New seatbelt law: Police will go "softly softly" from Sept 5 - but fines are "at the discretion of the officer"

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Regarding car seats for children he spoke of there being three kinds of restraining devices - "car seats, special seats and seats that stop danger".

 

19 hours ago, webfact said:

All he did say was that the RTP - of which he is of course a part and a spokesman - have yet to decide what car seat means.

It is a step up from rent collecting... this needs an element of education to understand the written word.

[bbbbooboo]

Hmmm…… does the left hand know what the left hand does?

[PolarAttack]

21 hours ago, Excel said:

I wonder what the position is where people are riding in the bed of a pickup ?  A long time ago it was decreed by the PM that it is not lawful and almost immediately it appears to have been ignored. I wonder if rear seat belt usage will undergo a similar fate ?

Yes, I remember that. And before the ink had dried they were already making exceptions. For example except taking kids to and from school. Or during Songkran of course. 

[Nicholas Paul KNIGHT]

Okay softly softly and fines at discretion of the officer.

Scenario, Thai man with wife and 3 kids, Yopu really shou8ld wear belts, a warning .....Thanks officer 

                 Foreigner with wife and three kids : Sir youi should wear seat belts, fines intotal 4000+ ( you farang can pay ) ...;.... Okay Officer ( know he will pocket at least 50% ) 

 

Now tell me the racist xenephobic card will NOT be played . I had it with two accidents and spotlights.

Plus the normal incompetence of the officers concerned.

[dallen52]

Two things. 

The RTP don't understand law enforcement. 

 

And the second is they are predominantly lazy unless there's cash in it for them.

[dallen52]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

 

It is a step up from rent collecting... this needs an element of education to understand the written word.

Or in the case of side car cages on bikes.

The plastic seat that grandmother sits on...

[StevieAus]

17 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

There is no official support for the banning of passengers in pickup beds as all the likely victims are poor, and thus of no consequence.

 

Same for seatbelts and child seats. The rich and well educated will use them (except for the arrogant) but the poor, who really need telling of the consequences, will not through ignorance and apathy. Their children will be the victims.

Unfortunately the people who appear to have money and those you would think are educated, from my observations also ignore  seatbelts for children.

My daughter attends a non government school and daily I see teachers nurses and business owners bundle their children into their cars without seat belts and often standing up on the front seats.

One would think that nurses, who must see the injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents would have more sense, but then I see them riding motor cycles without helmets.

Perhaps as you say they are arrogant, I put it down to stupidity or something I don’t understand about the culture.

[Henryford]

Just another ambiguous law so the RTP can cash in.

[kennw]

18 hours ago, Russell17au said:

The law has not been written properly. It should read that it is the officers discretion but only if it does not involve a falang then it will be the maximum coffee money ooops sorry that should have been fine

In "other" countries the police are correctly termed law enforcement officers, they do not make the laws nor do they have discretionary powers, to do so simply opens the way to corruption. Their job is to enforce the road laws and laws of the land. Now for Thailand, .......lets stop here.

[Hanuman2547]

Obviously there will be "dual pricing" in effect when stopped by the BIB.  You can count on that.  

[Ray Ban]

This report tells us that one “ definitive” point made by the RTP spokesman was that cars registered before 1 January, 1988 are exempt from the “new” seat belt laws. In reporting from March 2017, the exemption was for cars first registered before 1 April, 2012, which takes in my Toyota 2-door Vigo. The rear seats are a slab of foam with plastic covering, “secured” with  strips of Velcro. There are no seat belts and no anchor points to instal them. I’m obviously not alone.  Its unlikely that the average cop will have any direction on this, so I’m looking forward (NOT) to lifting my engine bonnet to explain why my manufacturer’s compliance plate proves I’m in the clear.

[Mike k]

What about the extended cab pickups that don't come with seat belts in the back seat 

[MrJ2U]

On 8/11/2022 at 8:43 AM, webfact said:

Unless the car was really old.

It would have to be extremely old.  Cars have had seat belts for over 50 years.

 

Unless it's a public bus you don't find many vehicles that antiquated. 

[MrJ2U]

Well thought out as usual.

 

2,000 baht fine for people in Issan will be a big hit.  

 

500 baht would be more reasonable, at least for the first year. 

[MrJ2U]

On 8/12/2022 at 6:37 AM, dallen52 said:

Two things. 

The RTP don't understand law enforcement. 

 

And the second is they are predominantly lazy unless there's cash in it for them.

They did or do get a percentage of the fine.

 

Crazy!