Driving in Thailand

Driving is one of the ways to explore Thailand, especially in cities or towns where public transport is non-existent or rare, and even in areas where it is only accessible by car.

Understand

While tuk-tuks, buses, trains and motorcycle taxis are available in many cities in Thailand, the country has a strong car culture as well. However, traffic jams may occur in large cities including the capital city of Bangkok, so it is advised that you take public transport in these cities. However, in small cities and rural areas of Thailand, public transport may be infrequent or non-existent resulting in car dependency; thus a car is preferred to get around outside of Bangkok and other large cities.

Thailand's roads are head and shoulders above those of its neighbors Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia, and they have seen major improvements since the late 2010s. However, driving habits are still quite dangerous. Drunk driving, speeding and reckless passing are common, and bus and taxi drivers (especially for private companies) work inhuman shifts and often take drugs to keep themselves awake, with predictable and tragic results. As of 2024, roadblocks and strict policing are being implemented quite often in an attempt to address the situation, but it may still take same time for the results to start bearing fruit. There are an estimated 24,000 fatalities on Thai roads annually. It's common for motorbikes — even police! — to drive close to the curb on the wrong side of the road. Death tolls skyrocket around major holidays, especially Songkran, when bystanders often throw water on passing cars and bikes. Many drivers forget to switch on headlights at night, multiplying risks, and it is wise to avoid or minimize overnight travel by road.

Talk

Thai is the main language used for communication when driving in Thailand. It is useful that you need to learn Thai, as there may be limited English skills outside of heavily touristed areas, and other Western European languages are generally not widely spoken at all. In Chinese communities, various Chinese languages like Mandarin are spoken, and you may find one that speaks Mandarin, in Chinese communities all across Thailand.

Road network

Thailand is widely described as having a good and most extensive road network in all of Southeast Asia with more than 390,026 kilometres (242,351 miles) of which 384,176 kilometres (238,716 miles) or 98.5 per cent are paved roads. The four main government-owned highway types are special highways, national highways, rural highways, local highways. The classification system is similar to those used in the United Kingdom, but unlike the United Kingdom, there are no prefix letters.

Special highways (ทางหลวงพิเศษ), also known as motorways, are high capacity highway designed for high-speed traffic. This is Thailand's equivalent of the M road.
National highways (ทางหลวงแผ่นดิน) are primary highways that connect major regions, provinces, districts and other important destinations. This is Thailand's equivalent of the A road.
Rural highways (ทางหลวงชนบท), also known as rural roads, are highways that serve as alternatives to national highways. This is Thailand's equivalent of the B road.
Local highways (ทางหลวงท้องถิ่น), also known as local roads, are highways that link smaller settlements.

There are also concession highways (ทางหลวงสัมปทาน), which are state highways that are owned by a private sector.

One of the most important motorways in Thailand is Motorway 7, which is the Bangkok−Ban Chang Motorway (ทางหลวงพิเศษกรุงเทพมหานคร−บ้านฉาง), and connects Thailand's three most important cities: Bangkok, Chonburi and Pattaya.

Route numbers consist of between one and four digits. The first digit is the highway's serviced region of Thailand.

1 for Northern Thailand
2 for Isaan or Northeastern Thailand
3 for Central and Eastern Thailand
4 for Southern Thailand

The four important highway routes in Thailand you need to know are:

Highway 1, Phahonyothin Road (ถนนพหลโยธิน): Bangkok – Chiang Rai
Highway 2, Mittraphap Road (ถนนมิตรภาพ): Saraburi – Nong Khai
Highway 3, Sukhumvit Road (ถนนสุขุมวิท): Bangkok – Trat
Highway 4, Phet Kasem Road (ถนนเพชรเกษม): Bangkok – Sadao via Hat Yai

Keep in mind that Highway 2 does not reach Bangkok. If you try to take Highway 2 to Bangkok, you are going nowhere!

Road signs

Thai road and traffic signs in general follow international conventions, in a mixture of the US MUTCD and UN Vienna convention standards. For visitors from the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe, be aware that Thai road signage is closer to the one found in Latin America (such as the ones found in Brazil) than the one found in the U.S. or Europe. The Latin American signage colour system is typically followed in Thailand, and the distances shown are similar to the ones used in metric countries. The parking, no-entry and mandatory road signs are only a difference from the Latin American countries, the latter using a blue circle as in Europe, since 2004. Road signage is typically in Thai only, except in direction signs and in heavily-touristed areas, where English is shown in addition to Thai.

Stop
Give way (Yield)
The no entry is a white rectangle on a red background as in Europe.
Yellow diamonds are used for many warning signs, as in the U.S.
This no-overtaking zone sign is influenced by the U.S. but is pointing to the left. You cannot overtake when this sign is present.

Units

Thailand uses metric units, and all distances on direction signs are posted in either metres or kilometres.

Licensing

Most foreigners can drive in Thailand under their home country license with or without an International Driving Permit (IDP), but it is generally recommended to convert their home country license if staying beyond 90 days (unless if they come from cross-border areas). The minimum driving age in Thailand is 18 years for cars and 15 for motorcycles. The Thai driving licence is also valid indefinitely in ASEAN countries as well.

Road rules

Keep left

Although Thailand was never part of the British Empire, the history of driving on the left side of the road is closely related to Thailand's southern neighbour, Malaysia. Thus, the country drives on the left side like the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan. If you are used to driving on the right side, be sure to concentrate you do not accidentally veer to the wrong side.

Speed limits

The speed limit for motorways in Thailand is 120 km/h (75 mph), although as of 30 July 2022, new speed limits will be applied throughout Thailand, where regular cars will be subjected to the speed limit of 110 km/h (68 mph) on ground-level expressways. In built-up areas, the speed limit is 60 km/h (37 mph) and outside of built-up areas it is 80 km/h (50 mph). Speed limits are posted in kilometres per hour.

60 km/h (37 mph) for built-up areas
80 km/h (50 mph) for built-up areas
110 km/h (68 mph) on ground-level expressways
120 km/h (75 mph) on selected highways (the highest speed limit in Thailand)

Traffic lights

Only in some intersections of Thailand turns on red are illegal. In other intersections, turns on red are allowed.

Stay safe

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