Vehicles emitting black smoke to face fine up to Bt5,000, department warns

[MasterBaker]

finally they found an alternative way to make money

[CLW]

Don't these people feel any shame or being object of ridicule repeating the same drizzle every three months?

This administration is an insult to any Thai citizen with slightest intelligence.

Have they solved or at least reduced any of the issues they are coming up regularly?

- Drunk driving

- Speeding

- no helmet / seatbelt

- no driver licence

- illegal burning

- motorcycle on footpath

- drought / flooding

- alcoholism / drug abuse (Meth!!!)

- corruption (Lol, don't wet your pants but five years ago Prayuth promised to eliminate corruption during his reign)

[VocalNeal]

2 hours ago, Henryford said:

But no penalty for the thousands of farmers burning crops every day !!

 

Some days the crops are simply growing?

[Deli]

I love my coal roller ????????

[klauskunkel]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

In an attempt to reduce PM2.5 pollution, the Department of Land Transport will impose heavy fines on the owners of vehicles that emit black smoke exceeding the safety standard.

Reminds me of the other attempt (early last year?) of imposing heavy fines for motor cycles driving on the sidewalk..., guess what... 

[anchadian]

Heard this all before.  Nothing will come of it.

[herwin1234]

Despite the usual cynical responses from the forum farang, this new law is just great and shows that the Thais have put the environment on its agenda. Last years anti single use plastic bag ban worked out fine, and so will this new ban on black smoke puffing cars. It might take a while though but now at least the police can legaly do something against these polluters.

[outsider]

Gather some journos and TV crews, nab some unsuspecting sod off the road, slap him with a ticket, point at the errant exhaust, take some pics, say something to the camera, take more pics... shouldn't last more than 30 mins, max. That's it. Everybody goes home. PM 2.5 taken care of. Clear skies from tomorrow onwards. This is how we tackle urban pollution issues - Thai style.

[cracker1]

It's about time this law was enacted, but we all know that RTP will not actively enforce it !

[banagan]

Heard it all before. Most cops only fine farrang. 

 

How about fining with the cameras, like they're doing with no helmet fines?

[mushroomdave]

They should enact a nark line like Taiwan has done for many years with success.  If people see a vehicle spewing black smoke they think is illegal, they just call the number and give the plate #.  You don't give your name and they give you a case # and tell you to call back in 2 weeks.  Coppers go to the address of the owner and make them start the vehicle up (including motorbikes).  If it's illegal, they are fined on the spot (and think it's impounded/taken to a mechanic right away).  You call back in 2 weeks and put in the case # and it tells you if they were fined and that you are to be rewarded 40% of the fine.  All you do is put in your bank account # and it's sent you the next day.  They do this for many other things this way or with pics sent in but all anonymous and rewardable with the 40% paid to you for calling it in.  Tailpipes of cars/motorbikes the wrong way, loud mufflers/vehicles, driving on sidewalks,  and even water dripping from AC's onto sidewalks......all have separate nark lines and it works!!!  But if this was to be done in Thailand, the coppers would be in on it with the mechanics or they would find another way to extort the guilty party and the person calling it in would end up with nothing!!  Oh well, it was a thought!!  TIT!!

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by mushroomdave

[malibukid]

how are they going to enforce it?  no computer data base for repeat offenders?  no impounding of vehicles for repeat offenders?  fake smog certificates?  looks like money in the pocket.  there needs to be a number that the public can call to report these offenders.

Edited January 25, 2021 by malibukid

[MrMo]

That is all very well and very commendable.   The two main problems are :

- the police have to be out on the street to catch them.   We haven't seen police out on our streets since early Covid days.

- the police need a meter of some sort to show that the vehicle is exceeding the safety limit.   When a few decades ago a limit was set on the dark-tinting of car windows it turned out that the was only somethin like 4 meters in the country capable of testing them.    That was a rule soon forgotten.

[popabear]

They won't stop this problem. until they stop selling diesel vehicles to Thai's ,diesel vehicles need constant servicing , otherwise the longer they are left  not serviced the more black smoke they blow out, you even see a lot of not very old diesel vehicles, blowing out black smoke ,Thai's buy them , but can't afford to service them , or it is something they just don't bother doing .  Regards ,,, Popa

[natway09]

I have said before & I will say it again, that until they have mufti police in mufti cars 

& forget about the cost of fuel & cars, this decree is a wase of time (heard it before)

Just drive along Banga Trad for 20Km & you will run out of ticket books in 1 hour

[Amo]

4 hours ago, toofarnorth said:

How does a vehicle get its MOT/insurance cert. when it belches out smoke ?  Do they go to the nearest place that issues the certificates and say here is 1000 B if you don't test it.

