VIDEO: Police officer fined 1,000 baht for red light smash in central Thailand

[webfact]

video screenshot

 

Extraordinary footage from a dash cam published by Thai Rath showed the moment when a police pick-up went through a red light in Prachinburi, central Thailand. 

 

The pick-up, with its lights flashing, was creamed by a truck going quite legally through a green light. It was spun 360 degrees after being hit in the rear. 

 

Moments earlier a motorcycle taxi rider had moved aside to allow the police vehicle to sneak through on the far left side. 

 

It happened at the intersection of Routes 320 and 33 heading into Muang district of Prachinburi at 1.30 pm on Saturday afternoon.

 

Reaction on social media to the law breaking by the law themselves was rapid with multiple shares.

 

Netizens said it was one law for them and one for the rest of us. 

 

Elsewhere in the Thai media the local police chief Pol Col Thanakrit Phaphirom faced the media admitting that Pol Lance Corporal Suriyan Changkeh, aged 24, was behind the wheel of the pick-up. 

 

He was fined 1,000 baht for going through a red light. 

 

And yes, said the chief, he was responsible for the accident. 

 

Arthit, 34, was driving the truck and stopped at the scene. 

 

Both vehicles were insured and it was agreed that both parties would be responsible for their own repairs.  

 

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[Somtamnication]

Why? The cop's insurance company should pay for the damage on both vehicles. Arai wa?

[Kwasaki]

A good truck driver that saw a police car with flashing lights I would of thought should of seen it and allowed the police car to go. 

 

[NCC1701A]

"today we are going to make a four minute video of a ten second event."

"i will get the annoying music."

[richard_smith237]

Key information is missing.. 

 

Was the Police Truck rushing to a crime, or for his som-tam ?

 

i.e. Did the Police truck have his lights on legally? 

 

IF the police truck had his lights on legally, like all emergency vehicles he can go through a red light when safe to do so. i.e. its not illegal for him to go through a red light, but if there is an accident, its the fault of the police-driver.

 

In this case it is clearly not safe to go through the red light. The Policeman clearly doesn’t even look. 

 

This idiot should be banned from driving full stop - he’s a danger to anyone at all times.... 

 

 

Why on earth would the insurance for the truck have to pay out ??? this is 100% the fault of the Police driver... there is no question. 

[richard_smith237]

46 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

A good truck driver that saw a police car with flashing lights I would of thought should of seen it and allowed the police car to go. 

 

 

Both assumed the other would give way.

 

The Truck Driver - I’m in a truck others will stop for me (and I’m in a green light).

The Police Driver - I’m a policeman, others will stop for me (my lights are on).

 

This is the result when two feckless idiots meet on the roads....

 

 

What was the policeman doing running the lights ??? heading to an emergency, or just couldn’t be bothered to wait ?

[Kwasaki]

35 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Both assumed the other would give way.

 

The Truck Driver - I’m in a truck others will stop for me (and I’m in a green light).

The Police Driver - I’m a policeman, others will stop for me (my lights are on).

 

This is the result when two feckless idiots meet on the roads....

 

 

What was the policeman doing running the lights ??? heading to an emergency, or just couldn’t be bothered to wait ?

Well I see many times drivers not move over for Ambulances, what would the lorry driver do if it was another vehicle with flashing lights emergency or no emergency he should give way in my book.

Maybe thats why the decision made as knock for knock. 

[AquaThai]

1000thb...1000thb....really 1000thb.  Is that supposed to have an actual impact on preventing recidivism?  With low fines such as these why would anyone ever think about not being compliant with laws?

[Destiny1990]

Wondering once a foreigner is going trough a red light and causing an accident will receive the same treatment.

[tifino]

1 hour ago, Somtamnication said:

Why? The cop's insurance company should pay for the damage on both vehicles. Arai wa?

I'm thinking moreso - about the 'Excess'

 - why should the truck driver have to fork out the Excess, for a knock-for-Knock - if Not his Fault?

[hotchilli]

Emergency lights or not, he should only proceed with extreme caution... he sped through like he had a right of way... unfortunately a truck can't stop on a baht coin.

[mr_lob]

3 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

A good truck driver that saw a police car with flashing lights I would of thought should of seen it and allowed the police car to go. 

 

Their lights are not too bright to be fair, and the sirens barely audible sometimes.... if switched on at all

[Kwasaki]

16 minutes ago, mr_lob said:

Their lights are not too bright to be fair, and the sirens barely audible sometimes.... if switched on at all

No excuses for a Thai lorry driver thinking I'm bigger than you, no previnial vision if you ask me seeing someone/something coming from his left.

[Golden Triangle]

46 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

No excuses for a Thai lorry driver thinking I'm bigger than you, no previnial vision if you ask me seeing someone/something coming from his left.

I have looked for the dictionary meaning of ' Previnial ' I can't find anything, can you help please ? TIA

 

Ah, just been thinking about your post, did you mean peripheral vision ? That I would understand ????????

[natway09]

"Decided that their respective insurance Co"s would pay the damages,,,,, Whoa there,

let the insurance Co's make that call

[Sundew Giggleglow]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

And yes, said the chief, he was responsible for the accident. 

