No laws covering ATV safety, say Phuket Tourist Police

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

 

Phuket Tourist Police carry out there checks on ATV businesses. Photo: Phuket Tourist Police

 

PHUKET:-- An official from the Phuket Tourist Police has today confirmed that there are no laws currently in place covering ATV safety.

 

The announcement comes following the death of Saudi Arabian tourist Muteb Alsahli, 24, who died on Tuesday (Sept 4) after suffering head injuries in an ATV accident last Sunday (Sept 2).

 

Speaking to The Phuket News today (Sept 7), Capt Eakkachai Siri of the Phuket Tourist Police confirmed, “There are no laws to covering this kind of this vehicle. We can only point out to ATV businesses about the safety of ATVs for tourist.

 

Full Story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/no-laws-covering-atv-safety-say-phuket-tourist-police-68561.php#x5dLoYuqCvRiLAVE.97

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2018-9-7

Having a law isn't the problem, as everyone here knows. 

Even if there were laws the RTP would only be looking for tea money irrespective of liability or otherwise. 

You see these ATV's driving along main public roads in Rawai... not registered etc. etc. etc.....

So why do they bother going to check?

“They have tourism business certificates so they have not broken any laws."

 

Does this exempt them from the normal road rules such as licenses, registration, vehicle safety requirements and obeying the highway code?

Phuket's roads are not some sand dune in Saudi.

"Phuket Tourist Police carry out there checks on ATV businesses. Photo: Phuket Tourist Police"

Ye gods and little fishes! For crying out loud it is 'their' not 'there.'  The police are not a thing or a place they are human beings, apparently.

 

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/there-their-or-they-re

I hope this clears up this grammatical faux pas.

1 hour ago, Old Croc said:

“They have tourism business certificates so they have not broken any laws."

 

Does this exempt them from the normal road rules such as licenses, registration, vehicle safety requirements and obeying the highway code?

Phuket's roads are not some sand dune in Saudi.

This accident happened off road. No license, registration etc. required. Not sure about vehicle safety requirements.

 

As long as these vehicles are staying off road it is all allowed, but they have to stay off road, so all the ATV's driving on the road between Sai Yuan and Kata is totally illegal.

My daughter's boy-friend died the same way in Australia.

 

All the same circumstances - the accident and the police response.

 

For all the Thai knockers!

If used on a Road it is  mechanically {:Propelled vehicle, what a wally . All Road Traffic laws then apply. ..Policeman got his uniform from a toy manufacturer no doubt !"!

imported the recreation but left the common sense behind.

2 hours ago, stevenl said:

This accident happened off road. No license, registration etc. required. Not sure about vehicle safety requirements.

 

As long as these vehicles are staying off road it is all allowed, but they have to stay off road, so all the ATV's driving on the road between Sai Yuan and Kata is totally illegal.

 

"so all the ATV's driving on the road between Sai Yuan and Kata is totally illegal" - the difference between "legal" and "illegal" here is how much you pay to the police each month.  Thus, legal, or illegal, it continues to happen. 

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

An official from the Phuket Tourist Police has today confirmed that there are no laws currently in place covering ATV safety.

You can't legislate everything.  At some point it comes down to caveat emptor (buyer beware) and personal responsibility ("Maybe this hill is too steep to climb with this ATV.  I think I'll take the well-worn track instead."). 

On 9/7/2018 at 7:00 PM, snoop1130 said:

there are no laws currently in place covering ATV safety.

There were none covering darts either but they were put in place after the fact!

No laws, OK, kill away no problem. 

22 hours ago, stevenl said:

This accident happened off road. No license, registration etc. required. Not sure about vehicle safety requirements.

 

As long as these vehicles are staying off road it is all allowed, but they have to stay off road, so all the ATV's driving on the road between Sai Yuan and Kata is totally illegal.

I don't know if you have knowledge of exactly where this accident happened Steven, but in my firsthand experience driving in the area, all these off road vehicles, even if just transporting to a private track, drive on Klum Yang Alley. 

I can tell you that road is largely gravel and resembles a track for much of it's length. There are other roads leading off the main one, I don't know if they are named roads or tracks. (I suspect one of them links to Karon and hope to check it out one day)

The last time I was there we gave up on the drive because the dust was chokingly thick to the point where it covered all the jungle alongside the road.  The dust was kicked up by the fleets of atvs we came across on the road itself.

2 hours ago, Old Croc said:

I don't know if you have knowledge of exactly where this accident happened Steven, but in my firsthand experience driving in the area, all these off road vehicles, even if just transporting to a private track, drive on Klum Yang Alley. 

I can tell you that road is largely gravel and resembles a track for much of it's length. There are other roads leading off the main one, I don't know if they are named roads or tracks. (I suspect one of them links to Karon and hope to check it out one day)

The last time I was there we gave up on the drive because the dust was chokingly thick to the point where it covered all the jungle alongside the road.  The dust was kicked up by the fleets of atvs we came across on the road itself.

As I said, if on public road illegal, off road legal.

NO LAWS ??? well how about some NEW LAWS!!!!