If you are coming from a country that drives on the right-hand side of the road, then you need to consider the following points for safe driving in Krabi, which like the rest of Thailand drives on the left-hand side of the road. This means the driver sits on the right side of the car. Thailand adopted driving on the left hand side apparently when the Japanese occupied the country during the Second World War. Or Thailand may have copied the British system when the first roads were built in Bangkok.
Don’t be too confident or too fast, because driving in Thailand can be full of surprises.
First points to consider
If you are at all uncertain about driving on an unfamiliar side of the road, then practice before you drive out on to a busy road from our rental depot. But one thing you won’t have to worry about is changing up and down gears while you are driving, as Krabi Car Rentals are all automatic. While there are gears, which you’ll see on your left hand side, these are changed when you are stationary: you use them when changing between parking (P), reverse (R) and drive (D). When you first drive out, make sure that the side of the car furthest from you on the left is a sufficient distance from the curb, or from parked cars. You don’t want to scratch your car, other cars or wing mirrors. If you have a passenger in the next seat, ask them to help you judge the distances.
Out on the road
Once you have gained some confidence you can drive out on to a road. But don’t be too confident or too fast, because driving in Thailand can be full of surprises. Cars overtaking you should be coming on the right, not from the left (although some cars and motorbikes do!). So before turning left or right, check both sides to see if anything is coming. Also check your blind spot by looking behind you over your right shoulder. At junctions, look both ways before coming out on the road. When you turn into a road on the left, you need to give way to cars coming along on the opposite side of the road. There aren’t many roundabouts in Krabi Province, but in Phuket there are more. Here, the vehicles go round clockwise and you generally need to give way to someone coming from your right. Lastly, always remember every morning when you leave your hotel in Ao Nang, Krabi Town, Tubkaek or Klong Muang for example, that you will be driving on the left hand side of the road! It’s easy to forget first thing in the day or when you are enjoying the sights along the way.
