VIDEO: Speeding Thai minivan driver rages at foreign tourist who told him to slow down

[IamNoone88]

There are no professional standards, safety training, legislation or specific licensing requirements that I am aware of to become a minivan driver in Thailand. Any idiot can get a job driving a minivan. This simply a product of a lack of responsible law making, enforcement and governance which is unlikely to change. In the meantime, he will likely be behind the wheel again today along with many others.

[Dorian232]

2 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Typical Thais. They agreed with the driver. 

Why don't you read before commenting the Thais agreed with the farang.

[myfriendu]

26 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

I wonder if many foreigners know what Thais think of them?

No they dont LOL , even worse if you understand the language, makes me cringe some of the things I hear in shops and restaurants.

I once asked a driver to slow down, who was playing on his phone, he went in a rage and chucked me the mrs and kid out at the side of the road, worse he still wanted paying he was told to go where the sun dont shine.

Lucky the bib were quickly on the scene and all it cost was a contribution to their Christmas party.      

[bkkgriz]

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

“If you are scared of dying, why don’t you get off?”, the diver said.

 

“Thai people don't worry, why you scared?”, he added.

This quote says it all really. I know he's not speaking for all Thai people, but really it would appear that the vast majority don't care about death. Another life awaits upon shedding the current mortal coil. We can't change that. But it would behoove anyone with a western mentality to understand this way of thinking shared by most Thais.

[SpeakeasyThai]

Better to go by government bus.

[tonysilly]

Thai people need to speak up and stop being shy.  Your not going to loose face if you ask the driver to stop driving dangerously.. I don't get it with these drivers and Thai people not speaking up.  

[Destiny1990]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

I would ask the driver to slow down one time. If he did not, I would take him up on his offer, of getting off, regardless of where we were. I would rather walk to another spot where I could catch another one, than die with this maniac. And I would definitely report the super freak driver. The government has been cracking down on mini vans, and compelling many of them to install those beepers, that go off, when they go above 95kph. He would be penalized, if not lose his job altogether, for this.

Yes u can catch the next Van but he will be speeding too because its a 6 hours race track for them all..

Fine them 2000-5000 bht non stop then its fixed within 12 months 

[trianglechoke]

Please don't worry. I have been told it won't effect tourism. 

[Easy Come Easy Go]

Stopped using minivans yonks ago. I even got a taxi-car from Korat to Hua Hin a couple of years ago as I didn't want to get into one of those death traps 

[lapd]

Everyone knows a farang that constantly has problems with thais.  The reason is that they have not learned how to deal with thais.  

 

If you go around acting like you do in the western world you are guaranteed to have problems. 

 

When I have a problems with thais for whatever reason I just say it's all my fault.  I am wrong.  I made a mistake.  I am the stupid farang.  You get the idea.  Does not matter if it is your fault or not.  That is not the point.  If you do things that help a thai save face you will make your life much easier in Thailand.  

 

The LAST thing you ever want to do is act/say/do things that makes thais feel like you think you are right and they are wrong.  That goes double/triple for farangs.  Thais dealing with thais can get away with it sometimes but that does not mean farangs can. 

[Easy Come Easy Go]

4 minutes ago, tonysilly said:

Thai people need to speak up and stop being shy.  Your not going to loose face if you ask the driver to stop driving dangerously.. I don't get it with these drivers and Thai people not speaking up.  

They may lose their face if they don't speak up, along with a leg, an arm and maybe their life 

[lapd]

8 minutes ago, Easy Come Easy Go said:

They may lose their face if they don't speak up, along with a leg, an arm and maybe their life 

You can still accomplish your goal (to get the driver to slow down).  You just have to learn to go about it a different way than in the western world.

 

For example, say that you have an irrational fear of riding in minivans.  Say your friend was in a tragic accident and now you have nightmares.  Or maybe that you are getting sick and might puke and make a mess of their van.  So if they slow down that might help.  Get creative.  As long as you are not critisizing them, blaming them, trying to tell them what to do.  You get the picture.

