Tourist Police target rental operators over unlicensed tourists renting motorbikes 

By Chutharat Plerin

 

A Phuket Traffic Police officers stops and checks foreigners riding motorbikes. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot
 

PHUKET: Tourist Police Division 3 Chief Maj Gen Angkoon Klaiklueng has revealed that his pushing for police and other local authorities to ramp up their campaign targeting vehicle rental operators for renting out motorbikes to tourists who do not have the appropriate licence.

 

The move is part of a key strategy to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on Phuket’s roads.

 

Gen Angkoon revelaed the news to The Phuket News’ Thai-language sister newspaper Khao Phuket ahead of his meeting with the Phuket Road Safety Committee on Thursday (Nov 15). (See story here.)

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/tourist-police-target-rental-operators-over-unlicensed-tourists-renting-motorbikes-69368.php#zA7YdgRoX2XazkEb.97

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2018-11-18

about time that the rental companies are held responsible for not checking if the person has a valid licence. Unfortunately too many tourists think renting a bike without any experience is jut another adventure on their holidays.

I think valid insurance, by both the rental operators and the renters themselves, should also be mandatory, and checked for. 

For me i will be a boon for Pattaya to see all those rental guys mafia moving their million bikes from public areas into their own property and stop hogging the scares little footpath and parking spaces that are very hard to come by... 

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

who do not have the appropriate licence.

another case of expats complaining about actual tourists who are on holiday and who have left all responsibility at the airport

Bull

 Its just more rip off tourists with the law as a excuse. Picture shows this. From now untill january 3rd

But if you believe its going to help road death numbers or reduce rentals youre not a thailand expat.

The police and the bike rentals are connected,just another promise for laws to be enforced ,and we all know ''laws in Thailand are only enforced where and when the police desire''

“Tourists lacking the skills to safely ride a motorbike is one of the key problems, not to dismiss the importance of tourists not wearing helmets. If a tourist is involved in even a small accident, if they are not wearing a helmet, the tourist can die,” he noted.

 

Substitute Tourist for Thais and you would be closer to the truth.

 

Of note, the strategy was launched in Phuket in April this year, but Gen Angkoon said that the impetus to follow up on this has fallen short.
No shit Sherlock, this goes for just about every law that is brought out.

I am all for any idea that helps reduce the carnage, and I see Farangs every day on motorbikes that have absolutely no clue as to how to ride. However, please make it across the board. I would put money on the fact that while pc plod in the photo was checking Farangs a couple of dozen Thais would have driven past with no helmet, no license, etc.........

 

"Tuk-Tuk.  Tuk-Tuk."  

 

            ???? 

There are Motorbike and scooters all over the city of San Francisco, thst you rent remotely No License, Required, what’s the Big Deal 

It would be a good idea on Samui too, OK it will never happen, I am not so naive. But I'm curious to know how many in % are in good standing with the law. When there is a control for helmet's wearing in Samui no paper is requested, nothing at all, just to pay the fine, I guess that would be unbelievable in any country. In addition here it is the great fashion to ride without a helmet, young people and old alike, tourists or expats. Incredible the number without a helmet. 

So they will collect a little fee to allow it to continue, is that how it will work?

13 minutes ago, Nice Boyd said:

There are Motorbike and scooters all over the city of San Francisco, thst you rent remotely No License, Required, what’s the Big Deal 

The big deal is that in Chiangmai one in ten fatalities involving bikes is a foreigner. The majority of these involve hired bikes!

Do they mean Thai license or license of you country. The article does not mention ????

1 minute ago, Blue bruce said:

Do they mean Thai license or license of you country. The article does not mention ????

 

"Appropriate license" can obviously be a Thai license, but also an International Driving Permit / License.  It must be accompanied by a valid driving license from the license holder's country of residence and must be issued for the class of vehicle being used. 

 

Thailand is part of the convention.

 

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Driving_Permit

54 minutes ago, Nice Boyd said:

There are Motorbike and scooters all over the city of San Francisco, thst you rent remotely No License, Required, what’s the Big Deal 

Another armchair tourist. The difference between Thailand and San Francisco is that Thailand is full of Thais. No comparison.

Good news indeed. I have seen to many accidents here with my own eyes so I welcome anything that can prevent more lives lost. 

 

5 minutes ago, balo said:

Good news indeed. I have seen to many accidents here with my own eyes so I welcome anything that can prevent more lives lost. 

 

Agree Balo, but it is the Thai drivers who cause the vast majority of accidents...…...untrained, no licence, no helmet, underage, unsafe bike, modified bike, 3 or 4 on one bike, on drugs or booze and of course just plain stupid.

