Ride like a mad bull
September 2021. Max Verstappen wins at Zandvoort. In 2023 we know no better than that Max usually wins, but even then it wasn't really exciting, because after spinning 72 noisy laps the top 5 entered in exactly the same order as they left. What follows is a sobering story about driving in Thailand. But first a little about Red Bull.
Red Bull is an Austrian energy drink inspired by a Thai energy drink called 'krating daeng', where 'krating' is a type of bison and 'daeng' stands for the color red. It is still a very popular drink in Thailand to this day, especially in professions that require a high level of preparedness, such as security guards and drivers. Opinions are divided on whether the potion actually works or not. I myself have to conclude that at least half of the security people here sleep inappropriately and especially inappropriately at work. The Thai also regularly fall asleep behind the wheel, with all the misery that entails.
On September 3, 2012, deep into the night, a fast Ferrari ran over a motorcycle police officer in Bangkok. The Ferrari drove on. An oil trail led police to the home of the Yoovidhya family, the people behind Thailand's Red Bull. In the end, young Vorayuth 'Boss' Yoovidhya turned out to be the driver. I don't want to bore the reader with all the legal wrangling of the past 11 years, but the bottom line is that 'Boss' has never really been held accountable in Thailand, much to the anger of the Thai people. In developing countries, the legal system sometimes works differently for the rich than for the less wealthy.
Unfortunately, it is a regular occurrence in Thailand; rich kids in fast cars that cause a lot of trouble. For example, there was a 16-year-old girl who caused an accident in 2010 that killed 9 people in a van. Her family was well connected and she got away with community service. It is regularly hit here with such a startling accident. Thailand is in bad shape when it comes to road safety; the country has for years led the rankings for the most road fatalities per capita. According to official statistics, about 60 people a day or 20,000 people a year die in Thai traffic, out of a population of just under 70 million. An interesting detail is that for these statistics only those who die instantly count. Those who later die in hospital are not counted for convenience. The real death toll is therefore alarmingly much higher.
It's no wonder either. The Thai driving course is a joke, there is hardly any enforcement and the Thai's 'mai pen rai' attitude doesn't really cooperate either. You really find everything on the road, including drivers who think - if you're lucky on the emergency lane - that they have to go against traffic. In the dark. Without light. In the Netherlands you will then be on the radio. In addition, driving under the influence is a problem of enormous proportions here.
Not so long ago I was riding my motorcycle home at night. In my mirrors I saw him coming; a pick-up truck that actually swept all over the road. A little later he pulled up on the side of the road, and I decided to talk to the driver. Knowing that a reprimand here always backfires – the Thai hate to lose face and that can often degenerate into absurd ruthless rage – I decided to apply the 'concern approach' in my best Thai. 'Is everything OK with you? I saw you swinging from left to right across the road…are you sick or something?' Without any embarrassment he looked at me somewhat languidly, and then made a gesture with his hand that can best be described as 'bringing a bottle to the mouth'. I think what the best man wanted to make clear to me was: 'I've just been drinking way too much to talk, let alone drive.' I kindly asked him to sleep it off on the side of the road, the best I could think of under the circumstances.
As long as there is corruption in the system, and there is no real will to tackle the problem, little will change. Don't be fooled by travel guides and websites that want to romanticize the problem. The most laughable description of Thai traffic I've ever read claimed that the Thai drive this way "because it reflects the smooth criss-crossing movements of the boats on the klongs (canals) in Bangkok." Nice idea, that's it. No, it will take a long time before everyone here just follows the rules, without bizarre accidents and wild kamikaze actions. And we will never experience it here on the road as relatively boring and safe as say 72 laps of Zandvoort, unfortunately.
This article is a specially edited version of a story from the new book 'Madness on sticks' by Robert Jan Fernhout. The book can be ordered at all bookshops in the Netherlands and Flanders, and via web shops such as https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/p/gekheid-op-stokjes/9300000149873451/
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ColumnJune 13, 2023Ride like a mad bull
Hm,
It doesn't help if enforcement itself also turns up on the road with a sip. Read at least three stories in the past 1,5 years about police officers who were drunk on motorcycles!
