Traffic Ticket - Wrong Vehicle

[MartinL]

Khon Kaen area.

 

I've just received a traffic ticket in the post. The vehicle in the photo seems to have the same NUMBERS on its reg. plate as mine but the letters and province are too blurred to make out. 

 

I know I wasn't in that vicinity on the date and time shown. In fact, I'd have been eating breakfast, bleary eyed, at that time. The vehicle is clearly  (to my eyes) not mine. Photos of the two vehicles would (IMO) prove my vehicle wasn't the one concerned.

 

Has anyone got experience of contesting a ticket on the grounds of 'wrong vehicle'? What evidence was required? Difficult or easy to contest?

 

I can't phone today - Government holiday - but will call tomorrow.

 

I know there will be local variations but any info. is useful.

[actonion]

A couple of years ago  a Thai inlaw of mine  received  a ticket  in the post for speeding , it was   the right car, and registration,  but he  never paid the ticket,  and was told  if  he did'nt pay he would be unable to tax his car,........  2 /3 years have passed, and he  still has'nt paid the ticket, and taxes his car when its due, no problems...

[MartinL]

^^^^^^^^^^

If it was definitely my vehicle in the photos and I was in the wrong, that might be a possible reaction.

 

But I'm not going to have some future consequence, however minor, hanging over my head for something I definitely haven't done.

[KhunBENQ]

You got it by postal mail.

So it's likely a highway police ticket?

Not sure whether you get advice at the next highway police station.

Local police doesn't care about these tickets (as far as I know).

[KhunBENQ]

“If they think they did nothing wrong, they can go to investigators or on-duty traffic police officers with the tickets and issue a denial,” Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Maj-General Jirapat Phumjit said."

 

https://www.nationthailand.comhttps//www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/30334161

[MartinL]

10 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

“If they think they did nothing wrong, they can go to investigators or on-duty traffic police officers with the tickets and issue a denial,” Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Maj-General Jirapat Phumjit said."

https://www.nationthailand.comhttps//www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/30334161

Thanks KhunBENQ.

 

The ticket seems very much like that described in the article - Thai and English, barcode, tick boxes, payment options so it looks like KK is one of the areas using the new tickets.

 

Might be an idea to visit the Highway Police on Highway 2 in my town as a first port of call.

[Moonlover]

54 minutes ago, MartinL said:

The vehicle is clearly  (to my eyes) not mine. Photos of the two vehicles would (IMO) prove my vehicle wasn't the one concerned.

There seems to be a little hint of doubt here. 'to my eyes' and 'IMO'. Hmm?

 

But it's not your 'opinion' that counts here, it's theirs. When it comes to photographic evidence such as this, you're deemed to be guilty unless you can prove otherwise. That even applies in fairer and less corruptible jurisdictions such as in the UK. The onus is on you.

 

Are you quite sure that your 'evidence' is irrefutable?

[Moonlover]

38 minutes ago, actonion said:

A couple of years ago  a Thai inlaw of mine  received  a ticket  in the post for speeding , it was   the right car, and registration,  but he  never paid the ticket,  and was told  if  he did'nt pay he would be unable to tax his car,........  2 /3 years have passed, and he  still has'nt paid the ticket, and taxes his car when its due, no problems...

That IMO is not very helpful.

[MartinL]

36 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

There seems to be a little hint of doubt here. 'to my eyes' and 'IMO'. Hmm?

 

But it's not your 'opinion' that counts here, it's theirs. When it comes to photographic evidence such as this, you're deemed to be guilty unless you can prove otherwise. That even applies in fairer and less corruptible jurisdictions such as in the UK. The onus is on you.

 

Are you quite sure that your 'evidence' is irrefutable?

No doubt whatsoever. 

 

Of course it's for me to provide concrete evidence to refute their allegation.

 

In comparing their most detailed photo to photos of my vehicle, taken from a similar angle to theirs - I've picked out 10 clear differences between the vehicles. 

 

Anyone with half an eye for detail would come to the same conclusion as me - but is there any incentive for the police to be observant?

