2 foreign men to face 10,000 baht fine for riding e-unicycles in Chiang Mai

[Stevemercer]

I ride an e-wheel. They can go up to about 50 km/hr and have a range of 75 km or more. However, I normally stick to the back roads if I can. When travelling in urban areas, you want to try and plan your journey so you turn left even if it means going out of your way. This mean you can stick to the left shoulder/lane.

 

Turning right is a bit dangerous because you have to look behind you while executing the manouvere when the traffic allows. The alternative is to stop and dismount unril you can cross, which is tedious.

 

While it is poor practice, I can understand why the riders would want to stay in the right lane if they missed the first U-turn. It would be safer (and more convenient) for them to just speed on to the next U-turn and avoid shunting across several lanes of traffic to get to the left shoulder, only to have to recross the road a kilometre or so at the next U-turn.

[transam]

Must be a couple of farangy numb nuts to do that, especially on Thai roads..........

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

They were also traveling in the wrong direction....against the traffic.

Not in the OP photo or video, they weren't.

[Andre0720]

16 hours ago, smedly said:

is that they have to complain about ?

 

how about drunk driving, speeding, mobile use, careless driving, and the carnage on thai roads

Well, everything that is part of the culture on the roads is OK. Obviously.

 

But these Unicycles huh....

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

10K ,  falang are easy targets. Why fine a poor Thai ten thousand bahts they don't have. Falang have.

Which foreigner was fined B10k?

[impulse]

33 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

They haven't been hit with B10,000 fines.

 

You'll forgive me if I fell for the title then.

 

[JonnyF]

1 hour ago, Fairynuff said:

One of my Thai friends said I shouldn’t indicate because the other drivers will know what you’re doing and try to stop you. She was absolutely right, that’s just what they childishly do, but I don’t follow her advice.

 

That's very true. If you're changing lanes and they see you indicate they will speed up to close the gap off. 

 

A compromise is to indicate at the same time as you start to move across. Not ideal, but sometimes the only option. 

[digger70]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Very dangerous! E-unicycles on Ring Road 2 near Payap University. Spot them at 12pm.”

Did they cause accidents like All the Thai Maniacs on the road ?I  don't think so. 

Nothing happen give them a warning and Fine the Usual Thai Lawbreakers.

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, yankee99 said:

Does anyone know the actual law they  have broken?

They are not road legal.

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, Surasak said:

As to the 10,000B fine? Well over the top, or is it because they are foreigners!?

The fine quoted is a maximum but, so far, no one has been fined anything.

[AhFarangJa]

54 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

I thought that all foreigner drivers were the aces?  That's certainly the impression AN posters like to give.

Far from it, but then there are not 45 plus people killed EVERY DAY on the roads where I was taught to drive...............Troll....

[transam]

13 minutes ago, digger70 said:

Did they cause accidents like All the Thai Maniacs on the road ?I  don't think so. 

Nothing happen give them a warning and Fine the Usual Thai Lawbreakers.

So you think these motorised one wheel things with probably no brakes are OK to drive/ride amongst the public.......?  🤔

You, would soon complain if they had caused an accident.............

[digger70]

Just now, transam said:

So you think these motorised one wheel things with probably no brakes are OK to drive/ride amongst the public.......?  🤔

You, would soon complain if they had caused an accident.............

I don't think they should be on the road but they didn't cause an accident so giving them a warning should be ok.

[uttradit]

17 hours ago, sirineou said:

Don't know enough about the issue, but I badly want to make a comment. 

Wait I am thinking. 

Neither do I but choosing a legal vehicle can't be that hard can it?

[transam]

26 minutes ago, digger70 said:

I don't think they should be on the road but they didn't cause an accident so giving them a warning should be ok.

The problem is, these tools KNOW they shouldn't be on the road in the first place, if they did cause an altercation it would be too late for those affected......

[impulse]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

That's very true. If you're changing lanes and they see you indicate they will speed up to close the gap off. 

 

My standing joke was the 2 rules of driving in Asia:

 

1) Never signal your intention.

 

2) When someone does, quick... cut them off.

 

[Enoon]

7 hours ago, spermwhale said:

The problem is that on those types of vehicles they should be the left of the left lane and not in the fast lane, not to mention those types of vehicles ar not permitted on a motorway. It's obviously a danger. These morons are going to get killed. 

 

If one assumes that they are no less, or no more, competent at controlling their vehicle than the average Thai motorcyclist is (many slow moving ones to be found badly positioned or in the wrong/offside lane or making sudden, unsignalled moves across lanes) then, as with the motorcyclists, the greatest danger is to themselves. 

