Traffic in Thailand is very dangerous for tourists!
Thailand's traffic is known to be some of the most dangerous in the world, especially for unsuspecting tourists. This article highlights some of the reasons why driving or traveling in Thailand can be a perilous undertaking.
The traffic rules in Thailand are often seen more as guidelines than as strict rules. This results in chaotic situations on the road, with drivers regularly ignoring red lights, unexpectedly changing lanes, and turning without looking. This unpredictability makes it difficult for tourists to move safely, both as pedestrians and as drivers. Thais have not learned to anticipate situations on the road, so they rarely slow down pre-emptively to avoid problems.
Thailand has one of the highest rates of road traffic fatalities in the world. Expats and tourists are also killed in traffic every day. An important cause of this is reckless driving combined with high speeds, especially on highways. Many local drivers ignore speed limits and other safety measures, leading to dangerous situations. Another major problem is the lack of enforcement of traffic rules. Although there are laws, enforcement is minimal, and police rarely intervene unless an accident occurs. This lack of enforcement reinforces the feeling among drivers that they can get away with reckless behavior.
Tourists are often unfamiliar with local road conditions and driving styles. Roads can be unpredictable, with unexpected potholes, unclear road markings, and sudden changes in the road surface. This can lead to accidents, especially for those who are not used to such conditions.
Thais and sometimes expats and tourists, quietly get behind the wheel or on a motorbike with a lot of drink. This often ends fatally. Not only for themselves, but also for others they hit.
Motorcycles are a popular means of transportation in Thailand, but they also contribute to the high number of traffic accidents. Many tourists rent motorcycles without sufficient experience, without a driver's license or protective clothing and helmet, which increases the risk of serious injuries.
While Thailand remains a beautiful destination with much to offer, it is essential for tourists to take extra care in traffic. It is advisable to use professional transportation services and, if possible, avoid driving yourself. Always be alert as a pedestrian and make sure you understand and respect local traffic rules. Safety should always come first to ensure an enjoyable and memorable experience in Thailand.
- Always wear a helmet: When riding a motorcycle or scooter, wearing a helmet is crucial. Not only is this required by law, but it is also essential for your safety.
- Follow local traffic rules: Make sure you are aware of and respect local traffic rules. This includes speed limits, traffic lights, and other road signs.
- Be careful when crossing: Always look carefully when crossing streets, even at zebra crossings. Vehicles tend not to stop at a crosswalk. Pedestrian crossings with traffic lights are also life-threatening, motorists drive through red lights without batting an eyelid.
- Avoid driving in the dark: The roads are often less safe at night due to reduced visibility and increased risk of drunk drivers.
- Beware of unexpected situations: Be alert to unpredictable movements of other road users, such as sudden stops or turns without indicators. Another problem is crossing street dogs.
- Do not use alcohol and drugs: Drunk driving significantly increases the risk of accidents and is illegal in Thailand.
- Rent vehicles from reliable sources: Make sure you rent motorcycles or cars from reliable companies and check that they are in good condition. Remember that you need a motorcycle license to rent a motorbike.
- Wear protective clothing: When riding a motorcycle, in addition to a helmet, wear suitable clothing such as a jacket, pants and closed shoes.
- Avoid crowded areas: In busy urban areas, traffic can be particularly chaotic. Try to avoid these areas, especially during rush hour.
- Get travel insurance: Make sure you have good travel insurance that covers medical costs in the event of an accident.
By following these rules, you can maximize your safety in Thai traffic and enjoy a pleasant and safe stay in Thailand.
Unfortunately all too true.
Even though I have been driving a car in Thailand for a number of years, I still have to be very careful and pay attention.
When I was in Thailand for the first time 22 years ago and had to cross a street in Bangkok, I made a classic beginner's mistake.
We came to a zebra crossing and when there was some space I wanted to walk onto the zebra crossing, my Thai wife and her sister were just able to pull me back by my T-shirt, otherwise it could have been my last footsteps, because the cars were moving. Just by.