Best regards,
Traffic in Thailand… an endless story. It is nicely described here and as a result of this I have something from my heart…
We live in a fairly quiet street, but in recent months it has become increasingly busy. Especially trucks that drive heavily loaded with soil on the back roads and use our street as a shortcut (according to my wife because they have to pay taxes on the big roads and try to avoid this on the back roads).
A few months ago we built a shop at the front of our garden, about two meters from the street. But even when there were customers there was no slowing down. We had previously considered placing a threshold on the street to force traffic to slow down.
I did that two weeks ago and although most people thought it was a good idea, complaints were still made to the Moo Baan. People also complained to my wife. They thought their motorcycle would break down (I had made an extra opening so that motorcycles and cyclists could pass through).
I had also painted the threshold red so that it was visible from afar.
Despite this, some continued to drive over it at high speed.
Instead of slowing down, they complained that their vehicles' bumpers would be damaged.
We had to remove the threshold again. People were more concerned about possible accidents caused by the threshold than about the accidents that would be prevented if traffic was slowed down.
I don't understand this mentality. What do we do when a truck rushes past and our house is shaking? Or when there are children in front of the store who really don't pay attention to whether a car is approaching or not, and who may be hit by a car. One morning we found one of our cats dead in front of our gate on the street. Probably hit by a speeder.
I have removed the threshold. In that respect, I have felt powerless here in Thailand for a long time. Unfortunately I don't speak enough Thai to say anything and as a foreigner I'm weak anyway. Maybe I shouldn't live in Thailand if I don't like the fact that traffic can move fast unimpeded.
The traffic here in the Netherlands is already starting to resemble that in Thailand.
So nothing strange under the sun
In 2021, 582 people died in a traffic accident in the Netherlands. This is 4,6 percent less than in 2020, when there were 610 road deaths, and the lowest number since 2015. Compared to 2000, the number of fatalities from road accidents has halved, despite the population growth. Don't just shout. Read this: https://ap.lc/7ZukY
I do not recognize anything in the story, it seems as if the writer wants to transfer the regulations from the Netherlands to Thailand. The average driver in the Netherlands drives badly, I've had someone drive behind me because they didn't know how to get to a location, later I got comments why I used my indicator so much! I've been driving in Thailand for years I think the Thai drive well and that just like the writer says it's a piece of cake to get a driver's license in Thailand, very different from the extreme prices that have to be paid for a driver's license in the Netherlands .
What nonsense; “The Dutchman drives badly and the Thai well”. The statistics in terms of deaths speak a completely different language.
But the Dutchman has nothing to do with this, so that comparison is flawed. The number of road deaths in Thailand is shockingly high (despite the supposedly above-average traffic engineering you attribute to the Thai). There are several reasons for this in my opinion; lack of knowledge, lack of supervision, lack of adequate roads (separate lanes for fast and slow traffic, especially on larger roads), lack of political will to do something about it and also lack of will to do something about it in the population. And then I'm probably forgetting a reason or 2.
Well-known French writer / poet Jean de la Fontaine (1621/1698) once wrote “Selon que vous serez puissant ou misérable, les jugements de cour vous rendront blanc ou noir…”
Roughly translated “Depending on whether you are powerful or wretched, court rulings will make you white or black…”…. so not much has changed in 400 years and it won't change in the future...
Those who have money, power and/or connections will always, or almost always, avoid the dance when they come into contact with the law (at least when it comes to that).
For Jan with the cap it is a different story and it does not matter where, this applies in Belgium, the Netherlands, Thailand ... and ... you name it.
This as far as the 16-year-old girl and Red Bull are concerned.
That Thailand is somewhere at the top of the rankings for the most road fatalities per capita in terms of population will probably be the case, at least that is what I read more than regularly and other “sites” more or less confirm this by reporting / reporting daily fatal accidents.
I don't live in Thailand but have traveled thousands of km on the track there in recent decades and whether you believe me or not I have never seen an accident, let alone experienced it, maybe I was born with the helmet.
