Traffic fines etc

Ive been living here about 5 years and visited about 15 years. I’ve driven here most of that time in BKK and everywhere. Like most forangs the police target us as easy prey for tea money ( lovely word its really whisky money). I used to find it amusing since 200 baht usually did the trick but when the wonderful boys in blue started getting greedy and wanting 500 or even 1000 I just started collecting tickets and then went down to the police station to pay fine. Ive been stopped for going to slow in wrong fast lane doing over 120 km ph, NOT going through a red light “but officer it was red yes but writing on left said you can go through red light if in left lane” – wonderful thai logic – not doing a u turn when sign clearly said no u turns (only if day has a f in it I think the officer said) and recently going to fast ( that’s a new one here).

Ok all fun except they take your licence and you have to go down local cop shop pay fine etc to get it back. No problemo if you happen to be driving near where you live. But if your for example going from BKK to Chiang Mai and your stopped ½ way your not likely to be near the local police station for some time.

So recently I was stopped by the gang at end of toll way for supposedly going to fast – I did not even know they has a speed limit – showed lovely mr plod my Thai driving licence – he took it said I was doing 112 kph I said 100 he said he could take my licence for 15 days – ok solved it in normal tea fashion way but a bit peeved because I prefer to pay fine

So my questions are :-

What are speed limits on toll way other orads etc.

Whats fine for speeding is it 2000 baht like mr Plod said or just 300-400 like most other offences

How long can they take your licence away for

what are fines/penelty for other minor moter offences

Etc etc

Just good to know but ill probably still just pay tea money

The speed limit is 80kmh unless signed different from i have been told.

the rest i would like to know too

Wasn't that all covered in your test for your Thai license?

I got the speeding fine on Rama 2 while a while back. Was doing 150km, he told me i was doing 143. Fair enough i thought, he obviously wasnt guessing.

The fine, with official reciept was 400 THB. I also got bagful of free stickers and brochures with the arrive alive theme.

If you got a license the same way as i did, then you show your OS lic and do an eye test hand over 150 or so baht and your done, no need to do a test written or driving

lol ... smart! Buy it ... don't bother learning the rules of the road !

well .... whatever rules there really are!

lol ... smart! Buy it ... don't bother learning the rules of the road !

well .... whatever rules there really are!

Its not really buying it "tea money wise" just if you have a OS license you are exmept from the written and driving tests, or maybe its too hard for them to get you thru it when you go by yourself with no thai to translate

Wasn't that all covered in your test for your Thai license?

have u done a thai test ??? at least where i did mine it was a joke - er can u see - yes - drive round here - ok - ok youve passed next please no fee (apart from standard licence fee

) - no tea money wow i was impressed licence in about 1 house - maybe test centre i went to was having a be nice day

lol ... smart! Buy it ... don't bother learning the rules of the road !

u misunderstand kuun mie cowjie - i have a thai licence had a 1 yr one now 5 years read origional post er properly

well .... whatever rules there really are!

Well little things like stopping in the left lane of a T Intersection when posted for no stop on red .... will screw your whole day up!

Granted outside of BKK like tends to be much smoother with traffic! You can drive almost anywhere. However I didn't start driving a car in Thailand until I could read and speak Thai well enough. (The motorcycle however .....)

I still won't drive in BKK

Like roads in the US, people often drive well above the speed limits and have little if any trouble with the cops. Cops here tend to be not as strict compared to where I come from and they'll often just sit in their little air conditioned police boxes and watch the world go by. Most of the major roads have English on their signs, so you don't need to master the Thai language. Here's a tip; even if you can speak Thai, pretend you cannot if a cop pulls you over. They will often wave you on after discovering the language barrier. I once had a cop pull me over because my license plate had fallen off (shows you how old my car is) and I pretended not to speak any Thai. The cop was polite and had his boss (who could speak English) come talk to me. The boss let me off easy and just told me to get the plate taken care of, then handed my license back.

As far as the test is concerned, I simply had to look at a color blind chart. My driver's license from the States plus the 105 baht fee was good enough. No driving or written test required.

The speed limit is 80kmh unless signed different from i have been told.

the rest i would like to know too

90km/h unless it's changed since I took my test, and 60km/h in city limits unless posted otherwise. 120km/h on the Bangkok-Chonburi motorway (posted speed).

Edited August 12, 200620 yr by tywais

RULES OF THE ROAD IN THAILAND (tongue in cheek only)

In order to successfully drive a motor vehicle in Thailand you must understand the transportation gestalt in an entirely different way. Definitions which you once thought were above definition will be immediately re-defined.

Please note the following:

THE ROAD

The road includes not only the paved portion of the highway, but also what we might call the verge, the curb, the sidewalk, the front yard, the roadside footstalls and the Wat. The paved portion of the roadway is generally one lane wide. Not one lane wide in each direction – just one lane.

ROAD MARKINGS

These colorful white and yellow lines mark the center of the lanes and are especially useful on dark and rainy nights.

PASSING OR OVERTAKING

Passing or overtaking is the national pastime in Thailand. Observant motorists among you may have encountered the following:

1. The Vertical Triple Maneuver

The act of passing three vehicles in one accelerated movement.

2. The Horizontal Triple Maneuver

The act of passing a vehicle that in itself is in the act of passing another vehicle.

3. The Double, Double Maneuver

The act of passing a vehicle at precisely the same time that another vehicle, coming from the opposite direction, is also engaged in the act of passing.

TAILGATING

Tailgating is what you do when not overtaking.

