New traffic law that requires all passengers in vehicles to wear seat belts

[steve187]

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Yet to see a seat belt in a song taew. 

in the Uk its only forward facing seats that require seat belts, rear facing ie sitting in the boot space in an estate car volvo, land rover side facing etc are exempt

[AsianAtHeart]

3 minutes ago, connda said:

But seatbelts are not required in buses because buses defy the law of physics, right?  No - what it show is this is not about "safety" but it is about revenue collection.

Thailand is not so exceptional here if they do not require seatbelts in buses.  What country does?  Buses are safer.  They have a long wheelbase, are driven by professionals (in my country, a bus driver must have a commercial driver's license plus a passenger endorsement, plus removal of air-brakes restriction, plus current first aid/CPR certification, plus current health certificate, etc.), and buses have extra wheels on the ground for traction.  They typically are equipped with air brakes, and have many safety features built-in to their design.  Furthermore, any front-side impact is mitigated somewhat for passengers by the cushioned seats in front of them.  Having a seatbelt on in an accident could impede egress, especially for smaller children, the elderly, or the incapacitated who might struggle to remove it.

 

8 minutes ago, steve187 said:

in the Uk its only forward facing seats that require seat belts, rear facing ie sitting in the boot space in an estate car volvo, land rover side facing etc are exempt

This might be because a seatbelt could cause considerable spinal damage or neck injury (if using a shoulder strap, possibly even decapitation) to someone seated sideways in the event of an impact.  Rear-facing means you would, theoretically, have your back rested against a seat that would effectively prevent much motion.

[bbbbooboo]

Hmmm…. Logically if the “police” actually enforce this , then a lot of Thai drivers will be in trouble. Can’t see it happening myself. 

[Ray Ban]

When we’re new cars first required to be fitted with seat belts? My 2008 two-door Vigo Ute doesn’t have belts for the back nor any way of fitting them. A report in 2014 when they tried to bring in new seat belt laws and ban riding in the tray said vehicles first registered before 1st April 2012 were exempt. Now the date seems to be 1st January 1988. There must be many people like me who can’t work out if having rear seat passengers is now illegal.

[transam]

2 minutes ago, Ray Ban said:

When we’re new cars first required to be fitted with seat belts? My 2008 two-door Vigo Ute doesn’t have belts for the back nor any way of fitting them. A report in 2014 when they tried to bring in new seat belt laws and ban riding in the tray said vehicles first registered before 1st April 2012 were exempt. Now the date seems to be 1st January 1988. There must be many people like me who can’t work out if having rear seat passengers is now illegal.

Your ride is sold as a 2 seater....

[roskruge]

I was interested to see how many refereed to a Songthaew (Baht Bus) as a Pick-Up Truck. In Australia it was called  a 'Ute'. I think the original design was Australian. The locals call it Songthaew, so as far as I am concern that what it is. When Russians were in Thailand they called it a 'Tuk-Tuk'.

[Ralf001]

15 minutes ago, Ray Ban said:

When we’re new cars first required to be fitted with seat belts? My 2008 two-door Vigo Ute doesn’t have belts for the back nor any way of fitting them. A report in 2014 when they tried to bring in new seat belt laws and ban riding in the tray said vehicles first registered before 1st April 2012 were exempt. Now the date seems to be 1st January 1988. There must be many people like me who can’t work out if having rear seat passengers is now illegal.

The green book for your pickup, how many seats are listed ?

 

That is what the vehicle is legal to carry.

[ThailandRyan]

4 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

The green book for your pickup, how many seats are listed ?

 

That is what the vehicle is legal to carry.

Green book?  Mine is blue, my Motorbike is green.  My Tritons Bluebook shows 5, but then the paperwork says I can have as many as I can stack like wood......lol

[transam]

4 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Green book?  Mine is blue, my Motorbike is green.  My Tritons Bluebook shows 5, but then the paperwork says I can have as many as I can stack like wood......lol

Green book is for 2 door rides, you have seat belts for 5....

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, transam said:

Green book is for 2 door rides, you have seat belts for 5....

Had no idea the pickups could have either a green book or blue, guess my 4 door gets the blue and yes I have 5 sets of belts, 3 in the back and 2 in the front.......My MG HS is exactly the same seats 5 and 5 sets of belts.  I love that the motorbike green book shows seating for 2, yet when I see those with 5 onboard that could be some easy money made by the RTP and Highway Coppers.

