Essay On Driving A Motorcycle In Thailand

The moment I hopped on my first scooter in Thailand and tentatively headed down my quiet neighborhood road for a test drive, I became a student of the Thai style of driving, and for the 3 years since that moment, have kept on studying. I believe I am finally qualified to write an essay about how to drive on Thai roads.

So first. I'll start off with my two golden rules:

Rule #1:
I may never cause an accident, but the likelihood that eventually somebody is going to do something stupid about 6 feet in front of my handlebars is 100%.

Rule #2:
The only thing that will allow me survive rule #1 is wearing a helmet and driving slowly.

Now, for the details:

The rules of the road that you know back in Europe or North America are not the rules of the road in Thailand. Once you accept that as a given, and stop trying to apply your driving attitudes to Thai traffic patterns, things get much easier. (I'm lucky because I never drove a motorcycle before coming to Thailand, so the only motorcycle rules I know are those that I learned in Thailand.)

So, here are some Thai road rules that differ from what you may be used to:

#1: Everybody is patient. Everybody moves ahead only when there is space available. If there is space available it will be filled. Thai people don't wait in line at the 7-11 and they don't do it at traffic lights either. They don't crowd to the front because they are inpatient... they crowd to the front because it is simply the way forward.

#2: Motorcycles are not cars. Therefore they are not driven on the road like cars. Imagine if you will a grocery store. Half of the people have shopping carts (cars) and half the people don't (motorcycles). There way a person moves through the store is very different depending on whether they have a shopping cart or not. It is the same with Thai roads. Cars take it steady and straight, and mosey on forward if traffic conditions permit. If you are on a motorcycle, follow the motorcycles. If you try and follow the car rules while on a motorcycle, you will just confuse people.

#3: Oncoming traffic is not always where you expect it. Thai people may be patient when they are on the road, but that doesn't mean that they aren't willing to cut corners. Especially the case on divided highways, it is perfectly reasonable to drive a motorcycle the wrong way along a divided highway for short distances if the place you are trying to get to is much closer than the next U-turn opportunity down the road. Also, the speeds of vehicles is not at all consistent. You could have on the same road cars going 60 kph, along with with food carts, water buffaloes, and the occasional elephant going 5 kph.

#4: You are not responsible for what is behind you. Your field of vision contains everything that you responsible for avoiding. Assuming that everyone behind you is working on the same principle (which they are), you will be fine. While this does mean that you can gently move in front of other people (i.e. cut them off) without worring as much as in the West, what is more germane to the discussion is that people in front of you believe that it is your responsibility to make room for them when they need to change direction. It is your job to politely let them do so. (Although if there is a problem, a little "toot" on your horn in Thailand doesn't have the angry connotations it does in the West. So feel free to toot away.)

#5: Forget about "sudden stops" and "hard turns". If you do anything on a Thai street that takes less than 2 or 3 seconds to complete, you are going to cause an accident. If you are making a right turn across traffic, your wheels should be crossing the yellow line 30 or 40 feet before the turn, and you should be halfway into oncoming traffic before you consider making the turn for real. If you just "up and turn" at the last second, even with your turn signal on, even from a completely stationary position directly next to your turn, the chance that you could turn and get nailed by somebody passing you on the outside is very high.

#6: Don't keep your eye on the road. Thai culture exists around (and even on) the local roads. Don't be surprised to come upon any assortment of things on the edge of (and even on) the roads. Don't be surprised when things magically appear out of nowhere, especially stray dogs. Nothing directly in front of you (except brake lights) should concern you nearly as much as what is going on at the curbs on either side of you.

#7: Thais believe in reincarnation. This applies especially to 14 year old boys, who will tear in and out of traffic on their scooters at frightening speeds. Fortunately, these kids also seem to prefer very loud chainsaw exhausts so you have at least 4 or 5 seconds to prepare (i.e. drive very straight, and clench your teeth) for a flash of noise and color to blast by you on either side, at any distance and at any speed. Conversely, for other folks with a deathwish, you will also discover old ladies driving 5-foot-wide sidecar motorcycles at walking speed down unlit roads with no lights on. Keep an eye out, and avoid both of these nutcases.

#8: All Thais are — and are not — totally clueless. The fact of the matter is, you often cannot tell when a Thai driver is being an idiot, or is simply reacting to something unexpected that you have not yet seen. If you come across a guy on a motorcycle stopped in the middle of the road with no turn signal on, zipping by him may not be a good idea, even if he is chatting up the cute girl on the side of the road. Perhaps he just started the conversation while he is waiting for the cement truck to back out. (Thais will do that sort of thing.) The basic rule here is watch what other drivers are doing, and expect the worst... even though it is equally likely that the Thai guy did actually just stop in the middle of traffic to chat up a girl.

#9: Everybody has accidents. Assuming you are taking your time and wearing a helmet, you probably aren't going to die. In fact, if you are going under 20 miles per hour when you take a tumble, it's possible you won't even be hurt (though the road rash will require some Bacitracin, and maybe some Tylenol). However, keep the following in mind: (1) If you run into somebody in front of you, you will need to pay for whatever damage you caused. (2) If somebody behind you runs into you, they are going to get back on their motorcycle and drive off before you even have figured out that you had an accident.

#10: Calm those nerves. Relax. Be The Buddha. Driving a motorcycle on Thai roads after a couple of beers is probably safer than driving after a couple of cups of coffee. Driving safely on Thai roads doesn't depend on split-second reflexes so much as it depends on observation and avoidance, and a jittery tense driver can focus too much on the obvious and miss the unexpected, or vice versa. The whole point of roving gaze, and relaxed driving mindset is to avoid getting to the point where split-second decisions are necessary.

So there it is, motorcycle driving in Thailand explained in detail. It really is — once you take into account the 10 rules above — fairly safe to drive a motorcycle in Thailand. Just take your time, keep your helmet on (and wear glasses too), keep your eyes open, and take hints from how other people are driving for what you should be doing as well.

And don't crash into any elephants.

NOTE: All photos are taken from other websites, and you can get to the original pages with the original photos by clicking on the pictures above. My thanks to those websites for the use of their photos.