Thai logic is almost impossible to grasp
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Sometimes Thai logic cannot be followed. Has it been thought through, or is it just silliness, thoughtless or just plain laziness? The list can be easily supplemented. The consequences will almost certainly cause deaths and injuries in Thai traffic.
Flashing light to the left or right off? The other road users will automatically see which way I am going. The light can also remain on until the next turn.
When I turn left onto the road, I don't have to look for traffic coming from the right. That drives me around.
A helmet? I only put them on when I expect a traffic check, not for my own safety. And then a construction helmet or bicycle helmet is also good, right? Sometimes I wear a helmet myself, but the children I take to school don't. If anything happens, I'll make a new one with my mia noi.
You don't get priority, you take that, to show who is the fastest, strongest, richest or bravest. Please drive as fast as possible to lose as little time as possible. A gulp shouldn't be a problem because I have powerful friends I can call.
A rear light is retarded. What is that needed for. I look ahead and whoever is behind me has to watch out. Every now and then I brake a little to show that I'm still there.
Light on in twilight or rain? What nonsense. I still see well. The other road users just have to see where I'm driving. My gray or black car is big enough. Moreover, now my lamps do not wear out and I use less fuel. That's worth more than my life. My car is my castle. At work I have nothing to say, but on the road I am my own boss, with a big ego. Whoever honks, scolds me. If I don't respond to that, I'll lose face.
A baby in my left arm and a telephone in that hand to my ear is quite normal. I am careful and can still brake well with my right hand.
Why shouldn't I be allowed to drive in the fast right lane at a snail's pace? I also pay road tax. If you want to pass, do so on the left.
And those stripes on the road? That is a kind of decoration that indicates the direction…
To be continued…
An ambulance that clearly shows that it is in a hurry is completely ignored by road users.
That is also part of Thai logic!!
Good afternoon,
I've been living in Thailand for 5 years now, I can't get used to how those people move around here in traffic, I'm very disturbed, it's number 1 in the world with fatal accidents, I live in Huaiyai, don't go into detail, steps, we all know how it works here, when I have to go shopping, I'm glad to be back home, the local people here never learn, the brats of 8 10 years old just ride the motobike with sidecar with the whole family in it, more bumps on the road wouldn't be wrong.
Bart,
Staff that meddlesome foreigners want to regulate how things should go in another country.
The common thread with regard to the traffic mentality is simply that people do not know the traffic rules. And if people do know about them, they do not comply because there are no sanctions anyway. The Thai police are mainly busy with ticketing farang for tea money. There is a lack of enforcement due to an insufficiently functioning police apparatus. If people started giving fines and actually collecting them, behavior will really change. Until then, hope you don't get killed by a drunken Thai.
Here we go again the Thai is stupid, dangerous, irresponsible and we all know how to do better.
As you can see from the comments above, the youth in NL or BL always behave excellently in traffic with us, no one drives through a red light or over the emergency lane when we are in a hurry.
Fortunately, no one drives us with a sip.
About Thai logic, I'm not trying to understand because I'm not Thai.
Incidentally, there are many cases of Thai logic that I find quite logical.
Either you haven't been to the Netherlands for a while or you haven't been to Thailand for a while, I think. With us you do indeed regularly see a cyclist without lights, a car that drives a little faster than allowed, someone who just grabs a red light... But here, in Thailand, you constantly see things that are not allowed, that are not possible because of safety, not just a few times a day, no, you get annoyed green and yellow if you're not careful. But if you annoy yourself too much you don't have a life anymore, because it's continuous.. I think 75% of the cars are driving on the wrong lane.. almost 100% don't have a rear light on the bike... Let me stop. .
Dear Peterdongsing,
I live in NL and visit TL regularly.
In TL, for example, I've never seen a well-lit bike lane or pedestrian crossing.
Also, the police here is a lot more serious than in TL.
Do you think there are no Christmas parties etc. in NL now, of course, the chance of being caught is greater here.
So don't blame everything on the normal Thai, the government there is also responsible for road safety, but they don't do anything about it.
Marco, now you want to talk about traffic in Thailand. Well I'm glad I live in the Netherlands and we have rules because traffic in Thailand is really a mess, and you know that yourself.
