PATTAYA, Thailand – In Pattaya, the debate over cars versus motorbikes isn’t about comfort or status anymore — it’s about survival. Ask long-term visitors and expats how they get around, and you’ll hear wildly different strategies, all shaped by the same fear: traffic that feels more chaotic every year. Some still swear by scooters for short hops. Others refuse to touch two wheels at all. And an increasing number argue that even a battered, cheap car is safer than any motorbike on Pattaya’s roads.
The common thread is frustration.
Many riders admit they still use scooters — but only for very short distances. Anything longer, they say, means switching to a car. The reason is simple: the explosion of rental cars driven by tourists unfamiliar with Thai roads, local habits, or even basic traffic rules. What used to be manageable congestion has turned into constant unpredictability.
For some, the situation is already past the tipping point. They point to places like Phuket and island destinations, where narrow roads are now clogged with rental cars, confused drivers, sudden stops, and U-turns that feel more like guesswork than driving. Pattaya, they warn, is heading down the same path.
Others take the opposite stance. As traffic density increases, they argue, motorcycles are the only way to move at all. Scooters can slip through gridlock, avoid endless queues, and turn a 30-minute crawl into a five-minute ride. For experienced riders, the bike isn’t reckless — it’s practical.
But then there’s a third camp: those who want no part of either.
Some long-term visitors say they’ve spent decades in Thailand without ever driving a car or motorbike. They rely entirely on ride-hailing apps, taxis, or song taews. Not door-to-door convenience — just enough to avoid being behind the wheel themselves. For them, the risk isn’t worth it.
And finally, there’s the most cynical view of all — one you hear more often lately.
In a city where traffic laws are weakly enforced, helmets are optional in practice, and wrong-way driving is routine, some expats believe the best chance of staying alive is inside a four-wheeled metal box. They call cars “death traps,” but still prefer them to being exposed on a motorbike when something inevitably goes wrong.
This isn’t an argument against scooters or cars. It’s an indictment of a system where road safety feels optional, enforcement inconsistent, and responsibility diluted between locals, tourists, and authorities. Until that changes, Pattaya’s transport choices won’t be about efficiency or freedom — they’ll be about which risk people are willing to live with.
