Chinese Tourists Driving from China to Chiang Rai

 

CHIANG RAI – Customs House Authorities in Chiang Kong have reported that many tourist from China have been arriving by car and Chiang Rai police are working hard to handle the traffic issues.

Chiang Rai Provincial Police Chief Pol. Maj. Gen Weerawut Niamnoi, says there have been many reports of private cars from China entering Chiang Rai province via the Chiang Kong border point, during the Chinese New Year Festival.

The Police Chief has given an assurance that the police are responding to the arrivals by working to create an understanding among the Chinese visitors, about Chiang Rai’s “Traffic Regulations”.

Many Chinese tourists inbound to Chiang Rai were reported eager to visit the Golden Triangle and Mae Sai District.

China has about 85 million passenger cars plying its roads, about 40 per cent fewer than in the United States. Yet 67,759 people died in road accidents in China in 2014, according to official statistics -more than twice the number in the U.S. the same year.

“They are not good drivers,”  Michael Dunne, an independent Automotive analyst based in China said. Vehicle drivers are just reckless. Motorists who miss an exit often throw their cars into reverse and back up -even on the freeway.

Many refuse to stop or yield when making a right turn, forcing cars and people out of the way. Drivers routinely barrel down the wrong side of the street.

In December, 134 cars were involved in a four-mile pile-up on a foggy stretch of highway in Sichuan province. Weeks later, 14 schoolchildren in central Hunan province died when their three-wheel vehicle swerved off a road, while on the same day seven people died in a 100-car pile-up in southwest Guizhou province.

So expats in Chiang Rai are advised to take extra precautions when driving as it’s hazardous enough with Thai drivers, now you will have to navigate the roads with the Chinese too.