The Thai are here inappropriately dismissed as eoa backward people here…this always reminds me of missionaries who, with their scary thoughts and behavior, also thought they were better and smarter than the local, in this case Thai population…nothing is less true. Not the Thai is wrong, but the so-called "and we all know it better folks" ... in other words, the ones who are GUEST. If you don't like Thailand with all its fun crazy special things… stay away. Have so much character that instead of always insulting the Thai you just leave or stay and leave your “toy” in its own country and stop whining. Go back to the great Netherlands or Belgium and enjoy: The perfect people, the super roads, the drug and alcohol-free road users, the always perfectly working system, the crazy right-wing radicals goofballs, the women who never do anything wrong, the men who …uuuh…uuhh…Crazy heh that seems like the perfect world right…???
My old man once told me when I was little : Guy if it is always perfect within your own circle you can speak up about other people…..wise man that old one of mine
It took a while, but here he is: the man with the rose-colored glasses. He does not want to hear a bad word about Thailand. Criticism is not allowed. As a GUEST you can only do two things: keep your mouth shut and spend your money here. A narrow vision, because I think Thais can also criticize the Netherlands and its inhabitants. Wrong is wrong, in all countries where (traffic) rules apply. I'm not insulting the Thai, I'm just saying that there are unnecessary deaths due to their incomprehensible road behaviour. This afternoon in a traffic jam at high speed overtaken on the left by a motorcyclist with a girlfriend on the back. Oncoming vehicle wants to turn left slowly and the engine crashes on top of it. The driver of the motorcycle escapes unhurt, but the woman on the back, also wearing a helmet, has not fastened the strap under her chin. The helmet flies off and she slams her head into the car. The consequences can be guessed. Stupid or not? The police checks for a helmet and not whether it is stuck.
Dear Hans,
Pink or no rose colored glasses who are you to decide how the Thai should live?
Let alone to measure others.
If I follow a bit you are retired please accept your life there or do something else but don't always complain about your life in TL while many would like to live there in your old age in your place.
Hans it has nothing to do with the man with the rose colored glasses. Your reaction as a GUEST you can only keep your mouth shut and spend money. Something we find in the Netherlands from all those foreigners.
In many countries you can overtake on both the right and left. I'm not going to tell you that the Thai are great at driving.
But in the Netherlands, a large number also drive past on the right, while that is not allowed in the Netherlands. Driving on the emergency lanes, driving without lights driving with three people next to each other, roller skating and with boards between the traffic and pedestrians. Riding with a souped-up scooter and light mopeds. don't raise a hand, call while driving, drive scooters or they're on the track, Evade the taxes. walking through a red light, do not use the crossings that are there. driving with drugs and alcohol.
Only because the fines are higher and cameras are everywhere can you control speeding.
In Thailand you currently see speed signs at almost all places and speed limits at dish. Fitted with cameras, some of which are probably not yet operational, but they will be there for a reason.
In my youth we also rode souped-up mopeds without a helmet, seat belts. Only the progress / bustle has been accompanied by stricter traffic rules. Here the crowds are just bigger.
They are working on it, but it is very slow. The mandatory film when renewing and getting your driver's license, the checks, which make a part of us off as Farangs bullying.
Unfortunately, those neat farangs drive, who know everything so. Without a helmet, with a drink on, want to drink alcohol on an alcohol-free day, even the times when one is not allowed to buy alcohol. Just cry while that is also the case in many Western European countries.
Then some technical issues. Where do you leave your 3 and 4 helmets for the motorbike. I often take the children to school, but I don't have to send them to class with the helmet there either. The motorbike is often the only means of transport, because not everyone has a car. A bike the distances too long, roads too dangerous without cycle paths.
As foreigners, we only have the right to participate if we first learn the Thai language and THEIR rules. And I also have a lot of doubts about the money that we all bring to Thailand, because otherwise people wouldn't have so many questions about that 800000 or your income. People were not concerned whether a beer costs 65 or 85 baht, 160 baht in a GoGo bar, but a Picolo in the Netherlands also costs 35 euros. Those foreigners mainly bring their money to the pub, ladies and gentlemen, but that does not provide Thailand with the largest tax revenue. Because people don't pay that or try to avoid it, just like in the Netherlands.