 

Or don't and risk running into problems like this sometimes.

[chuang]

Don't worry be happy take a flight...

[Zendo]

5 minutes ago, lapd said:

You can still accomplish your goal (to get the driver to slow down).  You just have to learn to go about it a different way than in the western world.

 

For example, say that you have an irrational fear of riding in minivans.  Say your friend was in a tragic accident and now you have nightmares.  Get creative.  As long as you are not critisizing them, blaming them, trying to tell them what to do.  You get the picture.

That stupid dangerous potentiel Killer needs and deserve a lesson, next farangs might be less patient and punish him righthly... 

 

[chubby]

2 hours ago, cooked said:

I took a minivan once, never again. He was obviously high on Yaba, was dodging in and out of traffic at high speed, often unnecessarily. He asked my wife aggressively if I was drunk (one can of luke warm Chang), when I permitted myself a quick gasp at one point.so I'm GUESSING he was a Muslim, my wife thought so.

On the video the guy says "Why worry? No police". That sums it up for many Minibus drivers.

 

whatever happened to, a few years ago, putting GPS monitors on the minivans, problem solved blah blah

 

better would have been to pay him a few baht to stop at a  gas station,  then find other transport ..... minivans are so tempting to use, hard to talk people out of them

[DieterWiehe]

9 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Says it all!

the Thais want to get New Born but Farang has to wait for the Day of Judgment 

[Odysseus123]

17 minutes ago, lapd said:

Everyone knows a farang that constantly has problems with thais.  The reason is that they have not learned how to deal with thais.  

 

If you go around acting like you do in the western world you are guaranteed to have problems. 

 

When I have a problems with thais for whatever reason I just say it's all my fault.  I am wrong.  I made a mistake.  I am the stupid farang.  You get the idea.  Does not matter if it is your fault or not.  That is not the point.  If you do things that help a thai save face you will make your life much easier in Thailand.  

 

The LAST thing you ever want to do is act/say/do things that makes thais feel like you think you are right and they are wrong.  That goes double/triple for farangs.  Thais dealing with thais can get away with it sometimes but that does not mean farangs can. 

That's the way to do it!Break the 200 metres graaping race and the 400 metres Waing medley.

 

Better still,live on your knees for the rest of your life..that way nothing will change..

 

Then post on ThaiVisa about how glad you were to leave a Western "nanny" state.

 

Well done for the "farang" for speaking up-I will never forget a mini bus journey from Mukdahan to Ubon..

[luk AJ]

Everyone knows a farang that constantly has problems with thais.  The reason is that they have not learned how to deal with thais.  
 
If you go around acting like you do in the western world you are guaranteed to have problems. 
 
When I have a problems with thais for whatever reason I just say it's all my fault.  I am wrong.  I made a mistake.  I am the stupid farang.  You get the idea.  Does not matter if it is your fault or not.  That is not the point.  If you do things that help a thai save face you will make your life much easier in Thailand.  
 
The LAST thing you ever want to do is act/say/do things that makes thais feel like you think you are right and they are wrong.  That goes double/triple for farangs.  Thais dealing with thais can get away with it sometimes but that does not mean farangs can. 

The drivers is the one who should take the safety of his passengers as priority. If he gets nervous from a complaint, he surely should not transport passengers. And you are saying that in such a life threatning situation the passenger should find a friendly approach? Can’t believe you are serious..
The only difference, if it would have been me, is that I would get out at the first opportunity.
Once I was in a very similar situation and the driver told me “farang better go home country” and I told him if all drivers would be that rude and dangerous, I surely would.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[dinsdale]

130kph. Obviously didn't have his foot down. 120/130kph is about normal for these guys.

p.s. That Thai girl is hotttttttttttttttt.?

[gamini]

3 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Typical Thais. They agreed with the driver. 

did you actually read the post??