I have often asked myself the question “is this justified:
a) 3 to 4 people on one scooter
b) pick-up truck 6 to 8 meters high, loaded with whatever
c) old pick-up truck with about 10 workers in the cargo box …
Yes, that's true".
So, thank God, until now I have never really been confronted with reckless driving behavior of the local population, which cannot be said of the farangs on two wheels that sometimes after … ..(fill it in yourself) their own name no longer normal can pronounce.
You know, the second one (dangerous driving behavior) will resolve itself over the years, in Europe it also took a while .. but as far as the protection of the “fils à papa” is concerned, I unfortunately do not see an immediate improvement. Hypothetical example: girl is raped a) Jan go straight to jail b) son of “x” go free because girl has given cause and so on ..
Finally, maybe a stupid question, but regardless of the NL license "is Max Verstappen a Belgian or a Dutchman?" He was born in Belgium (Hasselt I think), the mom is Belgian, the dad Dutch, apparently never lived in the Netherlands ... or is he a Monegasque as he now lives in Monaco (probably because it is more centrally located in terms of circuits 🙂 ? or also Red Bull story in a different form).
MVG
During my travels through Thailand I have also experienced little in the way of accidents. Saw a scooter crash a few times, but that was not much for the driver or the rest of the traffic. But that I, like you, have seen/experienced it so little is probably more luck than wisdom given the almost countless number of accidents on Thai roads.
As for Max Verstappen, he has both Dutch and Belgian nationality and does not live in Monaco as it is centrally located in relation to the cirtcuits. They are literally all over the world. Quite a nice idea I must say! No, he lives there because there is no tax to pay.
He always says that he lives there because it is so beautiful, for the nice weather, and the peace. That's all true, but more of a nice side effect. The underlying reason is simply that Verstappen and Red Bull don't have to pay millions in taxes here in the Netherlands or anywhere else.
Max: Of course it is Joost, that's why I wrote "or also a Red Bull story in another form" I was referring to part 1 of my writing .. (centrally located was a joke) Money talks !.
Honestly speaking “shouldn't we do that too?”.
Soit: One thing is certain, that he is now Belgian or Dutch, since Senna is the best driver ever anyway, Hamilton is not allowed to fasten his helmet yet! 🙂
I thought, 'Oh, how charming, someone who doesn't know at all about Monaco and the tax benefits. Let me explain that in great detail.' I'll just stick to naivety and a lack of reading comprehension (I hadn't made the link with the dramatic story about that girl at all).
And indeed, it is the best pilot by far since Senna. Nothing to add! 🙂
There are so many things that need to change to improve road safety in Thailand.
In my opinion, one of the most important is the attitude of the Thais towards public space and fellow road users.
Totally agree with you Chris.
Many Thai people simply don't care about fellow road users or the use of public space
We live in a market near Khon Kaen, next to our shop is a small alley where our motorcycles and those of the neighbors are parked.
It happens daily that the exit is blocked by Thai people who park their car there and then enter the market.
If they see you taking a picture of their license plate they get angry…..
I have also experienced. I was parked correctly at a store. When I came out, one wouldn't have thought it better to block me. I had to wait almost an hour before I could leave. My wife didn't mind.
That is typical for a Thai. Don't care about anything or anyone. And then I read below that they are social. Do not make me laugh. But it will be up to us (adjust or else we have no business here).
I have lived in Hua Hin for 6 years and have never had a problem in traffic. And if I ever see a crash then hst 9/10x is a tourist on a Forza 350 that has overestimated itself. If you just keep driving on the left and don't change lanes unexpectedly, little can happen.
I think it's wrong in Thailand great. Nice past the cars when there is a traffic jam. Tapping off a Bahtje or 1000 if you get caught with a Samsong too much. That's just how it works here. Embrace it, just like corruption here, otherwise you have no business here. I think it is beautiful.
Thailand is in the world top in terms of number of road deaths!
But don't worry, embrace that because otherwise you have no business here. Even worse, if you have drunk too much you just pay a small fine and continue.
What a sick mentality. I can't say more about it.
