Stopped For Speeding

[grtaylor]

I was coming back from Pattaya today, on the Bangna-Trad elevated road, and came through the 85baht gate, and down onto the inner ring road at the 10baht gate. As I came through this one I was pulled over by one of the BiB, who told me I had been speeding on the expressway at "Bangplee, Samut Prakarn". Do they have speed cameras there? He told me the speed limit was 80Km/h, but I don't think he said how fast I was supposed to have been going which I thought a bit strange. I may have misheard, however.

Anyway, I was as polite as I could be, apologising profusely, saying I was late for a meeting (true!) and, although initially he was going to give me a ticket and take my license, he let me go without even a bribe.

My initial question stands, do they have speed cameras, and pull people over by number plate for speeding - or was he just making it up!

Cheers,

G

Edited February 25, 2007 by grtaylor

[LaReina]

I was given a ticket for not driving on the left hand lane of highway 2 while I was driving on the LEFT HAND LANE on highway 2. I was told, that I would be given a special deal.

I paid and went on my way.

[bkkmick]

I don't know if they have speed camera's on that stretch of highway, but, it would be quite an easy calculation to see what speed you were doing between point A to point B.

For example, when you pick up your ticket entering the elevated section either your ticket is timestamped (logical) or they radio through "farang at 13:21pm" then when you exit and hand in your ticket the timestamps are compared and your speed calculated or they see you and look at their watch and think "hmmm, that farang at 13:57pm exiting, he's been driving at x/kph (can't be arsed to do the actual calculation myself).

The point is that you are or can be monitored entering and exiting so calc'ing your speed is easy.

[markuk]

not sure if they have them on that stretch but the Thai police do have them and regularly use them out past the old airport.

[taxexile]

they usually hide behind trees , or sit behind their little booths and use radar guns then radio ahead to the chokepoint with number plate details.

i would have thought that , even with the added bonus of easy readies for their efforts , doing lengthy calculations involving long division and minutes and kms and converting it into kph would be too much like hard work for plod .

[thaihome]

Not cameras, but radar is becoming more common.

TH

[astral]

Cameras. NO.

Radar has been around in LOS for 20 years.

[balnacoil]

I was stopped for speeding in January (1st!) just outside of Phuket island on a straight section of duel carrage way. I was done at 125kmh by a radar and stopped about 1 to 2km further on. I was fined 200 bhat, which all things concidered was ok. There were several others that had been caught speeding and we were all fined on the spot.

I'm sure that just after New Year and spending so much of their hard earned money had nothing to do with the fines!

[richard10365]

I think Thailand is trying to be the hub of speed traps in Southeast Asia in 2007. From what I can see, they are setting up speed traps all over Thailand.

[Tony Clifton]

Speeding could easily have been regulated by using a card system that would have fined you as you exit at the tool both if you drove over the limit by determining where/when you entered and exited. That system has been used elsewhere for years but enforcing traffic laws here is mainly done only to increase salaries.

[taxexile]

but enforcing traffic laws here is mainly done only to increase salaries.

no different to the uk.

only for "salary" , substitute "revenue".

[chiang mai]

I got pulled out of the queue at a check point just south of Lamphun on Friday afternoon, along with every fifth or sixth motorist - my reg number scribbled on a piece of paper along with the magic number of 134 next to it. "You go too fast he said, 134 is very fast, 400 baht". A little make shift office set up next to the road and the three of them have a production line set up. writing tickets and receipts. They were very polite, friendly and courteous and I thought 400 baht for 44 over the limit was very good value so I paid and thanked them and I was on my way. I was driving way too fast.

[Scott]

I usually try to adhere to the speed limit. I drive a pickup so it's a little easier, since it feels like I am going faster than in a car. That said, if I am going 85 or 90, I am getting honked at and damned near run over on the expressway and I am not in the outside lane slowing anyone down!

It's actually quite scary (and lonely) to drive the speedlimit here!

[kmart]

I usually try to adhere to the speed limit. I drive a pickup so it's a little easier, since it feels like I am going faster than in a car. That said, if I am going 85 or 90, I am getting honked at and damned near run over on the expressway and I am not in the outside lane slowing anyone down!

