Medical certificates now mandatory for driving licenses and new car purchases in Thailand

 

 

 

Anyone applying for a driving license in Thailand will soon need to submit a medical certificate in order to prove they do not have any underlying health conditions which may impair their ability to drive.

 

The requirement applies to all procedures related to driving licenses, including new applications and renewals. 

 

It also applies to all forms of land transport and medical certificate is even required to be shown when purchasing a new vehicle.

 

The Department of Land Transport (DLT) made the announcement on its Facebook page, stating that the requirement  will come into effect on Friday, February 19.

 

The department said the move was to help reduce road accidents in the country, which is notorious for its dangerous roads which claim more than 20,000 deaths annually.

 

The news comes as a number of  DLT services, including booking an appointment for driving tests, had been moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

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Sorry but as long stupidity is not diagnosed there won't be an improvement in the number of accidents.

 

5 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

 

Anyone applying for a driving license in Thailand will soon need to submit a medical certificate in order to prove they do not have any underlying health conditions which may impair their ability to drive

 

But who supplies said cert' .. 

Needs to be a doctor not open to any sort of inducement to give an honest , accurate appraisal of an applicants health ..

Can someone hit the reset button for this government?

Another no brainer ! Purchase a car show a medical certificate hmmm can't see to many car dealerships refusing a purchase specially in these hard times and what if you are not the owner just buying for your sibling etc ?

2 minutes ago, Justgrazing said:

 

But who supplies said cert' .. 

Needs to be a doctor not open to any sort of inducement to give an honest , accurate appraisal of an applicants health ..

I had to supply one when I applied for a licence the Dr checked to see I had all my fingers and both legs Certificate Approved !

its always been for driving license, Medical cert

 

not sure about purchasing a vehicle

16 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The department said the move was to help reduce road accidents in the country

bandaid solution; upgrade driving skills here by requiring road tests, to be passed

Easily replaced with a 500 Baht note.

 

1000 for farang, naturally. 

The policy makes no sense.

3 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Easily replaced with a 500 Baht note.

 

1000 for farang, naturally. 

 

Thought the going rate for a med cert was 100 Bht?

9 minutes ago, bolt said:

its always been for driving license, Medical cert

 

not sure about purchasing a vehicle

 

Not for renewals of the 5 year driving license.

How will a company purchasing vehicles get a medical cert? Also why would a grandmother purchasing a vehicle that is to be used by her family but not her need to certify her health?

 

Requiring a medical cert for issuance or renewal of licenses makes sense but for the purchase of a vehicle does not. Owner does not necessarily mean driver.

How's that going to reduce the horrendous death toll on Thailand's roads i don't know, it's not the health condition of the drivers that cause all this untold carnage, (not sue about the mental health though) its more to do with the driver's blaze attitude to road's safety rules...

There certainly are some medical conditions that would make a person unfit to steer a motor vehicle, for instance:

 

- severe cognitive disability

- schizophrenia and certain pronounced personality disorders

- epilepsy

- motoric disabilities (i.e. uncontrollable jerking or twitching body movements)

- advanced cataract

 

But honestly, how many accidents are caused by drivers that suffer from any of these. Almost none.

 

The motorists who in fact ARE responsible for the deadly mayhem on our streets are those who lack training, don't know traffic rules, don't care about traffic rules, drive too fast, are distracted while behind the wheel, are hot-tempered road rowdies, drive stone drunk -- or, actually, sometimes all of these combined..

 

And no medical certificate in the world will safeguard against these idiots.

 

Like so many other kneejerk regulations in this country, this one will solve preciously nothing, let alone help bring the appalling accident rate down by any meaningful numbers.

13 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

How will a company purchasing vehicles get a medical cert? Also why would a grandmother purchasing a vehicle that is to be used by her family but not her need to certify her health?

 

Requiring a medical cert for issuance or renewal of licenses makes sense but for the purchase of a vehicle does not. Owner does not necessarily mean driver.

The Facebook post from the DLT which the OP linked to doesn't say anything about medical certificate to register a vehicle, I suspect that's just a wrong translation by Thaivisa, because as you correctly pointed out, it wouldn't make any sense.

47 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

It also applies to all forms of land transport and medical certificate is even required to be shown when purchasing a new vehicle.

 

It would make more sense to be required to show a driving licence to purchase a vehicle. Getting a medical certificate is easy, takes 5 minutes and about 200 Baht. Nothing to stop an unlicenced driver hitting the roads. After a few years it would be certain that all licenced drivers "should" be medically fit. But it still wouldn't stop an unfit driver from borrowing a car/bike and then driving. 

 

30 minutes ago, bolt said:

its always been for driving license, Medical cert

 

not sure about purchasing a vehicle

And always been a joke to obtain.

You buy a new car and you need a medical certificate?  Oh my god...

What a joke, LMAO!!!

53 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

It also applies to all forms of land transport and medical certificate is even required to be shown when purchasing a new vehicle.

?

just when you think this government can't do anything dafter they go and out do themselves!

 

fair play lads, you are about as low as you can get in my estimations at the minute.

Facebook?

Good luck they didn't publish it on Twitter or maybe Instagram... 

25 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

How will a company purchasing vehicles get a medical cert? Also why would a grandmother purchasing a vehicle that is to be used by her family but not her need to certify her health?

 

Requiring a medical cert for issuance or renewal of licenses makes sense but for the purchase of a vehicle does not. Owner does not necessarily mean driver.

 

Farang think too mut....... Easily resolved, send the cleaning lady off to the clinic, provide the medical cert with the paperwork for purchase of 10 Toyota Camry’s (company cars).. no problem ! Box Checked. 

 

Want to get a new licence - no problem, just do what you always did and pop to the clinic (also for 5 yr licences now)

 

Granny wants a new car but is terribly afflicted with Tuberculosis, elephantiasis and is half blind... thats ok, get daughters medical cert. 

Granny drives off in new car, has no licence, is stopped by the BiB, pays 100baht, then promptly plows into the back of a Songthaew full of school children...

.... The result online outrage and the headline ’Neitizens outraged at overloaded pickups carrying school kids’...  follow on... A National Crackdown on uninsured unlicensed Songtheaews and drivers for a week before all goes back to normal !!!! 

 

 

 

Let me get this straight.  I want to buy my GF, or one if my kids a car or Motorbike. They already have a license, I already have a license, and we all had to have a medical certificate to obtain said license, but to now buy the car as a gift I will have to go have a physical again.  Can someone please tell me these folks are just plain frigging out of touch with reality or us it April fools day. Wait on it next week you will need a medical certificate to go buy God damned groceries, just ludicrous.

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

The department said the move was to help reduce road accidents in the country,

I can think of several measures to help reduce accidents and getting a medical isn't one of them.

10 minutes and 100 baht at any clinic to be deemed physically "healthy" but no screening for ignorance, arrogance, and stupidity which is the real problem. 

You buy the medical cert in the reception of any clinic for 100 baht. No exam needed !

1 hour ago, tracker1 said:

I had to supply one when I applied for a licence the Dr checked to see I had all my fingers and both legs Certificate Approved !

That was a bit thorough! The doctor opened a hatchway and glanced across the waiting room at me. Three minutes later his receptionist handed me the certificate!

1 hour ago, Salerno said:

 

Thought the going rate for a med cert was 100 Bht?

That's if you pass. 

 

If you fail the price goes up, newb.

1 hour ago, tracker1 said:

I had to supply one when I applied for a licence the Dr checked to see I had all my fingers and both legs Certificate Approved !

That was my experience also. They did test to see if I was able to open my wallet though.