But that wasn’t all. Many of the Thai passengers also complained the driver was rude, bad mannered and had they had been overcharged 150 baht for the journey.

[AsiaHand]

3 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Being told you are doing your job poorly in front of others = Perfect example of loss of face.

 

Result = Anger

 

I am just surprised there was no violence.

You can't fix stupid.

[lapd]

10 minutes ago, luk AJ said:

The drivers is the one who should take the safety of his passengers as priority. If he gets nervous from a complaint, he surely should not transport passengers. And you are saying that in such a life threatning situation the passenger should find a friendly approach? Can’t believe you are serious..
The only difference, if it would have been me, is that I would get out at the first opportunity.
Once I was in a very similar situation and the driver told me “farang better go home country” and I told him if all drivers would be that rude and dangerous, I surely would.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

You surely would surely.  Everyone has a plan until they get kicked in the head.

[AsiaHand]

6 minutes ago, gamini said:

did you actually read the post??

But that wasn’t all. Many of the Thai passengers also complained the driver was rude, bad mannered and had they had been overcharged 150 baht for the journey.

But also the passengers did not complain to him to get him to slow down during the trip or refuse to pay the extra 150 baht..Gutless

[billd766]

3 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Typical Thais. They agreed with the driver. 

Did you miss this bit of the post?

 

"The confrontation ended when another passenger intervened and the driver continued on the journey.

But that wasn’t all. Many of the Thai passengers also complained the driver was rude, bad mannered and had they had been overcharged 150 baht for the journey."

[chiman]

This is exactly why I tell friends who are visiting to avoid local transport like this.  Spend a little extra for a driver/car service.  Every time I go on a road trip, 2 out of 5 van drivers are driving like they are on drugs... its terrible.  The road stats are clear.. but I guess thats understood and acceptable in this video

[billd766]

2 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Actually he said: You ok to a foreigner sounding guy and the foreigner sound guy said: I OK. The foreigner doesn't know that vans and their drivers kill. 

 

 

Were you in the minibus at the time to hear him say that?

[lapd]

9 minutes ago, chiman said:

This is exactly why I tell friends who are visiting to avoid local transport like this.  Spend a little extra for a driver/car service.  Every time I go on a road trip, 2 out of 5 van drivers are driving like they are on drugs... its terrible.  The road stats are clear.. but I guess thats understood and acceptable in this video

Yea, mini vans are a bad idea.  A bus is probably the safest road transport.  They are big and slow which are good things.   

 

I have had bad drivers/car services even when using some of the more reputable outfits like MrT.  So using a car service is no guarantee.  The guy could be running on Lipo driving 15 hours straight.  You just never know.  

[zoza]

About eight years ago I took a mini-van for a visa run, the driver drove like a mad man, when we eventually got back I had a word with the owner (farang) of the visa service, he did not seem surprised and just sort of shrugged.

That day I decided that I would not do another visa run, about a month later the owner spotted me in a bar and he came over and told me he had packed in the Visa runs as our driver had '' committed suicide'' and then laughed as he added '' and two Russians'' (I think I had said he was driving like he wanted to die)

I have now got a retirement Visa and have never got in a mini-van since.

While there is hardly any enforcement of the law on the roads nothing will change.

  

 

[1FinickyOne]

3 hours ago, jouec said:

For a country of people who don't like to lose face, it's almost a national past time.

I wonder if they really know what foreigners think of them?? 

Losing face is not just a Thai thing... it goes on everywhere - - and I wonder what you think foreigners think of "them." - - and when you are in your home country do you spend any time worrying about what foreigners think of you? 

[Xonax]

My Thai-wife always complaints about my way of driving, mainly because I use the horn and don´t let anyone cut in front of me, when there is no space.  But when we sit in a taxi or minivan and the drivers behaviour is reckless,  she always refuses to translate for me, and tell him to drive safely.