Thai Driving Test for Ex-Pats
Once you submit an application for a Thai driving licence you are given an appointment to return to the test centre where you go through an eye test to show you are not colour blind and sit a multi-choice exam of 50 questions. Pass these two little tests and you are free to sit behind the wheel and drive off. The application form is all in Thai but the test centre staff will complete that on your behalf as part of the service.
There is a booklet you can ask for that gives a brief overview of the Thai traffic rules & regulations, and it is very brief! However, before you sit the test, you can get a 'crash course' of the rules before taking it, where you will be given all the answers to all the questions.
This service is not available at all driving centres though but I have only found one that does in the Udon Thani area. The Smart Drive centre is on the road that leads to Nong Sai from the Udon Thani ring road. Most of the staff speak very little English but the manager of the office does have a very good command of the language, and it is her that will help you through most of the process.
The application takes no more than 10 minutes and you give them 4000 baht to arrange everything else. Make sure you get a time and date to return for the actual test, which will normally be within 7 days of the application being made. |
|
Thai Driving Test for Thai's
When my wife decided to take her driving test I was astonished at how simple it was to pass and served as a warning to me at the same time as to why I would need to be on my guard at all times when driving.
Driving lessons are available in and around Udon Thani but as they cost money, many people do not bother with them and are more likely to learn with the help of a family member. That said, I do know of a number of people who have taken lessons and even some that have taken advanced lessons once they have passed the test.
The actual driving test takes no more than 5 minutes and is done on a purpose built road network off of the public highway. This means that the only traffic on the road that is being used for test purposes holds only one or two other drivers that are taking there test, and guess what - they keep their distance from each other.
There is one roundabout, a place to parallel park and reverse in to a parking slot as well as a few T Junctions, a humped-back bridge and a small zig-zag section of road (possibly the most challenging section)
She can drive okay but has little awareness of everything going on around her and of course lacks the anticipation required to 'guess' what other drivers intentions are. As a passenger when she drives I am anxious most of the time and will be until she has a good few months more experience.
What does not help is the lack of road markings in Udon Thani and the surrounding area. The major roads are fine but the inner city roads and those on other roads outside the city have a distinct lack of road markings, which means drivers tend to make up the rules for themselves as they drive along, often creating a potential hazard to other road users. Motorbike/moped riders are even worse!
In my next blog I will turn the focus on to the test for motorbikes, which is very similar and every bit as useless as an indication of someone's ability to drive a motorbike.