It's late here. I would like to see a statement. Why do all those Dutch people come to Thailand? Tax evasion, another reason why they had to or wanted to leave their homeland. Because I can't imagine that they all come here to become Buddhists and experience Thai culture. This seems like an interesting statement to me, but I don't think people are as frank as when commenting on the Thai original resident.
Dear Hans,
You are absolutely right with your observations about traffic in Thailand, but why are your writings on this blog ALWAYS negative, except when you are talking about your daughter. I have been living in Hua Hin for 3 years now and have also had to get used to the Thai way of life. But I came here voluntarily and if I don't like it I'm free to go again. I am and live here as a GUEST of this country and accept all the shortcomings that this has in my eyes, but there are a lot more positive things so the scale is still on the right side, and no, this has nothing to do with that “pink glasses” comments that the readers of this blog hear from you more often. I am also a Dutchman and unfortunately but true, there are quite a lot of Dutch people who always know everything better, criticize everything and anything … .. “vinegar pissers”. I'm just saying, improve the world and start with yourself …… and if you don't like Thialand, there are many more countries to live in. Greetings …….
Dear Sjeng; You're a little bit right. These comments regarding their behavior in traffic are not only critical. They permanently endanger themselves, their loved ones and their fellow citizens. The number of traffic fatalities proves this. You're okay with them putting us in danger. Well I don't. This corrupt country should care a little more about its people. The stricter application of traffic rules is not criticism from an outsider but good advice from a friend of these people. Yes, if it's too intense, I can stay away, of course, but I wouldn't call that a serious consideration. I wish you never get run over by a drunk.
Nonsense Sjeng, Nonsense, what is being discussed here is hard reality. Just look at the numbers.
Thailand is one of the countries with the highest number of road fatalities in the world.
And being driven off your socks when you walk across a zebra crossing in Thailand says it all.
So a people is not put away in a backward way, but we are talking about reality
of Thai traffic
It is confirmed by the figures, traffic here is much more dangerous than in NL.
2 days, 98 dead…
In 3 days the new period of “365 dangerous days” will start.
By the way, I don't think "stupid" is correct; it is rather a question of “not/poorly trained”.
Dear Marco
I don't live in Thailand and I do go on holiday where I usually rent a car. I only drive when it is light. Yet there are facts that you cannot ignore. In Thailand, most victims are also proportional. In the Netherlands the figures are very low. Then you can draw the conclusion that there is still a lot to improve in Thailand and therefore says nothing about the fact that everyone in Belgium and the Netherlands always behaves well. Rather, you should see it the other way around; In Thailand, too many people behave badly in traffic, with the police not playing a positive role in the whole.
Thai logic. The kind of behavior we are talking about here has little to do with logic, and that also applies to the Netherlands. People are herd animals and simply follow what they see around them. I drove around the Netherlands twice with a Thai and they drove almost like a Dutchman. I drove for a few years without a driver's license, sometimes without a helmet and against traffic. Dutch logic?
Logically, there should be better infrastructure (separation of slow/fast traffic, speed limiters on scooters, roundabouts and other obstacles in built-up areas), good driving tests and secret, varying checks on secondary roads because that is where most deaths occur. As long as there is no political will for these measures and the car remains a sacred cow, I see things gloomy.
I also think that it is partly due to the physical organization of the road infrastructure. I live opposite a small town, but the road to and through is like a motorway, with 3 spaces along each side in places. That's just inviting you to speed. Most of the schools are on this road and there are no lights, no round abouts - nothing to slow traffic down. 2 dead yesterday. In the middle is a wall of one meter high along the entire length. No possibility to get to the other side without detouring 2 km. So they drive in the wrong direction – so much easier. Yesterday I counted 10 wrong drivers in 12 minutes, of which 1 car.
Geert,
In the 2s, there were 3/3.000 of the number of road deaths in what is now Thailand in the Netherlands, more than 600. Now there are 50. What has changed in the Netherlands in those XNUMX years? Have we become smarter and nicer? No, we have improved the infrastructure, in particular more protection for vulnerable road users. Given the road conditions, the Thais drive very smart but not always nice, and so do the foreigners here. I hardly see any difference.