With a serious mentality you have little to look for in Thailand.
5 days of celebration when someone dies, good food and watching movies.
@ Ralph. See if you also love it when you are driven by a drunk Thai invalid…..
How can you justify impunity in traffic? I read a lot of nonsense here, but your response takes the cake.
Sad, Ralph.
Moderator: off topic
Ralph, you've got your eyes in your pocket. I've lived in Thailand for almost 18 years, 13 of them in Hua Hin and I've seen countless accidents, even a Thai girl whose head was crushed by the wheel of a truck. She was in a hurry and, of course, not wearing a helmet.
Driving in Thailand with few rules is a relief compared to Belgium and the Netherlands. In Thailand you just know that you have to pay attention, hardly anyone knows the traffic regulations. Nevertheless, things run surprisingly smoothly there without too much regulation. In Thailand you have to watch out for road users in traffic. With us, on the other hand, you have to be especially careful not to sin against the rules. Relaxing driving with little risk of a fine or a middle finger, that's Thailand.
What do you mean, you don't think Thailand has any traffic rules? What nonsense is that now! Those rules do exist, but few know them or apply them.
Coming here to tell you that it is a relief for foreigners to drive here because you can, so to speak, ignore everything (because there is little risk of conversion) is striking.
I am a defensive driver. When I'm in traffic I'm short of eyes. Keep distance? Every time there is a fool who inserts himself right in front of you. Tailgating, a Thai is really the great specialist in that. Do you have green light? Watch out … before you know it, someone else is driving through the red. Not to mention the life-threatening U-turns and those who continue to drive at 70 km/h on the motorway's fastest lane.
The only advantage is indeed that you don't get a middle finger here 🙁
Funny to hear that you can behave rashly in traffic here because just about everyone flouts all legislation.
The high number of road deaths is insignificant if I have to believe you. Fines and enforcement are not necessary at all, feel free to do what you think is right.
You will get a big middle finger from me, but that will be a concern to you.
Although you are not allowed to generalize and cannot explain all observations from a cultural point of view, many everyday matters of and in Thai society are still anchored in the way in which Thais give each other from birth how to act in social situations. That is why little or nothing will change on Thai roads in the coming years, as the 7 deadly days of mid-April and around old-new prove every year: https://www.who.int/thailand/activities/ccs-roadsafety
October 2015 on Thailandblog it was already about this: https://ap.lc/vgAkR
And why nothing changes? Because Thai road users are Thai, and so are those who have to ensure the safe use of that road.
In Thailand it is about 'sabaai-sabaai'. A cultural definition. Formed this way through generations and centuries. It is the tendency to want nothing to do with conflict or confrontation in all circumstances, to avoid, to avoid. You can if you strive enough for 'sanoek': have fun, don't worry, we'll see you tomorrow, because: mowing pen - it doesn't matter. This generally applicable attitude means that feeling responsible for or in a certain situation is not given to you, and you certainly don't have to hold yourself accountable at all. Let alone hold the other accountable. The latter alone is absolutely out of the question, because it can turn out very extreme. In addition, Thailand has plenty of a show-off culture. All this means that hidden behind a huge steering wheel in a pimped cabin, a nasty behavior can emerge: “first me, and then you”. That such behavior can have consequences? If it is not already the custom to address each other, why even take it into account.
Also read: https://pala.be/nl/artikel/van-thaise-glimlach-tot-grimlach
Don't forget that it was the same here in the 60s/70s... people even drank before going to work... even if they had to work with hazardous substances, such as at Metallurgy Hoboken.
And in 1970 at the Messe Düsseldorf (next to the airport) that was under construction, people started DRINKING just one week before Christmas…at work…all day…half liters!!!!!
