Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit orders increasing penalties for traffic violators

[webfact]

PHOTO: Daily News

 

By Nop Meechukhun

 

National – Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan ordered increasing penalties for road users who violated traffic laws in order to raise more public awareness.

 

He addressed to the That Cabinet Meeting Tuesday, February 1st, that the National Road Accident Prevention and Reduction Policy Board has approved measures to prevent road accidents following a tragic accident of a motorcycle crashing and killing a pedestrian at a crosswalk last month. The approved policies, in principle, are as follows:

 

Legal measures: such as increasing penalties for drivers who broke traffic signs; using technology to support law enforcement; providing online information about the history and offenses of the driver’s license holders, vehicle registration information, and other relevant information; increasing offenses for drivers who violate traffic rules and signs and recording driving behaviors when committing an offense.

 

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2022/02/03/thai-deputy-prime-minister-prawit-orders-increasing-penalties-for-traffic-violators/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2022-02-03

 

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[worgeordie]

Maybe larger fines could change the way people drive ,if

the fines are collected , something has to be done ,thats

for sure , if drivers with bad driving habits ,know it's going

to come out of their pockets ,and not just 500 Baht .

regards Worgeordie

[Geoffggi]

More lip service, where are the details and when will these measures be implemented ............

[MSMU1993]

No enforcement = meaningless

 

[Enzian]

As an inveterate pedestrian I've felt like the drivers are a little better (more considerate?) in Sukhumvit the past few days; but it might just be my imagination, since I'm more careful than ever.

[Chang_paarp]

More effective would be if the DPM Toad ordered that the existing laws and fines be enforced without fear or favour. Remember the points system has kicked in too.

Even offer an extra % for the officers issuing the fines.

Or bonus % for red plated expensive/luxury vehicles. 

 

I know I'm dreaming.

[Moonlover]

It's all very well increasing fines, but unless they become far more aggressive about collecting those fines, it's a hollow gesture. It's like a charity collector rattling his box before an uninterested public.

 

There a many thousands of unpaid penalties because people simply ignore them. Clamping or impounding the offender's vehicle might be a good start.

[transam]

About time, but he must get his head in gear to get boots on the streets and boots to chase fine non-payments.

The theory at the mo is police fines are linked to road tax renewal, if fine not paid you cannot tax your ride.

The police office folk must get on with it to pass on the info to LTO. Of course there will be those who don't give a toss about paying fines, road tax, insurance or even a vehicle test because there are rarely boots on the street to worry about..????

 

[2long]

But many of the high-profile incidents recently have involved wealthy people. Is any change from 500-5,000B or the like going to affect them?

[transam]

Just now, 2long said:

But many of the high-profile incidents recently have involved wealthy people. Is any change from 500-5,000B or the like going to affect them?

Same the world over, having well off folk. ????

[RJRS1301]

24 minutes ago, transam said:

About time, but he must get his head in gear to get boots on the streets and boots to chase fine non-payments.

The theory at the mo is police fines are linked to road tax renewal, if fine not paid you cannot tax your ride.

The police office folk must get on with it to pass on the info to LTO. Of course there will be those who don't give a toss about paying fines, road tax, insurance or even a vehicle test because there are rarely boots on the street to worry about..????

 

The willingness to enforce the existing legislation would be a good begining, before bringing in new penalties.

For no fine payers , confiscation of vehicles until fine paid, or auctioned after 30 days, along with confiscation of watches for the DPMs collection perhaps.

Edited February 3, 2022 by RJRS1301

[Moonlover]

38 minutes ago, 2long said:

But many of the high-profile incidents recently have involved wealthy people. Is any change from 500-5,000B or the like going to affect them?

So are you just going to poo poo the idea simply because some people are richer than others?  The reason why the transgressions of the wealthy are high profile is because, by their very nature they attract the most attention.

 

But those Hi-Sos are only a small proportion of society. Most of the traffic violations are carried out by the larger 'rank and file' of society, so the point you make is a moot one.

[DuiDui48]

So he just woke up now..TiT or better late then never i guess his motto is..

[Benmart]

A clueless move. See what other countries have done and give up the tired old ideas that haven't worked in the past.