In Thailand NOW about 24.000 road deaths per year.
http://www.searo.who.int/thailand/areas/roadsafety/en/
In the Netherlands in the 3.000s 2, you write. That is not 3/1 but only 8/12 or 50% of the number of road deaths in Thailand now compared to the Netherlands XNUMX years ago.
One of the main differences is the number of mopeds or light motorcycles in Thailand compared to the Netherlands and the number of fatalities among (especially young) moped riders. In the Netherlands, they must also drive on normal roads, but prohibited on the highway, and are not allowed on cycle paths. But there are millions less. About 1,7 light motorcycles are sold annually in Thailand.
http://www.samuitimes.com/motorbike-accident-deaths-thailand-number-one-world/
https://www.krungsri.com/bank/getmedia/84c6ab26-aee3-4937-a812-0bfe4e5e07e6/IO_Motorcycle_2017_EN.aspx
I didn't phrase it right, Chris. That '2/3' refers to the number of road fatalities in relation to the size of the population.
In the Netherlands you get driving lessons for months and in Thailand you get your driver's license, without hardly any experience in driving a vehicle.
So what can you expect from ride quality?
In addition, many drivers are under the influence of drugs.
A few days ago I was in a car with a few other people.
We would go to town.
I had noticed that the driver sounded rather excited, but maybe that was always the case.
When we were reversing at a gas station, a driver honked my attention, I'm standing here.
He completely flipped.
Then I got out and called a taxi.
4 people on a moped may be a bit much, because the rear one could fall off.
However, these are not the causes of accidents, at most the victims.
The culprits are drunk speeders, who are under the impression that the whole road is theirs alone.
And the people who (have to) work far too long and fall asleep.
The traffic rules here are just fine. Driving test is just good. The problem is enforcement. No more and no less.
Driving exam? That's a joke. And learning to drive is certainly not one of them. I don't know a thai who can park backwards
and foreigners on motorbikes are the absolute record holders of dangerous, irresponsible (often under the influence) driving behavior and more than 50% without experience and or motorcycle license (therefore also uninsured). Would the Thais call that "Farang logic"?
So much has been written about this…and rightly so! After years of experience on Thai roads, I can only conclude that the Thais behave like idiots in traffic with a total lack of responsibility and discipline. It's very sad, but it's the only truth.
I find the word idiots very negative and inappropriate. Don't forget that in 1960 helmets were not mandatory in Holland either. More nuanced responses can be appreciated…….
In Thailand, a helmet is mandatory, but more than half do not wear it.
Hans,
Your description is supplemented with sarcasm. I also use sarcasm too often.
I would express your findings as follows: Thais live in their own cocoon or better in their family cocoon. This nonchalance in traffic is not intentional, but they are in their environment and do not realize that their behavior is dangerous and disruptive.
Traffic rules are hardly taught. Not even traffic hazards. Defensive driving not at all.
But when it comes to the royal family, all rules are strictly adhered to. That makes sense, because this is instilled and taught. And there is repression to enforce this.
Whether it is stupidity, incompetence or whatever reason, especially in combination with rudeness. This afternoon I drove on a road that had been narrowed from two to one lane due to construction. Busy of course. Another 300 meters before a traffic light, they started to overtake casually on the side of the road, for a moment I thought, of course they will turn left at the traffic light. No, just squeeze yourself back in and continue straight. This really has nothing to do with insufficient education, just incredibly ill-mannered, or better yet, super anti-social behavior... I am really not a saint myself, I always drive too fast... But you would pull them from behind the wheel... They are interested in what other people think. nothing at all.. That's why driving on the wrong lane and much more. Not only in traffic, but also very ill-mannered outside... Letting doors slam shut in your face. Let me just stop...