[Moonlover]

8 minutes ago, MartinL said:

No doubt whatsoever. 

 

In comparing their most detailed photo to photos of my vehicle, taken from a similar angle to theirs - I've picked out 10 clear differences between the vehicles. 

 

Anyone with half an eye for detail would come to the same conclusion as me - but is there any incentive for the police to be observant?

In that case you shouldn't have a problem refuting their 'evidence'. If the reg numbers are the same then the vehicle must have been an 'out of towner', but the local plod looked no further than local registrations. 

 

So I guess you just need to follow the advice given by  @KhunBENQ above. Good luck.

[brianthainess]

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

You got it by postal mail.

So it's likely a highway police ticket?

Not sure whether you get advice at the next highway police station.

Local police doesn't care about these tickets (as far as I know).

Do they send it EMS ? my lazy incompetent postman delivers naff all.

[MartinL]

3 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Do they send it EMS ? my lazy incompetent postman delivers naff all.

In my case - No.

[phetphet]

That seems to be a flaw in the system.

 

There can  be several vehicles with the same numbers on the plate here in Thailand. The difference being the province letters.

 I should know. I once took the wrong motorbike. A similar coloured Click, parked near mine, same number, but different province letters.

 

Pretty sure that if you explain it to the police, they will cancel the ticket. 

[seedy]

Saw a pic a few years ago - pickup on the back of a Ro Ro wrecker - speed camera took a license plate pic of the truck being hauled, not the one driving !!! 555

You should have no problem disputing the ticket.

[MartinL]

4 minutes ago, seedy said:

Saw a pic a few years ago - pickup on the back of a Ro Ro wrecker - speed camera took a license plate pic of the truck being hauled, not the one driving !!! 555

You should have no problem disputing the ticket.

555 - yes, I remember seeing that one too.

[seedy]

1 minute ago, MartinL said:

555 - yes, I remember seeing that one too.

In my dealings with the RTP I have found them to be accommodating. Speak politely, or better yet get your significant other to do so if your Thai is as bad as mine. Her brother is a police Captain so ...

Never had a problem - in town, on the highway, after accidents, on my own - Nada

[KannikaP]

2 hours ago, MartinL said:

've just received a traffic ticket in the post. The vehicle in the photo seems to have the same NUMBERS on its reg. plate as mine but the letters and province are too blurred to make out. 

Is the make, model and colour the same as yours?

[KhunBENQ]

34 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Do they send it EMS ? my lazy incompetent postman delivers naff all.

No.

[KhunBENQ]

30 minutes ago, phetphet said:

The difference being the province letters.

And with the stupid design they are so small and hard to capture.

And some frames that you can buy will hide them!

The number plate system here is just a stupid mess.

In the meantime the Bangkok plates have reached a digit "9" prefix before the Thai letters.

What will be the next provisional hack to overcome the exhausted number space?

"10"?

[MartinL]

21 minutes ago, seedy said:

In my dealings with the RTP I have found them to be accommodating. Speak politely, or better yet get your significant other to do so if your Thai is as bad as mine. Her brother is a police Captain so ...

Never had a problem - in town, on the highway, after accidents, on my own - Nada

Never been involved with on-duty police here in nearly 15 years, apart from the odd road check for licence etc. - almost always on my bike. Never a problem. 

 

Plenty of involvement with them off-duty though - 4 family members are serving or retired officers of rank of Colonel or above. Good people.      

 

 

[Photoguy21]

I had the same thing once. They said I had an accident in Korat which was not true and hadn't been to Korat for several years. We phoned the police and explained all of this and that was the last we heard of it.

[seedy]

26 minutes ago, MartinL said:

 Colonel or above. Good people.     

Trumps my Captain !!! 555

[digbeth]

43 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

And with the stupid design they are so small and hard to capture.

And some frames that you can buy will hide them!

The number plate system here is just a stupid mess.

In the meantime the Bangkok plates have reached a digit "9" prefix before the Thai letters.

What will be the next provisional hack to overcome the exhausted number space?