 

Arthit, 34, was driving the truck and stopped at the scene. 

 

Both vehicles were insured and it was agreed that both parties would be responsible for their own repairs.  

 

Sundew must ask why the truck driver would be responsible for anything when the constable admitted guilt?

[Scott Tracy]

As has been said, not enough info as to whether the old bill had his lights on and ran the red light for a legitimate reason. But, one can infer from the top cop, that he didn't or he would not have been fined. Also, the video has such noise, I could not hear if the copper has his siren going.

 

As to the insurance, normal practise would be the person proven to be in the wrong's insurance company would pay. Normal practise...not sure what happens in Thailand, (not had an accident here yet), but I am advised (by the wife) that if I am driving with her in the car and have an accident, I am to swap seats with her and state I was not driving. 

 

Nothing to do with insurance, apparently, something to do with the perception I'm foreign therefore, I am rich and can pay for hospitals, donations, family traumas, good will and good luck charms.

[Kwasaki]

3 hours ago, mr_lob said:

Their lights are not too bright to be fair, and the sirens barely audible sometimes.... if switched on at all

No excuse a safe driver would observed instead of plowing through full throttle like truck drivers here in Thailand do in that size of truck. 

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

I have looked for the dictionary meaning of ' Previnial ' I can't find anything, can you help please ? TIA

 

Ah, just been thinking about your post, did you mean peripheral vision ? That I would understand ????????

Of coarse I meant that, another member of TVF spell police are here, what about my Flinging grammar.

[tgw]

so, decidedly in this case, the police car arguably had the right of way because its emergency lights were on.

 

this is definitely not the kind of clear-cut case that should be advertised on media.

 

it seems Thailand will never be able to educate its drivers, because they explain the rules wrong, and corrupt police officers apply fines and responsibilities wrong.

 

it is a tragic farce that will continue to cost thousands of lives every year.

 

 

[Golden Triangle]

29 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Of coarse I meant that, another member of TVF spell police are here, what about my Flinging grammar.

Not the spell police at all, when I come across words that I am unfamiliar with - and you find plenty on here, I Google the word to see what it means, which I consider to be a fair & balanced approach, I have learnt the meaning of many words new to me in these forums. 

 

Absolutely no reason for you to start getting upset, but you used the same word back in April on a similar post about a motorbike rider dying for not looking right before proceeding, so we just let you or anyone else use made up non existent words ? Fine by me, just don't label me spelling police, I let plenty of misspellings go on here as the mods don't like it, nothing wrong with that, yours wasn't a misspelling it was a made up word.

 

Oh, and I saw your deliberate spelling mistake ????

[richard_smith237]

7 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Well I see many times drivers not move over for Ambulances, what would the lorry driver do if it was another vehicle with flashing lights emergency or no emergency he should give way in my book.

Maybe thats why the decision made as knock for knock. 

 

A police pickup going through a read light at a busy cross roads and getting hit by a lorry is a little different from an Ambulance stuck behind a car which will not move out of the way. 

 

 

 

 

[bangon04]

5 hours ago, natway09 said:

"Decided that their respective insurance Co"s would pay the damages,,,,, Whoa there,

let the insurance Co's make that call

you seem to be assuming that both vehicles were properly insured.......TIT

[connda]

Deleted.

[tinca tinca]

23 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

A good truck driver that saw a police car with flashing lights I would of thought should of seen it and allowed the police car to go. 

 

thai driving where are you???

[Kwasaki]

58 minutes ago, tinca tinca said:

thai driving where are you???

At a place unlike Bkk and places like it. 

Most of the drivers in that size of truck are not that clever IMHO. 

[alacrity]

On 6/22/2021 at 1:15 PM, richard_smith237 said:

Key information is missing.. 

 

Was the Police Truck rushing to a crime, or for his som-tam ?

 

i.e. Did the Police truck have his lights on legally? 

 

IF the police truck had his lights on legally, like all emergency vehicles he can go through a red light when safe to do so. i.e. its not illegal for him to go through a red light, but if there is an accident, its the fault of the police-driver.

 

In this case it is clearly not safe to go through the red light. The Policeman clearly doesn’t even look. 

 

This idiot should be banned from driving full stop - he’s a danger to anyone at all times.... 

 

 

Why on earth would the insurance for the truck have to pay out ??? this is 100% the fault of the Police driver... there is no question. 

Emergency/ police vehicles don't have 'right of way' here.

 

Have seen many examples of this precedence many times and kind of hoped that the casualty was a relative of the 'ignorant'.

[wozza]

Police drive of with their lights on regardless of where they are going for any purpose , most stop at red lights still with the lights on , I spent a few evenings out with them officially a few times and the lights go on when leaving the station car park and at the end of shift in the car park they are off, if the siren is on that's when they have an urgent call.

[bobandyson]

On 6/22/2021 at 1:17 PM, richard_smith237 said:

This is the result when two feckless idiots meet on the roads....

Yep, two idiots totally without any 'fekc'.........whatever that means. ????