Peter, you undoubtedly hit the nail on the head here. We live in Ban Dung, Udon, and I have little experience with the rest of the country, but your statement absolutely applies here. I try to mingle with the locals as little as possible because I am extremely annoyed by the downright idiotic, backward, selfish, stubborn and conniving behavior of 90% of the people around you. And it is precisely that attitude that ensures that this country will not make any progress in the next 50 years. The average Thai has no idea what is going on outside this country, so they have no reference point to aim for. I think a lot also has to do with the relatively low average IQ (list per country on the internet), of which the higher echelons usually do not hang around in the countryside. The stubbornness is also something like that, no matter how many times you try to show that you can do something in a better, faster way, the answer is invariably “we do it differently, and we have been doing it that way for a thousand years so that is the best way. In short, they will never change. My Thai wife lived in Belgium for a year and a half after our marriage and when she sat in the car for the first time she could not believe her eyes, “everyone drives where they should, speed is respected, wow, so clean on the roads, cars stop for each other and for pedestrians, how is that possible??” You have to learn respect for society and your fellow man, in Thailand the opposite is taught, aggression, violence, envy, jealousy, etc. We have an eight-month-old baby and every time someone comes to visit they have to be kept in the pinch her cheeks or arms or bite her legs until she cries and only then are they content. Sometimes I get the urge to deliver a few punches myself. My wife has a hard time watching it herself and not a day goes by without the words “Thai selfish, Thai stupid, Thai aggressive,… When Madelief turns 4, everything here will be sold and the three of us will return to Europe, probably Southern Spain (have rheumatism). I hear a lot of people say "yes, but there are many good aspects to this country...", I couldn't say it, bad government, corruption everywhere, false lying population, bad economy, dirt, rubbish everywhere, animals are abused, very expensive healthcare costs, no safety, no, I don't see any positive points in this country. I have been living here for a few years now because my wife wanted me to, but spending my old age here, no thanks!
Dear Hans,
You probably live in an environment full of nerve tendons. Here in Ubon things are much more relaxed, although of course a lot goes wrong, especially with young scooter riders. But to give an example: Thai drivers – at least here – accelerate very slowly when a light turns green. My wife then always takes priority over the traffic that goes straight ahead when she wants to turn right. No one has ever shown that this is not appreciated. It's just a matter of give and take.
In the Netherlands, my sister-in-law in the Netherlands once drove slowly through a street because she was looking for an address. That has given her some anxious moments due to very aggressive behavior of other road users. In Ubon that is impossible.
I have lived here for over 20 years and have learned to put myself in the shoes and logic of a Thai in traffic. Green traffic light means waiting until all drivers through the red light have left. The police are there but of course do nothing. In short, always stay on your guard.
It's just that you have to participate in the traffic otherwise you won't survive.
But I do teach my daughter to always wear a helmet and I always do.
You have to stay alert and keep looking ahead.
Stop comparing Thailand with the Netherlands or the west. Makes life a lot easier for yourself there!
I only read nonsense about the Thai here. SJeng above is right. If you cannot adapt to this traffic, stay at home and do not go outside. stay in your cage. I drive just as safely here as in the Netherlands.
I watched everything before I started driving and did the same as the Thais do. just drive onto the road but very slowly. I also drive normally on the highway, but keep my eyes open. I am also 77 years young and have no problems with it. and if you know it is dangerous here, then be smart enough to keep your eyes open. I just want to say let the Thai have its worth. this belongs to their country not to yours. We are guests here and we adapt like a guest. Just like Sjeng says, if you don't like it here, come home here where you pay a lot of taxes, you still have something to complain about. People PLEASE stop with this nonsense and let these people live their lives the way you want, right??????
Excuse me? So if you're in a bar with a Thai you won't try to stop him from getting all drunk before he drives 10km home and kills or cripples himself and possibly a number of others because that's the culture. from Thailand? No, I think the reactions here from people who don't think this is a good thing and are trying to change it are a bit more social...
Wow Bert, is it really that bad there? I also considered living in Thailand, but if I hear you like this, I better stay in the Netherlands. Why do you still live there yourself?
Regards Peter
Research in the field of environmental psychology shows that the environments (indoor, outdoor, private, private) are not experienced in the same way by everyone in this world and that the different ways have consequences for the way people interact with them and in them.
From an environmental psychological point of view, the Thais have three 'environmental circles': their own home (in which only family and very close friends are admitted), the neighborhood (with a more or less protected status where people look out for each other and take responsibility for each other's behavior and possessions) and 'the rest', which is seen as a jungle in which the law of the strongest (those with the most power or money) applies. This jungle can be more or less regulated and controlled by the government (through land use planning, rules that are accepted, followed, monitored and enforced). It goes without saying that the latter is not the case in Thailand. The rules on paper are mostly ok, they are not really accepted and adhered to because the authorities in every area are not 100% reliable.
I think this is an interesting approach.
