Red plate at night - real world experience

[pazienza]

Potentially a silly/pointless question, and I know it's not allowed - but I do often see red plated cars driving at night. Anyone had personal experience of ramifications if stopped by the police? Most Thais I speak to are either unaware of the law or tell me not to worry!

 

I have picked up my new truck in Chiang Rai and have been given a little log book to fill in which allows me to leave the province, I'd like to drive to Bangkok but would prefer to drive at night just to get the long haul out of the way.

 

Just weighing up to see if it's worth it or not(!)

[Kinnock]

My understanding is that you can drive a red plated car anywhere, anytime, so long as you log the journey in advance in the log book that comes with the plates?

[richard_smith237]

Nothing happens... 

 

I’ve had numerous replete cars, driven at night (in BKK) and outside the province (again at night to restaurants etc)...  

 

Only once (about 20 years ago) a GF got stopped in her car at the toll-booth (in Bangkok), she simply said she’d been working and was going home (it was about 9pm). 

 

.... the red plate thing...   I wouldn’t give it a second thought. 

 

As far as getting your white plate - you can do it yourself at the DLT. 

The online DLT registration like all official Thai apps seems not to work (been trying to get a bike registered recently). 

 

 

[recom273]

I picked up a new truck, I didn’t even have any plates or tax for 6 weeks until the real plates turned up.

 

When living in Hat Yai, I would often ride through police roadblocks at speed, one time I got pulled over after my plate fell off and I was waiting a month before I could replace it, the police officer got a mouthful and rode off. I used to see police all the time, but now living in Khon Kaen for a year, I could count the number of police I have seen on one hand. 
 

I had no issues without a plate whatsoever, which surprised me, so I presume a red plate not to be an issue, just complete the log, I would be surprised if anyone ever asks to see it.

[2long]

'Officially' they're trade plates and should only be driven for test drive purposes. But in the real world they're on all new vehicles until the white plates arrive. This could take a couple of weeks or (like people I know) over a year.

You'd have to try pretty hard to get done by the cops just for this. If you do drive at night, just be careful not to break any laws... but I can't talk about road block from the north to BKK. That might offer up some tea money opportunities if you get the wrong cop.

[soi3eddie]

Surely Red Plates are just a status symbol. Look at me I got a new vehicle? I bought a new Vigo in 2005 in Nakhon Si Thammarat and drove all the way to Loei and back via Bangkok with no plates at all. Never got stopped once for having no plates. Did get stopped for speeding (speed trap in Loei) and had no issue with no plates. 

 

[Hummin]

Police is of no worry's, it is you insurance that you should worry about 

[Dazinoz]

When I bought my car here I received the red plates in a couple weeks. Not told anything about not driving after 6pm and nothing about needing to log trips outside province. I was told normal plates would be about 6 weeks. many times I went back to the dealer and enquired about them. Finally at 6 months, yes months, I jumped up and down. The person at the dealer asked me who had sold me the car and when I told them who they said she didn't work there anymore. I said why should that make a difference. Off she went and came back and said original salesperson had not done the paperwork so I had been driving around for 6 months in an unregistered car. I had paid full insurance at purchase time.

 

Question is why can't a red plated car be driven at night? Maybe "they" think its a new driver and not experienced. Who knows?

[rwill]

I never had a problem with it.  I have drove through checkpoints at night without getting stopped.  But you never know here.

 

I have had red plates on vehicles for several months waiting for the new plates to show up.  I believe by law you aren't supposed to have them for more than 30 days.

 

Also as has been mentioned you have a book you are supposed to fill out for trips out of your province.  I was only asked once if I had the book but they didn't actually look at it.

[rwill]

9 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

Surely Red Plates are just a status symbol.

There are a couple of advantages to having them as long as possible other than status.  1) you avoid having to pay the annual registration fee until you have real plates.  2) You won't get traffic violations mailed to you from camera traps.

[sandyf]

11 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

Surely Red Plates are just a status symbol. Look at me I got a new vehicle?

According to my wife the red plates were used for a specific purpose. While the vehicle purchase was being processed before going on the central database it was difficult for police to verify ownership at night when the staff involved finished at 6pm. Red plates were used to limit the night time movement of new vehicles.

It is highly likely the original processing time has been significantly reduced in recent times, but the practice remains with the police paying little attention.

BTW. My wife used to be the financial director of a European company and responsible for the purchase and management of the company vehicles, retired in 2014.

[VocalNeal]

Red plates at night policeman's delight?

[bluejets]

Red plates in Aus must be a different breed of fish as they are issued here if you have enough dosh.

Often wondered as to the practicality though....must be hard to see at night.....especially for us old buggers.