You really can't be serious about that comparison of Thailand in 2023 with the Netherlands of the 60s/70s. You are talking about conditions from more than half a century ago. Do you really think that you can measure the traffic situations in Bangkok now with those in Amsterdam then? After the 60s and 70s, much more awareness has arisen in many countries, for example about the destructive effect of alcohol in traffic. Ask yourself why this awareness is still not emerging in contemporary Thailand, while more than enough knowledge has been acquired in the past 6 decades. Has that knowledge not reached Thailand then? And besides knowledge: cars and scooters are so much safer, both passively and actively, the infrastructure is better, communication is the same. Why do Thais still ride mopeds with whole families: without a helmet, a baby in their arms, young children sandwiched between adults, smartphone on TikTok, navigating through traffic, continuing to drive on the right after a u-turn, without look back to the left, through the traffic without taking into account the carelessness and, above all, indifference they display? But if you mean that Thailand is stuck at a level of the Netherlands at the time: yes, then you are right.
This is also something that just needs some time, compared to 10 years ago, progress has been made, you don't just get a driver's license with THB 500 in an envelope and those who have already been caught with too much alcohol will think twice to go wrong again, patience friends.
My wife got her driver's license about 2 years ago. When I see what knowledge she (not) has about the highway code, I am not surprised how the Thai in general behave in traffic.
They simply do NOT know the rules and laws! And what little they know, they wipe their feet thickly. And has progress been made? I have strong doubts about that. Every day I see half fools on the road. And don't worry, drink, drugs and selfish driving are the main culprits.
The few times I'm in the car with my father-in-law as a passenger, feel free to give me a diaper. He is already quite old but has a typical Thai driving style.
I once read here that if you hear a car blowing its horn, you can be sure that it is a foreigner. What I understand from this is that a Thai considers the driving behavior of his compatriots normal, they are not annoyed by it. And let this be the biggest problem. Anyway, the large number of road deaths must therefore be normal.
Bertrand,
If it really gets too hot, I definitely dare to blow the horn. Then I ALWAYS get under my feet from my wife. She's terrified that some fool will stop and threaten me with a gun. Apparently this is not unusual here.
So you see, Thailand, the country full of surprises that we should consider normal.
I believe that two-thirds of road fatalities are mopeds.
That 99% of the victims are Thai, although that may be slightly less.
I see that on the busy street I live on, (Thanon Onnut) can get quite torn by those moped riders, especially when the traffic light turns green up ahead.
But I also see that they hold back when someone crosses the road. I often see them signaling me with a hand gesture that I may cross. I then make a courtly bow to thank them and trudge across the street. Four lanes.
In the seven years that I have lived there, I have seen two accidents, both with mopeds.
Once I was hit by a car while crossing between stationary cars. A motorcycle taxi with a passenger hit me on the road. This was because I forgot to look in his direction. The two lanes I still had to cross were empty so I wanted to sprint. Damage was limited to a bruised buttock.
As said before: things are different here than in the Netherlands, but I find the Thai more, much more social in traffic than the aggressive Dutchman, the honking when people are in a traffic jam was the first thing that I (did not) miss in Bangkok .
And telling someone what you think of their driving behavior is fine, as long as you do it kindly.
The problem of many Westerners is that they take their traffic mentality with them and indulge in the Thai.
Dear Eli,
I have been living in Thailand for over 8 years now. I'm a bit used to the traffic here and I can say that I already know the driving behavior of the Thai well.
I do not agree at all that a Thai is social in traffic. On the contrary. They are downright egoists. I can't count the number of times I had to slam on the brakes because someone suddenly came in front of me. The truck drivers are lord and master at that. I'm always wary when I have to pass one.
Last week I had an egg like this after a big collision with a whopper of a semi-trailer. I had a green light and drove on the middle lane (3 lane lane). A truck ran a red light (that is allowed if he has to turn left, but only if the road is clear). He even hindered me to the middle square. I had to slam on the brakes until I came to a stop. Just outrageous. And he just carried on as if nothing had happened.
I can give you many other examples that show that a Thai cares little about others. Every day I see stupidities. From fools who slalom between traffic to drivers who hinder everyone by driving at 30/hour. Even driving against traffic is quite normal here.
No, a Thai is not social (and not only in traffic …).
Well, you have a different opinion. That's allowed.
On the road I see Thai who let others insert and Thai who hold back for pedestrians.
You see it through Dutch glasses.