Rules are not really accepted, but you could also say that, for example, road users become massively civil disobedient when their personal freedom is violated.
Classical liberalism then collides with socialist ideas, which are the norm in the “house” and “neighborhood” environment.
In the Western mind, this is anti-social because accidents can occur in which another person can also be involved.
In the Asian world, that last piece of freedom is perhaps the reason to still exist.
Entire pieces could be written about the latter, but think of the West, which has things and food produced for next to nothing in countries such as Thailand, and the detachment of generations due to departure for the big cities, as a result of which “home” and “neighborhood” are less the norm .
Together with a rock-solid self-confidence, that is a mix that can cause dangerous situations in society and that in the Western eyes is indeed me at times, me and the rest can suffocate.
Actually the same as some shareholders and their directors when it comes to what they consider normal to have to earn, which is now finally being realized that it is at the expense of support in society.
The way in which that certain freedom is handled in TH was and is one of the reasons that a lot of people went to visit Thailand and possibly also went to live there, so there must also be something good in Thai logic in general.
As soon as there is a negative message regarding Thailand, just like the traffic that counts among the unsafest in the world due to the annual death figures, you immediately see people who try to prove against the facts that it is also the case in Europe. is not so safe.
As if bitten by a poisonous spider, they spontaneously emerge as a horde of defenders, who have a cause for everything that is clearly wrong in this country.
Of course there are also people in Belgium or the Netherlands who do not know any traffic rules, or even have no problem participating in traffic while drunk.
However, without going into further detail on the cause, most cannot deny that the quality of driver training, insofar as it takes place at all in Thailand, is far from comparable to ours.
Moreover, in the area where I live, I hardly know a single Thai who says after a beer or lau khau at the most that he still has to drive, and therefore only drinks water.
Even worse, they drink as long as it is sanouk, and there is still something under the cork, and even if the latter is not the case, they look until someone declares themselves willing to buy again.
When everyone can hardly stand on their feet anymore, and the group that can still have a little normal discussion is getting smaller and smaller, I usually get to hear the Thai logic, that they can still drive because they are at most 4 to 5 km too far. have driving.
No Thai who then comes up with the idea that for a fatal accident you need at most 200m, or even less.
If there were really good traffic controls regarding alcohol, which is clearly not the case yet, Thailand would also score very high with this problem, just like with the number of road deaths.
It all sounds logical but it doesn't work, or it doesn't work enough. This is proven by the road safety policies and traffic controls in many countries over the past 40 to 50 years.
I wrote a report on that a couple of years ago and summarized it here.
https://www.thailandblog.nl/achtergrond/14-minder-gevaarlijke-dagen/
I live in Nongprue in what is practically Pattaya's backyard. I only use the car when I go to visit my wife's family in Roiet. My wife uses it for everything else. After all, in Pattaya it sometimes takes an hour to get 1 km further. So I almost always drive a motorcycle and my motto is; eyes closed, mind at zero and accelerate. Much safer than driving slowly and carefully. Ps, that 'close your eyes' was of course a joke. Keep your eyes open and think ahead, of course.
Excuse me, but what a complaint again.
And is that really necessary, weekly blogs about traffic, the environment, annoying Thai, stupid Thai, ... ??
Are Westerners really superior?
That complaining might be Dutch logic 😉
Life is 'give and take', as one talks about 'marriage'. I call laws and regulations the 'formal system' and that must be enforced as much as possible. But without an 'informal system' consisting of improvising and being creative, anticipating, there would be no life. Both systems are especially needed in Thailand to keep the country running. If one is a 'formalist' and tries to enforce the laws and obligations in Thailand, then your pile will go crazy and you can't live here. I have been participating in the Thai system for 28 years and I really like it. I've been claim-free for 28 years and have paid 800 Baht in fines in all those years. When I'm waiting somewhere and observing the traffic, I also realize that hardly anyone follows the rules as prescribed by the law, but other rules apply, so the 'informal system' and people give each other the space and the almost always goes well. 1 year near Ban Phe / Rayong, I have seen 2 accidents but I read online newspapers about the Netherlands about various crazy accidents as if one never learned to drive, into canals, against trees and how many 'one-sided accidents' (where do they indicate ?!) I often have foreign passengers in the car and when they ask me how life is in Thailand, my answer is: 'like traffic, if it can't go clockwise, it can go left, but there is always a way' . I like to improvise and I am creative and enjoy myself to the fullest.
