Right-of-way for cars and pedestrians in Thailand

Right-of-way for cars and pedestrians in Thailand - Drone Shot of a City Street 

Earlier this year I spent a few days in Thailand (Chiang Mai specifically, so my observations might not apply to the rest of the country).

Most intersections in the city are unmarked (no traffic lights, stop signs, or pedestrian crossing markers), yet everything seems to work okay.

From what I could tell, the intersections are treated like 4-way stops in other countries, except rather than one car crossing at a time, a batch of maybe a dozen cars will go through and then it will switch so the cross traffic can send a batch of cars through.

Similarly, cars will stop to allow pedestrians to cross the road whenever they want to.

However, there is no obvious method or moment when traffic should yield right-of-way. It just seems to happen magically when the stopped traffic suddenly starts driving across in front of the already moving traffic.

For pedestrians it's even worse (i.e. I was one of them). In order to cross a busy road, waiting for a break in traffic or waiting for a car to stop for you is useless; you could stand there for hours. If you make it very obvious that you want to cross, that you are about to step out into traffic, it still makes no difference; no one will stop.

The way to cross the road is simply to step out into traffic (perhaps closing your eyes first because it's too scary to watch). The cars in the first lane will stop, and when you step into the next lane, the cars there will stop, but again, not until you actually step in front of them.

In any other country that I've visited, attempting this method would at best result in loud horns blowing and more than a few people yelling at you, and at worst result in getting run over.

But this is the normal way of crossing the road there. Everyone just seems to step out into traffic, the traffic calmly stops, and then resumes once you have moved out of the way. Everyone is calm. The system works.


The question is, is there some subtle protocol going on that I didn't notice, or is peaceful but assertive anarchy really the way it works?

A secondary question is, what happens when people from Thailand visit other countries? Do they all get killed the first day trying to cross the road?






Pictures about "Right-of-way for cars and pedestrians in Thailand"

Right-of-way for cars and pedestrians in Thailand - People Crossing on Street
Right-of-way for cars and pedestrians in Thailand - Crowded Street With Cars Passing By
Right-of-way for cars and pedestrians in Thailand - Traffic Jam Scenery during Night Time



Who has right of way in Thailand?

Speaking of right of way, Thai Traffic Laws state that when 2 moving vehicles reach a junction spot head on, the car in the left lane is given the right of way. Unless there is a designation of a principle roadway mark, the vehicle on that mark has the right of way.

Do pedestrians have right of way over cars?

Rule 170 states that motorists should give way to pedestrians \u201cif they have started to cross.\u201d This states Rule 204 is because \u201cthe law recognizes that driving a car or motorbike always puts other people at risk and pedestrians are the most vulnerable of all road users.\u201d

Are cars in Thailand left or right hand drive?

Which side of the road do they drive on in Thailand? Thai drive on the left-hand side of the road, like the UK. So, the steering wheel's on the right too, which is good news if you're planning on hiring a car.

Which vehicle has the right of way why?

2) If two cars get to an intersection at the same time, the one to the right has right of way. So both of you reach the intersection simultaneously. If the other driver is crossing from the right side, you must give way.



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Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Guilherme Xac, Steven Arenas, suzukii xingfu, Aleksandar Pasaric