File picture for reference only.

 

Motorcycles are a daily necessity for millions of Thai households, serving as transport to school, work and everyday activities. But a growing concern is that young people, the group most likely to rely on motorbikes, are also the most at risk, with the majority riding illegally without proper licences.

 

Figures released by the Thailand Accident Research Center reveal the scale of the issue. Riders without licenses, in age groups: 81% of 15–18-year-olds, 65% of 18–24-year-olds and even 33% of those aged over 24 were found to be riding without.

 

Adding to the danger, over 70% of under-18 riders use motorcycles with engines larger than 110cc, a violation of Thai law, which only permits those aged 15–18 to apply for a provisional licence for motorcycles under that limit. Full licences are only available from age 18.

 

Why so many ride without licences?

 

The survey found that 72% of young people cited a lack of time as the reason for not obtaining a licence. Other factors included:

 

• 8%: unable to book appointments or frustrated by complicated procedures

 

• 5%: saw no need, claiming few police checkpoints in their area

 

• 5%: feared failing the driving test due to poor skills

 

• 3%: said they rarely use main roads

 

• 2%: considered themselves too young or infrequent riders

 

• 2%: lacked parental support to apply

 

• 1%: used their motorbikes only for very short trips

 

Learning the wrong way

 

Alarmingly, 60% of young riders teach themselves to ride, while 38% learn from friends or family. Only 2% receive formal training from certified driving schools, meaning most begin their riding careers with poor road safety knowledge.

 

Risky and unlawful behaviour

 

Traffic police records also show the most common violations among youth riders:

 

• Not wearing helmets – 24.6%

 

• No licence – 20.6%

 

• Modifying or tampering with motorcycles – 18.2%

 

• Speeding – 12.9%

 

• General traffic violations – 11.4%

 

• No licence plates – 10.2%

 

• Drink-driving – 2.2%

 

A hidden national crisis

 

Experts warn that this pattern reveals a “silent crisis” in Thai road safety. Young riders are overwhelmingly untrained, unlicensed and at high risk of serious crashes. Advocates stress that encouraging legal licensing, proper training and consistent enforcement of road safety laws could significantly reduce injuries and fatalities among the most vulnerable road users.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-09-07

 

 

 

Have they bothered to compare the statistics between licenced and unlicensed riders - or is there no need because licenced riders don't speed, get drunk, modify their bikes, ride without licence plates, always obey the rules and wear a helmet? 

They're not 'unlicensed' they're 'undocumented'. 

So, they have only just woken up to this problem! What are they going to do to fix it? = NOTHING

2 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Not wearing helmets – 24.6%

 

• No licence – 20.6%

 

• Modifying or tampering with motorcycles – 18.2%

 

• Speeding – 12.9%

 

• General traffic violations – 11.4%

 

• No licence plates – 10.2%

 

• Drink-driving – 2.2%

Add an extra 50% to these stats and it'll be more believable 

The lure of the freedom and excitement from riding a motorcycle in Thailand has always been too great to overcome. As soon as most boys physically can, they are riding, some as young as 10-years old. The police do attend village schools and give talks on motorcycle safety, but the lack of parental/family control means that this will always be a big issue.

 

My wife's nephew is 16 next month - he has been riding motorcycles for 4 years, has had his own, given to him by his grandmother, for a couple of years. He modified it, lavishing his earnings on it - his mother and other grandmother use him as a paid slave, full time now he has just left education.

He went with friends on a cruise, got into gang fighting, which resulted in his mother having to pay the police off. He rides into the city early every morning to buy meat and veg. for his grandmother to cook to sell, so she bought a new motorcycle for him to use. Next month he will be going to get a licence.

Both parents and cops don't care so nothing will change

In Malaysia I didn't see anybody riding scooters without a helmet and that leads me to believe same % have licenses too.  I heard there were more police on the roads that would pull people over ... not so in Thailand.

Here in TH the police mostly rely on roadblocks it seems.

 

Anyone know why this is so between Thailand & Malaysia?

2 hours ago, Bobthegimp said:

They're not 'unlicensed' they're 'undocumented'. 

 

They/them/those identify as "licensed."

3 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Only 2% receive formal training from certified driving schools

Certified by who? No one in this country knows how to drive

Would having a license change anything? There are no practical lessons at all; the theory lessons consist of just watching videos.

Watch out if they collide with you, You are ther one who will pay, even if they're in the wrong, that has been my experience twice with Teenagers Unlicenced,  no Road Tax, no compulsory Government Insurance, and Police saying  the Teenagers situation is not important

1 hour ago, HaoleBoy said:

Anyone know why this is so between Thailand & Malaysia?

 

Perhaps the parents have more dicipline on their monsters, or slap them around more often than weak thai parents does?

29 minutes ago, actonion said:

Watch out if they collide with you, You are ther one who will pay, even if they're in the wrong, that has been my experience twice with Teenagers Unlicenced,  no Road Tax, no compulsory Government Insurance, and Police saying  the Teenagers situation is not important

This is the key here. You are licensed, insured and driving at the speed limit. An idiot teenager with no license and no insurance makes a u turn in front of you and you hit him. All the fault likes with the unlicensed  teenager. You will end up paying, paying big is a distinct possibility. 

 

Even the educated Thai's who have licenses have had it with these people, as many have had this situation happen and had to pay. 

