I love driving where there are rules on the road.
Driving has always been my thing. If the group was going somewhere, I always offered to drive. I love being in control. I love being behind the wheel. I also love to drive fast, much to my parents’ dismay.
In Thailand, as you all know, I drove a motorbike. And, I always drove. Cait and Koreana were regular passengers, and I loved it. There was the accident setback, but I still loved the act of driving. What I didn’t love was the driving conditions.
The driving age in Thailand is 18 and you must have a license. But, this is merely a suggestion. People will drive their cars and trucks to the DMV equivalent, take a road test, fail the road test, and get right back in their cars and drive away. Does anyone stop them? Nope. If someone without a license gets pulled over, he or she will often just have to pay off the officer on duty, and all is forgiven. It should now be pretty obvious as to why the driving conditions are not ideal. People never learn to drive. They just do it. Turn signals are used unnecessarily for the most mundane maneuvers and not used at other essential times. Lanes are crossed without looking. Merging is frightening. Speed limits... Hmmm... I don’t know if there are speed limits. Speed is whatever you feel like driving. Red lights are a suggestion to stop within the next five seconds, if you feel like it. Right of way doesn’t exist. You go when you want. And driving under the influence of alcohol is commonplace.
There are tons of accidents every single day, but far less than one would imagine, reading what I just wrote. Without any rules or any rule enforcement, there is no assuming while driving. Everyone is always prepared for something to happen. Maybe someone will turn in front of you, cut you off, merge without looking, stop unexpectedly, swing open a car door, drive on the wrong side of the road, you get the picture... But, driving in Thailand, you must be prepared for any of these things to happen, and be ready to act accordingly. My heart races every time I drive. It’s stressful.
I am so happy to be back in the States. With rules. My guard is not completely down, and I don’t think it ever should be, but I am far more relaxed. I can expect people to stop at a red light. I always look before going, but I don’t have to expect people to run the red light for ten seconds after it changes. I can pass a car with a bit of confidence, knowing that there is a good chance the car will stay in its own lane.
Driving in a car in the States is a breath of fresh air.
Scratch that.
Driving in a car in the States is a breath of filtered air coming through the dashboard and without a helmet. That’s nice.
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