A zebra crossing is apparently seen by many more as a Pop Art black and white art object on the road.
I personally experienced point 3 regarding pedestrians in Udon Thani.
A zebra crossing with additional traffic lights.
We waited until the traffic light in front of us pedestrians radiated green light and took a closer look to see whether the car stopped in front of the traffic light emitting red light in front of them.
When the cars stopped, I dared to cross.
Just as we had crossed the side of the road, a car drove around the stationary cars at high speed and came close to knocking me and my wife out of our sandals.
all the luck in the world that that idiot didn't hit us.
Crossing a road as a pedestrian is like playing Russian roulette in many cases.
Gr. Arno
The text states exactly what it is about. namely (quote) that Thais have not learned to anticipate situations on the road. Thailand has no driving lessons. There are courses, optional, often 5 x 2 hours for 5000 baht, so little enthusiasm, no government regulations and no quality guarantees, but those courses focus on vehicle control. This is also the most looked at during the driving test. It's not about traffic insight. That's not possible, because just try to teach a Thai some insight. He immediately feels stepped on, feels aggrieved, and throws in the towel.
A second point to take into account is that the public road/space belongs to everyone. Do not think, as in BE/NL/EU, that fast traffic has priority over slow traffic, or continuous priority over turning traffic, or that oncoming traffic will not use the same lane. Much is possible, and no one has the right to speak. Don't rely on Western wisdom.
A third and very important point is the scooter rider. Those 2-wheelers that resemble expanded mopeds usually start with an engine capacity of 125 cc, compared to 49,9 cc in the Netherlands. They go fast, often riding with a face mask instead of a helmet, small child in the front, grandma on the back in a rider's seat, they gather, weaving through the rows of cars at the front of the traffic light, and surround you like a pool of mosquitoes when you accelerate. Don't think that they are going with the concept of 'caution' in mind.
A fourth point of attention is the professional drivers, such as the many types of courier services, taxi, bus and truck drivers, minivan drivers, and motorcycle delivery people from Grab, Shopee, Lineman, etc. They all have their own traffic code. , but roughly speaking it is: first me, me alone, and then you!
Finally, a final point of attention: in a traffic accident, the perpetrator is not by definition the person at fault. In NL/BE/EU we like to point directly to a responsible person, in Thailand this is not necessarily the case. Damage and disgrace are sometimes borne jointly and even in the case of injury it is not the case that the perpetrator bears the costs, especially if he/she appears to be uninsured, poor or shows no liability. Point 10 of the text is therefore of absolute importance.
Crossing the road is a real disaster in Thailand, but not only by the Thai people who ignore the rules, but in Pattaya even by many expats (who themselves come from Europe). Seen it a few times and also experienced it myself that they almost run you over on the zebra crossing, but one degree worse than the Thais, they still start to scold you because you are crossing (you then walk over a very wide red zebra crossing)
It's time for the police to really intervene
I have been visiting Thailand periodically since 1978 and can confirm this chaotic traffic. I crossed almost all of Thailand and by adapting to this traffic behavior I succeeded quite well.
Much has been written about traffic conditions, but you hardly hear the honking as we are used to in Europe here, and you certainly don't see a raised middle finger. So something positive. And yes, crossing intersections is different here, you have to have courage and then you can definitely do it and do it safely.
My stay in Pattaya is almost over. To my surprise, I was not able to discover a single police check for 4 weeks, while in previous years this was the case ad nauseam. During a trip to Pattaya it was normal to be stopped 3 to four times. Check paper helmet driving license. For the smallest violation, leave your vehicle at the spot, hand in the key and driver's license, take the motorcycle taxi to the main office on the beach road in Pattaya, take your number and wait in line to pay the fine.
Now those checks are no longer there and it is noticeable. People drive at incredibly high speeds, helmets are hardly worn and traffic lights are ignored. The already chaotic traffic has now become a veritable madhouse. There must be a reason for that, so I turned my light on to the left and right. And true or not, to promote tourism, the government has instructed the police to end the checks and leave the tourists alone. How can one imagine it!
