Pattaya police get tough on licences: Fines for tourists AND rental companies AND confiscation of vehicle

[Pattaya46]

2 minutes ago, lapd said:

I'm not talking about insurance claims.  

Uh ???  About what then ??

You were responding to "Will your insurance (if any) compensate you? "

[Nice Boyd]

You get the feeling , we are no longer wanted...


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[lapd]

It's hilarious that there are a bunch of commenters here, who have probably never been beyond the tourist ghetto's of Pattaya, proclaiming they are experts on Thai culture and that certain rumors of how Thais treat foreigners are false.

[ndfdjnd]

On 5/9/2018 at 2:44 PM, MunkyBoogar said:

But are they also going to fine Thai citizens 1000B for driving without a license? That would be a Negatory Ghostrider!

 

It's normal for Thais to be fined 500 baht in Pattaya for no license.  Which is usually what the foreigners currently pay.

[lapd]

18 minutes ago, ndfdjnd said:

It's normal for Thais to be fined 500 baht in Pattaya for no license.  Which is usually what the foreigners currently pay.

That is a misleading statement.

 

I have seen lots of Thais get off with a warning or just ignored and allowed to carry on at the same time foreigners where being stopped and fined. 

 

So although you may be able to technically say they are given the same fine, that does not mean the rules are applied equally.

[ChakaKhan]

On 5/9/2018 at 10:48 PM, high plane drifter said:

You know you've been in Thailand too long when;

 

when you realize that there is two laws  ,

one for native and one the farangs

 

When the foot prints on the toilet seat are your own

You think it’s normal to have a beer at 9:00 a.m
You begin to enjoy Thai TV programs
You look four ways before crossing a one way street
You realize that ALL your problems are caused by Thai girls or cranky ATM's

You put salt and chilli on your fruit
A Thai cop stops you for a minor infraction and you automatically reach for your wallet
You think that a Honda Civic is a prestigious car
All your tee-shirts are emblazoned with the name of some bar

You can’t remember the last time you wore a suit and tie
You think a polo shirt and jeans are formal attire
Someone tells you that watching Thai politics is like watching two chameleons making love, and you understand the analogy
You aren’t upset when the bar girl next to you eats beetles as a snack
Later the same night, you actually kiss the bar girl who earlier dined on the beetles

You haven’t had a solid stool for five years
You wake up in the morning and realize that you have nowhere to go and all day to get there

You think white wine goes well with Som Tam

You understand when your Thai wife says, ‘My friend you’ or ‘Same, same, but different’
A Thai bar girl you’ve just met tells you that her mother is deathly ill and you just laugh and walk away

You believe that Phuket being named the crime capital of Asia is quirky!! 

You realize that your Thai wife’s loyalties belong to;

1. Her parents
2. Her brats from a previous marriage to a Thai scoundrel who deserted her
3. Any remaining blood relatives
4. The family buffalo
5. The family’s goldfish
6. You

 

The Thai Navy buys a new submarine and you’re not surprised when the first thingthey do is remove the mufflers and hang a garland from the rear view mirror

You consider you mobile phone a fashion accessory

You start wearing slippers everywhere

You start driving cars with bare feet

You no longer enjoy Songkran. Instead, you stay home with a stack of DVD’s
You become an expert on buying and selling gold jewelry

Dogs become animals you'd rather kick than pet
When driving a car you'll start using every free inch of the road

You flash your 4 indicator lights when driving straight on at an intersection
It’s two days before payday, so you only go to bars with balloons strung outside

You realize that all the important words in Thai begin with the letter ‘S’. Sanuk (Fun)

You believe that buying a gold chain is an acceptable courtship ritual, or at least a form of foreplay

You think a calendar more useful than a watch
You go to a Thai Boxing match and a soccer game breaks out
You stand in the shadow of a telephone pole while waiting for a bus

You can't remember the last time you had a dry fart

You think putting ice in red wine is normal

You phone home and  talk like a retard
You don't care or know what day of the week it is

You think 15kb's of upload speed is quite fast

You begin to think you actually are a 'Hansum Man'

You automatically without thinking swear in Thai

You have a Thai nickname

Lao Khao just doesn’t do it for you any more, neither does Viagra
You own a CD compilation with Crazy Frog on
You don’t have a problem kissing a ladyboy on the cheek

You sit in a bar in Bangkok surrounded by naked girls and porn on the big screen and you just want to watch the golf on the small screen in the corner

You avoid walking under fruit laden coconut palms
You avoid looking into a girls eyes longer than 3 seconds
Your hotel lets you in accompanied by 2 or 3 girls
You know where to buy booze on officially shut holidays
You realize your whisky and soda is rum based
You accept 5 on a motorbike when shopping is normal
You accept builders clambering up bamboo scaffolding with no boots or helmets
You count the number of passengers embarking on a ferry
You automatically get Chinese tea to accompany your coffee
Pedestrian crossings mean nothing
Nothing surprises you and things are not always what they seem
You realize Thai logic does not tally with Western logic

OMG!!!! LOL!!! That list is awesome!!!! Im cracking up as I was just thinking of a few of these today....Told someone I have no idea what day it is, nor do I have any plans, dranks sangsom last night and thais called it whisky! Still hoping for a dry fart or nice move....I avoid Songkran, my slippers are next to me, and have kisses a LB! 