Have fun and don't get excited.
mean for pedestrians?
In 42 years of Thailand, I have never experienced that you are safe on a zebra crossing.
Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows only too well that recklessly crossing a pedestrian crossing in Thailand can be suicidal.
Coming here to claim the opposite under the guise of one's own opinion is separate from reality. This is just to spice things up a bit. And certainly if people still have the guts to accuse us of wearing Dutch glasses.
This has nothing to do with having a different opinion, but with wanting to see correctly what everyday reality is. I also see Thai making room for the other to insert. But I also see that people turn right without looking back and two moped riders are shoveled. If you claim that: “the problem of many Westerners is that they take their traffic mentality with them and indulge in the Thai”, that is not an opinion but nonsense.
A Thai who stops for pedestrians??? What nonsense.
And let others join in? Absolutely not, the person who wants to insert just squeezes in between.
Dear John
That selfishness on the road has a background. It's called environmental psychology.
In the mindset of the Thais, public space is not a space of and for everyone and where everyone has to make some concessions sometimes, but a space where the right of the strongest counts. That space starts at the gate of one's own home, which is considered a castle and where only family and close friends have access.
I think the egocentrism is Chris.
I have not yet been able to catch many Thai people with selfishness.
The fact that many Thai people think that the world revolves around them, on the other hand, is widely present.
See this talent of a Thai that many foreigners go against like a mad bull in the various subjects.
Good analysis,
After 42 years I still look at the traffic in bangkok with amazement.
We use the city buses a lot.
I have never seen a truck that gives way to a passenger car when merging.
It has been wringing between them and standing so close to your predecessor that there is not even 10 cm left.
We cross the road until we have a group of people and then wait a moment that no cars or motorcycles arrive.
Zebra trails are there, but have no function.
In the countryside you also have to be careful in traffic.
But what do you want when you grew up between the buffaloes and rice fields and your Farang son-in-law gives you a car.
Getting a driver's license only costs money, if you are arrested, the fine is only a fraction of the cost of getting the driver's license.
And the father-in-law does not see the importance of it at all.
We will harvest rice and take care of the buffaloes.
Just 3 more glasses of Thai whiskey to wake up and we leave.
No time for that nonsense of a driver's license. You see I can drive.
Place our new car so that the neighbors can see it well.
Traffic rules will exist, but why should you wait for a motorcycle as a car.
No, a zebra crossing means nothing at all in Thailand, at the most that this is a place where pedestrians may be allowed to cross, but it absolutely does not mean that cars will stop for you, as is the case with us. My wife has lived in the Netherlands for 30 years and is still surprised every time that motorists just stop for you when you walk towards the zebra crossing.
That's right Jack!
Just last month … at the height of Central Pattaya … jumped for my life ON the crosswalk. A simpleton who came rushing at high speed. My right knee full of blood (nice abrasion).
And sure enough, the police, who pretended they hadn't seen anything. I call this AWESOME.
And then there are know-it-alls above who dare to claim that they regularly see a Thai stop for crossing pedestrians. I've lived here for so long now and have NEVER seen a car stop or slow down at crosswalks.
I am very inclined to stop in front of the zebra crossing if someone wants to cross, but (!) For their own good I sometimes drive on, because if I stop and the pedestrians cross, cars driving behind me may pass me and just drive through. Then you create a life-threatening situation.
The Thai themselves know only 1 rule: the right of the strongest. So lorries, then regular cars, then mopeds and pedestrians as the lowest.
Many people here call dissent nonsense or nonsense.
Or that person is coming to stir things up a bit here, I also read.
I'm just saying: if you behave in traffic the way you do here on the blog, I understand why Thais hate you. Only your vision apparently counts, the rest is nonsense. While I'm just telling my experiences.
I'm not saying all Thai do what I tell, I say what I experience. I bring some nuance to chatter of superior farangs.
Think about what you write I suggest and watch the traffic when you cross or turn left.
I know who's acting superior here, Eli.
Apparently you are the only one posting deviant comments that are completely out of touch with reality. But hey, maybe we're all wrong and you're right. My apologies for this.