Beware, Thai police checkpoint on-the-spot fines jumped to 1000 baht

[Captor]

15 hours ago, Blumpie said:

This is very true - if you don't have the proper license and are doing anything illegal like this on vacation your insurance will simply not pay for your medical care due to an accident.  Full stop.  

It's important to be mindful of decisions abroad and be careful and think of the consequences.  

I always have an IDL with me because many countries are insisting on them now.  ITs worth getting it done in your home country, but ours only lasts for one year.  

 

Question:  Do you need a Thai Drivers license for a motor scooter?  ????  

I think Thailand now have accepted 3 years IDL when having them in your home country. At least it was for me when I got one in Sweden

[Liverpool Lou]

20 hours ago, worgeordie said:

price up ..maybe they give you a choice , 1000 baht cash,

or a fine with receipt and points.....  

They'd have to if the victim wasn't carrying any cash and I don't thnk carrying cash is a requirement under Thai law yet!

[baansgr]

9 hours ago, AussieinThaiJim said:

Don’t ever pay “CASH”! Ask for the ticket and go to the nearest police station and pay!

 

Why do the police look for farang in Phuket and Pattaya because it’s easy money in the pocket!

You wanna walk 5 Kms or pay more than the fine for a cab?..

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, brianthainess said:

The ONLY compulsory insurance is paid to the GOVERNMENT when you renew your road tax !

Nonsense.

As I said compulsory insurance can be supplied by different insurance companies! I have compulsory and supplemental for the bike, both from NS&I, both bought through my broker. Seems sensible that overlapping policies are with the same company! I do not pay any insurance when renewing road tax.. it is already in effect prior!

 

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

The perfect trap, rental business rents to any farang, police 100yrds up the road pulling them over for a tip.

I was being checked once on the Railway line bypass.... a quick look at my Thai licence and I was being waved on... but a nearby English tourist was being given a hard time and I tried to explain to him, he needs an IDP, as well as his UK licence.... he was banging on how it was the renters fault for renting to him and not checking that!  Arguing with the policeman. Always someone else's fault......

Edited January 19, 2023 by jacko45k

[PETERTHEEATER]

20 hours ago, talahtnut said:

On seeing a check point ahead I like to do a U turn

and proceed smartly in the opposite direction.

Have you considered a life in politics?.......

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I was being checked once on the Railway line bypass.... a quick look at my Thai licence and I was being waved on... but a nearby English tourist was being given a hard time and I tried to explain to him, he needs an IDP, as well as his UK licence.... he was banging on how it was the renters fault for renting to him and not checking that!  Arguing with the policeman. Always someone else's fault......

Technically the ‘tourist’ was correct... IF he had a UK motorcycle licence....   an IDP is not required (yeah, I know this debate rages on in other threads and gets re-ignited from time to time).... 

 

That said: IF when renting in a tourist area I’d always advise friends to get an IDP because the Police here are a rule unto themselves... there’s is no point arguing with them that they are wrong on a technically, they’ll never accept that...  Just give them what the want to see even if they are wrong. 

 

Of course, the reality is that the vast majority of tourists come here and if renting a motorcycle will do so with their overseas ‘car licence’ which does not endorse them to ride a 100cc motorcycle... 

 

 

(Note: the DLT gave me a motorcycle licence based on the A and AM enforcement which allows me to ride a tiny <50cc motorcyle - The DLT just looked at the silhouette of a motorcycle on the back of my licence and assumed it meant full on motorcycle). 

 

 

[jacko45k]

5 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Technically the ‘tourist’ was correct... IF he had a UK motorcycle licence....   an IDP is not required (yeah, I know this debate rages on in other threads and gets re-ignited from time to time).... 

Technically what is correct is what the policeman wants else he fines you! I had had the same argument with a pal who visited, who chose to ignore my instruction to get an IDP.....I knew only too well police had begun asking for one to increase income.  A lot to expect of the police to interpret licences in a worldwide selection of languages!

[PETERTHEEATER]

8 hours ago, hotchilli said:

So why do the motorcycle rental outlets get away with breaking the law ?

For the same reason that bars stay open beyond the mandated closing time.

[AgentSmith]

12 hours ago, AussieinThaiJim said:

Don’t ever pay “CASH”! Ask for the ticket and go to the nearest police station and pay!

 

Why do the police look for farang in Phuket and Pattaya because it’s easy money in the pocket!

