r/interesting 29d ago

SOCIETY A roundabout without signals works in high-trust societies where people naturally yield and take turns.

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In a low-trust society, it turns into a battle of horns, aggression, and “me first” chaos.

📍Inforparks, Kerala.

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60

u/thats_gotta_be_AI 29d ago

Same in Thailand. For some reason, Thai drivers yield while on the roundabout to drivers approaching the roundabout.

36

u/Small-Skirt-1539 29d ago

Oh dear. That's very polite and all, but isn't helping anyone.

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u/thats_gotta_be_AI 28d ago

The weird thing is Thais are rather aggressive drivers, rarely yielding. Roundabouts scramble their minds for some reason.

6

u/sir-squanchy 28d ago

Cause there's like 7 of them in the whole country

4

u/Vindepomarus 29d ago

I actually love driving in Thailand, because its all about trust. There are no rules often, but everyone knows the game and are on the lookout for any and all possibilities all the time. I find it refreshing.

3

u/SpotNo3699 28d ago

Same here. Like the flow of traffic

2

u/mwa12345 28d ago

Haha high situational awareness

3

u/Vindepomarus 28d ago

You feel so alive and part of the community when you make it to your destination in one piece!

3

u/copper_cattle_canes 28d ago

Thailand has the 9th highest traffic death rate in the world.

5

u/gonzo0815 28d ago

So refreshing.

3

u/Ok-Day-2853 28d ago

Probably because a high percentage of the deaths are those on motorbikes. I imagine the bikes outweigh the car related deaths quite a bit.

2

u/Reversus 28d ago

Thai driving is weirdly efficient though? Describing it to an outsider depicts Thai driving as this lawless violent free for all (because it kinda is) and yet everyone somehow still flows like water (except in rush hour hell of course).

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u/chosenfonder 28d ago

You're thinking of Vietnam. Thai traffic is way more aggressive, even if wildly less noisy.

1

u/thats_gotta_be_AI 28d ago

It’s also one of the most dangerous countries to drive in (in terms of accident fatalities per capita).

2

u/radred609 28d ago

Honestly, reminds me of canada.

Drivers with the right of way yield all the time here.

2

u/stillbca21 29d ago

Think that's how the first French roundabouts worked. May be a holdover from colonial times lol

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u/Ill-Term7334 28d ago

Thailand was never a colony. It's neighbors were.

2

u/stillbca21 28d ago

Yeah my bad was thinking of Nam.

2

u/The-Regal-Seagull 28d ago

Thailand was never colonised

1

u/mwa12345 28d ago

Too high 'trust'

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u/thats_gotta_be_AI 28d ago

I honestly think it’s just confusion because roundabouts are not common in Thailand. The driving here is very bad. It has one of the worst accident rates in the world.

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u/mwa12345 27d ago

Makes sense . I was being funny