Chinese tourists drive off the hillside after renting car at the airport

[webfact]

Chinese tourists drive off the hillside after renting car at the airport

 

Picture: Thairath

 

CHIANG MAI: -- Shortly after renting a car from Chiang Mai airport a group of Chinese tourists ended up driving off a hillside.

 

One man was trapped in the Nissan car in the Mae Orn area of the northern province while three others were injured. The trapped man was seriously injured and taken to Bangkok Hospital in the city, reports Thairath.

 

Mae Orn police said that the driver seemed to have been unfamiliar with the winding road and had lost control and ended up overturned 15 metres off the roadway in the hilly area of Mae Kam Pong. The others were treated in Mae Orn.

 

Police were waiting for the victims to recover sufficiently and had sent for an interpreter to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.

 

Source: Thairath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-12-30

[Thaiwrath]

6 minutes ago, webfact said:

had lost control and ended up overturned 15 metres off the roadway

 

Different scenario when non Thais are involved.

 

[captspectre]

what is a chinese tourist doing renting a car in thailand? what if any kind of license is required to rent a car? 

[Colabamumbai]

1 minute ago, captspectre said:

what is a chinese tourist doing renting a car in thailand? what if any kind of license is required to rent a car? 

 

Many tourists rent cars in Thailand. Money is the best kind of license, but a valid drivers license could help.

[Pdaz]

The mainland Chinese are just as inept behind the wheel as the locals here. Partly for the same reasons. Poor training, poor safety awareness and only recently ( in comparitive terms to the West ) able to afford and drive a car. When you have only ever ridden a bicycle ( or a buffalo ) then suddenly are able to drive a car at 40 yrs old accidents are bound to happen. Most Westerners gain a licence at 16 and start the learning curve early. 

[futsukayoi]

8 minutes ago, captspectre said:

what is a chinese tourist doing renting a car in thailand? what if any kind of license is required to rent a car? 

 

Not sure what your point is.  I havn't been asked for a license when renting a car so I am sure some people rent without. However, most Chinese I know have a car license and the requirements for getting one are definitely stricter than in Thailand.

[jacko45k]

52 minutes ago, captspectre said:

what is a chinese tourist doing renting a car in thailand? what if any kind of license is required to rent a car? 

A drivers licence surprisingly. Police may wish to see an IDP, but rental agencies are less stringent.

 

[maoro2013]

1 hour ago, captspectre said:

what is a chinese tourist doing renting a car in thailand? what if any kind of license is required to rent a car? 

My understanding is that a foreign licence is OK for up to three months. After that an International or local licence is required.

 

Anyway the driver was not driving to the condition of the road nor him/her self.

[FolkGuitar]

1 hour ago, captspectre said:

what is a chinese tourist doing renting a car in thailand? what if any kind of license is required to rent a car? 

 

Oddly enough, tourists of ALL nationalities often rent cars when on vacation.

Do you suppose the Chinese are any different? All that is necessary when 'renting' a car is an ordinary valid driver's license from any country. 'Driving' one may require other documents.

 

[Sparkles]

I guess any winding road for any of us would be unfamiliar in a foreign country wouldnt it ? ...classic reporting.

On a tourist visa your own countries driving licence is acceptable.Once you move onto a semi  permanent visa you are expected to get a Thai licence.

I have no problem with that.

My Thai driving licence is acceptable to rental companies when we go back to Australia for a holiday

[ChakaKhan]

And WHO's gonna pay for that....id like to be a fly on the wall of the rental shop....

[khunano]

21 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

Oddly enough, tourists of ALL nationalities often rent cars when on vacation.

Do you suppose the Chinese are any different? All that is necessary when 'renting' a car is an ordinary valid driver's license from any country. 'Driving' one may require other documents.

 

Exactly; reason for renting a car being one is more flexible in his/her travel routes and avoids being ripped off by the local taxi guild.

[Beats56]

What side of the road do they drive on in China? 

[hkt83100]

17 minutes ago, Beats56 said:

What side of the road do they drive on in China? 

The right one. 

[Emster23]

1 hour ago, Beats56 said:

What side of the road do they drive on in China? 

