Europe, Malaysia and Thailand all have very similar road traffic regulations and that’s where the similarity ends. Europe and Malaysia both enforce their traffic laws, hence drivers tend to obey them and they know that if they get caught breaking them the penalties can be high.

In Thailand it’s almost a case of doing what you want and blow everyone else. If a Thai wants to drive on the wrong side of the road; pull out of a junction without stopping; change lanes without looking or signaling; overtake you on the inside; drive the wrong way down a one-way street; overload their vehicle; ignore the speed limit; drive with no license or insurance; all that’s fine, because if they do get stopped by the police 50 Baht will make the problem go away.

If you do decide to drive, then a couple of pieces of advice:

1. Make sure what insurance cover is provided with the car and what your liabilities are in the event of an accident.
2. Make sure you have good travel insurance which covers hospital care and possible repatriation if necessary.
3. If you are involved in any form of accident, no matter how minor, because you are a foreigner, expect that it will always be your fault, regardless of what happened.
4. Don’t drive at night, the risks go up X10.

Hope you have a good trip.