[spidermike007]

And what about applying the use of patrols, on the roads and on the highways, to catch reckless drivers in the act? Like all other civilized nations do? Make the police do some actual police and traffic safety work. 

[RJRS1301]

5 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

And what about applying the use of patrols, on the roads and on the highways, to catch reckless drivers in the act? Like all other civilized nations do? Make the police do some actual police and traffic safety work. 

This is Thailand, take you logic and reframe that please ????

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan ordered increasing penalties for road users who violated traffic laws in order to raise more public awareness

 

[JAS21]

In reality bigger fines will just mean bigger bribes…..but yes I agree fines are far too small ….

 

I did an illegal right turn the other day… GPS said go right and I didn’t see the sign saying cannot… MrJ negotiateda  200thb payment with the guy in brown who sprinted across the road to stop me.  How big a fine and how many points would I have got if I had done that in the UK.

[new2here]

5 hours ago, MSMU1993 said:

No enforcement = meaningless

 

absolutely agree.

 

”laws” regulations etc without enforced penalties really are only suggestions 

 

To me, i think the government has several tools at their disposal.

 

Remembering that driving isn’t a right afforded citizens under law.. it’s  privilege- that the government has near unilateral right/ability to change or revoke as they largely see fit.

 

the problem i have with the use of fines exclusively as the entire tool is that they are really only effective with a subset of the population who can’t really afford them … for others who are perhaps much high earners, there’s no real  “deterrent” effect in a B500 or B5000 fine …. so… i’m a fan of seizures or criminal forfeiture… you (as the state) seize the property used by the violator in the commission of their crime (after a guilty verdict or a admission of guilty - not before) … you take their big bike bike… you take their Benz … and then auction it off with proceeds either split into a victim’s compensation fund or back into enforcement actions.

 

To me, it’s like hitting them (the violator) where it really hurts… 

 

in my mind, there’s no real deterrent effect of fining, even the maximum, an uber rich person…. but… if you start take away, on a permanent basis, their freedom (ie incarceration) or you take away permanently their high end cars and bike… things that they DO feel, now THATS putative … so i think IF they’re serious about enforcement, then they need to rethink how that will be done and what form the enforcement will take. 

 

I don’t like the idea of a  license suspension as there’s little here in the way of checking for driving with a suspended license much less a real penalty for it. 

 

I think you’ve got to use penalties that will have impact AND can realistically be imposed given the realities here. 

[LittleBear57]

5 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Maybe larger fines could change the way people drive ,if

the fines are collected , something has to be done ,thats

for sure , if drivers with bad driving habits ,know it's going

to come out of their pockets ,and not just 500 Baht .

regards Worgeordie

Are the fines collected, I've been told if ignored for long enough they are forgotten and most Thais do this. Sounds very similar to a young rich Ferrari driver killing a policeman if not caught it gets forgotten.

[madmitch]

Proper training. A trip around an obstacle course is not the way to award a driving licence.

 

The problem is in a country riddled with corruption a licence could still quite easily be bought.

[Brian Hull]

He would get much better results by fining or sacking or prosecuting the traffic cops and their superiors who are derelict in their duty and do practically nothing to enforce the traffic rules.

[kennw]

8 hours ago, MSMU1993 said:

No enforcement = meaningless

 

Exactly as said above, if the PM had more enforcement it might have meant something.  

[connda]

Fine and dandy, but with only 20% of the population paying the fines?  Perhaps work on fine collection first?  'Eh?

[mancub]

4 hours ago, JAS21 said:

In reality bigger fines will just mean bigger bribes…..but yes I agree fines are far too small ….

 

I did an illegal right turn the other day… GPS said go right and I didn’t see the sign saying cannot… MrJ negotiateda  200thb payment with the guy in brown who sprinted across the road to stop me.  How big a fine and how many points would I have got if I had done that in the UK.

Don't know, but chances are you wouldn't do it again in a hurry !????

[Road Warrior]

enforce /?????   then put police on streets /at traffic lights  to catch such offenders 

[pattjock]

It was only about a year ago the slashed all the traffic fines by 50%  ???

 

 

[djayz]

And who is going to get up off their bacon and issue those fines and pocket, eh, collect them?