Peter, yes there were many complaints that checks were made in front of the stage to fill bags for tourists. This is also the case in Phuket, where there is hardly any control anymore. It is of course also crazy that you are stopped and after paying with your proof of payment you can drive the entire day without a fine. So there was nothing about those checks.
One evening, it was already dark, I wanted to go to Pattaya on the very busy Pattaya Klang Rd. cross. I looked to the right and to the left and saw lights of vehicles on both sides, in the distance. I cross the street and by the time I was in the middle of the street, the cars were already there. There I was standing on the double solid line of Pattaya Klang Rd. They almost rode on my toes and my heels. I couldn't go forward or back anymore. Those were terrifying seconds, which turned out to last a very long time. I didn't think I could survive this. Since that incident, I always took a taxi in Pattaya to avoid having to cross the busy streets on foot. Also during the day.
Dear,
Driving in Thailand is THE example for tourists of how NOT to drive in their own country. Unless, of course, you are tired of your life and, in order to get an immediate and decent result, you want to end it.
Why am I writing this now, for the following reason;
A few days ago my wife showed some photos and images from a fixed camera, showing the moment of collision between 2 motorcyclists with passengers. could be seen. Motorcyclist (1) with a passenger rode at a reasonable speed on his regular left side, while motorcyclist (2), also with a passenger, came out of a side street and simply kept to the right side, while there was indeed the opportunity to stand on the right side. side of the roadway.
The result was not long in coming. After about 10 seconds there was a loud bang (which was clearly heard on the camera images) and 4 people were on the ground.
Killed 3 people instantly.
When emergency responders arrived on the scene, it turned out that the 4th person had also died from their injuries.
I asked myself why motorcyclist (1) continued to drive stubbornly in the wrong section and on a long straight track. And say there was enough time to get to the right side of the road.
Stupid, stupider, stupidest.
Killed 4 people in one fell swoop. Saddening.
Sometimes, when we are on the road with the moped and I take a seat as a passenger, I feel like kicking a "wrong rider" so that he/she really scrapes the Thai soil with their clicks and clacks.
It sometimes happens that we have to move to the section where cars or trucks narrowly pass you, simply because yet another idiot refuses to drive where he/she should drive.
I always have to bite my teeth hard to keep my leg still.
We will soon purchase a car with good insurance.
Amazing Thailand.
Well, I have a different opinion about that. I am now 83 and ride around Chiang Mai on a scooter every day without any accidents and we have been coming here for 5 years.
I have about 60 years of experience as a motorcyclist and I have therefore developed a sixth sense for traffic situations that others do not have.
In addition, I think most foreigners have no idea about Thai behavior! The simple rule is: give some and take some, a Thai Buddhist attitude. That is an attitude that actually no longer exists in the West because of the aggression that is built into our behavior. Taking is well developed among Westerners, but giving is not.
For example, every Thai road user uses their turn signal continuously.
The above 'recommendations; are therefore written from a Western point of view and are not correct. This also applies to crossing as a pedestrian. I have another nice example from Saigon, where the number of scooters is much greater than in Thailand. What do you do to cross the street: you step off the sidewalk and look the oncoming scooter riders straight in the face and they drive around you. However, they do not stop, so as a crosser you should definitely NOT stop but keep walking, keep looking, carefully but steadily.
It is true that Thai traffic is actually unsuitable for inexperienced farangs and they cannot understand that you are traveling in 'regular chaos', especially on a motorcycle or scooter (both are called Bikes in Thailand)!
If you want to move 'safely' in traffic here, learn this:
1. ALWAYS use your turn signal for the slightest change in direction.
2. ALWAYS assess the traffic situation and learn to 'give some and take some'
3. Don't drive around on a scooter before you have gained enough experience here, but buy or rent a car. then after all you have some metal around you.