"10"?

they moved to the next Thai alphabet for that digit already, but agreed that the numbering sequence is weird, I'd have thought they'd exhaust the 2 thai alphabets behind the number first, but they had fixed the first letter at A from 1-9, only moving to B after the 9 was used up new cars now are at 1 or 2B, 

 

If it's the first alphabet that is changed least often then they should have put that in the leftmost like A9A-Z then B1A or whatever other way that would give a better indicator of age or corresponding year better than the current system

 

[Pmbkk]

1 hour ago, phetphet said:

That seems to be a flaw in the system.

 

There can  be several vehicles with the same numbers on the plate here in Thailand. The difference being the province letters.

 I should know. I once took the wrong motorbike. A similar coloured Click, parked near mine, same number, but different province letters.

 

Pretty sure that if you explain it to the police, they will cancel the ticket. 

 

So your key started someone else's bike?

[phetphet]

I remember seeing some old plates that were numbered with Thai script numerals. When did they decide to go with western style numerals?

[richard_smith237]

3 hours ago, Moonlover said:

That IMO is not very helpful.

I don’t know about that... 

 

We get speeding ticket & don’t pay them...  nothing is ever done about it. 

 

 

This is one of those things where Thailand can excel one way or another.

a) DLT deals with it very efficient and simply cancels the fine. 

b) Op ends up on a wild circular goose-chase. 

 

 

------

 

Thailand is incredible how some simple things can become extremely convoluted and what we think may be convoluted, to our surprise are extremely efficient... such is the enigma that is Thailand. 

 

 

[phetphet]

1 hour ago, Pmbkk said:

 

So your key started someone else's bike?

Yes. I was renting a black and orange Click no xxx. Parked up in a row of bikes and went for dinner. Came back, looking for orange and black Click with plate xxx. Started with key and drove off.

On the way home I was thinking, "S***! These brakes have got bad. They weren't like this on the way out."

 

Next morning I took the bike back to the bike shop to get them repaired. . Owner said, "That's not my bike."

I said, "Sure it is. Black and orange Click no xxx." She then told me how the plates can have the same number in Thailand, but be registered in different provinces.   She asked me where I had parked and told me not to worry.

 

Later she told me she had found the bike, but a distraught ladyboy had gone to the police to report that someone had stolen his Click, black and orange no xxx. His or her bike was much older, and the ignition lock very worn. So my key fitted and started the bike.

 

The owner and I had a laugh about it, and I never heard anymore about it. But curiously a few days later, I parked up next to another Click, different colour this time, but with exactly the same plate number again.

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, phetphet said:

[clipped]

 

The owner and I had a laugh about it, and I never heard anymore about it. But curiously a few days later, I parked up next to another Click, different colour this time, but with exactly the same plate number again.

Brilliant story.... 

 

I recall arranging to get picked up by my Wife....    She was driving along Sukhumvit Rd.... Grey Car... 

we were on the phone, she said she was close... 

I saw her car as it stopped in traffic in front of me, I stepped to the car, opened the passenger door to get in..... 

..... The poor girl in the passenger seat was horrified, it wasn’t my Wife... Just another girl in the same car !!!!

 

 

[phetphet]

4 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Brilliant story.... 

 

I recall arranging to get picked up by my Wife....    She was driving along Sukhumvit Rd.... Grey Car... 

we were on the phone, she said she was close... 

I saw her car as it stopped in traffic in front of me, I stepped to the car, opened the passenger door to get in..... 

..... The poor girl in the passenger seat was horrified, it wasn’t my Wife... Just another girl in the same car !!!!

 

 

55.

 

That's why there are always so many lottery winners. They are all doing the same numbers from their number plates.

[KhunBENQ]

3 hours ago, phetphet said:

I remember seeing some old plates that were numbered with Thai script numerals. When did they decide to go with western style numerals?

Military vehicle still have Thai numerals and script only.

And the military is completely independent of the civil (DLT) registration.

They do their own thing and rules. Red lights seem to mean nothing to them.