Driving in Thailand's main page

Getting a Thai drivers license

Where to apply for a driving licence in Thailand

the application form

Getting a Thai license renewed or extended

about Thai car and motorcycle license plates

Travel tips on where to go next

Thai traffic signs:

Warning Signs

Regulatory Signs

driving in Thailand isn't always safe

Welcome to Driving in Thailand

On these "Driving in Thailand" pages you will find clear and comprehensive information on the Thai traffic laws, the Thai driving rules & regulations, the license requirements in Thailand, thai road signs and street markings, traffic lights and signals on the thai roads, right of way situations, local law enforcement, their language skills and their expectations, as well as information about speeding- and other tickets, traffic violations like DUI, international driving licences, the number of accidents and much more.

Driving a car or motorcycle in Thailand:

Traffic in Thailand drives on the left side of the road.

Most drivers are well mannered, almost polite, be it up to a certain level. You will hardly ever hear a car honking and anger is never displayed. Despite this, traffic is rather hectic in and around busy Bangkok where calm driving is not really appreciated.

On many rural roads or even in Bangkok's small alleys, you will find motorcycles, cars and occasionally your 12 wheel trucks maneuvering against (one way) traffic. This situation is complicated by the fact that many of Bangkok's roads change their one-way direction at certain hours of the day and by the fact that every new governor of Bangkok has a new traffic plan to solve the city's traffic jams. Every such plan involves changing the flow of traffic, which causes one way roads to suddenly run in the opposite directions or the number of lanes being reduced from, in extreme cases, eight to one. Regular roads may become bus lanes overnight, which then causes thousands of drivers to exit from the incorrect ramps on the expressway, thus clogging up traffic worse than before. Usually this last for a few months, after which the government changes or they governor realizes that the problems can not be solved and then things go back to normal. Several computer traffic control systems have been tested of even installed, but none of them seem to resolve the situation. It has been whispered that the local traffic constables are very uncooperative when it comes to these systems that could make their employ obsolete. Some companies may even mention the word "sabotage", when asked about the failure of their traffic control system.

Driving around Thailand's country side at night is considered to be extremely hazardous, especially on holidays and long weekends. There are no tachographs installed and although drunk driving is being addressed, the situation is far from safe. Many cars have broken, or no lights at all and public busses like to race one another through steep hills and around dangerous curves, supposedly just to stay awake. Low wages, too many daytime checkpoints and very tight schedules for truck- and bus drivers guarantee that all of the main roads and highways have 24 hours rescue teams on stand by and that most of those need to head out to big accidents every single night.

It was just a few years ago when it was possible to purchase a driving licence without passing any test whatsoever and a lot of the licensed drivers from that period have failed to gain sufficient experience to drive safely and are still out there...

So taking above in regards, we would highly recommend using an experienced driver for getting around while on vacation. The Bangkok Taxi drivers have a bit of a reputation, which should not be a problem while having to get around the city of Angels at affordable rates, though. For trips to more remote locations we recommend using one of the more esthablished &limousine& services like Koh Chang Minibus (for Koh Chang, Koh Kood, Koh Mak, Koh Samet) Hua Hin transfers (Hua Hin, Pranburi, Cha-Am, Bang Saphan, Ban Krud, Chumpon) or Bangkok Airport Limousine (Bangkok city, Don Mueang airport, Suvarnabhumi airport, Pattaya, Kanchanaburi, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Buriram, Khao Yai and nearly every other location in central Thailand). When traveling around the south of Thailand, we suggest local companies like Krabi Transfers and Phuket Airport Limousine.

For those that need to apply for a Thai driver's license: please continue to read the other pages on this website.

express way
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