 

Anyone want to add to the list I thibk could be a lifelong thread like the TF one ?    Made my day  LOLZ!!!!

[Bartmam]

On 9/5/2018 at 2:29 PM, johnny2times said:

I go to thailand for 3 months each year and cruise around on my friends scooter so now i am wondering how can i get a motorcycle license in thailand on a SETV when i cant even get a bank account? To get a motor scooter license in Oz you need to sit and pay for the exact same tests as a motorcyle license.. this is the breakdown....

Sit learners permit 430 which is a 2 day course...

After having permit for 3 months minimum you have to sit check ride test 230 which takes 3.5 hours

You then go back again and  sit the license assesment 200 which takes 1 hour.

I am also guessing you would need at least a scooter to go to the tests on and do some practice on...That is a major inconvenience of time and money just to ride a scooter..

Does anyone know if  there is any  way in thailand to get a motorcycle license on a  SETV ?????

I have car license and bring a IDP with me but not motorcycle license.....

 

I got a bank account and a driving licence on a Visa on Entry. Took me 2 attempts at the immigration though had to get the right person on the right day. Take your room rental contract or Electric bill if you have one to immigration and hope for the best.

[Bill Miller]

On 5/10/2018 at 1:01 PM, Thaidream said:

Then you'll love the cops pulling over every foreigner driving their own personal car to look at the registration to determine if it was rented or not. The target should be the rental companies but instead the cops will be glad to inconvenience every foreigner driving a vehicle.

The statement was about "bike hires" particularly, and I see that as the greater problem area, both for inexperienced foreigners and untrained Thai people.
Most foreigners I am fairly confident have an auto driver's license. We see daily, direct evidence that many Thais do not have a motorbike licence. Many operators are simply too young to qualify for one, and I am fairly certain that four on a 125 CC bike and no helmets  is not legal. 

[Pete1980]

9 minutes ago, Bill Miller said:

Most foreigners I am fairly confident have an auto driver's license. 

i doubt that the majority of tourists that are renting from these shops have motorbike licences. that is the issue.

I never did when coming here on holidays in my 20's and 30's. And i ended up in hospital and still have the scars. Only have myself to blame.

[johng]

There shouldn't be any problems getting a Thai license with a tourist visa especially in Pattaya...you'll get a 2 year "temporary"...if you go to renew and still have a tourist visa they'll give you another 2 year instead of the 5 years you'd get with a long term visa or extension of visa.

[Rimmer]

A post suggesting an illegal activity has been removed

[lapd]

6 hours ago, johng said:

There shouldn't be any problems getting a Thai license with a tourist visa especially in Pattaya...you'll get a 2 year "temporary"...if you go to renew and still have a tourist visa they'll give you another 2 year instead of the 5 years you'd get with a long term visa or extension of visa.

Get it where?   Way out at the DMV towards Chonburi?  How many tourists are going to go out there and spend a couple hours jumping through all the hoops taking all the tests filling out all the forms bringing all the documents etc. just to get a license for a short term stay?  Just not going to happen.  But I don't expect to read much practical advice on this board anymore. 

[Bill Miller]

11 hours ago, Pete1980 said:

i doubt that the majority of tourists that are renting from these shops have motorbike licences. that is the issue.

I never did when coming here on holidays in my 20's and 30's. And i ended up in hospital and still have the scars. Only have myself to blame.

You completely changed the meaning by leaving out part of my post. Why do that? 
"The statement was about "bike hires" particularly, and I see that as the greater problem area, both for inexperienced foreigners and untrained Thai people.
Most foreigners I am fairly confident have an auto driver's license."
What I said. Simple enough for a fifth grader to read and understand. It was in response to somebody going on about auto rentals, when the OP was, indeed about bike rentals.
Do you have scars still on your head?
Why try to correct things that do not need correcting?

[Geordieabroad]

Thailand has a highway code....Really???

[mercman24]

i would suggest some of you on here go to the test centre and see for yourself, and see some of the idiots who get a licence, looks like 100 % pass rate, (how can anyone have 3 goes at a brake test)?? <deleted>. just imagine this scenario on the highway, ( ok you have hit 2 cars, fancy another shot at it) lol i bet over 90 % would fail a proper UK driving test, and one poster saying its the tourists at fault ha ha, when 60 + Thais  are getting killed every day, while  the odd tourist death hits the headlines

[joeyg]

Got my Thai DLs a few years back.  Drove a few times here and there .  I won't drive anymore .  I think you have to be quite mad to drive here.  IMHO

[joeyg]

On 9/6/2018 at 10:59 PM, lapd said:

That is a misleading statement.

 

I have seen lots of Thais get off with a warning or just ignored and allowed to carry on at the same time foreigners where being stopped and fined. 

 

So although you may be able to technically say they are given the same fine, that does not mean the rules are applied equally.

Seen plenty of tourists warned as well.

[oldlakey]

21 minutes ago, Kim J said:

You are right, and much of this is at the discretion of the Police at the time. Tourist's shouldn't need warning. Would they drive in their own countries without a licence?