 

Sticks out like racing dogs goolies the more you think about it!

1 hour ago, Nice Boyd said:

There are Motorbike and scooters all over the city of San Francisco, thst you rent remotely No License, Required, what’s the Big Deal

These are what you can remotely hire in SF.....electric.....you may notice a small difference in the size that are being rented  in Thailand.

 

 

2 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

These are what you can remotely hire in SF.....electric.....you may notice a small difference in the size that are being rented  in Thailand.

 

 

im sure the thais would find a way to ''make it sound like an old 2 stroke lawnboy''

There we go again the crying expat ruining the tourist fun when they cannot rent a motorbike on holiday. The constant worry by some expats of what others do on their holiday never cease nor their complaint about Thais making money. I have to ask what did you move here for to totally change Thailand into that little backwater you came from.

Let people kill themselves the majority I see are adults who can make their own decisions. If they do secide to crack down on the rental shops you will see a lot of people without jobs.

5 minutes ago, moe666 said:

There we go again the crying expat ruining the tourist fun when they cannot rent a motorbike on holiday. The constant worry by some expats of what others do on their holiday never cease nor their complaint about Thais making money. I have to ask what did you move here for to totally change Thailand into that little backwater you came from.

Let people kill themselves the majority I see are adults who can make their own decisions. If they do secide to crack down on the rental shops you will see a lot of people without jobs.

 

"Let people kill themselves" - ever considered they could kill other road users, not just themselves????????

 

9 minutes ago, moe666 said:

There we go again the crying expat ruining the tourist fun when they cannot rent a motorbike on holiday. The constant worry by some expats of what others do on their holiday never cease //

If you find yourself in an hospital bed because a stupid tourist - who had no clue how to drive a bike - has hurt you, then probably you will think differently.

I many times saw such people driving very dangerously, for themselves and for others... ????

19 minutes ago, moe666 said:

There we go again the crying expat ruining the tourist fun when they cannot rent a motorbike on holiday. The constant worry by some expats of what others do on their holiday never cease nor their complaint about Thais making money. I have to ask what did you move here for to totally change Thailand into that little backwater you came from.

Let people kill themselves the majority I see are adults who can make their own decisions. If they do secide to crack down on the rental shops you will see a lot of people without jobs.

Did you really think before you wrote this??

 

I think you would be singing a different tune if you got wiped out by some firking idiot tourist and ended up seriously injured/in hospital, or even having you and/or your partner killed.

 

There is no end to the stupidity and dangerous activities of people on scooters and motorbikes, who have never ridden them before and many of whom have no road sense whatsoever.

 

The sooner these people are off the road, the better, job losses or not.
 

Nearly all MB rental businesses in Thailand would be closed.  How many tourists have motorcycle licenses from their home countries? 

"Nearly all MB rental businesses in Thailand would be closed.  "

 

And thats exactly why the law in Phuket has not been enforced strictly since it was brought in six months ago ! 

In Mui Ne, Vietnam a few years ago you approached a small stall and were handed a key to a Wave or similar parked nearby. You paid the $5US per day when you returned it at the end of your desired use. No paper, no helmet, nothing. An acquaintance of mine, having boasted of his skill, got on, kick started it in gear and shot across two lanes of traffic, miraculously hitting nothing until he found the brake. We then gave him a short riding course.

3 hours ago, NamKangMan said:

 

"Appropriate license" can obviously be a Thai license, but also an International Driving Permit / License.  It must be accompanied by a valid driving license from the license holder's country of residence and must be issued for the class of vehicle being used. 

 

Thailand is part of the convention.

 

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Driving_Permit

In fact I was given back the national license all the times without any checking. They had only looked at the international one, and it didn't appear that police was knowing what to check.

More interesting would be if you covered insurance-wise without a Thai DL?

8 hours ago, quadperfect said:

Bull

 Its just more rip off tourists with the law as a excuse. Picture shows this. From now untill january 3rd

But if you believe its going to help road death numbers or reduce rentals youre not a thailand expat.

yes you beat me too it. everyone wins off motorbike rental, well all the thais involved do. (except for those caught up in collateral damage which no one seems to care about) what possible reason for the cops to try to stop this business? I bet the rental cops pay them tea money as well.

3 hours ago, mok199 said:

im sure the thais would find a way to ''make it sound like an old 2 stroke lawnboy''

they tried a bike share program in Bangkok. there were photos of trucks picking up loads of the bikes. I bet a fair few of them ended up in esan. lime scooters are no in New Zealand and they are a bit of a hazard on the roads.