Driver demographics

[warrenr]

You should try driving in Bangkok. 8)

The demographics are that nobody gives way or lets you in. If you do wave somebody forward, there is hesitation, a look of surprise and a bow. This creates chaos on a regular basis.

The very worst offenders in the consideration stakes are in my experience white faced embassy staff in large 4WDs.

Foreigners soon adopt this style of driving and it is hard to adapt on returning to the UK.

More generally, the rule of the road is if a lane is empty occupy it especially if it is the oncoming lane or a hard shoulder. I have seen a Porsche and a BMW racing, doing over 120km/hr along the hard shoulder and weaving in and out of fast moving morning traffic across four lanes on a city expressway.

There is also a great tendency to use hand held mobiles while drinking coffee on difficult corners at speed. Police often drive the wrong way down hard shoulders on expressways! :evil: The worst hazards are men on mobile motorcycle shops (complete with umbrella) in the outside lane or worse but less frequent an elephant and mahout at night walking the wrong way down highway (an old CD acting a reflector)


The driving style is contrary to the general characteristic of the Thais who are generally super-considerate and polite. However, drivers tolerate all this without a horn being sounded or an angry fist.

It seems that the nicer the people the worse the driving.

Richard

 

[jaymar]

I noticed a long time ago the reluctance of women to allow another car into traffic. I used to take my wife to work during the rush hour, near to us we had to join a main road just after the main road took an "s" turn to become a dual carriage -way so traffic was fairly slow at that point . most driver allowed a merge, one at a time but almost without exception women drivers would speed up to prevent any itrusion into their lane. I never could understand as I mostly considered women drivers safer than men.

 

[Max Power]

Amazing how lots of people take on a different persona once they get behind the wheel of a car :?

 

[devonwoody]

Are we suggesting a driver should give way and actually stop when on the major road and let ladies out of side turnings?

 

[RogerS]

Mike C has got it spot on.

Mums taking their offspring to school. Not one. Nada. Zero. Had the courtesy to let anyone else out, go first, whatever.

It does not surprise me Roger When various mum's came around to pick our son up, they were so flustered and in a rush you would have thought that the end of the world was nigh :roll:

........

Mike

They drive me mad at our local primary school. Invariably they are late. They career down the middle of the road having no intention of giving way. They park every which way blocking the road and woe betide you if you dare to say anything. They really are the pits.

 

[Dibs-h]

They drive me mad at our local primary school. Invariably they are late. They career down the middle of the road having no intention of giving way. They park every which way blocking the road and woe betide you if you dare to say anything. They really are the pits.

We live at the end of a wide road - with a Primary School behind one of the houses (opposite us) - so in a morning and afternoon there's cars turning round in front of our house and parking all over the place.

Occasionally I pick our son up from school and I used to struggle to get to our drive. A few weeks ago coming home to collect him - it was mental with folk trying to do "3 point turns" that were turning into 30 point turns and my fuses just blew. 30-40 yards before our house is a right turn - after this our end is effectively the dead end. I parked the car right across the road - blocking the last 30-40 yards and all the cars in. Then walked to school and back. Took between 5-10 mins.

You should have seen the folk in the cars - steaming, horning, some on the phone to the Police. :lol: :lol: :lol: One of my neighbours who lives just after me had been blocked in and she was horning, but when she saw it was me started clapping and shouting "Good for you! These lot need to learn a few manners!"

Funny thing is that when the School Brigade now see my car coming up the road now - they give me way!

Dibs

 

[matt]

Apart from not being particularly good at 3-point turns what were they supposed to do if the school is in a dead-end?

 

[Digit]

Park elsewhere and walk the little darling? :lol:

Roy.

 

[matt]

Park elsewhere and walk the little darling? :lol:

Roy.

I can understand walking from home and not using the car at all but, once in the car, why not derive the maximum benefit and park at your destination (providing you're parking legally etc)?

Schools will always be busy at drop-off and collection times, same as many other popular time-criticial destinations. Kinda goes with the turf.

The point I was making is... If parked in a dead-end (regardless of why/assuming it is necessary) you have to turn around. So, other than NOT making a fist of turning round, what other improvements could the other drivers make?

 

[bugbear]

Amazing how lots of people take on a different persona once they get behind the wheel of a car.

Yes. I'm sure someone could make an amusing animation on this topic, if they put their mind to it...

BugBear

 

[devonwoody]

Perhaps those school runs could do with a numberical ticket system like at the deli. counters at super markets.
A notice board displaying which number ticket can come in next.

The ladies seem quite calm waiting their turn at deli counters in supermarkets.

 

[Dibs-h]

Apart from not being particularly good at 3-point turns what were they supposed to do if the school is in a dead-end?

The school is 1-2 streets away. But there is a "snicket" from our street to the school, so they all park in our street and use the snicket.

If your approaching a dead end - plainly visible, cars on both sides and someone is already at the end, trying with difficulty to turn around and you can turn right down another road, what you do not do - is go forward. Especially if you're going to do a 10 point (min) turn.

You could turn right, park up with 10 feet in the direction of flow and then easily set off afterwards without any issues. Just plain lazy or stupid.

I could understand if you went down a road that you'd never been down before - but a journey that is made twice a day and out of your own selfishness\stupidity\etc. you inconvenience other road users - there is a chance someone will inconvenience you at some point. I'm certainly not advocating any kind of violence, but a bit of civil disobedience works wonders.

I find it rather odd - if walking on the pavement, most folk wouldn't dream of acting so stupidly\selfishly, yet put them in a car, and all normal behaviour goes out of the window!

 

[Digit]

My youngest grandson's school is a mile away from the nearest village, (our local Council Planning Dept is renowned for incompetence) so his mum and dad take him in, walking if it's fine, and me and my wife pick him up on our way to the shops.
The parking by the mums is appalling!
Woody Allen's comment. 'It's alright, I can walk to the kerb from here!' pretty much sums it up.

Roy.

 

[big soft moose]

Are we suggesting a driver should give way and actually stop when on the major road and let ladies out of side turnings?

I only do that if they re good looking

 

[Digit]

That lets me out damn it!

Roy.

 

[RussianRouter]

some fanny drinking coffee behind the wheel of a vehicle ?

:lol:

You could be well right there,one time I saw woman putting her mascara on whilst actually driving...I kid you not.

 

[devonwoody]

Mascara is nothing to worry about, its when they cross their legs in the car you really need to worry.

 

[Dibs-h]

Mascara is nothing to worry about, its when they cross their legs in the car you really need to worry.

LMAO!! :lol::lol:

 

[big soft moose]

when i was a paramedic we once attended a RTa where the primary cause was a woman driving while breast feeding a baby - fortunately mother and child werent badly hurt - tho the driver of the vehicle she hit head on wasnt as lucky

 

[flying haggis]

[/quote]

Why do lorry drivers insist on racing each other up hill on the motorway at 56mph? :roll:

Mick[/quote]

Cause we can


and 56 is our LIMITED maximum (thanks EU) despite the highway code saying that 60 is the max speed limit for an HGV