Don't drive like the moron I saw!

[septimus]

I live in rural Thailand, where “to drive strangely” means to do something peculiar like looking in the rear-view mirror. It’s not unusual for a driver to use the passing lane, and force on-coming traffic off the road.

Rural drivers, many of whom are drunk but, even when sober drive slowly and down the middle of the road (straddling the dividing lane) because “that’s the safest place,” are completely different from Bangkok drivers, most of whom honed their skills via Grand Theft Auto and seem to assume they’ll be reincarnated after any crash. Previously I posted about an incident involving two Bangkok drivers from the 1990’s that I’ll never forget:

@septimus

There are two northbound lanes on the Asia Highway; I was traveling about 70 mph in the fast lane passing a truck doing about 60 mph. Glancing in the mirror I see two cars approaching rapidly, though it’s hard to judge exactly how rapidly. I consider slowing down, so that I can get behind the truck, put my tail between my legs, and move into the slow lane.

Before I have time to react, both cars are upon us. One takes the narrow left dirt shoulder, the other the narrow right shoulder; they pass the truck and myself simultaneously. Within a few seconds they’re out of sight in the distance ahead. They must have been going at least 120 mph (though perhaps they slowed down to 110 mph or so at the time they passed us in the shoulders).

(ETA: Yes “mph” not “kph”. We use “kph” in the Kingdom, but I’ve converted.)