Driving in Thailand - 3
To use a roundabout correctly, you merge slowly into traffic already there. When you see an opportunity to join the roundabout you can then do so safely. That seems to be happening in the image above.
On approach, drivers should be “looking to go but being prepared to stop”.
However, most Thai drivers will push their way and force motorists already on the roundabout to give way to them. It’s this cultural concept of Me First which we first saw in Driving in Thailand -2.
The authorities try to prevent this by installing traffic lights at some points on the roundabout. You will see this often in Thailand.
Here’s a photo of a “magic roundabout” in the UK.
There are several such roundabouts in England. Most motorists are confused by them as little is done to explain how to use them effectively. More accidents occur on these roundabouts than on the conventional type.
Looking at the sign above, the quickest way to get to the hospital is to turn right at the first roundabout, left at the second, and right at the third. That’s how locals would do it. Strangers would turn left at the first roundabout and use the roundabout in the conventional manner.
Traffic lights
In an effort to control motorists' normal behaviour, the government has introduced a large number of traffic lights in Thailand. (Fun fact. The first traffic lights to be used in England were in Wolverhamton. The aim was to ease traffic flow. They were also the first to replace them with roundabouts as they realised this was a better to keep traffic moving).
So many motorists drive fast in Thailand that the police can’t issue fines to everyone. They concentrate on those doing 100kph or more. One way to avoid a fine in those circumstances is to move into the left-hand slower lane. The police usually watch only the camera in the fast lane.
Incidentally, don’t pay each fine when you receive it. Wait until you have to renew your annual road tax and are presented with all your fines. You can then “negotiate” how much to pay. (Rot dai mai kap, can I have a discount). It usually works, for Thais anyway.
Cameras are also used at traffic signals. Thais have found a way to avoid waiting at traffic lights. Say you want to turn right. What you do is, you filter left and then immediately U-turn in that road, joining the faster moving lane.
Tips when Cornering.
Provided it is safe to do so, keep as far to the right as you can when approaching a left-hand bend. It gives you improved visibility of the road ahead. To remain within the law, you should not move over to the lane normally used by oncoming vehicles. I use the “wrong side” of the road only when it is safe to do so and I’m not inconveniencing other drivers.
For right-hand bends, keep as close to the near-side as possible. But watch for vehicles coming out of sois or junctions without looking or stopping.
Often drivers will pull out to switch lanes if there are cars parked in the left-hand lane, or if the lane they are in is moving too slowly for them. If a biker pulls out unexpectedly from a soi, the driver will pull out to the next lane rather than stop and stay behind him.
Have readers noticed that when one car pulls out in front of you to cross your path, all the following cars will follow. In western countries, the cars behind him don’t follow him. They wait until they can safely make that manouevre themselves. I call it “follow my leader” and admit to doing it myself if it’s safe. When in Rome….
Where do Thais park their cars?
That’s not a silly question. Have readers noticed that many drivers will park wherever it is most convenient for them? If a shop happens to be on a bend, then that’s where they’ll park. A bit selfish. You just have to move around them. There’s an entry in A Thailand Diary describing a similar incident. I’ll give the link at the end of this article.
My uncle owned a funeral parlour in the small Devon village of Starcross in the UK. During his motor-cycle test in Exeter, the examiner asked him where he would not park. The answer, she said, is in the Highway Code.
“Never read no Highway Code, I work only in my village. I’d just park my moped in a hedge if I needed to park.”
Not only in Thailand. I remember being in a queue of traffic in Athens. Everyone was honking their horn because the traffic light was on red. I don’t think it made the lights change more quickly!
But when in Rome…
I did the same thing in a Greek village when held up in traffic. As I rounded a bend, I realised I was following a funeral procession. I never felt so embarrassed in my life! I vowed I would never do that again.
Extreme speeds are what cause most accidents in Thailand.
Either the boy-racer out to impress his girlfriend, or the slow driver holding up the traffic so much that frustrated drivers take risks in overtaking. I encounter these 20kph (12mph) drivers every day I travel in Thailand. The Thais call these drivers, “turtles”.
www.MattOwensRees.com
All my stories can be found at the above link. You can also browse my books and buy at a discount if one interests you.
I welcome comments about your own experiences driving in Thailand. You don’t have to agree with me. Giving your own views is helpful to me and to other readers.