Worst advice ever. Going to a police station is the last thing you want as a foreigner when you're the one who's at fault. Best thing you can do is not give them a valid reason for a ticket anyway. And/or play the dumb foreigner who doesn't understand until they're fed up and just let you go. But definitely never ever go to the police station because you'll end up in the system. And if it happens again you might get caught in a much worse situation in the Thai legal system. Pay off all you can in LOS. It's what it is here. We're not gonna solve the corruption problems of this country.

[smew]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

No it won’t....  The word has been out for decades about te police practices targeting foreigners on motorcycles without licences etc....    

... What tourist says.. “I’m not going to Thailand because I may get fined for illegally riding a motorcycle” ????

yes it will, as it becomes a cummulative effect of all other costs, double pricing,  headches and unexpected regulations,  it was 200/day for driving with no licence now it is 33usd per day......    

[AgentSmith]

14 minutes ago, smew said:

yes it will, as it becomes a cummulative effect of all other costs, double pricing,  headches and unexpected regulations,  it was 200/day for driving with no licence now it is 33usd per day......    

Or just get a efffing license and be done with it.. I have one. Not my problem when other people get into problems because they don't.

Edited January 19, 2023 by AgentSmith

[richard_smith237]

20 minutes ago, smew said:

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

No it won’t....  The word has been out for decades about te police practices targeting foreigners on motorcycles without licences etc....    

... What tourist says.. “I’m not going to Thailand because I may get fined for illegally riding a motorcycle” ????

yes it will, as it becomes a cummulative effect of all other costs, double pricing,  headches and unexpected regulations,  it was 200/day for driving with no licence now it is 33usd per day......    

Nope... Double pricing doesn’t really impact tourist numbers in any significant manner either...  Its just angry posters on this forum who think so... 

 

People are not going to cancel a trip because they may get fined $30 for riding a motorcycle without a licence. 

 

But... if you want to believe that people will cancel a $3000 holiday because a $6 or $15 fine has gone up to $30...  one or two may, but not in any noticeable numbers.... It is things such as government announcements of requirement Vaccinations or pre-travel PCR tests, insurance etc that impact numbers... not this minor stuff... 

 

 

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, AgentSmith said:

Worst advice ever. Going to a police station is the last thing you want as a foreigner when you're the one who's at fault. Best thing you can do is not give them a valid reason for a ticket anyway. And/or play the dumb foreigner who doesn't understand until they're fed up and just let you go. But definitely never ever go to the police station because you'll end up in the system. And if it happens again you might get caught in a much worse situation in the Thai legal system. Pay off all you can in LOS. It's what it is here. We're not gonna solve the corruption problems of this country.

You love to abet the corruption and possibly create a worse possible outcome one day when they insist on more from you. Pay the ticket not the bribe.

[Jorgendk]

20 hours ago, PremiumLane said:

Not if you have a licence that is in English, then it is legal for around 6 months from entering the country. 

You are right, But try to argue that with a Thai cop,

[Skeptic7]

Still a bargain❗????

[paulikens]

Be a lot of motorbike shops going out of business if they keep that up.

[swerve]

Traffic police make up the fine amounts themselves.  1000 baht is better than 300 or 500 for them.  So that is what you get charged.

 

It's worth getting a legit bike license just to see the disappointed looks on the officer's faces when they have to let you go.

[swerve]

3 hours ago, AgentSmith said:

Worst advice ever. Going to a police station is the last thing you want as a foreigner when you're the one who's at fault. Best thing you can do is not give them a valid reason for a ticket anyway. And/or play the dumb foreigner who doesn't understand until they're fed up and just let you go. But definitely never ever go to the police station because you'll end up in the system. And if it happens again you might get caught in a much worse situation in the Thai legal system. Pay off all you can in LOS. It's what it is here. We're not gonna solve the corruption problems of this country.

Usually you will have trouble getting to the police station because (if you don't pay up) the traffic police will take your keys and impound your motorbike on the spot.

[alexlm]

Why, for 100% of the time I have been stopped for a fine (e.g. of my faults = U-Turn I should not have taken, GF's helmet "missing").

 

Not ONE policeman accepted that I pay on the spot?

2min and done on my way I imagine?

But no.

Always told me again that I gotta find a way to the nearest police station, wait 2 hours to pay a ticket, go back to wherever I was stopped.

Give them the paper.

Get my keys and papers backs.

 

Why do I hear so much about corruption?