It's actually quite scary (and lonely) to drive the speedlimit here!

The actual rules and highway code ( ) of LOS are almost directly based on the UK's model.

If you adhere to them however, you will be wrong; and will probably be in quite a few accidents.

The cops are under pressure to reduce the amazingly high road accident stats here, and speed traps / random stops have increased a lot recently.

[skippybangkok]

I was coming back from Pattaya today, on the Bangna-Trad elevated road, and came through the 85baht gate, and down onto the inner ring road at the 10baht gate. As I came through this one I was pulled over by one of the BiB, who told me I had been speeding on the expressway at "Bangplee, Samut Prakarn". Do they have speed cameras there? He told me the speed limit was 80Km/h, but I don't think he said how fast I was supposed to have been going which I thought a bit strange. I may have misheard, however.

Anyway, I was as polite as I could be, apologising profusely, saying I was late for a meeting (true!) and, although initially he was going to give me a ticket and take my license, he let me go without even a bribe.

My initial question stands, do they have speed cameras, and pull people over by number plate for speeding - or was he just making it up!

Cheers,

G

Most likely a bluff. Tried it once on me on the long road to pattaya (not the motorway) . Had some people flash their lights at me, and I made sure i knew which speed i was going, and sure enough, they stopped me. Told me I was speeding, and I told him I was not, asked how fast was I going - i saw the suprise on his face to which he answered nervoulsy "ahhah 120" - told him "nope". The he came up with come cockamamy <deleted> about overtaking. Told him if he wants to write, then write but dont waste my time ( you know, they will sit there for 10 mins - " i going to write a ticket", " i going to write a ticket", " i going to write a ticket", " i going to write a ticket" in the hope you beg them not to and pay them tea money.

At the end, he told me to go complaining about foreigners in his country.

[backflip]

"Speeding could easily have been regulated by using a card system that would have fined you as you exit at the tool both if you drove over the limit by determining where/when you entered and exited. "

That system was used by the Illinois Tollway, 50 years ago. As you approached the tollbooth, dozens of cars were on the shoulder, waiting for time to pass. The advent of radar and automated tollbooths changed the system.

[skippybangkok]

"Speeding could easily have been regulated by using a card system that would have fined you as you exit at the tool both if you drove over the limit by determining where/when you entered and exited. "

That system was used by the Illinois Tollway, 50 years ago. As you approached the tollbooth, dozens of cars were on the shoulder, waiting for time to pass. The advent of radar and automated tollbooths changed the system.

We farang think were are so smart, but often the locals are one step ahead. Such hi-tech systems were not wanted by the contract writer on the motorway as far as i heard, cause certain people could not fudge the traffic data. Remember the motor way about a year back where they had military watching the booths.... that scam went on for years as far as i know. For every 30 baht you dont have a receipt for, thats black money which goes into the pocket of someone.

Edited February 26, 2007 by skippybangkok

[Tony Clifton]

G

Most likely a bluff. Tried it once on me on the long road to pattaya (not the motorway) . Had some people flash their lights at me, and I made sure i knew which speed i was going, and sure enough, they stopped me. Told me I was speeding, and I told him I was not, asked how fast was I going - i saw the suprise on his face to which he answered nervoulsy "ahhah 120" - told him "nope". The he came up with come cockamamy <deleted> about overtaking. Told him if he wants to write, then write but dont waste my time ( you know, they will sit there for 10 mins - " i going to write a ticket", " i going to write a ticket", " i going to write a ticket", " i going to write a ticket" in the hope you beg them not to and pay them tea money.

At the end, he told me to go complaining about foreigners in his country.

My favorite technique Works every time, the more you stall, the more of their tea money collecting time you waste while the other easy paying customers are driving by.

Useless pr!cks.

Edited February 26, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[skippybangkok]

<deleted>, u know that trick too....i use that alot, or even better, if they speak english, just say " uh" after every word they speak. really destroys their confidence in thier english. I had the mother of all nasty cops on the motorway once, he got really riled up that i could not unerstand him, even though he spoke goo english