[roskruge]

About 4 years ago (pre-COVID) (if anyone can remember pre-COVID) I got a lift to a supermarket in Pattaya, passing the Police box at the top of Pattaya Klang, on Sukhumvit Road, I was in sitting in the front passenger seat of a 4x4 without a seat belt on, as we passed by the Police box at the traffic lights, a Policeman ran out of the Police Box with his camera phone and took a picture of me and the vehicle, but did not speak. about 1 hour later, I passed by the same Police Box going in the same direction, but this time I was on a grossly overcrowded 'White' Songthaew (baht bus), standing on the edge of the tailgate, one hand holding on to a alum pole, the other hand holding on to a Big-C bag 'chocka-block' full of shopping. But this time the Policeman thought is is perfectly safe, but not in a 4x4. White Songthaew's run from Banlamung to the Sattahip Market 95% of the way via Sukhumvit Rd.

[spidermike007]

What is the meaning of a law, without enforcement? Will this only be enforced at traffic stops, where people have enough time to put on their belts? Or will the police and the (completely farcical) highway patrol completely reform themselves, and actually start pulling over offenders, speeders, reckless drivers and fools, for the first time in a century? 

 

I highly doubt it. Thailand likely has the highest percentage of laws on the books, that are NEVER enforced, of any nation on earth. Nobody respects the cops here. Nobody. And for good reason. 

[Thaijack2014]

As stupid what he did, I somehow can understand his frustration about his ex wife looking for a (obviously more rich and maybe nicer) Farang. Little does she know that life is not necessarily better with a lot of farangs. But the prospect of a financial improvement is there and that's what he probably could not offer.

Did it change anything? Nope, it only got worse.

Edited September 6, 2022 by Thaijack2014
Wrong spelling

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Green book?  Mine is blue, my Motorbike is green.  My Tritons Bluebook shows 5, but then the paperwork says I can have as many as I can stack like wood......lol

Green/blue  you know what I meant.

 

So your triton is a 4 door dual cab.

how many actual seat belts does it have ?

[ThailandRyan]

4 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Green/blue  you know what I meant.

 

So your triton is a 4 door dual cab.

how many actual seat belts does it have ?

5 seat belts.

[ChrisKC]

This morning while out on my bike ride, an on duty policeman on a motorbike passed me and after a second or two I saw coming towards him and me, the wrong way, a motorcycle with passenger, without helmets.

 

Two offences but they each passed the other with no apparent reason for the policeman to stop and enforce something! I gave the policeman the benefit of the doubt in believing he was making his way, about one kilometer further on, to a recognised checkpoint where he perhaps had a schedule to man the post with others.

 

I was wrong! The checkpoint was unmanned, although to be fair, on my return 90 minutes later, it was!

 

How can, particularly at this time of officially stated intentions, an Officer of the law blatantly ignore two obvious situations in which stopping would seem to be the right, dutiful and proper thing to do?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ray Ban]

3 hours ago, transam said:

Green book is for 2 door rides, you have seat belts for 5....

Not that easy in my case. The Vigo has a blue book and no number in the space for carrying capacity. Our daughter’s Nissan March has a green book which shows carrying capacity of two, but has four full seats with belts!

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, Ray Ban said:

Not that easy in my case. The Vigo has a blue book and no number in the space for carrying capacity. Our daughter’s Nissan March has a green book which shows carrying capacity of two, but has four full seats with belts!

Try a google translate app (from photo) on the text... 

 

You may see that you have the blue and green book mixed up. 

 

 

The Nissan March should have a blue book....  

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by richard_smith237

[transam]

6 minutes ago, Ray Ban said:

Not that easy in my case. The Vigo has a blue book and no number in the space for carrying capacity. Our daughter’s Nissan March has a green book which shows carrying capacity of two, but has four full seats with belts!

How many seat belts in the Vigo...?

 

The Nissan is 2 door, green book, if it has 4 built in seats for human use from factory, it will have belts for the use of in those seats..

 

Our weeee blue book Suzuki has 4 doors, 5 seat belts...

[MrMuddle]

Never had a problem enforcing seat belt wearing in my car here. If passengers won't wear a belt, then I don't take them anywhere. Really simple. 

[xtrnuno41]

It is Thai law, meaning, it is not a law to be followed by Thai.

It is shown every time, any time, again & again.

It is only for foreigners.

[ThailandRyan]

4 minutes ago, MrMuddle said:

Never had a problem enforcing seat belt wearing in my car here. If passengers won't wear a belt, then I don't take them anywhere. Really simple. 

Do you write them a citation good for a free ride if they promise to wear a seatbelt for the next time....