The law is the law, and 500 / 1000bt or what ever the fine actually is for driving without a licence, personally I think it should be countless times more. Regardless of how they treat others.

People that drive unlicenced will also be uninsured, but selfishly they carry on regardless, and have the gall to complain when they are stopped and fined! All despite what implications their irresponsibility could have for others.

There is no legislating for stupidity

[tlock]

On 5/12/2018 at 4:07 AM, tlock said:

I've owned my own bike and gotten away with just my US (car only) driver's license for years.  I'm not here on a non-0 visa.  Has anyone actually had their bike confiscated/gotten a ticket with a valid car license from their home country?  Meaning you were in possession of a license but not an IDP?

 

tia

Answering my own question, today there was a pretty big roadblock on second road.  I was waved over, and showed my US car license.  The officer started talking about international, and looked to be reaching for a ticket, and I showed him my international DL I got from AAA in the US, and he let me go.  Both of these were for a car, and I was on a motorbike.  YMMV.

 

[balo]

They will not stop cars , that is my experience after 7 years here. 

[johng]

They do stop cars...but not if the checkpoint has been set up to stop motorbikes and vise versa

I think the bikes are easier pickings as the riders are less likely to be "connected big wigs" or "Hi-sos" and lots of tourists without the correct licence.

[thaibreaker]

5 hours ago, tlock said:

Answering my own question, today there was a pretty big roadblock on second road.  I was waved over, and showed my US car license.  The officer started talking about international, and looked to be reaching for a ticket, and I showed him my international DL I got from AAA in the US, and he let me go.  Both of these were for a car, and I was on a motorbike.  YMMV.

 

Then they seem to be going backwards. In Pattaya I have mostly been pulled over by police looking for the "A" in spesific. No A = 400 bath fine. I have shown both my international license and one from my home country, both only for car. Have gotten fined every one of my last times.

7-10 years ago it was never a problem. I could probably show my library card, and they would give me a nod and let me go.

[ChakaKhan]

9 hours ago, tlock said:

Answering my own question, today there was a pretty big roadblock on second road.  I was waved over, and showed my US car license.  The officer started talking about international, and looked to be reaching for a ticket, and I showed him my international DL I got from AAA in the US, and he let me go.  Both of these were for a car, and I was on a motorbike.  YMMV.

 

Finally got mine at AAA before coming back and it worked like a charm--$20 well spent--easy peasy!!

[n210mp]

Just been involved in an accident where a Thai man with a 4 year old child sat in front of him on his old and bashed up motorcycle ( No helmets, no licence and no insurance ) ran into the side of my car from a minor side street , result fined 500 Baht and sent on his way

[jacko45k]

8 minutes ago, n210mp said:

Just been involved in an accident where a Thai man with a 4 year old child sat in front of him on his old and bashed up motorcycle ( No helmets, no licence and no insurance ) ran into the side of my car from a minor side street , result fined 500 Baht and sent on his way

YOU got off lightly!

[gk10002000]

On ‎5‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 9:38 AM, snoop1130 said:

Tourists must now have an international licence, their passport and home country driving licence when renting a vehicle in Pattaya. They must carry their documents with them to show to the police if stopped. 

I suspect an additional requirement should be or is meant to be that the tourists home country driving license also indicates a motorcycle license if renting a motorbike?  anybody that is renting a bike should check all the fine print of their insurance polices that typically state that the insurance is only valid if the person renting or driving the bike is actually licensed to operate a bike

[gk10002000]

On ‎11‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 1:04 PM, ChakaKhan said:

Finally got mine at AAA before coming back and it worked like a charm--$20 well spent--easy peasy!!

I get one now and then before I travel.  It is kind of silly because all it is is a few pages with a copy of your picture inside and it asserts that you have a license in the USA.   Now if one's license is not also a license to operate a motorbike, and you plan to rent a motorbike, I recommend caution and that you check the terms of your insurance policy.  You have insurance right?

[gk10002000]

On ‎11‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 3:30 AM, tlock said:

Answering my own question, today there was a pretty big roadblock on second road.  I was waved over, and showed my US car license.  The officer started talking about international, and looked to be reaching for a ticket, and I showed him my international DL I got from AAA in the US, and he let me go.  Both of these were for a car, and I was on a motorbike.  YMMV.

 

are you licensed to drive a motorcycle in the USA on your USA license?  Are they checking for that?

[tlock]

11 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

are you licensed to drive a motorcycle in the USA on your USA license?  Are they checking for that?

No I am not.  I can see in the international DL that permission to operate a motorbike is not stamped.  The officer didn't seem to notice/care.  I am curious if anyone in a similar situation was fined.  

[tropo]

On 9/8/2018 at 8:32 PM, joeyg said:

Got my Thai DLs a few years back.  Drove a few times here and there .  I won't drive anymore .  I think you have to be quite mad to drive here.  IMHO

The problem is, even if you don't drive/ride yourself, some Thai person has to do it for you unless you walk everywhere. If other people (Thais) do it for you the health risk is probably greater. Either way, you're still using the same roads and subject to the same risks.