So without riding a motorcycle and Thai experience, bring a little more Buddhism into your behavior.
Success!
You can easily rent scooters. It is not checked whether you have a motorcycle license. You pay extra for insurance, but it will not pay out if something happens and you do not have a motorcycle license.
I have been coming to Thailand for holidays for about 20 years. I almost always rent a car and I estimate that I have driven approximately 50.000 in Thailand, including in Bangkok. Indeed, pay close attention and 'go with the flow'.
This week I helped my Dutch friend through the paperwork/process to get his first driver's license... (1st driver's license = valid for 2 years)
So going to the Transport office nearby to make an appointment is a 10-minute drive.
He had to log in to the DLT website to watch and answer 4 videos via e-learning. We could do that at home on the PC. 4x 15 minutes, the first two in Thai with English subtitles. That happened too fast to read everything properly, but the images spoke for themselves. Then the last two spoke English, which was a little easier for them to understand. With each video you were asked to answer 1 question and you had to respond within 3 minutes, probably to check whether you were actually watching.
At the end a QR code appeared that you could put on your phone or print and take with you to the Transport office. The papers were checked there and within 1 hour he had his driver's license.
He had to provide the following documents…
1. Dutch. Drivers license
2. International driving license
3. Prove of residence, obtained at immigration
4. Tambien my wife's job, because he rents our old house.
5. Passport
He can now go on the track.
Anticipating traffic is no problem for him as he has driven more than 5 million km in Europe with a truck, not to mention the private kilometers with the luxury car.
But Thai road users are often indeed unpredictable.
We now live in a quiet rural area, but we sometimes see situations that make your hair stand on end.
We wish him many safe kilometers in Thailand
Everything expressed in the article is all too true. However, I'm missing one thing.
Lighting of the vehicles
Thai drivers work very late, only when it is really dark and there are no street lights do they turn on their lights
Often the wrong lighting, for example only the fog lights. Because more modern cars have automatic lighting, things have improved slightly in recent years. But professional drivers are the worst. Truck, bus and taxi drivers turn on their lights at the last minute. People do not realize that being seen is perhaps even more important than seeing something yourself.
and then also the trucks, many of which roar over the roads with the right of the strongest.
I agree with everyone that traffic in Thailand is chaotic, I have been coming to Thailand for more than 30 years and have traveled quite a few kilometers myself, but I still find the traffic drivers in the Netherlands much worse. In the Netherlands there are many more drivers who know the rules but are simply aso. Tailgating, cutting off, middle fingering and honking to getting out and fighting with each other. This does not occur in Thailand. The number of traffic fatalities is entirely due to a lack of experience and traffic rules. But the Thai remains polite in traffic and trucks indicate on confusing roads with a sign that it is safe for you to overtake them. The most dangerous traffic in Thailand are scooter riders who drive against traffic without lights, i.e. on the wrong side of the road. Personally, I think if the government provides better car training and control, it will be safer here in Thailand than in Europe.
How about being creative with lanes, where two lanes are wide enough to drive three wide, they will not fail to do so, nice example if you arrive at Udon Thani and want to turn right onto the ring road, there are two lanes for turning right. turn, often there is another car next to it, so then take the three-wide bend to the right and see how it turns out, luckily there was a police officer the other day, who directed the third-wide car straight to the side to issue a fine
it won't be the first to cause such an accident.
Gr. Arno
In the past 25 years I have been on holiday in Thailand 20 times. I usually rented a car. If you keep a few things in mind, driving in Thailand is doable. Don't drive when it's dark. Too much traffic doesn't have lights. Drives quietly; you are on holiday. Don't drive in Bangkok.. The roads in the touristy parts of Thailand are generally good. So if you are a tourist no problem. Only if you go off the beaten trek do you have to pass. So I would advise against it. I rode in the Golden Triange years ago. Was doable; only the signage was only in Thai! Many of the responses come from people who live in Rhailand, often in the non-touristy parts. I suspect that the roads there are of much poorer quality. I respond as a frequently returning tourist with family first and later only with my wife.