 

It has gone on so long its accepted the same way the non compliance with helmet law is accepted. Has to change. 

59 minutes ago, actonion said:

Watch out if they collide with you, You are ther one who will pay, even if they're in the wrong, that has been my experience twice with Teenagers Unlicenced,  no Road Tax, no compulsory Government Insurance, and Police saying  the Teenagers situation is not important

I use to think that, but I have been in 2 accidents both the Thai riders fault.  Both times we went to the police station and they paid me.  The price was negotiated and they paid me before they left the police station.

5 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

But a growing concern is that young people, the group most likely to rely on motorbikes, are also the most at risk, with the majority riding illegally without proper licences.

No, what! Have they grown a brain?
 

 

1 hour ago, actonion said:

Watch out if they collide with you, You are ther one who will pay, even if they're in the wrong, that has been my experience twice with Teenagers Unlicenced,  no Road Tax, no compulsory Government Insurance, and Police saying  the Teenagers situation is not important

Absolutely false info.
 

1 hour ago, marin said:

This is the key here. You are licensed, insured and driving at the speed limit. An idiot teenager with no license and no insurance makes a u turn in front of you and you hit him. All the fault likes with the unlicensed  teenager. You will end up paying, paying big is a distinct possibility. 

 

Even the educated Thai's who have licenses have had it with these people, as many have had this situation happen and had to pay. 

 

It has gone on so long its accepted the same way the non compliance with helmet law is accepted. Has to change. 

Absolutely false info.

But only SINCE YESTERDAY 😁🤣🤪

Even more worrying is the number of kids, 10 yrs upwards, who ride electric bikes which you cannot hear. In my village I can guarantee that in the not-too-distant future, one will hit one of the younger children who are walking on the road.

7 hours ago, actonion said:

Watch out if they collide with you, You are ther one who will pay, even if they're in the wrong, that has been my experience twice with Teenagers Unlicenced,  no Road Tax, no compulsory Government Insurance, and Police saying  the Teenagers situation is not important

One of the reasons i put a dash cam on my Xmax 300.

2,500 Baht, front and rear 1080 cameras, 1 hour install, always recording.

From the photo in the OP, pedal bikes may have benefits beyond safety.  When I was a kid, we had to ride our bikes in the snow to school 5 miles, uphill both ways. 

 

Not so coincidentally, chicks were generally thin back then, at least until their freshman year in college.  Then they plumped up.  I think we called it the "freshman 15".

 

1 hour ago, impulse said:

When I was a kid, we had to ride our bikes in the snow to school 5 miles, uphill both ways. 

"uphill both ways"

Not possible unless you mean "up and down hill"! 

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I'm sure the correct authorities  will get right on it.

Like always.

Does anyone truly care. 

 

 

The numbers in this article are incorrrect as we all can see every day that nobody wears a helmet, and many kids on motorcycles are too young to get a driverslicense. The problems are made by the patents, tje lack of enforcement of laws by the RTP and the low fines. Besides that there is no traffic education in any school. In my soi a few kids age 13 are speeding and playing on a motorbike. When they get an accident the parents will cry fool, but they are to blame as they allow it. And Thai people are not educated to walk short distances, ad they are afraid to get tanned, too far,or too hot.. even the air pollution does not care them. Sadly only solution is a working policeforce of 24/7 and no crackdowns as they only work for a few days and education for parents and in schools. And heavy fines

But i live in a dreamworld

9 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

No, what! Have they grown a brain?
 

 

Absolutely false info.
 

Absolutely false info.

You are not informed.. comment but nothing to add

13 hours ago, Gecko said:

Would having a license change anything? There are no practical lessons at all; the theory lessons consist of just watching videos.

That's not actually true. I sat through the hours of videos for the test and nearly half of those I could see in front of me were on their phone or sleeping. 

12 hours ago, marin said:

This is the key here. You are licensed, insured and driving at the speed limit. An idiot teenager with no license and no insurance makes a u turn in front of you and you hit him. All the fault likes with the unlicensed  teenager. You will end up paying, paying big is a distinct possibility. 

 

Even the educated Thai's who have licenses have had it with these people, as many have had this situation happen and had to pay. 

 

It has gone on so long its accepted the same way the non compliance with helmet law is accepted. Has to change. 

I've said this many times before, but I'll say it again. Food delivery drivers almost always wear helmets. I suspect that's because no helmet means no job and it's probably the same for licences. That shows it can be done.

 

The problem with the police is that they don't issues fines to try to stop rule breaking. They offer a service. Pay us money and you can go on your way. Charging so much that it stops the behaviour isn't good for business so it's at a level that people keep coming back.

Even when they get a licence most of them are road hazards. But no worry, no law that cannot be broken if caught by the Police and on showing the magic Mantra, A few 100 THB notes and case closed. (1000 THB notes if falang of course). 

On 9/7/2025 at 4:30 AM, Georgealbert said:

But a growing concern is that young people, the group most likely to rely on motorbikes, are also the most at risk, with the majority riding illegally without proper licences.

There is a solution, enforce the regulations.

But that would mean less fines and less revenue to thee RTP.

Better to let the populace break the rules and continue with collecting the revenue stream

11 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

You are not informed.. comment but nothing to add

Nah, sure I am not. I´ve experienced Thailand for soon 3 decades. I think you hit the wall, without even driving.