Tourists renting motorcycles in Thailand must have proper license, say new proposals

 

Picture: Bangkok Insight

 

Tourists renting motorcycles is on the agenda for changes to lower the death toll on Thailand's roads from accidents involving motorbikes. 

 

A high level meeting was told that many tourists are dying on the nation's roads. 

 

Up until now tourists could easily rent a motorcycle by just showing a passport, said The Bangkok Insight. 

 

Now the proposal is to require that tourists are in possession of a valid licence when they rent. 

 

Picture: Bangkok Insight

 

The proposal was among a swathe of new standards being considered over the next 30 days by various committees ahead of recommendations to the transport minister Saksayam Chidchob. 

 

With Thai licences for "big bikes" also likely to come in before the end of the year tourists who may be able to rent a small bike may be prohibited from renting a larger machine, notes Thaivisa. 

 

That is if they can rent one at all. 

 

The changes could all be in place as Thailand enters the high season for tourism over the next couple of months.

 

Source: Bangkok Insight

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-09-25

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And why not go all the way and make all Thais to have licences too including registered motorcycle and helmets.

It is a step in the right direction to many tourists have no idea how to ride a motorcycle but jump on a twist and go and go hell for leather here.

It is time to stop proposing and start implementing.  

Edited September 25, 20196 yr by Dmaxdan

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

That is if they can rent one at all. 

Money talks and so the renters of bikes will continue to carry on as they have always, unless and until punitive measures are introduced that make it prohibitively expensive to do so. I don't expect that to happen any time soon mind.

A large number if not majority are killed while being driven by a Thai in a mini bus. And while I agree tourists should be licensed , blaming Thai death toll on tourists is just yet another silly idea from the factory of silliness 

It always was a requirement just like all the other ignored requirements.Hope they feel better having suggested something already in place,don't they check first?

Check your travel insurance. Most policies are void if the person riding has an accident if the rider doesn’t have the appropriate license. Lots of visitors get caught out if they have an accident.

When that say - have a license - are they talking about a plain old driving license, or an actual bike license. If they mean actual bike license, bike rental shops in Thailand will all go out of business. 

46 minutes ago, webfact said:

Now the proposal is to require that tourists are in possession of a valid licence when they rent.

What a novel idea? Needing a license to drive a motor vehicle on the road??

 

 

So no change in law whatsoever - People still need a motorcycle license to legally ride a motorcycle. 

 

Reading between the lines here... anyone renting out bikes is to anyone is ok until another law exactly the same as the existing law is passed. 

 

The juvenile manner in which these issues are handled is astounding. 

bla bla bla

see you next week with funny news.

Is this another 40 year old law being reenacted ?

23 minutes ago, BestB said:

A large number if not majority are killed while being driven by a Thai in a mini bus. And while I agree tourists should be licensed , blaming Thai death toll on tourists is just yet another silly idea from the factory of silliness 

Can't disagree with you there. 

 

I was in a car accident with a Mini-Van, the driver had no drivers licence and the Van not registered to as a transport Mini-van (i.e. was working a route, but was not official). The BiB of course took a pay out (although blame for the accident was not proportioned to myself). 

 

Another car accident with a Taxi, again, uninsured, unlicensed.

 

While I agree with this licensing issue, its is all hot air - sort the real issues out first. 

 

No licence = a large fine, vehicle confiscated (for anyone, tourist or local), then also set about improving the licensing test & system.

 

Handle DUI with a degree of determination, not the usual lazy carelessness. 

 

 

 

I do actually know a lady who has lots of bikes for rent and for a long time now, No License No Bike simple as that and really they should have the International driving permit

Why only tourists?

Why not make a law which says "if a driver is found to be driving without license the driver and the owner of the vehicle will each be fined 5000 THB"?

Even if they only slightly enforce this (i wouldn't expect more from them), then many people will decide to get a driving license, parents will not allow their children to drive on bikes, and many shops will not rent to tourists without license anymore.

Of course this means that most rental shops will have to close due to a lack of customers. But they could become taxi drivers instead, because somehow the tourists have to get arround.

Edited September 25, 20196 yr by jackdd

I think the real joke here is to call a Thai license a “proper” license!

And why would a shop that rents out any bike - small or big - be able to rent it out to anybody who can not produce a license that allows the person to operate said vehicle?

Ah I know why - in Chiang Mai for example there are several roadblocks manned by police around the old city who fine every tourist they catch without a license a 1000 baht! I reckon they make 10’s or even hundreds of thousands of baht on a good day.
And then get this - they can then drive around without a license the entire day!
Also the shops that rent out motorbikes to people who are not allowed to ride them because they have no license to do so are never fined anything!



Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Can't disagree with you there. 

 

I was in a car accident with a Mini-Van, the driver had no drivers licence and the Van not registered to as a transport Mini-van (i.e. was working a route, but was not official). The BiB of course took a pay out (although blame for the accident was not proportioned to myself). 

 

Another car accident with a Taxi, again, uninsured, unlicensed.

 

While I agree with this licensing issue, its is all hot air - sort the real issues out first. 

 

No licence = a large fine, vehicle confiscated (for anyone, tourist or local), then also set about improving the licensing test & system.

 

Handle DUI with a degree of determination, not the usual lazy carelessness. 

 

 

 

Happened to a friend of mine who had a bump with a minivan who had been doing a visa run to Pennang with no insurance I often wonder how many farang doing them visa runs know if they have insurance, that one didn't fortunately nobody was badly injured 

5 minutes ago, boonrawdcnx said:

Also the shops that rent out motorbikes to people who are not allowed to ride them because they have no license to do so are never fined anything!



Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

They are fined here in Phuket where I live 2000 Baht, the rental shops I mean

36 minutes ago, BestB said:

A large number if not majority are killed while being driven by a Thai in a mini bus. And while I agree tourists should be licensed , blaming Thai death toll on tourists is just yet another silly idea from the factory of silliness 

The death toll for Thai's riding on 2-wheels far surpasses the minivan deaths, it's just easier to see and report the one-off minivan with 15 burned or crushed inside or thrown into the paths of other vehicles versus the 15 that die each day in motorbike accidents scattered across the country.

 

But I agree that the percentage of foreigners contributing to the 15-a-day would be quite small, maybe 1-a-week?

13 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Why only tourists?

Why not make a law which says "if a driver is found to be driving without license the driver and the owner of the vehicle will each be fined 5000 THB"?

Even if they only slightly enforce this (i wouldn't expect more from them), then many people will decide to get a driving license, parents will not allow their children to drive on bikes, and many shops will not rent to tourists without license anymore.

Of course this means that most rental shops will have to close due to a lack of customers. But they could become taxi drivers instead, because somehow the tourists have to get arround.

A very good idea in its own right but we both know it will fail at the enforcement part. The officers will likely let people get away with a 200 to 1k "fine" for his own pocket on the spot. One would have to solve this root problem first. I saw many traffic police now wearing cams. Could force them to be on all the time on duty. If a cam fails, go back to station. Do random checks on the video feeds and if an officer is found to take a bribe fire him and ban him from taking any kind of government job for 10 years.

You can't enforce laws when you have a totally corrupt police force. 

Not saying it´s right, but any given day. Most tourist without a driver license drives better than a Thai with a license.

However, I welcome the rules as long as they will be implemented for Thais too and that all motorbikes must be registered, have insurrance and that a helmet have to be worn by all drivers and co-riders. Also not more than 2 people on a motorbike, and that does not include 2 grown-ups and a infant.

Just now, lujanit said:

Check your travel insurance. Most policies are void if the person riding has an accident if the rider doesn’t have the appropriate license. Lots of visitors get caught out if they have an accident.

Then even with a valid full unlimited license, accompanied by a IDP.......

Many of the travel insurance policy wording also has a cc restriction as well. If you have not planned in advance, most likely no medical cover for a big bike, when renting on impulse.  The rental shop insurance would need a medical cover option.

 

Though I would think they could do an exemption for the very small islands (like Koh Mak and the likes), where you are just renting  a scoopy-i or a wave, it would not make sense there....the cage drivers appeared to be driving at a sensible speed there, as far as I saw none-of the charging pick-ups like on the mainland.

I don't get it..... unless the proposal is that the existing regulation be enforced.

 

Might result in a few less tourists going home as cargo, but will it make any significant dent in Thailand's road toll?

Great idea and will cut down on the Chinese who haven't a clue what they are doing renting bikes 

34 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

When that say - have a license - are they talking about a plain old driving license, or an actual bike license. If they mean actual bike license, bike rental shops in Thailand will all go out of business. 

I am quite certain that they are referring to an "actual bike license".

 

A little story: I do not have a bike license. While in CM on several occasions, Xgf and I rented 2 bikes. She would ride fifty or a hundred metres ahead of me and pull over if she saw a spot check (she had an uncanny ability to sense where these would be). I would then dismount and pass through as her pillion rider. She would park just past the spot check and walk back to retrieve my bike.

5 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

Most tourist without a driver license drives better than a Thai with a license.

As the topic is about motorcycle riders, I have to disagree. Many tourists have never driven a mc before, but feel the urge to do it in Thailand. On top of that, they have no idea about the 'traffic system' in Thailand.

 

My understanding is that any foreigner riding a mosai in Thailand must have a valid licence, as well as an international driving permit (if no Thai licence).

 

Of course, not many two-week tourists will go to the effort of obtaining the correct documentation, even if they are aware of the requirements.   Riding around like a lunatic in shorts, flip flops, with a belly full of beer and no helmet in The Land of Smiles is so much fun.......until something goes horribly wrong.

 

Then the business which was very happy to rent out a bike with the farang's passport as security will quickly toss him under a bus until the damaged bike is paid for.......without any legal recourse.

 

Legislation is one thing.   Enforcement is another.    

 

 

10 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

As the topic is about motorcycle riders, I have to disagree. Many tourists have never driven a mc before, but feel the urge to do it in Thailand. On top of that, they have no idea about the 'traffic system' in Thailand.

 

I agree with you, on the level of that it regards the ones that are classified as motorcycle riders according to the Thai system. What we all know includes anybody that might be the owner of a back mirror that could be attached to a motorbike, or why not take the shaving mirror and duct tape it to the handle. ????

15 minutes ago, neeray said:

I am quite certain that they are referring to an "actual bike license".

 

A little story: I do not have a bike license. While in CM on several occasions, Xgf and I rented 2 bikes. She would ride fifty or a hundred metres ahead of me and pull over if she saw a spot check (she had an uncanny ability to sense where these would be). I would then dismount and pass through as her pillion rider. She would park just past the spot check and walk back to retrieve my bike.

WOW and you think that's clever makes you part of the problem methinks. Confiscation is the only answer start taking the bikes away and destroying them as they do in the UK would really hurt.