driver!

ps..Have you noticed when the traffic is snarled-up and moving unusually slow then time+time again its a Thai girl driving her husbands/partners pick-up/SUV. Many Farangs seem quite content to let an ex Bar-girl drive their million baht motor...look for a car drifting to middle of road...the 5 baht gold bracelet on her right wrist makes the car do this..ha,haa!
(lets see who gets tetchy over this fact?)

What difference does it make whether you work in a bar or a hospital or whether you're a prostitute or a doctor. Driving a car is driving a car. You couls just as well say that a brick layer cannot drive as well as a lawyer so really your comment doesn't really make sense. Have you ever seen how some of the police drive in this country with a bottle of beer in one hand?

Oh, by the way..............my wife's not from a bar, we don't have a car and no, she does not even own a quarter of a baht worth of gold so I'm not getting tetchy.

PS: Have you ever noticed the effect a market has on Thai drivers?

[hhfarang]

Would be nice to seem more helmets in use. Was in vietnam last year and gov had just introduced law to make them mandatory.

I've always been against any law that forces a (adult) person to protect him/her self like helmet and seat belt laws. If they are not smart enough to do that on their own then they shouldn't be made to do it.

All these laws do is negate nature's "survival of the fittest" rule or in this case "survival of the smartest".

Forcing these people not to do stupid things and kill themselves just muddys up the gene pool and dumbs down the entire population over a few generations...

[brit583]

They should bring the darwin awards to thailand. Probably justifys its own awards.

It is a good point about natural selection though. Untilyour cleaning some idiots brains off your car!!