Yes, it is less safe than ours. If you anticipate, you can avoid a lot, but not everything.
You can compare it with our traffic in the sixties.
It is indeed important to pay close attention and anticipate in traffic. What I miss again in this discussion is the role of the heat foil applied all around in almost all vehicles... ex-showroom with the choice of 60 - 40 - 20% light transmission respectively... yes, you read that right and let it sink in for a moment... so people drive s At night with dark sunglasses... this aspect alone together with all other factors such as poor light, speed, drink, many bends, dogs, etc. Certainly results in thousands of deaths per year.
Simply incomprehensible.
I think that foil is just positive. On the unlit lanes you are much less dazzled by the lights of oncoming and following vehicles. I personally don't experience much of this in terms of visibility.
Agree, Luc; I too am surprised about that. Most cars have such dark film on the windows that you can't even see from the outside whether anyone is inside. Not legally allowed in Thailand either, I understand, but of course no one cares about that.
As an extra vulnerable road user - on bicycle and motorcycle - I especially miss the opportunity to make eye contact. Now, when traffic comes from a side street, I can't even see whether the driver is looking in my direction and I just assume that I haven't been seen.
Driving with dark sunglasses is of course an exaggeration, but note that you have no experience driving in Thailand if you claim this; I drive various cars myself and know the differences in dark tones and no film in the car, so that's what I'm talking about. Even with the darkest film on the windows, you can still see well unless the other person has no lighting or you can see the stripes on the road surface, which are often already worn or faded, less and hardly noticeable when it rains. But the standard/most commonly used film also provides good (!) visibility of everything at night, unless the other road user has no lights, then you have to pay attention, but then the person driving without lights at night is asking for problems. The fact that thousands of people are killed by the film is therefore sentimental and not based on reality.
Dear Ger... I have driven many times at night and you said it yourself... unless the other person asks for it... the foil certainly plays a role in thousands of accidents resulting in fatalities... precisely because in traffic every fraction of a second counts... that everyone knows. A not-quite-story becomes a story because of a slightly later reaction... just stick your head through the side window and you will see the difference.
So 40 or 50% less light transmitted makes little or no difference, even in the dark?
Not really, as a driver you can see everything clearly and on top of that there is lighting at night and you are therefore more visible than during the day. As mentioned, ask the motorists among us and they will confirm it. I see everything clearly with film and don't want to be burned by the sun's rays and roasted by the heat in the car and that's why there is the film; you can just as well argue that radiation and bright light lead to more accidents during the day because it is too hot in the car behind glass despite air conditioning and too much light. Never heard of an accident being caused by people not seeing something because of a film applied to the windows, so I'll just leave it at that as a conclusion to the fairy tale that film causes accidents, which is a complete story.
Of course, it also depends on the percentage of light transmission. There are quite a few people driving around in Thailand with windscreens that only allow 20% through and then - unless you really want to be right - it is difficult to say that it doesn't matter.
Come on Cornelis, I don't know any film that filters out 80% of the light. It is strange that you accuse someone of wanting to be right.
When purchasing a car, the garage/supplier will discuss applying this film, often as an extra because of the new purchase, and draw the buyer's attention to the fact that the windshield will never have the slightest light transmission. What the buyer does afterwards is another matter.
I have been driving my own car in Thailand for several years without any problems.
Big cities and rural areas. As everywhere in the world, where you are not used to driving, drive carefully and above all 'defensively'. Contrary to what I read in the article, I often experience that Thais drive very defensively and slowly near intersections. At night it is of course a different matter and you have to be extra careful, especially because of the dark windows that hinder your view somewhat. Rolling down a window to have a better view during a maneuver can help considerably.
So I have mixed feelings about the article, sometimes a bit exaggerated, but often justified comments.
Drive sensibly, defensively and keep it safe, which cannot be said of all tourists with a scooter in tourist areas.
Greetings,
René