Ban On Using Cell Phones Whilst Driving To Take Effect On May 8th

[petedk]

Handset crackdown

Motorists talking on mobile telephones without hands-free equipment or headsets from May 7 will be prosecuted.

Published on February 15, 2008

If convicted they face fines of between Bt400 and Bt1,000.

Traffic officers will capture offenders on digital or telephone cameras. Police are asking the public to help catch chatting drivers, too.

"The photos will be used as evidence against offenders. Summons can be sent to their homes later if they manage to speed away from traffic police on the spot," deputy Metropolitan Police commissioner Maj-General Panu Kerdlarpphol said yesterday.

He said the public could send photos to police, and the incidents would be investigated.

Panu said the cell-phone ban while driving was included in the Land Traffic Act. It takes effect 90 days after being published in the Royal Gazette, or May 7.

"Please respect the law. Please think about safety of life and property," Panu said.

About 3,000 digital cameras will be given to police in Bangkok at a cost of about Bt5 million, he said.

The Nation

Just make sure you don't have your mia noi sitting beside you if you get caught on camera.

[Kimera]

Ban on Cell phone driving to take effect on May 8th

The Traffic Police Office has declared that the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has passed the 8th draft of the land transport act which contains a regulation concerning the use of mobile communication devices while driving.

The law will ban the use of mobile phones while driving unless assisted by a hands free device and will take effect 90 days after its publishing in the Royal Gazette.

The law is set to go into full swing on May 8th and will entail a 400-1000 baht fine for transgressors. Citizens who use their cell phones while driving will be subject to road blocks similar to those used in speed checks.

The law details that all mobile communication devices must not be held or touched during driving and must have hands free devices attached.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 14 Febuary 2008

The TV on the dashboard next,

[lazeeboy]

no excuse to not have a hands free device ,they come with the phone

[sriracha john]

THREAD BUMPED... as a reminder that the ban goes into effect today...

Driver mobile phone ban now in force

From today it is illegal to use a mobile phone while driving a vehicle on a road, unless using a hands-free device. Police want to publicise the ban before getting tough and will probably issue cautions at first. "First, we'll warn violators to alert them to the danger. We will fine the stubborn ones from May 20 onwards," said Deputy Metropolitan Police Chief Panu Kerdlarbpol. Police have been told to take pictures of drivers who flout the ban, to serve as evidence. After the grace period ends, offenders will be fined 400 to 1,000 baht. They will also receive 10 penalty points. Sixty points normally results in the suspension of a driver's licence, but drivers who break the phone ban a second time will also have their licence suspended.

They will be told to attend a three-hour driving safety course, and required to sit an exam to get their licence back.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/08May2008_news02.php

[sriracha john]

Police warned not to pocket money from motorists

It’s the first day that police will be keeping a close eye on motorists who talk on the phone while driving. Spokesman of the National Police force, Pol Lt Gen Watcharapol Prasarnratchakij said motorists who violate the new law from now until June 19 will be given a warning. However, starting from June 20 onwards, violators will be fined between 400-1,000 baht. They will also have points taken off their driver’s license. As for concerns that the new law may give police officers another reason to put money into their own pockets, Pol Lt Gen Watcharapol assured that these officers will face severe punishments. He urged anyone witnessing police officers committing a wrongdoing to immediately report to

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=127545

[george]

Mobile phone ban for drivers now in effect

BANGKOK: -- Although the mobile phone ban on drivers was put into effect on Thursday, police in metropolitan Bangkok will issue cautionary warnings to offenders first, with punitive measures starting May 19, according to a senior police officer.

Speaking on the morning news programme on Modernine TV (Television Channel 9), deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Pol. Maj-Gen. Panu Kerdlarppol conceded that the public relations campaign has been insufficient to inform motorists about the banning of mobile phones while driving, so the police won't give citations or make arrests during the informal grace period, but will warn offenders first before getting tougher.

Arrests will start on May 19 and violators will be fined 400-1,000 baht, he added.

Offenders will also be awarded 10 penalty points, and when a driver's cumulative total reaches 60 points, driveing licenses will be suspended.

Some other countries enforce such a ban and have reportedly found that the practice can reduce the number of road accidents.

In Thailand, a hands-free device is still allowed but motorists were asked to talk on mobile phones with a hands-free kit for only "short periods".

"If there is a dispute between motorists and traffic police," Gen. Panu said, "investigators will check the driver's mobile phone Simcard".

The police general also asked members of the public to notify the police when they see a violation taking place.

--TNA 2008-05-08

[tigerbeer]

The TV on the dashboard next,

well of course ! you want to watch tv, watch it at home ....

[jstumbo]

So the fine is 400-1000 baht? Why a range? Do you need to negotiate with the police as to how much you are willing to pay? 400 for Thai, 1000 for farang?

[astral]

"If there is a dispute between motorists and traffic police," Gen. Panu said, "investigators will check the driver's mobile phone Simcard".

Does the SIM card keep a log of call duration?

Not as far as I know.

They will have to check with the phone company, which is a further erosion of personal rights.

