Report Expat Confusion Grows as Thailand Cracks Down on Helmet Law Violations

[webfact]

File photo courtesy of Triptipedia

 

Thailand’s latest initiative to enforce stricter motorcycle helmet regulations is creating a stir among residents and tourists. Starting 1 June, the "Safe Roads Project", spearheaded by Thai traffic police, aims to curb road accidents by imposing a heftier fine of up to 2,000 baht for those caught without a helmet.

 

This campaign zeroes in on high-risk areas, especially around schools, to foster adherence to traffic laws.

The new mandate requires all motorcyclists and passengers to wear helmets at all times, without exceptions based on travel distance or location.

 

This move addresses Thailand’s troubling road injury rates, which heavily involve motorcycle users. Notably, the change quadruples the previous penalty, reflecting the government's commitment to road safety.

 

This revised law has left some expatriates puzzled. A post on Reddit by a foreign resident highlights a debate over whether Thailand's helmet law applies to motorcycles with sidecars, known as saleng. The post details a playful argument with his Thai wife, who contends that the configuration of a saleng exempts passengers from wearing helmets, while he insists it shares the same legal status as traditional motorcycles.

 

So far, the Royal Thai Police have not made any special provisions for saleng configurations, suggesting the same helmet rules apply to all motorcycle types. This lack of distinction underlines an important aspect of the new regulation, its simplicity and broad application.

 

The authorities are focusing efforts on regions notorious for traffic breaches or mishaps, stepping up patrols and checkpoints to catch repeat offenders. With motorcyclists making up a significant portion of road casualties, this campaign signifies a crucial step in addressing Thailand’s road safety challenges head-on.

 

In conclusion, this strict enforcement of helmet laws is a strategic attempt to reduce road fatalities, targeting compliance through hefty fines and heightened police vigilance. As Thailand aims to protect its residents and visitors, it underscores the importance of safety over convenience on its bustling roads.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-05-31

 

 

[ikke1959]

and how about the RTP themselves?? I see many driving a motorcycle with a baseball cap or another kind of cap... and clear again fines up to 2000 THB.. That will be for foreigners and Thais 300??? and how long will this crack down last?? 1 week?

[EVENKEEL]

Not sure why expats are confused. Just wear a helmet, simple as that. 

[smedly]

motorbike taxi's are an issue, helmets are an issue due to the quality and cleanliness

 

[brewsterbudgen]

51 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

and how about the RTP themselves?? I see many driving a motorcycle with a baseball cap or another kind of cap... and clear again fines up to 2000 THB.. That will be for foreigners and Thais 300??? and how long will this crack down last?? 1 week?

If you read the article, the "confusion" is about sidecars.

[cdemundo]

6 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

If you read the article, the "confusion" is about sidecars.

Saw that.

I seldom see a motorcycle with a sidecar.

Are they very common?

[ChipButty]

1 minute ago, cdemundo said:

Saw that.

I seldom see a motorcycle with a sidecar.

Are they very common?

Down here in Phuket they are, also many food carts use them 

[NanLaew]

25 minutes ago, smedly said:

motorbike taxi's are an issue, helmets are an issue due to the quality and cleanliness

 

 

So getting someone else's nits and cooties is far more dangerous than getting your brains splattered all over the pavement?

 

If you are a habitual, frequent or otherwise necessary pillion on a motorbike taxi, buy your own bloody helmet. It's your brain, so USE IT!

 

Get a grip.

[Rooo]

I thought / understood that salengs are not approved. You can;t register one, you have to remove before registering bike. 

[cdemundo]

18 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Down here in Phuket they are, also many food carts use them 

And the food carts sidecar is for passengers?

I don't mean to be argumentative but that is the issue right?

Helmets for sidecar passengers?

[NanLaew]

2 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

And the food carts sidecar is for passengers?

I don't mean to be argumentative but that is the issue right?

Helmets for sidecar passengers?

 

It does appear from the wording of the article that some busybody know-it-all farangs are getting their panties in a bunch about a local form of 3-wheel transportation that they neither have nor use.

[NE1]

Bloody Salengs are everywhere in our district. 

Some have plastic chairs on them where a passenger sits , others have the whole family on them.

At the moment the roads are getting resurfaced in a couple of areas and the roads are narrow , which means you could follow one of these for 5 klms or more.

They are a dangerous mode of transport.

[LennyW]

Salengs have been illegal for many years but..........

[JaxxBKK]

This is so stupid.

 

Only farang could be confused.

