Sain eilen Thai ajokortin... tai 2! mplle ja autolle omat :) katsotaan kauanko ne pysyy... nyt opettelemaan thaimaan ajotapoja...
(valitettavan pitkä viesti... ja vieläpä hieman off-topic)
Tips For Driving in Thailand
1) EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!!!
a) That motorcycle on the left IS going to turn right
he will not indicate and will only look AFTER starting the turn
b) Around the next blind bend IS a semi-trailer overtaking on your side of the road
.
c) Or maybe that driver is just cutting the corner because thats what Thai drivers do
2) To confuse Thai drivers, try using your indicators.
3) A Thai drivers licence requires a medical certificate; one of the tests is for basic colour blindness, presumably so youll know what to do at traffic lights. E.g.
a) green = go
b) yellow = go
c) red = tailgate the car in front and
go
An alternative interpretation of signal colours from a Thai friend.
a) Green = fast
b) Yellow = faster
c) Red = fastest
4) To annoy Thai drivers, stop at red lights and stop signs.
5) Thais drive on the left of the road
. Mostly
6) Lane is water falling from the sky.
7) There exists a mysterious area to the left of the main flow of traffic where road rules, common sense and the laws of space-time appear to be absent. In this area you may travel as fast or as slow as you wish, in whatever direction you wish, or just stop and talk on your mobile phone
8) Speeding is an offence in Thailand, but just what speed should you be doing? There are few (if any) signs, so pick a random number and double it
or quarter it
it depends how you feel at the time
9) Driving Under the Influence (Drink Driving) is also an offence, but the Thais have a unique way of circumventing detection
everyone drives as if they are drunk, weaving, swerving, stopping for no apparent reason etc
so that the police dont notice who is really drunk
10) The only requirement for riding a motorcycle seems to be a literacy test, if you can write a suicide note, youre allowed to ride.
11) Popular motorcycles in Thailand are electric start 100cc four-stroke automatics, they need to be automatic or at least have an automatic clutch so the drunken 14 year old can talk or her mobile phone while weaving through traffic with her two friends and a scared little dog on the back.
12) When riding a motorcycle in the rain (or hot sunshine) many riders employ an umbrella for protection
but what to do if your mobile phone rings at the same time?
13) Motorcycles are used for everything. Often fitted with an outrigger (An entire fast food store can be attached to the side of a motorcycle) and/or a trailer (a 2 wheeled cart drawn via the rider or passenger sitting on the handle). These machines have a carrying capacity limited only by the imagination. Also you may see a family of four aboard a single motorcycle, and its likely piloted by the 9year-old sitting on her mothers lap.
APPROACH MOTORCYCLES WITH CAUTION
(see points 1- 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, Etc
)
14) When approaching an intersection its important to be sure of who has right-of-way, there seem to be differing schools of thought, but generally its the largest vehicle, although the most expensive vehicle is often given preference, however, the most widely accepted rule is that the driver with the largest balls takes right-of-way.
15) Avoiding accidents, when a situation presents itself;
a) Sound your horn and/or flash your lights
b) Sound your horn and/or flash your lights
c) Swerve
d) Accelerate
e) Pray
f) Sound your horn and/or flash your lights
g) Trust that luck (or Buddha) will resolve the situation before it affects you
h) As a last resort, if all of the above fail and you have absolutely no other choice you might try that other pedal on the floor
the one to the left of the accelerator.
16) Road signs in Thailand follow international convention, being in both Thai and English
mostly
also recognised in Thailand is the universal international single fingered salute
17) Please use courtesy when parking
leave your car in neutral with the handbrake off so that the driver of the car you double parked over can push your car away to get out
18) The Glacier Technique:
Situation: youre in a side street trying to turn into a major road and the flow of traffic is endless
you cant get a break
Solution: edge forward an inch at a time, eventually the cars will have to curve a little get around you, keep edging forward, eventually a car will stop, because the driver has no choice
. After that, you may go
this also works for changing lanes and merging. (Btw; nobody will blast their horn or even give you a dirty look as you do this as it is considered normal
but you WILL get blasted from behind if you dont do it)
19) Taxis are cheap and plentiful, the driver may even speak English (look for the I Love Farang sign) while riding in a taxi, look at your hands, your feet, the floor
or anything except the road ahead
its just better if you dont know (see point 14)
20) Safety belts are required for the driver and front seat passenger, but not for the rear seat passengers, probably because the rear seat passengers bodies are likely to still be there after an accident, whereas the bodies of the occupants of the front seats are likely to be much harder to find
safety belts save the ambulance bearers time
PartII; Tips for Driving in Bangkok
1) DONT!