One more thing about Logic because it's mentioned in the title. It is not surprising that the logic of the average Westerner is not consistent with the logic of the Thai. This is a very different population, very different circumstances. Why are "we" here? because it's not like in the Netherlands right?! Logic is something intellectual, isn't it? I think the Thai way of life has more to do with feeling. Don't try to change Thailand because not even Prayud can. Thailand has never been a Colony for nothing. Adapt as much as possible and enjoy the 'different' and you will see that you feel much better about it.
I think it's the way you live life.
Of course it's not nice when someone dies unnecessarily as a result of someone else's mistake, but maybe you can also think that it's the reality of the day.
If someone suffers a brain haemorrhage or other condition, it must also be accepted and that is quite sad, but that is how life works.
Perhaps the conclusion can also be drawn that people in TH should be prepared to take risks and if you don't want to take them then you shouldn't go there because that choice is simply there.
The last few weeks I regularly look around for traffic cameras.
One day I am driving through a red light in my mind and wondered if there were cameras at that intersection.
A month later a receipt in the mailbox with accompanying photo proof that our car went through a red light.
The roads around Chiangmai fall under the highway police and I had to report there to pay the ticket.
The man at the counter told my wife (Thai) that there are cameras at every intersection on the main roads around Chaingmai. Thailand now has a traffic points system and everyone with a driving license starts with 100 points. For driving through a red light, the fine is 500 baht and 40 points deducted. It is also possible for the 1st time through a red light to have your driver's license withheld for 60 days, so officially not driving a car during that period. After driving a red light for the 2nd time within a year, this can be repeated again, so another 60 days withholding of driving license. But can also get some kind of traffic re-education (forced). Now people probably think then I will pay through the bank anyway, well that is possible, but then you have to fill in and sign a form of acknowledgment of debt.
After payment of the 500 baht and receipt of proof of payment, the 40 points deduction was still waived and the advice was to drive more slowly at intersections, less chance that you will not see the lights change color.
In short, I want to say that we are working on better enforcement of the traffic rules.
During this period of holidays (end of the year), many traffic traps are set up to check driving under the influence in particular, in addition to the usual check of wearing a helmet and having a driver's license. Thailnd will get there but it will take some time. This will probably be noticeable in the countryside much later.
Oh yes, if you are caught speeding, it will cost you 20 traffic points, the fine is unknown to me. Speed pistols are used, is that what it is called?
I have stayed in many places around the world. In fact, traffic in TH is no different than in many other emerging countries. The fact is that everything here has grown super fast. Of all those people who now drive a powerful pick-up, 85% have never seen a car up close until 30 years ago. More than half of those men still rode a scooter until 15 years ago. The result is that they now drive exactly the same way as on their scooter. Everything has evolved incredibly quickly here. It is only logical that training and traffic rules, just like the infrastructure, are hopelessly behind. In the west, traffic has been evolving for more than a century and is gradually growing. I think the first cars in Buri ram for example were spotted in the mid 80's.
A good example of Thai logic in traffic, I always find that many Thai people apparently think that the best place to overtake is a very unclear corner because you don't see any oncoming traffic there…..
It has been said a lot before that the traffic rules and enforcement are not good, but I think this has only a small influence, a large part of the accidents are caused by a mentality and or insight problem. ). To answer the pink glasses wearers right away; I like the other aspects (99%) of Thailand so much that the traffic mentality issue does not prevent me from coming to Thailand.
Clearly an interpretation of a foreigner for behavior of (the) Thai.
Just a true anecdote. 20 years ago I drove with my father-in-law through our still quiet town where a number of traffic lights had just been installed. He stopped at the first red light, looked carefully left and right, saw that nothing was coming and drove on. A little later he stopped at a green light, looked left and right, and drove on. I said 'why don't you just drive on? It's green!' He replied 'but what if someone runs a red light now? Later he changed his behavior.
Practical and logical. Thais often feel that laws are not there for their common good but to suppress their freedom. Not completely incomprehensible.
I have been driving in Belgium for 43 years, not here, I think you know for what, I have been in Thailand for 15 years