Driving in Bangkok; Very crazy

  

Date Posted: 11/15/2012 1:47:44 AM

Posted By: fly1234  Membership Level: Bronze  Total Points: 15

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You have always thought that driving in Nairobi is crazy. Wait until i take you to a city in Thailand called Bangkok, where diving is more crazier than that of our matatu divers.

I hear driving in Bangkok is quite different from driving in all other cities of Thailand as well. If you are planning to visit Bangkok this December holiday, you got to be prepared by making your driving less stressful, and how do you do that? By reading this short article I have prepared for you.

First, if you don''t have patience, consider getting around this city using a cab. I am even suspecting that the inhabitants of this city are always taught patience as a subject in their schools, because most of them seem to have what can only be described as abnormal patience. Road rage is something unheard of in this side of the world. This is a plus for them anyway. However, many things will annoy you when driving in Bangkok, drivers will cut right in front of you, some will not let you pass, some will come within inches of scratching your car, and drivers will not obey the rules of lanes. Now, that''s Bangkok, where a typical Kenyan driver would run mad and even lose their dignity.

Bangkok presents an unforgiving world to drivers, where only patience can help you fit in these sub-cultures of their street roads. Surprisingly, there are never much accidents in this city. They have always mastered their rogue driving techniques and they expect you to do the same.

If you want to come out, flash your headlamp to alert that you are approaching. I hear that hooting is never popular with Thai drivers and is only used in near dangerous scenarios. The only rule i find similar to

ours is that where you flash your headlamps when you want to overtake, or coming into someones'' lane. Others are very contrary.

And the majority of accidents involve motorcycles. They ignore all rules and the traffic police is never hard on their neck. They create their own lanes, they ride in between the lanes and it is very normal when a motorcycle is coming head on towards you in your own line. As a driver, you have to keep an eye because if you ran over a motorcycle, it is always the fault of the person driving. No matter how wrong the motorcycle rider is, you will still be charged in case of an accident. I don''t know why they favor motorcycles that much.

If you avoid your phone when it rings, the better. Drivers in Bangkok engage every bit of their attention when driving. They never answer phone calls, or even if they do, they say that they are driving and would call back. These people intrigue me because in as much as their driving is not up to standard, they still have small road etiquette. Kenyan drivers on the other hand will try to obey traffic rules, but ignore the simple ones such as-do not mouth on the phone while driving.

At the end of the day, safety in Bangkok roads is the main objective. It doesn''t matter how you drive while on their roads, so it seems. Driving here can be fan, rewarding and engaging. Take care!

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