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If you are planning to relocate to Bangkok and manage your online business from a tropical paradise, this might include buying a cool car and taking it out for a spin on Thai roads. Indeed, one look at the traffic in Bangkok and many westerners suddenly see the benefits of taxis, yet for the strong of heart, driving in this sprawling city is quite an experience.
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Rural Driving
If you are planning to drive outside of Bangkok, then be prepared for everything – cattle, buffalo, packs of dogs, and a football team on a single motorcycle. There are also farming tractors and overloaded pick-ups to negotiate. If you have the best car insurance in Thailand, you can drive with confidence, knowing that you are covered for any eventuality. The roads in the rural areas are a delight, although you must always be prepared for anything that might come your way and always observe the speed limits. When driving in rural areas at night, don’t be surprised to encounter motorcycles with no lights, which defies belief! Farm animals are another consideration, farmers often allow their cows and buffalo to graze near a main road and accidents can and do happen.
How Does Thai Car Insurance Work?
There are two main categories of car insurance – Por Or Bor, which is combined with your car’s road tax and this covers personal injury, then there is the private vehicle insurance that is highly recommended. Class 2 car insurance, or ประกันภัยชั้น 2 as it is known in Thai, is the most popular form of car insurance and you are advised to seek out an online broker who can provide you with instant cover over the Internet.
Uninsured Drivers
You would be shocked if you knew how many cars and trucks are being driven by people with no licence, especially in the rural areas and, of course, that also means no insurance. Imagine being hit by an old lady on her food vendor motorcycle; if you insist on her paying for the damage, this might see her jailed. Most foreigners will claim on their own insurance, rather than put a local into a difficult situation. In the event your car was wrecked by a Thai driver with no insurance, you have next to no chance of being compensated unless you have class 1 insurance. This blog post gives further tips on what to do if you’re hit by an uninsured driver.
Police Checkpoints
These are all over the country and the Royal Thai Police are very active with traffic supervision and management, so do keep all your documents handy and all will be fine. Most Thai cops cannot speak English very well and they tend to wave foreigners through to avoid having to talk in English, but they are always polite and if you are helpful, there will not be any issues.
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It is essential to make sure that your driving licence is valid, and the car has road tax and private insurance. By sticking to the rules, you should have an enjoyable driving experience in Thailand. You can easily arrange class 2 car insurance with an online broker, then you are covered and ready to go.
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