[GaWalker]

10 hours ago, 2baht said:

I can't wait to see how they fit 15 seatbelts in the tray of a pickup!

A simple ratchet strap will suffice, as good as a lap belt, not so easy to open in emergency ????????????

[Ray Ban]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Try a google translate app (from photo) on the text... 

 

You may see that you have the blue and green book mixed up. 

 

 

The Nissan March should have a blue book....  

 

My wife is Thai, so translation not a problem. In any event, it’s not too difficult to distinguish between TOYOTA and NISSAN!. The fact remains that the Vigo has a vinyl-covered slab of foam for a back seat, no belts, and a blue book. The Nissan has 4 seats witth belts and a green book. More to the point is what is the built-before date for exemption from the new laws? In 2014 when they first tried to bring in this legislation it was 1April 2012, which covers me. Now the date is quoted as 1Jan 1988. I have also seen a quote from the new laws to the effect “However the law shall not apply to passengers in the extended space behind the front seats of a pick up or in the cargo tray so long as they are within the limits”. Don’t know what trust to put in that.

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

5 seat belts.

Your book is correct.

You get a gold star !

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, Ray Ban said:

Not that easy in my case. The Vigo has a blue book and no number in the space for carrying capacity. Our daughter’s Nissan March has a green book which shows carrying capacity of two, but has four full seats with belts!

Is your Vigo a dual cab or extra cab ?

 

What seating capacity is stated on your insurance papers ?

[ThailandRyan]

What's funny is that my Insurance certificate for my Yamaha X-max -300 says it is a "Big Bike" and the green book from DLT just says it is a 300 cc under the horsepower section.  I also just renewed my Driver licenses for both car and motorbike.  While at the DLT I asked when they were going to start issuing the Private Motorcycle licenses for big bikes.  The lady pointed to my new 5 year at the top where it says Private Motorcycle License and said "Big Bike" with a smile....still no clue is and when they are going to start the new licensing.

[digger70]

On 9/5/2022 at 5:52 PM, Dmaxdan said:

A new law has been proposed to limit the amount of people who can legally ride in the back of a pickup to six......or is it sixty? It's one of the two anyway!

No matter what the law is ,No one is going to enforce it.. Nothing new.

[ChrisKC]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Do you write them a citation good for a free ride if they promise to wear a seatbelt for the next time....

This is a serious matter. I insist on my passengers wearing a seat belt or they don't travel with me. I am assertive but not hostile. As the driver, I believe I am responsible for my passengers safety and comfort and cannot imagine how I would feel if by not wearing the belt and they suffered serious injury or death while in "my care". I do it for their safety.

 

In fact I have found small children are receptive to wearing the seat belt where previously they never did! After only one trip, I found then belting up without any reference to me. I told them I was proud of them. Childrens' ages? 3 and 5. Adults are not so easy to persuade but they don't ever refuse!

[richard_smith237]

28 minutes ago, Ray Ban said:

My wife is Thai, so translation not a problem. In any event, it’s not too difficult to distinguish between TOYOTA and NISSAN!.

Fair enough - I figured they’d be written in Thai... but you are correct.

Our car is written in English (MAZDA) in the Blue Book.. 

 

 

28 minutes ago, Ray Ban said:

The fact remains that the Vigo has a vinyl-covered slab of foam for a back seat, no belts, and a blue book. The Nissan has 4 seats witth belts and a green book.

Its the green book think thats throwing me...  I just can’t fathom how this is so.

Unless its one of those... ‘Oh we’ve got no blue books left, just thrown the details in the green book for now’...    but that still seems very strange... or a trainee was working that day !!!

 

I’d actually be concerned about what happens come ’sale time’...   I assume its 

 

 

28 minutes ago, Ray Ban said:

More to the point is what is the built-before date for exemption from the new laws? In 2014 when they first tried to bring in this legislation it was 1April 2012, which covers me. Now the date is quoted as 1Jan 1988.

As is norm here, nothing is quite straight forward !

 

 

28 minutes ago, Ray Ban said:

I have also seen a quote from the new laws to the effect “However the law shall not apply to passengers in the extended space behind the front seats of a pick up or in the cargo tray so long as they are within the limits”. Don’t know what trust to put in that.

Interesting... I wonder if that is ‘word of mouth’...  or from an official source?

 

There needs to be something in place to cover the extended space / rear seat/tray space...  but I suspect this will just be ignored and enforced as and when the BiB feel like it. 

 

Lets face it, this seatbelt law isn’t going to be enforced anyway !!