Pay the fine?

[AboutThaim]

Motoring back home just after dark a couple of weeks back on the 24 Road.  Ran into a police checkpoint and was pulled over. The cop didn't attempt to speak to me, just my gf.  She asked for my Driver's Licence which I handed over and she went with the cop to the checkpoint.  She came back with with a fine for speeding, saying that I had been photographed.  When I checked the paperwork and had her translate the words it just says "For driving fast".  I thought I was doing 80 km/hr in a 80 km/hr zone.  No photo was issued with the fine showing what speed I was doing and there is no estimate of speed on the ticket.

Is this the normal way they issue speeding tickets, on their judgement alone?  

Probably not worth getting offside with the RTP Farce but it just seems a bit arbitrary.  Doubt it would stand up in court anywhere else but here??

Edited August 17, 2018 by AboutThaim
Predictive text mistake.

[richard_smith237]

A similar thing happened to me a few years ago... 

 

When I was pulled over, they said I was speeding... that a camera had caught me. 

I asked, but the couldn't tell me what speed I was doing. 

They didn't have the photo, they another officer up the road photographed me with a speed camera.

My argument that if he had, they'd be able to tell what speed I was doing and it would show that I wasn't speeding seemed to work and they hesitated. 

I got fed up of the back and forth and just told them, if they are going to write me a ticket, write one, if not stop wasting my time - They told me to drive on 'carefully' !!

 

 

In your case I suspect something similar - you were stopped so the officer felt she needed to charge you for something... You should have remained more firm (but polite) - If you are speeding, they should be able to tell you exactly what speed you were doing. 

 

It's too late to do anything now... Just pay the fine which. Looking at the bigger picture its not a big deal, especially as you have probably been speeding elsewhere at some point !

 

 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2018 by richard_smith237

[stevenl]

You ask 'pay the fine' but I presume you paid on the spot? If so, live and learn. If not, don't pay.

[AboutThaim]

50 minutes ago, stevenl said:

You ask 'pay the fine' but I presume you paid on the spot? If so, live and learn. If not, don't pay.

No I haven't paid the fine. There was no conversation between me and the male cop at all.  I lowered the window, said hello, (ignored) he spoke to my gf she took my licence and they went.  I didn't see him again. She came back with the ticket.  I'm supposed to go to a local police station to pay.  My gf says wait until they send a bill.

[transam]

2 minutes ago, AboutThaim said:

No I haven't paid the fine. There was no conversation between me and the male cop at all.  I lowered the window, said hello, (ignored) he spoke to my gf she took my licence and they went.  I didn't see him again. She came back with the ticket.  I'm supposed to go to a local police station to pay.  My gf says wait until they send a bill.

Go to the station, pay the fine and get your license back. You can have a chat then, but for sure you will not get anywhere...

PS..Is there an 80kph limit in LOS...?

[AboutThaim]

7 minutes ago, transam said:

Go to the station, pay the fine and get your license back. You can have a chat then, but for sure you will not get anywhere...

PS..Is there an 80kph limit in LOS...?

I have my licence, it was returned at the checkpoint.

Going by the signs on the roadside out here in the sticks cars are only supposed to travel at 80 kph on a lot of roads.  Trucks only 60 kph which is stupid and annoying as it is difficult to pass safely unless it's a dual carriageway. That's why Thai drivers pass on blind corners, Hillcrest's, etc on single lane roads.

On that same trip I noticed areas with 90 kph limit.

[scorecard]

12 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

A similar thing happened to me a few years ago... 

 

When I was pulled over, they said I was speeding... that a camera had caught me. 

I asked, but the couldn't tell me what speed I was doing. 

They didn't have the photo, they another officer up the road photographed me with a speed camera.

My argument that if he had, they'd be able to tell what speed I was doing and it would show that I wasn't speeding seemed to work and they hesitated. 

I got fed up of the back and forth and just told them, if they are going to write me a ticket, write one, if not stop wasting my time - They told me to drive on 'carefully' !!

 

 

In your case I suspect something similar - you were stopped so the officer felt she needed to charge you for something... You should have remained more firm (but polite) - If you are speeding, they should be able to tell you exactly what speed you were doing. 

 

It's too late to do anything now... Just pay the fine which. Looking at the bigger picture its not a big deal, especially as you have probably been speeding elsewhere at some point !

 

 

 

 

My Thai son (36 yo, his face is very Thai, doesn't look look krueng) hates the cops. If he gets stopped like this he politely refuses to pay and just continues to say 'show me some evidence'.  So far the cops have fairly quickly told him politely to go.

 

 

Edited August 18, 2018 by scorecard

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, AboutThaim said:

No I haven't paid the fine. There was no conversation between me and the male cop at all.  I lowered the window, said hello, (ignored) he spoke to my gf she took my licence and they went.  I didn't see him again. She came back with the ticket.  I'm supposed to go to a local police station to pay.  My gf says wait until they send a bill.