[Liverpool Lou]

14 hours ago, Hummin said:

Police is of no worry's, it is you insurance that you should worry about 

How so?

[Liverpool Lou]

5 hours ago, rwill said:

2) You won't get traffic violations mailed to you from camera traps.

...but the dealer who owns the plates could and he would inform the police that you are the owner if required.   You don't really think that red plates cannot be traced, do you?

[Photoguy21]

I believe if you are going outside of your area e.g. Bangkok to Pattaya you need to log it but locally no I never have logged it and neither has anyone I know done so

[PETERTHEEATER]

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Red plates at night policeman's delight?

Red sky in the morning, Somchai's villa on fire.....

[KhunLA]

I've never had a problem, and driven many times with red plated, interprovince and at night with 4 different vehicles.  All parts of the country, at one time or another with red plates, and at night.

[Brick Top]

I believe the reason that Red plate vehicles should not be driven at night is because the Red plates are not reflective like the White ones. 

[Hummin]

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

How so?

Red plates comes with rules, and if you do not apply for driving at night, you are braking the rule, and police might give you a warning, a ticket, but most likely thay do not care. 
 

If you have any accident, the insurance company might have something to say. 
 

However nothing is written in stone in Thailand, expect anything and everything, and try to be in the good side for your own sake. 

 

When we had new car, we drove through many provinces, but we logged every trip we did. We where never stopped, or did drive in the night, something I try to avoid in Thailand.

Wiki on red plates updated april 2022

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Thailand

Edited June 18, 2022 by Hummin

[Eff1n2ret]

3 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

I believe if you are going outside of your area e.g. Bangkok to Pattaya you need to log it but locally no I never have logged it and neither has anyone I know done so

Once on a visit 15 years or so ago the rental car I picked up at the airport was new, almost nothing on the clock and with red plates. All the guy told me was to be careful not to lose the brown book. During two weeks I drove it to Pattaya, Rayong and Udon Thani, never got stopped or had a problem.

I wouldn't worry about driving with red plates after dark round our way (Rayong). The police only seem to venture out at night if there's an accident.

[G Rex]

We have had 4 cars with red plates over the last 3 years.  All cars were driven at night (not simultaneously) and extensively throughout Thailand - Bangkok,Phuket,Chiang Mai, Buriram etc.

One vehicle was on red plates for 11 months. We have driven through multiple police check points and no reference has ever been made about the plates. My wife and I have never made any entries in the log books.  As with many things regarding road rules here in Thailand - in theory it could be a problem, but in practice it never is, due to lack of policing.

Don’t think too much! 

[richard_smith237]

This topic has come up numerous times....  with the usual rules.

- Cannot drive with red plates after 6pm 

- Cannot drive out of province

 

To my knowledge there is nothing written and these are not actual rules. 

That said, some BiB ‘believe them to be rules’ but all that has happened here is peer-to-peer transference as the police are hardly well trained, they just pick things up from their senior officers.

 

Thus: IF (in the very rare event) someone driving on red plates is stopped, outside of province or at night there is no rule being broken.

 

The only regulation is that the Brown-Book is completed with origin and destination and todays date. 

Of course, no one does that. 

 

 

What are the origins of the red plates ??? they are simple dealership plates. 

The reason we see them on the road is that the DLT is simply too slow to issue registers plates, so driving on red plates has become the norm.

 

[rwill]

6 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

11 hours ago, rwill said:

2) You won't get traffic violations mailed to you from camera traps.

...but the dealer who owns the plates could and he would inform the police that you are the owner if required.   You don't really think that red plates cannot be traced, do you?

I'm sure, like most Thai's, they just toss them out.

[ThailandRyan]

19 minutes ago, rwill said:

I'm sure, like most Thai's, they just toss them out.

Toss what the Tickets or the plates?  The Tickets come to the owner of the car as they can trace the plate through the dealer you bought it from.  I know, I received two speeding tickets, photo enforced, via the mail from a trip i took down to Krabi and back in my new red plated vehicle last year.  On the ticket it showed the red plate number and then the real plate number which was awaiting pick-up by the dealer at the DLT, they took 3 months to get them, but the dealer had to have put the red plate number into some type of system the DLT has.......The Red Plate deposit was returned upon picking up the white plates.....

Edited June 18, 2022 by ThailandRyan

[pazienza]

Thank you all for the replies. 

 

I bit the bullet and just went for it and..... nothing happened! Went through various police stops but just waved through every time. Had to stop at Phitsanulok for a snooze though! 

 

The road from Phitsanulok to Singburi is currently half under construction and awful (very rough terrain single lane traffic) , so upon my return I may go the Phetchabun road although it might be even slower. Anyone gone that way? (Bangkok to Chiang Rai)