 

I could not even pay 10's of thousands of THB for 1 one year extension based on marriage even though I had all the papers. But she refused the Embassy 40K income thing. And wanted the 400K in the bank.

She didn't want 40K in cash either and told me to get out of her office (Jomtien/Pattaya)

 

Any advices?

Edited January 19, 2023 by alexlm

[Blumpie]

It's all over the news here, Chinese are still not leaving China.  Terms like "bitter disappointment" for Chinese New Year are everywhere from Japan to Bali.  

 

But hey, how are people supposed to travel when they have no passport?  the passport office was closed there for three years!  

 

Poor Thailand, children running the government with no earthly idea what they are doing, nor any regard for their customers - tourists.  

[Blumpie]

11 hours ago, The Theory said:

Never give them your passport. Get a copy/copies at a copy shop and void it by cross lines (write in the middle of copy name of rental shop) before giving it to a motorcycle shop. 

It's hard to imagine that this even needs to be written but it actually does.  

I used to laugh when they would want to hold my passport.  I mean how stupid do you have to be to hand it over and say "Yeah, look after this buddy".  Our passports are worth 2500 on the black market.

[AgentSmith]

9 hours ago, alexlm said:

Why, for 100% of the time I have been stopped for a fine (e.g. of my faults = U-Turn I should not have taken, GF's helmet "missing").

 

Not ONE policeman accepted that I pay on the spot?

2min and done on my way I imagine?

But no.

Always told me again that I gotta find a way to the nearest police station, wait 2 hours to pay a ticket, go back to wherever I was stopped.

Give them the paper.

Get my keys and papers backs.

 

Why do I hear so much about corruption?

 

I could not even pay 10's of thousands of THB for 1 one year extension based on marriage even though I had all the papers. But she refused the Embassy 40K income thing. And wanted the 400K in the bank.

She didn't want 40K in cash either and told me to get out of her office (Jomtien/Pattaya)

 

Any advices?

They often don't do it out in the open but when I took a right turn 20 meters before a check point they followed me and I was able to pay it off in a dark soi just fine. Same with immigration offices. You can't just pay extra over the counter. Everything must be done via a 3rd party or after hours.

 

Still I know plenty of people who paid traffic police here in Hua Hin on the street. This seems to be the rule rather than the exception. Fines are very steep though. 2k is cheap nowadays. A friend of mine paid 5k and they dare to ask 10k and up. So frankly I'm not even impressed by the fines people report from Phuket and other places.

 

Back on the topic of visas. I know several agents (Thai and foreign) who can get anyone over 50 a retirement visa just like that. Pay up 16k and you're done for a whole year. No extra paperwork necessary. Most of these channels end up at Pattaya immigration. It's really no mystery as you can find several of these agents with a simple search online. I'm single and under 50 and it costs me more but I've been here for the past several years without any issues. I show up at immigration once a year for a whole 2 minutes and that's that. Covid forced me to look for alternatives to frequent visa runs and there turned out to be plenty alternatives. Just shop around a bit.

Edited January 19, 2023 by AgentSmith

[Scott]

Social media post reported and removed.

 

[jacko45k]

13 hours ago, AgentSmith said:

Worst advice ever. Going to a police station is the last thing you want as a foreigner when you're the one who's at fault. Best thing you can do is not give them a valid reason for a ticket anyway. And/or play the dumb foreigner who doesn't understand until they're fed up and just let you go. But definitely never ever go to the police station because you'll end up in the system. And if it happens again you might get caught in a much worse situation in the Thai legal system. Pay off all you can in LOS. It's what it is here. We're not gonna solve the corruption problems of this country.

Last time I had to go to the station it was no big problem...in fact it was enlightening to see that many locals had also been caught up in their efforts. At that time the going instruction was never to pay cash to a policeman at the scene.... he took my licence off me and I had to go there to get it back... They used to try and take your keys, but how the hell do you get to the station? My Mrs snatched the keys out and refused to hand them over.... standing up to them is often good advice. 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Last time I had to go to the station it was no big problem...in fact it was enlightening to see that many locals had also been caught up in their efforts. At that time the going instruction was never to pay cash to a policeman at the scene.... he took my licence off me and I had to go there to get it back... They used to try and take your keys, but how the hell do you get to the station? My Mrs snatched the keys out and refused to hand them over.... standing up to them is often good advice. 