Don't let a girl in Thailand handle any "critical" business by herself, usually they have no idea what they should do (applies to most girls, of course there can be exceptions)

If you had handled the situation by yourself you would probably not have to pay any fine.

Edited August 18, 2018 by jackdd

[AboutThaim]

38 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Don't let a girl in Thailand handle any "critical" business by herself, usually they have no idea what they should do (applies to most girls, of course there can be exceptions)

If you had handled the situation by yourself you would probably not have to pay any fine.

I found that difficult when the cop wouldn't even acknowledge my greeting.  I speak very little Thai and he probably speaks even less English.

[Briggsy]

Since the cop has returned your licence, the need for you to go to the police station is reduced.

 

You can now either

1) go and pay at the police station.

2) don't pay and see what happens

3) don't pay, no reminder is sent and see what happens when you try to renew your road tax.

 

My bet is that if you do option 3, nothing will come up when you renew your road tax it will be as normal. i.e. the fine has been filed in some huge archive of mouldy paper and will never surface.

 

I have done option 3 about 5 times and never been asked to pay or prevented from renewing my road tax. The system of chasing up fines here is thankfully very inefficient.

[transam]

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

Since the cop has returned your licence, the need for you to go to the police station is reduced.

 

You can now either

1) go and pay at the police station.

2) don't pay and see what happens

3) don't pay, no reminder is sent and see what happens when you try to renew your road tax.

 

My bet is that if you do option 3, nothing will come up when you renew your road tax it will be as normal. i.e. the fine has been filed in some huge archive of mouldy paper and will never surface.

 

I have done option 3 about 5 times and never been asked to pay or prevented from renewing my road tax. The system of chasing up fines here is thankfully very inefficient.

Mrs.Trans went to renew her bike road tax, they said you have not paid a parking fine, she said l have never had a parking fine, they said go to the police station to sort it. She went to the police station and they showed her a photo of her bike parked more than 25cm from the curb...She paid the fine, went back with the fine receipt and taxed her bike...

[AboutThaim]

2 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Since the cop has returned your licence, the need for you to go to the police station is reduced.

 

You can now either

1) go and pay at the police station.

2) don't pay and see what happens

3) don't pay, no reminder is sent and see what happens when you try to renew your road tax.

 

My bet is that if you do option 3, nothing will come up when you renew your road tax it will be as normal. i.e. the fine has been filed in some huge archive of mouldy paper and will never surface.

 

I have done option 3 about 5 times and never been asked to pay or prevented from renewing my road tax. The system of chasing up fines here is thankfully very inefficient.

Thanks Briggsy.  I thought I'd try option 2, see what happens.  As for road tax I bought the car (a cheapy) in my gf's name before I could buy in my own name.  They won't know it's me when she renews next year.

 

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, AboutThaim said:

Thanks Briggsy.  I thought I'd try option 2, see what happens.  As for road tax I bought the car (a cheapy) in my gf's name before I could buy in my own name.  They won't know it's me when she renews next year.

 

They know it's "your" car that was speeding, though!

[stevenl]

22 hours ago, AboutThaim said:

I have my licence, it was returned at the checkpoint.

Going by the signs on the roadside out here in the sticks cars are only supposed to travel at 80 kph on a lot of roads.  Trucks only 60 kph which is stupid and annoying as it is difficult to pass safely unless it's a dual carriageway. That's why Thai drivers pass on blind corners, Hillcrest's, etc on single lane roads.

On that same trip I noticed areas with 90 kph limit.

If you got your license, just ignore it and see what happens. Push comes to shove you can's renew your yearly registration and have to pay at that point. The fine is on the car, not on the driver, so yearly registration could be an issue.

Edited August 18, 2018 by stevenl

[KhunBENQ]

On 8/18/2018 at 8:19 AM, transam said:

PS..Is there an 80kph limit in LOS...?

80 km/h on two lane (undivided) highways.

90 km/h on divided highways.

if no sign shows otherwise.

 

Highway 24 which the OP mentions is quite long, east/west all along southern Isaan.

Some four lane and some two lane stretches.

So guess it was on a normal rural highway stretch (two lanes not divided).

[gaff]

On 8/18/2018 at 10:35 AM, Briggsy said:

Since the cop has returned your licence, the need for you to go to the police station is reduced.

 

You can now either

1) go and pay at the police station.

2) don't pay and see what happens

3) don't pay, no reminder is sent and see what happens when you try to renew your road tax.

 

My bet is that if you do option 3, nothing will come up when you renew your road tax it will be as normal. i.e. the fine has been filed in some huge archive of mouldy paper and will never surface.

 

I have done option 3 about 5 times and never been asked to pay or prevented from renewing my road tax. The system of chasing up fines here is thankfully very inefficient.

 

Same experience. Just ignore these idiot rats.