If I was one of the BiB in a car and I stopped a smoking vehicle I would want to see where it was tested and follow up . But of course I am not a BiB and that would involve work such as stopping 3 underage kids riding around on a Wave where none have a crash hat on.

Yeah that has been true in the past.  But I've notice of late they are getting sticker 

[metisdead]

A post using ALL CAPS has been removed, please turn off your Caps Lock when posting. 

 

A post using a trolling meme has  removed. 

[Guderian]

Assuming that these vehicles are over 7 years old, how do they ever pass the test to renew their road tax each year if they're belching back smoke? I know, they probably don't bother renewing the tax, but then why not make the fine 5,000 Baht for a vehicle belching black smoke and double it if the vehicle isn't taxed? And then treble it if the driver hasn't got a valid licence. In no time at all, the government's coffers will be overflowing with money, lol...

[wasabi]

They seem to love their various Chana tracking apps in Thailand. Give me one called Mon La Pit (pollution) Chana and I will gladly snap photos of offending buses with a QR code and send them to interested parties. Those things farting out a miasma of black death can ruin your whole week.

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by wasabi

[10baht]

4 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Problem there is whilst at the test there was no issue, whats done to the vehicle afterwards is the question and has no connection to the testing area. A test is only good for that moment. 

 

Its the people selling the necessary enhancing/performance items are at the source, that where they should start.

BS, plenty of old vehicles with no enhancing/performance items that belch black smoke.

 

[Isaan sailor]

Please understand I have nothing against Isuzu diesel pickup truck owners.  Some of my best friends drive them. And I do a fair amount of Highway driving (35k Km per year). I can’t help noticing older Isuzu pickups spewing black smoke.  Same for older Chevy pickups which used the same Isuzu motors. I also see many mid-sized and larger commercial Isuzu trucks.  They never seem to smoke much. What’s up with those small Isuzu diesels?

[DavisH]

Which day is the crackdown on? 

[DavisH]

24 minutes ago, Guderian said:

Assuming that these vehicles are over 7 years old, how do they ever pass the test to renew their road tax each year if they're belching back smoke? I know, they probably don't bother renewing the tax, but then why not make the fine 5,000 Baht for a vehicle belching black smoke and double it if the vehicle isn't taxed? And then treble it if the driver hasn't got a valid licence. In no time at all, the government's coffers will be overflowing with money, lol...

They seem only interested in whether the brakes work or not. But I've never presented a coal-roller to them, so not sure on the pollution. 

 

[Scot123]

4 hours ago, Glaswegian2 said:

 

Yeah. Right you are... or 1000 baht on-the-spot fine which goes in my pocket, and don't do it again...

 

Same as usual.

I'm sure if you revved any diesel vehicle more than a few months old in Thailand you will get a below of black smoke, I've owned 2 diesel vehicles from new in thailand and they were well serviced and they all bellowed black smoke when revved hard strange is my 5 year old diesel 4 in the uk has never bellowed black smoke. 

[DavisH]

1 hour ago, herwin1234 said:

Despite the usual cynical responses from the forum farang, this new law is just great and shows that the Thais have put the environment on its agenda. Last years anti single use plastic bag ban worked out fine, and so will this new ban on black smoke puffing cars. It might take a while though but now at least the police can legaly do something against these polluters.

It's down to law enforcement. That's it. 

[ikke1959]

I see car with black smoke daily.. I see policemen in cars or motorcycles  at the same time.... and nothing happens...Fine them with 5000 THB and let them drive away AFTER some one came to repair or replace the filters.....That will learn them.. but of course first the police have to start working 

[Venom]

4 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

What about farmers....cough....cough

 

The farmers are dirt poor in debt it's powerful and well connected Sino-thai agro cartels that control the method of production and burning gives them a competitive advantage over other rice producing countries that don't allow burning and exposing their populations to toxic levels of air pollution is illegal. 

 

Owners of vehicles emitting black smoke on the other hand weild no such power or influence. 

[overt2016]

5 hours ago, bluesofa said:

That'll never work, it smacks of multi-tasking. One crackdown at a time.

Thailand: the hub of serial crackdowns, lasting no more than a week each time.

 

I just hope they don't get around to the 'leaving the house without underwear' crackdown.

Check that one out with Greg Norman.

[Burma Bill]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

will impose heavy fines on the owners of vehicles that emit black smoke

 

How about starting with the public buses????

 

[ronaldo0]

So where do they put the suspended vehicles ? Or do they trust the drivers to just take them straight to the garage to get fixed ? ????