 

Wear helmet: no ticket

No helmet: ticket

Simples

 

Wear a helmet. Even a plastic brain bucket if you want to exchange your life for cool breezes swirling around your soft melon.

 

Brokie farang can't afford car so pile family into saleang. As if cycle alone were not enough of death wish.

[impulse]

35 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

So getting someone else's nits and cooties is far more dangerous than getting your brains splattered all over the pavement?

 

If you are a habitual, frequent or otherwise necessary pillion on a motorbike taxi, buy your own bloody helmet. It's your brain, so USE IT!

 

Get a grip.

 

What if you have 90% chance of getting nits and cooties vs 1 in a million chance of getting a splattered brain? 

 

Then, what do you do with the helmet when you're not on the scooter taxi?  Do you carry it around all day?

 

I wore one when I was scooter taxiing between home and office because I had a place to put it on both ends.  But not going point A to point B where I had no place to store a decent (spelled e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e) helmet.  And the plastic crap on offer are less than useless.

 

[dinsdale]

I remember many, many years back they had a similar "crackdown". People went out and bought Bt90 plastic helmets which of course never got fastened. 

[mikebell]

There is no point in getting hot and bothered about this topic.  It's a storm in a teacup.  In Vietnam 99% of motor-bikers wear helmets.  In Thailand, police enforce the law for a couple of days (outside their stations) then retire to the comfort of their A/C offices.  Then the daily slaughter on the roads goes on.

[dinsdale]

36 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

And the food carts sidecar is for passengers?

I don't mean to be argumentative but that is the issue right?

Helmets for sidecar passengers?

[Lucky Bones]

Seen people wearing KFC buckets. Didn't get stopped & likely didn't go hungry.🙃🙃

[impulse]

Just now, Lucky Bones said:

Seen people wearing KFC buckets. Didn't get stopped & likely didn't go hungry.🙃🙃

 

Don't let those kids get near Biden...

 

 

[NorthernRyland]

Just avoid police checkpoints if you don't want to wear a helmet. They are powerless once they go outside a 100m range of their cozy police box.

[brewsterbudgen]

1 hour ago, cdemundo said:

Saw that.

I seldom see a motorcycle with a sidecar.

Are they very common?

They're everywhere here in the Rayong countryside.

[dinsdale]

9 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

They're everywhere here in the Rayong countryside.

They are everywhere in Thailand. Only way not to see loads of them daily would be to never leave your home. I think @cdemundo has the western style sidecar in mind. Those are not common in Thailand. 

[Gandtee]

14 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

They are everywhere in Thailand. Only way not to see loads of them daily would be to never leave your home. I think @cdemundo has the western style sidecar in mind. Those are not common in Thailand. 

I used to ride a motorcycle combination (motorbike with sidecar) with the wife and three kids, in England, before helmets became mandatory. It was considered to be one of the safest modes of transport by the insurance companies. The problem is that many here do not have lights at night, and the riders seem oblivious to other traffic.

[ChipButty]

22 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

They're everywhere here in the Rayong countryside.

Where I live there is a couple of farangs use them to carry their dogs around and down to the beach. 

[Pouatchee]

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

If you read the article, the "confusion" is about sidecars.

 

I call them living rooms... reason for this is i have seen a few fixed up with furniture reminiscent of the living room couch. I despise these menaces...

[JAG]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

This campaign zeroes in on high-risk areas, especially around schools

Since school children are unlikely to have B2000 on them, this will be a non starter!

[cdemundo]

34 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

They are everywhere in Thailand. Only way not to see loads of them daily would be to never leave your home. I think @cdemundo has the western style sidecar in mind. Those are not common in Thailand. 

"Only way not to see loads of them daily would be to never leave your home."

Maybe where you live this is true.

I don't see them in the Bangkok suburb where I live and work.

I understand it's more like a veranda or a porch than a sidecar LOL.

I guess they are common in some areas.

 

[SABloke]

No need to raise it to 2000. 500 would already have been enough of a deterent IF the police ever did active policing rather than random checkpoints once a month that the community knows the location of. So until they actually start fining people they see breaking the law (including stopping 10 year olds and fining their parents for giving them access to the motorbike etc.), the amount doesn't really mean anything. 

[impulse]

2 hours ago, cdemundo said:

Saw that.

I seldom see a motorcycle with a sidecar.

Are they very common?

 

Off topic, I know... 

 

Here's some eye candy from the Vintage Vespa shop on the river in Bangkok's Chinatown.

 

 

In the immortal words of Jody Foster in Nell.  "Want"