 

In reality all they are is half a slow moving motorcycle, in the wrong place, being ridden by "just another idiot".

 

That being the case, re "These morons are going to get killed." ......... "Som nam na".

 

 

[Enoon]

2 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

They are not road legal.

 

You are concerned about defiance/abuse of vehicle and road use laws in Thailand?

 

See previous post definition: "half a slow moving motorcycle"

 

When Thai society agitates forcefully, with success, to get motorcyclists trained properly and punished for abuse of traffic laws, abysmal roadcraft AND for riding on the pavement/sidewalk, I will join with it (and you) in demanding that "foreigners" should also suffer the full force of Thai road law.

 

 

[Zack61]

 This wreak$ of double $tandard$. I wonder what a local Thai person would have to pay for the same offence. Another blatant, opportunistic money grab. There is truly no $hame when it comes to applying the law equally.

[sirineou]

2 hours ago, uttradit said:

Neither do I but choosing a legal vehicle can't be that hard can it?

Not a day goes by that I don't see a motorbike , with no licence plates driving down the wrong side of the road. 

Almost every night I see a motorbike with no lights,  and dot get me started about helmets. 

  I often see cars with no licence plates and comment to the wife, " boy they don't have to worry about getting a speeding ticket from a camera"

  Not a day do I  not see a pickup truck spewing black smoke to the point of obscuring the road.  

 

Yet the are worried about two farangs driving a clean modern motor vehicle because it is not road rated in Thailand. 

IMO it is laughable, and selective law enforcement.  

 

[atpeace]

5 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Nice attempted deflection.

Please explain? Seems like the new cool word posters use when they have no rational comeback.  Deflect that!

[uttradit]

23 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Not a day goes by that I don't see a motorbike , with no licence plates driving down the wrong side of the road. 

Almost every night I see a motorbike with no lights,  and dot get me started about helmets. 

  I often see cars with no licence plates and comment to the wife, " boy they don't have to worry about getting a speeding ticket from a camera"

  Not a day do I  not see a pickup truck spewing black smoke to the point of obscuring the road.  

 

Yet the are worried about two farangs driving a clean modern motor vehicle because it is not road rated in Thailand. 

IMO it is laughable, and selective law enforcement.  

 

Always selective. I drove from Nong Khai to Chiang Dao and back again. Saw lots of people. Most did the right thing. But some motorbike riders do whatever they want including running red lights and no helmets. This is how Thailand is. Just fit in. Don't stand out from the crowd.

[uttradit]

3 minutes ago, atpeace said:

Please explain? Seems like the new cool word posters use when they have no rational comeback.  Deflect that!

Cool words (ie web gibberish)

Deflection

No leg to stand on

 

Nobody talks like this in face to face discussions.

 

[sirineou]

14 minutes ago, uttradit said:

 This is how Thailand is. Just fit in. Don't stand out from the crowd.

Unfortunately that's very true. 

[ThailandGuy]

Moralists.... riding with a complete family on a motorcycle and when lucky only one weares a helmet.  They must really love the Farangs in Thailand! Let's collect some easy money?

[uttradit]

22 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Unfortunately that's very true. 

It's enjoyable. I love driving in Thailand. Just blend in with the river of traffic no issues.

[markus]

6 hours ago, Surasak said:

 A Tad under whelming. Klaus. Try this one.. 

These are Chinese  not Thais ...

[GammaGlobulin]

Thailand needs more rigid visa controls.

IQ Test should be mandatory, as well.

 

[captnhoy]

No need for me to chime in about the hypocrisy of it all. I am assuming that there is no law on the books about these devices - correct me if I'm wrong. So, like many times before I am fascinated by the statement that it is ILLEGAL because the public is outraged and even more so by the amount of the fine. 10,000? I mean they are FOREIGNERS ffs! Someone is not thinking big enough.

[vinny41]

1 hour ago, captnhoy said:

No need for me to chime in about the hypocrisy of it all. I am assuming that there is no law on the books about these devices - correct me if I'm wrong. So, like many times before I am fascinated by the statement that it is ILLEGAL because the public is outraged and even more so by the amount of the fine. 10,000? I mean they are FOREIGNERS ffs! Someone is not thinking big enough.

There is a law as stated in the op

two foreigners for violating the Vehicle Act by using unregistered vehicles on the public roads. This charge results in a fine of up to 10,000 baht.

They could also be charged with using unlicensed(untaxed) vehicle on the public roads similar to 4 tourists in 2022

Patong tourists charged after driving unregistered electric scooters

https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/patong-tourists-charged-after-driving-unregistered-electric-scooters

The e-unicycles are capable of up to speeds of 70 km/h