 Report sounds like neither side of the road in this case. Ah, but did he crash off the right side or the left side?

[Suradit69]

1 hour ago, khunano said:

avoids being ripped off by the local taxi guild.

 

Something tells me that in this case being ripped off by taxi drivers might have been less expensive and less painful.

[sandgroper2]

So much misinformation again. A foreign lic is of no use here and a international drivers lic is only valid in Thailand for 3 months. Leave, come back, another 3 months etc. why do people post without knowing what they are talking about.

[masuk]

2 hours ago, Beats56 said:

What side of the road do they drive on in China? 

Must be multiple choice, judging by the Chinese cyclists heading down a busy road in Chiang Mai, on the RIGHT side of the road.

[louse1953]

1 minute ago, Beats56 said:

What side of the road do they drive on in China? 

Same as Thailand,where they want to.

[louse1953]

Just now, sandgroper2 said:

So much misinformation again. A foreign lic is of no use here and a international drivers lic is only valid in Thailand for 3 months. Leave, come back, another 3 months etc. why do people post without knowing what they are talking about.

Mmm,of course a foreign licence is of use,in conjunction with IDP.,for 3 months,as you said.IDP does not stand alone.

[rbmcn]

2 hours ago, hkt83100 said:

The right one. 

They drive the "other" of the road, as in Canada and America.  Steering wheel is on the left side, where it should be.

[Briggsy]

I have driven around that area and the road is particularly steep (maybe a gradient of over 25% in places) and narrow.

 

I don't know what happened here for this group to drive off the road but this is not the place for an inexperienced or reckless driver.

[user82374298374]

In China, one is supposed to drive on the right side of the road.

[The Deerhunter]

2 hours ago, hkt83100 said:

The right one. 

In the view of some Chinese tourists in my country, they seem to think any side is OK, especially unsealed roads that do not have centrelines, ( or centerlines, for the new English users from the American colonies and other LHD drivers) to help them.

[elgordo38]

Progress came to fast to a lot of countries. Common sense is still playing catch up. 

[geriatrickid]

4 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

Oddly enough, tourists of ALL nationalities often rent cars when on vacation.

Do you suppose the Chinese are any different? All that is necessary when 'renting' a car is an ordinary valid driver's license from any country. 'Driving' one may require other documents.

 

correct.

4 hours ago, Sparkles said:

I guess any winding road for any of us would be unfamiliar in a foreign country wouldnt it ? ...classic reporting.

On a tourist visa your own countries driving licence is acceptable.Once you move onto a semi  permanent visa you are expected to get a Thai licence.

I have no problem with that.

My Thai driving licence is acceptable to rental companies when we go back to Australia for a holiday

Read your rental contract. The language  requires that yo be legally allowed to drive iin the country. The forum is filled with multiple stories of the  police and courts saying an International Drivers license is required in Thailand. Yes, one can rent the vehicle, but that doesn't absolve one of the legal liability for bodily injury or property  damage arising from an event.

[TheFishman1]

Don't they drive on the other side of road there TIT

[Sooo Upto Me]

5 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

Oddly enough, tourists of ALL nationalities often rent cars when on vacation.

Do you suppose the Chinese are any different? All that is necessary when 'renting' a car is an ordinary valid driver's license from any country. 'Driving' one may require other documents.

 

 

A lot of the time they dont even bother asking for drivers license, only copy of passport for Id purposes.

 

[Briggsy]

I wonder if this was

A) a reputable firm - insurance included and with an extra payment (CDI/CDW/SDW?) you can have all damage covered.

a less reputable local outfit - we keep your passport until you pay for all damage.

 

If A) will it have an effect on the availability of rental cars for Chinese tourists.

If I envisage once again the Chinese consul steaming in demanding the return of the passports for a much reduced compensation payment. The 4 Chinese will quickly leave the country (on crutches!) and the rental company will have to figure out a way to pass on the loss to somebody else perhaps by means of a fictitious future accident after insurance has been obtained.

[Suradit69]

4 hours ago, sandgroper2 said:

why do people post without knowing what they are talking about.

 

If that requirement were enforced, the daily posts on TV would be slashed to 20% of their current volume.