BEING OVERTAKEN

The act of being overtaken is an insult not to be endured. The greater the differential between the vehicle being passed (BMW) and the passing vehicle (pickup or a low ranking saloon) the greater the potential loss of prestige and face. The owner of the more expensive vehicle must always do everything possible to thwart the attempt of the less expensive vehicle attempting to overtake.

HEADLIGHTS

Rapidly flashing headlights can mean anything including but not limited to the following:

• OK to pass now.

• Do not pass now

• Get out of my way

• Help, I am in trouble

It takes years or sometimes an entire lifetime to learn this subtle, intriguing, and non-verbal communication skill. Generally however, you have three seconds

THE HORN

When sounded loudly and frequently, the horn sets up an invisible energy barrier protecting the vehicle and its passengers from all harm. The faster the vehicle is traveling, the better the horn works.

SEAT BELTS

Not only are seatbelts not worn, seatbelts are absolutely unnecessary. Driver and passengers are protected by the horn.

HAZARDS

Motorcycles will appear from nowhere and are to be treated with absolute and complete disregard. Animals on the other hand must be treated with great respect. It is presumed that highly evolved creatures like water buffalos, prized bulls, cows, chickens and ducks know how to sidestep a modern vehicle travelling at 150 Km. per hour on a rain slicked road. Dogs born in Thailand on the other hand possess an inbred instinct to leap in front of a speeding vehicle.

ACCIDENTS

Accidents are rare in Thailand and are usually the result of a malfunctioning horn. Be aware that most heavy vehicle drivers if involved in a serious accident will immediately leave the scene of and run to the nearest police station to inform them of the accident. This age old practice is commonly known as “fleeing the scene”

LIGHTS

Lights on vehicles are not needed especially at night as they are a drain on the battery. The larger the vehicle (10 wheeled truck, bus, etc.) the less need for illuminating it. Motorcycle riders are presumed to have 20/20 vision in the dark and are immune to all other traffic on the road. If lights are used however, at least one headlight must be pointing in the air. This will ensure that low flying aircraft are detected and will have the added advantage of blinding on-coming drivers.

INSURANCE

It is recommended that others purchase insurance. This will ensure that any foreigner involved in an accident will be in a position to take the blame and let the insurance company pay for any damage to both vehicles as well as all hospital bills.

Source: unknown

I am wondering where you drive, what you drive, and how you drive in order to get pulled over so often? I have driven in Bangkok and elsewhere for about 9 years and only been pulled over a few times. Each time I was guilty of an infraction (in a bus only lane, etc.) and got off with paying a 200 Baht 'fine' on the spot. One time I ran a red light late at night, got pulled over, quizzed about where I was going, and let go. Having said that I will almost certainly get pulled over tomorrow.

I do know that pickups and bikes get hit far more often than sedans, so maybe that is the problem. I had a friend with a pickup and every time he went up to Korat he came back with a story about being pulled over. I drive an old Land Rover which for some reason is almost invisible to cops. Man, I am going to get pulled over tomorrow for sure now!

In my experience Thai cops don't pay that much attention to driver's licenses. It is good to have it on you, but if you don't the worst that would happen is that your 'fine' might be a little more.

If I get stopped, it's usually just the 100 baht on-the-spot, occasionally 200. Once got a kosher ticket for entering a bus-lane - 400 down the local station.

Last week though they got greedy. Picked up some golfing buddies from the airport. Just as we pulled out of the airport on to the Vip-Rangsit Rd, we got stopped - my mate didn't have his seatbelt on. 1000 baht! Usually I'd have let him take my license and give me a ticket, but we were in a hurry to get to Laem Chabang for a tee-time and simply couldn't waste time waiting for the ticket.

So we paid.

Needless to say, he radioed his mates, and we were stopped again less than ten minutes later at the Rangsit exit of the Tollway for speeding. 90km/h. I thought that tollway was 120, but could be wrong, but it is ironic as I'd told my mates that I was keeping it slow deliberately because we'd just been marked as an easy target. Anyway, no prizes for guessing the fine again...

Not bothered by the monetary loss, but it didn't exactly give a particularly positive impression to my mates flying in for a few days golf in LoS.

The missus, who wasn't with us on that trip (and who usually does the negotiating for me) was livid when she found out. She is now spoiling for a fight with the BIB...

Try driving on the highways in the Chonburi / Pattaya area!

If you see the highway patrol car at the side you can be sure they are on a "collection" round.

You get fined for whatever reason they can either find or invent! Got fined once for badly aligned headlights, in the middle of the day. This after he simply was unable to find anything else wrong, had the driver license, insurance , wasn't speeding etc...

Problem was my headlights actually weren't propely aligned, but it was simply impossible for him to know in the daytime (they weren't on when he pulled me over), and I couldn't contest since I probably would have failed a test in a garage...

200 Baht asked, negotiated down to 100 Baht and on my merry way

This link gives very good information in English on traffic laws in Thailand.

http://geocities.com/bkkriders/law/index.html

The information on that link includes:

Driver's Handbook

International Driving Permit

Registration, Tax and Insurance

Legal Documents

Traffic Offense Points System

Land Traffic Act

Motor Vehicle Act

Protection for Motor Vehicle Accident Victims Act

ref. Compulsory Insurance Policy / Example

Ministerial Regulations

ASEAN Treaties

ref. Customs Procedures in ASEAN Countries

United Nations Conventions

The wife and I got a fine the other day. 1km over the speed limit on the Toll Way. She was driving. The fine was 500 Baht. She said the bigger the crew working the road, the bigger the fine because you have to split the money further....

Made since to me.

Not bothered by the monetary loss, but it didn't exactly give a particularly positive impression to my mates.

Breaking 2 driving laws within a few Kms, I'm not surprised they had a negative impression.......

Of your driving skills !