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

[Harveyboy]

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

I've seen a huge increase here in phetchabun of police road blocks targeting Thais on motorbikes..not many foreigners here ..also saw an increase a week or so ago in Pattaya again not only farangs locals also being stoped . . level playing ground for once eh

[Harveyboy]

So what's the problem with stopping them isn't it what we all want the police to actually start policing..No helmet..no insurance ..No licence ..DUI....Book em all I say the more the better...just sayin H

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, AgentSmith said:

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.

I thought you could do it 3 times in a year before you lost your licence! Hardly serious compared to Western reactions.. immediate 3 year ban!

 

Anyhow, I just don't do it!

[AgentSmith]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

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.

Of course.. Reality is quite different. No one's a saint here.

 

All the times I crashed my bike in the many years I've been here I was sober. It was always someone or something else. A stupid tourist driving on the wrong side of the road or a dog chasing and attacking me. It's been years now since I last crashed though and I plan to keep it that way.

 

The very few times I drive home after a couple drinks it's always late at night, there's no traffic where I stay, it's only small backroads I need to take and I drive really super slow. 25 kph max. You won't ever see me crash into someone or something at high speed. Hell I drive 40 when I'm sober. 50 only on bigger roads. And never without a proper helmet. I've learned my lessons.

That doesn't mean I support drunk driving in any way and every time I plan to go out for a drink I take a taxi. Sometimes these things happen unplanned though.. We're all human and I'm not ashamed to admit my faults. We all do things that we shouldn't.

[AgentSmith]

46 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I thought you could do it 3 times in a year before you lost your licence! Hardly serious compared to Western reactions.. immediate 3 year ban!

 

Anyhow, I just don't do it!

It's only 2 times now. Official fines went up to 20k. And second time it's up to 100k and possibly jail time.

 

I posted this link before. What they say here is true for the whole country not just Phuket.

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

[condo62]

Love the double price standards for the fines....I remember a few years back riding into Patong from Karon being stopped by the cops for not wearing an egg shell (helmet) only after the Thai riders in front went straight on through....????

[jacko45k]

9 hours ago, condo62 said:

Love the double price standards for the fines....I remember a few years back riding into Patong from Karon being stopped by the cops for not wearing an egg shell (helmet) only after the Thai riders in front went straight on through....????

So what are you saying... because the locals do not wear a helmet you should not have to wear one also? The locals haven't got any money to be fined so it would be a wase of police time. You are the guest,,,,,, follow the rules!

[richard_smith237]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

12 hours ago, condo62 said:

Love the double price standards for the fines....I remember a few years back riding into Patong from Karon being stopped by the cops for not wearing an egg shell (helmet) only after the Thai riders in front went straight on through....????

So what are you saying... because the locals do not wear a helmet you should not have to wear one also? The locals haven't got any money to be fined so it would be a wase of police time. You are the guest,,,,,, follow the rules!

I agree with his point...  particularly in tourist areas there is an element of ‘double standards’ at times, when foreigners appear targeted...  the reasons are obvious as you mention, the foreigners have cash and the locals are unlikely to.... This just highlights the singular goal and hypocrisy of the BiB in the manner in which they perform stops / check-points... its not about safety, its about money. 

 

That said: IF someone (foreigner or Thai) is dumb enough to ride around without their helmet, they deserve to be fined - these fools think not wearing a helmet won’t impact anyone else, but there is a horrific emotional knock-on effect to those around them when they are killed or brain-damaged for the sake of not wearing a lid. 

 

There is also the additional facet that many of the helmets here are utterly ineffective - many should be simply banned, they offer no real protection (we all know that) and are simply worn to avoid fines.

 

In Thailand, the underlying safety message as far as helmets are concerned has completely been missed. Yet, go to the SkyLane (around Subvarnabumi airport) and everyone is wearing a bicycle helmet (no helmet no ride), many of these same people don’t put their kids in child seats or have them belted in the back seats.....  

... Safety in Thailand ???... No its only about money and the BiB and those in positions of decision making power simply perpetuate this and do nothing more to generate any greater awareness or improvement.