Driving a car or motorcycle in Thailand

This article begins with the usual disclaimer that laws in Thailand can change on a day to day basis and like every thing else here, depends where you go, who you see and what day of the week. The information provided is based on a consensus of personal experience.

If you are not a skilled and defensive driver, and if you don't have patience, or if you're easily annoyed by aggressive drivers, then you'd better relax in a taxi. It's usually recommended that those new to Thailand ride in taxis for awhile and get used to the way people drive in Thailand, both the written and unwritten rules of the road.

The biggest challenge is motorcycles which drive between the lanes of cars. You must be aware of them around you! You must anticipate their possible driving behavior! If you are the unlucky driver to meet their imminent fate, and there's a good chance you'll be hit up for at least some money regardless of the fault of the reckless motorcyclist. Never make quick decisions and action to change lanes. Never let a passenger open a door without looking for motorcycles coming up from behind. Always use your blinker/indicator long before you turn.

If you come from a country that drives on the right hand side (like myself), then you will need to get used to driving on the left hand side. The most common confusion is when you first start off on the road, and when you make a turn and habitually head for the wrong lane. What I initially did was keep in mind that the driver's side of the car is closest to the middle line of the road. It took only about half an hour to get comfortable driving on the left, but it took a while longer to break the habit of hitting the windshield wipers when I meant to turn on the blinker/indicator before a turn.

The traffic signs are in Thai, but the important ones you can decipher because they follow international standards of pictography -- shape, color and style. Besides the obvious stop, yield, etc., there are a few, however, that people are not familiar with. One to take note of is the blue ones with the triangle, which means that during rush hour (as defined on the sign by numbers) there must be at least 3 or 4 people in the car to take that route.

Remind every passenger to not open a car door on a street until they have looked behind to make sure a motorcycle is not coming. It is very common for passengers to open a car door and have a motorcycle hit it. This can cause serious injury to the motorcyclist and/or the car passenger, as well as considerable property damage. The passenger or car owner is liable for all damages. It is perfectly legal and normal in Thailand for motorcycles to drive in the spaces between cars, lanes, and the curb.

Commercial vehicles such as taxis and buses (including many minivans) often have aggressive drivers, so be ready for them to make sudden lane changes or pull out in front of you. There are a lot of aggressive drivers and this will require that you notch up your level of defensive driving.

Avoid sudden slowdowns or stops. In Thailand, cars drive closer to each other. Rear end collisions are the most common accidents. I've known Thais who drive without ever having got a driver's license!

One convention is the opposite in Thailand: In the west, if you are at an intersection or U-turn place, or just changing lanes, if someone flashes their lights, it means that they are courteously signaling to you that they will wait for you to turn in front of them. In Thailand, it's the OPPOSITE -- it means "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" These drivers are extremely aggressive. However, be careful about road rage. You should never need to hurry too much. Safety first. One accident and it's all not worth it.

If you are stopped by the police for a driving infraction, the standard procedure is to hand over your driver's license (you'll be driving without one for a little while) in exchange for the traffic ticket, and to go to the police station to pay the fine and get your license back. That means finding the police station and losing time...

... However, there are common reports of instead settling the fee with the individual policeman and getting your license back on the spot, e.g., 300 baht. This would need to be done before the policeman even starts to write up your ticket. According to these reports, have 300 baht handy, e.g., in your ash tray, but hold it low out of view of pedestrians but where the policeman can see it in your hand. The policeman will discretely take it, e.g., with a hand hidden under the ticket tablet. DO NOT hold money out the window, as giving a bribe must be done out of view of others.

If you've broken the law, then be understanding and respectful of the policeman. They stand out in the heat and pollution every day during rush hours, and I don't think many foreigners could "keep their cool" after years in such a job. Most Thai policemen are quite polite and cool-headed despite their working conditions.

On the other hand, if you become aggressive and disrespectful like an ugly farang, then they may refuse to communicate further with you and you may well just be handed a ticket of 1,000 baht or more, to be paid at the police station that day, and/or much worse if you just drive away. On the other hand, the policeman might just walk away and not deal with you any more, according to the stories of many farangs who stonewall with the "no speaka da Thai" routine. I don't agree with that karma, and it's not a big deal to be pulled over by a policeman for a driving infraction. Just find out what you did wrong and deal with that. Don't be impulsive and do something stupid.

I've never had a totally bad experience with a policeman. Once, I was pulled over by a provincial cop for allegedly making an illegal right turn, but 100 baht made him happy and I felt sorry for him more than anything else.

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