Yes, depends why you are going to PoPo station.  If mandatory, as it used to be, before setting up 'payment tables', then you had no choice.  That was 'incentive' to give money to the officer, 'to pay' it for you ... ????

 

Once they start writing, they may or may not be able to do that.  So off you go to the station, as you didn't get your license back until you paid.   Retaining license is no longer allowed.

 

So you go, smile, crack a joke, tell them you are "jon mak mak" and he knocks the fine in half ... everyone's happy.

 

Unless they actually put your driver's license # on the citation, all those citations are nothing but 'accounting receipts'.  All the citations I've received, we've only had 1 with the DL # on it, and that was the wife's #, from a camera citation, and I was driving.  Since in her name, she got the citation ????

 

Actually one thing the 'general in charge' did do, was define what a proper check point is, and kudos for that.  Means a lot more citations written, but less scam stops, and money collected without a receipt.

 

If going to the PoPo station to complain that you've been wronged ... that's a fool's folly.

 

Som na naa

Edited January 20, 2023 by KhunLA

[Xin Loi]

On 1/18/2023 at 5:15 PM, worgeordie said:

I am sure they are not only stopping tourists , they will be taking as many drivers

1000 Baht's as they can , but I think the increase will be related to the points system,

regards Worgeordie

The fines have gone up for everyone, including Thais. Our little piece of paradise has gained some new traps, but the majority are still the local people.

 

[Bangkocker]

On 1/18/2023 at 9:15 PM, worgeordie said:

I am sure they are not only stopping tourists , they will be taking as many drivers

1000 Baht's as they can , but I think the increase will be related to the points system,

regards Worgeordie

Yeah, the boys in brown creeps are finding trivial faults to finance their weed habits, I bet (from those that can afford to be fleeced.

[AgentSmith]

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Last time I had to go to the station it was no big problem...in fact it was enlightening to see that many locals had also been caught up in their efforts. At that time the going instruction was never to pay cash to a policeman at the scene.... he took my licence off me and I had to go there to get it back... They used to try and take your keys, but how the hell do you get to the station? My Mrs snatched the keys out and refused to hand them over.... standing up to them is often good advice. 

Sure but I get the impression from this thread that such stories all happened a long time ago. Things have changed considerably especially since late last year. Drunk driving everywhere in Thailand can be fined up to 20k! When you go to the station you WILL end up in the system and if you get caught a second time you're in serious trouble with the justice department. So I say again, pay off all you can. That friendly police officer that used to slash your fine in half because you smiled and made a joke now received different instructions.

 

Again, in the past few months people I know have been paying up to 10k on the street. And even though that can be considered a ripoff it is still a lot smarter than going to the office with too much alcohol in your blood. Drunk driving has been made a serious offense, as serious as possessing drugs. The government is trying very hard to slash drunk driving accidents in this country.

 

Source:

https://phuket-motorbike-rental.com/the-penalties-for-traffic-offenses-in-thailand/

"Up to one year in prison and/or a fine ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 baht for the first offense of drunk driving. Repeat drunk driving violations within two years of the first incident will result in up to two years in prison and/or a 50,000-100,000 baht fine."

Edited January 20, 2023 by AgentSmith
Source added

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, AgentSmith said:

Sure but I get the impression from this thread that such stories all happened a long time ago. Things have changed considerably especially since late last year. Drunk driving everywhere in Thailand can be fined up to 20k! When you go to the station you WILL end up in the system and if you get caught a second time you're in serious trouble with the justice department. So I say again, pay off all you can. That friendly police officer that used to slash your fine in half because you smiled and made a joke now received different instructions.

 

Again, in the past few months people I know have been paying up to 10k on the street. And even though that can be considered a ripoff it is still a lot smarter than going to the office with too much alcohol in your blood. Drunk driving has been made a serious offense, as serious as possessing drugs. The government is trying very hard to slash drunk driving accidents in this country.

 

Source:

https://phuket-motorbike-rental.com/the-penalties-for-traffic-offenses-in-thailand/

"Up to one year in prison and/or a fine ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 baht for the first offense of drunk driving. Repeat drunk driving violations within two years of the first incident will result in up to two years in prison and/or a 50,000-100,000 baht fine."

Dude, drunk driving is a serious offense....Drivers stopped and checked who are found to be under the influence need to go to jail, pay the fine, have their licenses suspended and deal with the fallout.  No one should be driving impaired under the influence of alcohol, narcotics or prescribed drugs.