| Having had my Driver's License for 47 years | | | | your rear bumper or perhaps 5 ft. from your |
| now and having driven manual transmissions | | | | bumper. Nice, polite, quiet people that they |
| and automatics from Volkswagen bugs, to | | | | are Thai's when they get behind the steering |
| Corvettes, to Nissan 300 ZX Turbo's to more | | | | wheel change they make a transition from Mr. |
| refined Lincoln luxury cars you would think | | | | Hyde to Dr. Jekyll. |
| that I could drive anywhere in the world. | | | | |
| | | | In my opinion most drivers here only have the |
| My driving record is excellent. No accidents | | | | mandatory basic insurance which is almost |
| and no points off in the last 6 years and | | | | useless should they have an accident. So they |
| that qualifies me for the best rating and the | | | | try to be careful and not hit other cars by |
| best insurance rate in Canada. An experienced | | | | driving 3 ft away from vehicles on their |
| driver with the best driving record. | | | | passenger side. Either they cannot judge the |
| | | | distance as they are inexperienced drivers or |
| Coming to Chiang Mai, Thailand and renting a | | | | they are extremely careful, either way they |
| car to see the sites and get around town | | | | will drive down the street using part of your |
| should be a breeze you would expect. Well | | | | lane forcing you out of your lane. |
| anyone who thinks so is dead wrong. | | | | |
| | | | Overtaking can be done regardless of whether |
| Driving here has to be seen to be believed. | | | | you do it by passing the vehicle in front of |
| Do not try it unless you know someone here | | | | you on the left or right side. So if you |
| who has educated you as to What to Watch Out | | | | drive down the road EXPECT to see a vehicle |
| For. | | | | coming straight for you in your lane passing |
| | | | a slower vehicle. They will pass and expect |
| Here is my list: | | | | you to slow down or move out of your lane as |
| | | | they are going somewhere in a hurry. |
| The lines on the roads do not mean a thing | | | | |
| here. You can drive on them, you can drive on | | | | Overtaking another vehicle will happen by |
| the side of them, but do not expect drivers | | | | vehicles going uphill and not seeing what is |
| to drive between them. Why? Because on the | | | | ahead of them, overtaking will occur on turns |
| left side of the road you will find | | | | and the drivers not seeing what is ahead of |
| motorbikes so cars move over knowing that | | | | them, overtaking will occur whenever and |
| this is the preferred route of the | | | | wherever. |
| motorbikes. That is one reason. Another is | | | | |
| that both red taxi's (converted pick up | | | | Pedestrians crossing with the traffic light |
| trucks used as taxis) and tuk tuk's (three | | | | green DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY, vehicles |
| wheeled motorcycles used as taxis) move over | | | | go first and you should cross when you it is |
| from the fast lane to the middle of the two | | | | safe to do so. |
| lanes in an attempt to pick up more | | | | |
| passengers and yet not lose out on | | | | Now having said all of that you may be |
| positioning in a fast lane of traffic. | | | | thinking to yourself, Is this guy trying to |
| | | | scare me, is he trying to be funny, does he |
| Traffic signals do not mean a thing here. | | | | not want me to drive in Chiang Mai? The |
| Vehicles can jump the green and make a turn | | | | answer to these questions is: |
| against the flow of traffic if they are hmmm. | | | | |
| the first, second, third or even the fourth | | | | I want you to know what you will be facing |
| vehicles in line at a red light as you want | | | | should you decide to drive here. I want you |
| to cross an intersection with the light just | | | | not to injure yourself or someone else |
| having turned green. Expect vehicles to run | | | | thinking you can go ahead and rent/drive a |
| the red if it just turned red hmmm. what | | | | vehicle without having driven here before or |
| one, two, or perhaps three seconds ago. | | | | without some advice. |
| | | | |
| Watch out for the 3 wheeled bicycles. These | | | | When I first arrived and saw the traffic I |
| are normally driven by slim men in their | | | | thought that I would never be able to drive |
| sixties who have doing this for years. This | | | | here. Well now I do drive here. I know what |
| may have been a fashionable and popular means | | | | to watch out for and drivers running greens |
| of transportation 50 years ago or so but now | | | | or red lights does not surprise me or anger |
| it is a danger out on the roads as they move | | | | me. I merely expect it. |
| along at 4 mph on streets full of cars and | | | | |
| motorcycles, all of which are in a hurry to | | | | The Thai drivers here have probably not had |
| go somewhere. | | | | any formal driving instruction, they may not |
| | | | have any decent insurance coverage, and they |
| Watch out for vendors pushing their carts at | | | | may be pushy when it comes to driving as they |
| 2 mph down the street on the left hand side | | | | may be in a hurry to earn money so that they |
| of the road. | | | | can feed their family. So nothing against |
| | | | them, I try to understand their driving |
| Watch out for dogs who lay on the road and | | | | habits and adjust mine accordingly. No matter |
| refuse to move or move reluctantly as the | | | | how they drive they are happy go lucky, |
| last second. | | | | cheerful, hard working people and I love |
| | | | them. |
| If you are keeping up with the flow of | | | | |
| traffic on a fast moving road at 45 mph in | | | | If you are interested in learning more about |
| bumper to bumper traffic EXPECT someone to | | | | living here, moving here, Thai foods, about |
| tailgate your vehicle. Oh maybe 10 ft from | | | | Thailand and Chiang Mai visit our website. |