The Global Cyber Journal of Wit & Wisdom @ Thaiskale.com

After six years motorcycle driving experience in Thailand and counting, with all his limbs and organs still in working order, the author has gained sufficient experience hours on end on thousands of kilometers of urban and rural roads, paths, streets, sois, and highways, giving him the valuable insight, hindsight, and perspective to share with others the wisdom that has kept him alive all these years, and will continue to do so as long as he exercises and applies all that has been learned. There is various material written by tourists and residents about how to properly drive and live in Thailand, but don’t believe all you read. For example,

…

Offense is the best defense
You know those defensive driving classes you took at home. Forget them. Now. In Thailand, offense is the best defense. If you drive defensively in Thailand you’ll just confuse everyone - take the road by the horns and go like the clappers baby.

Stop for no man (or woman, dog, tourist, mule…)
Stopping or slowing down can be a bad idea. Especially if there is a tourist bus behind you doing 140km/h on tight bend. If you can’t drive like a bat outta hell, don’t drive at all. Thais will thank you for staying out of their way.

…

Excerpts from an article entitled Driving in Thailand and living to tell the tale

This is not good advice to follow and will prove to be a dangerous and reckless approach that could put you at more risk. Safe driving, especially in Thailand, requires a balance of confidence (i.e. knowing when/how to be aggressive, pass other vehicles, etc.) and reasoning (i.e. knowing when/how to be defensive, yielding other vehicles to pass)

Too aggressive will end you up dead, even more so than being too defensive will. The key is a fine balance, and one must always consider the context of the situation, and use their best judgment to evaluate each situation. With the above example of a tourist bus approaching at a 140 kilometers per hour at a blind curve, it is suggested that you speed up. This is what you should not do. Being a blind curve, there’s no way you can know what obstructions are just around the bend. Perhaps, there is on coming traffic making a pass in your head on lane, or a buffalo crossing the street. You can never be sure in such a situation.

Yes, there are dangerously fast drivers on Thai highways and roads, but that’s why there are two lanes. Slow to the left, Fast to the right. If you are worried about a speeding bus tailing you, switch to the slow lane, if you aren’t already there. Most likely, they’ll make a pass into the right lane if they can. At worst case, if they’re hot headed, possibly intoxicated and beeping their horn because they can’t pass you, they’ll get over themselves and make the pass when it is safe. You’ll survive!

Take a valid driving test and get licensed

People without a drivers license should not be on the roads as they make the roads even more deadly. A drivers license is simply a card vouching that one understands the rules and laws of the road that are made to keep us alive. Thus, someone who uses a fake license or obtained one somehow without actually training or testing simply for the purpose of avoiding traffic fines is no better than someone without a license.

By getting your Thai drivers license, your chances of survival have just increased ten fold. You have taken the time to read the laws and rules, officially learning the correct ways to drive and interact with other motorists. By taking and passing both written and driving test, and convincing the authorities that you are legit and worthy for the deadly Thai roads, you have gained the essential confidence required to begin learning how to live.

Respect the Rules-Respect the Law-Life will respect you

The author used to complain about how corrupt traffic cops were, giving out fines for things like failing to wear a crash helmet or failing to use one’s signal when turning or passing, etc. It seemed that they were only out to make money, and that helmet and signaling regulations were only in place to fund the police department.

How ignorant I was. Helmets do make a difference. And if such a study doesn’t convince you, read this. Don’t use the argument that you won’t need a helmet when going short distances or out in rural areas where its safe from traffic and cops. By ever telling yourself that you are safe on any road at any time makes you the most vulnerable for danger. Many accidents occur on short trips when they’re least expected.

Get a reliable helmet, and make sure it’s worn and attached to your head properly and firmly. A helmet without its chin strap buckled is just as good as a condom with a hole in it. Plastic helmets may suffice for traffic cops, but they’re not of any value when your head goes full force to concrete!

Signaling, whether to change lanes, make a pass, or make a turn, is an essential habit to instill if one wants to stay upright, and not to mention fine free. The biggest mistake motorists make is assuming that other drivers can read their mind, particularly when turning or passing.

So many tragedies could have been prevented if one wasn’t so lazy to signal their actions. Don’t be shy to use hand signals and gestures in addition to your light signals. By giving other drivers more communication on what you are planning to do, you automatically increase your survival chances.

Using your mirrors is an essential habit of driving both cars and motorcycles. You might have noticed that many Thai motorbike drivers have removed their mirrors for no particularly justifiable reason. In fact, many Thai drivers will only use their mirrors to check their face or hair! Don’t copy them. Mirrors are essential to help you tell you what/who is approaching from behind. Sometimes, you may have a blind spot and will need to manually look behind you, though this is not a good habit to be doing often. You always need to be aware of what’s around all 360 degrees of your space, at all times

Experience equals confidence. Once you’ve properly been licensed, and you know and respect the guidelines in place, the next step is getting first hand road time and experience as to apply the knowledge that will keep you alive. It’s important to always keep safety in mind, and never taking one or anyone else’s life for granted. It can end in a split second, and you have to be ready for anything. Think ahead, stay calm, but alert.

Arogance equals danger. You might have heard that most accidents in Thailand are caused by reckless drivers on motorcycles or 10 wheelers who are most likely intoxicated. While this is true to an extent, it doesn’t mean that if you stray from large trucks, motorcycles alcohol and drugs, you’ll be safe. In fact, being passive in thinking that danger is only caused by others is the same as putting your life into their hands. Humans and our ability to make error and misjudge situations is the essential threat.

While information and experience from others such as myself will not keep you alive alone, it will make you more credible and reliable to maintain your own life, if the knowledge is applied. Don’t take the author’s word alone, read, learn, and prepare as much as you can before you take the gamble on Thai roads. Here is an interesting and informative article about driving motorcycles in Thailand. And, if you haven’t already, read this post about road fatalities and deaths, for we all need a reality check sometime.

If you haven’t already, learn how to become a safer driver in Thailand.

With that, happy and safe driving!

Popularity: 26% [?]

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Did you find this post interesting? You may also enjoy these posts:

• Thailand’s Wise yet Wretched Streets & Roads
• Thailand’s Deadliest Killer: Vehicle & Motorcycle Accidents and Fatalities
• Central Thailand Motorbike drive photos: Samut Songkhram - Bangkok shortcut
• Ad Provincia Phuket: Wandering back to the south
• Sunday Afternoon drive on the motorbike