So You Want to Drive in Thailand?
This book is primarily aimed at Farangs; that strange breed of large, aging, sometimes pot-bellied and pinkish-white males who are readily identifiable because they are inappropriately dressed and almost always holding hands with a diminutive and attractive Thai female who is young enough to be their daughter. I jest … but you know who you are!
I too am a Farang, originally from the UK and have lived here in Pattaya, on the eastern seaboard, since the summer of 2003. In the early days it was either walk (hot! … and generally not to be recommended) or phone for a private taxi, costing around 100–150 baht (£1.50-£2.00) for the 15 minute journey to the shops and sea; no ‘taxi-meters’ in Pattaya I’m afraid!
Just a month or so ago we found that we were in a position to purchase a new car. Having spent a day visiting various showrooms, we settled on a large vehicle, capable of being driven off-road and thus surviving the ‘Thai-roads’ experience! So what inspired me to write this book? It was the fact that in more than two years of living in Thailand, I have never ceased to be amazed at what I see taking place on the roads here, on a daily basis. Don’t expect a learned treatise on the subject though … this is a down-to-earth account of how I see the matter!
As any Farang who has lived here for even a short time will know, there is an expression used to ‘pass off’ the differences encountered between Europe/North America on the one hand and Thailand on the other. That expression is
TiT or ‘This is Thailand’! In no area of public or private life and activity is one more constrained to utter “TiT!” than when it comes to what takes place on the roads in the Kingdom.
Thais drive on the left, as do UK drivers but they seem to drive on the same left irrespective of which way they are facing! Confused? … I’m not surprised but I promise you that all will become clear within the pages of this book. Since coming to Thailand I have become convinced that if one wanted to set down on paper a Thai
driving code, all one would have to do is simply put the exact opposite of what was in the UK Highway Code.
Here are just one or two examples to whet your appetite for what follows. (a) In the UK, unless there is a special filter light, you may
not turn left when the traffic lights show red …
you can here! (b) In the UK, when there is a dual
carriageway, traffic on each of the carriageways is in one direction only …
not so in Thailand! (c) In the UK, a maximum of two persons is allowed on a motorbike and each must wear a helmet …
neither is true in Thailand! Within this book I shall constantly refer to this phenomenon as the
Reverse Principle, or
RP for short.
I hope that by now you are beginning to get the picture. It would be very easy to arrive from some European country or perhaps from the USA or Canada and think that, with the possible exception of driving on the other side of the road (a skill well practised by those from Briton who visit continental Europe or America … and vice versa) you have nothing else to worry about, after all … “These Thai people are Buddhists and are known universally for their calmness, patience and politeness … well aren’t they?”
Don’t get me wrong … Thai people on a one-to-one basis are some of the most charming and delightful you could meet anywhere in the world and respond readily with a smile … the same smile that they have when they cut you up on the highway and push in front of you, like nothing you’ve ever seen before!
So there you have it … a short introduction to what will be one of the steepest learning curves you have ever been presented with. Learn the lessons successfully and, in the future, negotiating even the busiest traffic hotspots of London, Paris or New York will seem like a stroll in the park. Good luck!
For contact details visit http://www.robthaibook.com
Robert Williams
2006