What does a free left turn mean for traffic rules in Thailand?

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To drive a car in Thailand, you need to know about traffic rules and signs well to drive safely for yourself and others. There are plenty of turning signs to indicate how to drive in Thailand but one of the most confusing one is the turning left signs with explanation in Thai below “เลี้ยวซ้ายผ่านตลอด” In this article, we will learn more about this free left turn sign, other type of turning signs and also related traffic rules.

What does “เลี้ยวซ้ายผ่านตลอด” or free left turn mean exactly?

People heard “free left turn” and were familiar with it while it is actually not always the case. When you are at the intersection and want to turn left, you need to notice first if they have a free left turn sign or not.

If there is one there, you can turn left when you are at the most left lane but if there is no free left turn sign, you have to turn left when the traffic light is green only! If you do not follow this rule, it can cause unexpected accidents and also you may need to pay a fine from 200 – 500 baht as well.

One more point you should be concerned about is that as you cannot know if you can always turn left or not, you should not urge any cars in front to turn left immediately as so many people understand about this traffic rule. Even if there is a sign free left turn, you should still look on the road, especially cars on the right side before doing it to make sure you are really free to go.

Other traffic rules in Thailand about turning your car that you should know

  • If a driver wants to turn, the driver needs to slow down the car not less than 30 metres before turning.
  • If a driver wants to turn left or right, the driver needs to change to the left or right lane before turning not less than 30 metres.
  • If you need to use your own hands to tell the direction you will go, you should use your right hand only.

Apart from traffic rules in Thailand that you should understand, you should also have good car insurance in Thailand as well to avoid any unexpected cost from accidents that can happen anytime. To get the best deal of car insurance in Thailand for yourself, try Rabbit Care Car Insurance, a platform that gathers all deals of car insurance in Thailand from well known car insurance companies in Thailand at one place. This way you can just fill in information and look at only deals of car insurance in Thailand that suit your needs for consideration which save both of your time and energy!