New Pickup - Red Dealer Plates - Easier To Steal ?

[JustAnotherFarang]

Hi guys

My wife has this rather silly notion that our new pickup, with red dealer plates, is the choice target of thieves and for this reason, when we go and pick it up, she wants to drive straight home from BKK and not stop off along the way to enjoy a mini vacation

I argue that any new pickup is a choice target and the colour of the plates is immaterial...........so who is right and what is there to be wary of

JAF

[Who, me ?]

in my opinion, any car is a potential target.....the fact that it is a "new" pick up with "red plates" is irrelevant..........Just think that there are things much worse than a stolen car !

[gummy]

Given the current couple of unfortunate occurances you possibly have more risk of being hit by a bus rather than having it stolen so thus possibly a sensible risk reduction measure would be to minimise your exposure to said risk by keeping off the roads as much as possible.

[JustAnotherFarang]

I figured it was something of an urban myth but my wife insists that she has seen this on the news......

I have argued my point and won the battle, will be stopping off along the way from Bangkok to home

Cheers as always

JAF

[Gary A]

I figured it was something of an urban myth but my wife insists that she has seen this on the news......

I have argued my point and won the battle, will be stopping off along the way from Bangkok to home

Cheers as always

JAF

Actually I would think the chances of it being stolen would be less because of the police regularly stopping red plated vehicles.

[DDay]

Just wondering why the bullseye is always red

The make and model have more to do with being a target than the color of the plates.

BTW........the law states that red plated vehicles can only be driven during daylight hours from sun up until sun down. You may want to limit your exposure to the police over this issue by expiditing the plates on your own and not waiting for the dealer.

[Clipped]

im sure a mint vehicle fresh from the factory would be a more choice hit, than a farmers truck ...

[richard_smith237]

I have posed this question before to friends of mine.

A) Lieutenant of the RTP does not know why its illegal to drive a car with red plates outside of daylight hours.

Colonel of the RTP answered. A pre-registered car is a preferable choice for a thief as it is more difficult to trace than a registered car, which is why the law exists that reregistered cars cannot be driven outside of daylight hours.

It seems that with red plates one could be pulled over for breaking the law – even though the officer does not know why that law exists.

In reality I have been pulled over only once late at night in a car with red plate on my way back from a movie – the excuse I am on my way back from work seemed to work well in that situation.

In the past I have preferred not to drive the red plate car at night due to the higher risk of being pulled over by the police.

As for increasing the chances of the car being stolen.

If two identical cars were next to each other (one of them with white and one of them with red plates) and one of them was going to be stolen in Thailand, which one is it most likely to be?

The Law would suggest that it’s most likely to be the car with red plates.

Gary A does have a very good point however.

[JustAnotherFarang]

I have posed this question before to friends of mine.

A) Lieutenant of the RTP does not know why its illegal to drive a car with red plates outside of daylight hours.

Colonel of the RTP answered. A pre-registered car is a preferable choice for a thief as it is more difficult to trace than a registered car, which is why the law exists that reregistered cars cannot be driven outside of daylight hours.

And this is what confuses me. How is it more difficult to trace ? Red plates, white plates...........surely they could even use false plates and I sometimes see no plates on a new car. If I report the car stolen and I give them the number on the plates, thats the number they are looking for. If I was a thief I would think to change the red or white plates first or at least change them some way to evade detection

And once you are out of BKK, how does your average policeman trace a vehicle he has stopped, be it red plates, whites plates or just false plates. If it comes from Khon Kaen and is stopped in Nakhon Nowhere whats the procedure.........

I still think this is urban myth

JAF

[richard_smith237]

I believe it has something to do with the VIN - Vehicle Identification number stamped on the car’s chassis.

On a Pre-registered Car (Red plates), the VIN is not registered to the owner.

I’m guessing it could then be possible to register the VIN of a stolen car (with Red plates) in someone else’s name.

[DDay]

As for increasing the chances of the car being stolen.

If two identical cars were next to each other (one of them with white and one of them with red plates) and one of them was going to be stolen in Thailand, which one is it most likely to be?

Ummmmm..............the one with the keys in the ignition????????????