Driving test doesn't reflect traffic reality

Judging by the tentative way many red-plated cars are driven one must question the experience and competency of new drivers. It takes as little as 10 minutes in an empty car park for a new driver to grasp the mechanics of driving a modern automatic car. However, it takes a great deal more time under the guidance of an experienced and professional driving instructor to learn the basics of road craft. By this I mean the ability to read the road ahead, anticipating the movements of other traffic, knowing where you want to go and getting in the correct position on the road in plenty of time. 

The failure of so many drivers to understand these basics not only leads to delays but also to the excessively high accident rates. The simplistic Thai driving test appears to ignore testing the ability of new drivers to understand the reality of driving in typical heavy traffic. Dodging a few traffic cones and parallel parking in an empty space are totally inadequate for the real world.

The basic faults one sees on Thai roads are due a combination of ignorance, (due to poor instruction and testing), incompetence, (being unable or unwilling to apply what has been taught), and pure selfishness, (having no respect for others). Typical examples are blocking left- and right-turn-only lanes by drivers who push in front of others to go straight ahead; stopping on the yellow criss-crossed markings designed to allow vehicles to turn into adjacent streets or entrances when traffic is stopped; changing lanes by cutting in front of adjacent vehicles with no attempt at indicating the intention; and most seriously, the blatant running of red lights. 

There are, of course, many other faults one sees daily which, if the police saw fit to act on them, would have a mitigating effect on congestion and the frustration caused to drivers who want to follow the rules, as well as being a common source of road rage. Unfortunately the police take the easy way out and turn a very obvious blind eye to these violations. Good road design and proper construction have a clear impact on congestion and is a whole new subject but one that should be thoroughly and urgently addressed before the chaos on Thai roads becomes unmanageable. And let’s not forget that New Year is approaching with the inevitable high death rates due to drunk driving that police are so incapable of addressing as proven year after year at every festive occasion.

Chris Kaye

Chon buri