[Payboy]

The police general also asked members of the public to notify the police when they see a violation taking place.

call 191 immediately when you see the guy in the car next to you using a phone...

[ZZZ]

Another useless law they will never enforce.

It's far from a USELESS law. What's useless are the BIB. It's a proven fact that talking on a cell phone while driving is much more dangerous than not. Just because the law won't be enforced for long doesn't make it useless. I suppose you think that the helmet laws are useless as well? For that matter, using your logic are there any laws here in LOS that are not useless?

It is a pretty useless law as you are still allowed to use the phone with a hands free kit.

It has been proven several times that phone use while driving is very dangerous but there is no difference between using the phone with or without the hands free kit, both ways are just as dangerous.

[ZZZ]

Another endorsement of my decision to have blacked out windows

Apparently you are not aware of the new window tint law. which tacks effect about the time the cell phone law gos into effect.

The Thai police have aquired a flashlite like devices that checks if the tint is to dark. If you are caught fines will be up to 1000 baht and vehicle will be inpounded until tint is removed.

How do you remove the tint if the vehicle is impounded

[lazeeboy]

today whilst driving i saw a police man riding his bike talkijng on the phone ,and not wearing a helmet ,or dont bikes count

[Payboy]

Another endorsement of my decision to have blacked out windows

Apparently you are not aware of the new window tint law. which tacks effect about the time the cell phone law gos into effect.

The Thai police have aquired a flashlite like devices that checks if the tint is to dark. If you are caught fines will be up to 1000 baht and vehicle will be inpounded until tint is removed.

How do you remove the tint if the vehicle is impounded

there's a remote control tint remover on the market which costs just 100 baht - its a steal compared to the 1,000 baht fine....

[george]

Get the message?

BANGKOK: -- Police cautions and campaigns to ensure everyone undertsands that from now on, driving with a cell-phone in one hand is simply not acceptable.

The ban on mobile-phone use while driving came into effect yesterday. As of 6pm yesterday, city police caught 116 Bangkok motorists talking on their cells while driving

City police deputy commissioner Phanu Kerdlarpphol was handing out information sheets about the ban at Suthisarn intersection. He says there are 110 cameras at intersections across Bangkok and 30 more will be installed in June. As well as the cameras, telephone records can be checked to see if they were used while driving.

He says those caught between now and May 19 will be given a warning only. After that offenders can be fined up to Bt1,000.

Round-the-clock watch

Officer Sathaporn Damraskan is in charge of the cameras and he says three shifts of four police each man camera monitors. They are on the lookout for drivers with raised hands.

He says there are some teething problems with cameras incorrectly positioned.

Police say many motorists have purchased hands-free kits.

The motorists say the ban will smooth traffic flow and reduce accidents. A 29-year-old motorist Somkid Phasisuk says the ban is a good thing because drivers talking on telephones cause many accidents.

Tickets, with proof

Advanced Info Service provided 20,000 small-talk devices to Highway Police for distribution. Some 2,000 such devices were handed out at the Thap Chang tollgate yesterday.

Highway Police commander Maj-General Phasin Noksakul says 50 cameras have been installed on highways that are effective from 200 metres.

Photo evidence is sent along with tickets to violator's homes. Fines must be paid within 15 days. Failure to do so can result in suspension of the driver's licence.

The Highway Police sent out patrol cars to scout for drivers flouting the ban.

"The highway policemen pulled the offending drivers over and issued them written warnings," says Highway Police deputy commander Colonel Roy Inkapairoj.

The patrols spotted 235 drivers in Bangkok and adjacent provinces who were breaking the new law.

In Chiang Mai, traffic police quizzed motorists at the Chiang Mai-Hang Dong intersection and rewarded drivers with Bluetooth hands-free devices.

Senior police are encouraging people to photograph offenders with their personal digital cameras, too.

--The Nation 2008-05-09

[Supaporn]

Get the message?

BANGKOK: -- Police cautions and campaigns to ensure everyone undertsands that from now on, driving with a cell-phone in one hand is simply not acceptable.

Senior police are encouraging people to photograph offenders with their personal digital cameras, too.

--The Nation 2008-05-09

I think they ought to be flooded with photographs of Senior police in the process of 'offending!!'

[JimsKnight]

Another useless law they will never enforce.

It's far from a USELESS law. What's useless are the BIB. It's a proven fact that talking on a cell phone while driving is much more dangerous than not. Just because the law won't be enforced for long doesn't make it useless. I suppose you think that the helmet laws are useless as well? For that matter, using your logic are there any laws here in LOS that are not useless?

It is a pretty useless law as you are still allowed to use the phone with a hands free kit.

It has been proven several times that phone use while driving is very dangerous but there is no difference between using the phone with or without the hands free kit, both ways are just as dangerous.

No it hasn't

[TAWP]

Yes, it has.

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/n...ction/PDF/5.PDF

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/bm...537.397512.55v1

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0001-4575(02)00043-X

http://www.distracteddriving.ca/english/do...lavance_001.pdf

http://www.congrex.com/valdor2006/papers/4...erge-Nadeau.pdf

http://www.psych.utah.edu/AppliedCognition...essment2003.pdf

http://www.hawaii.gov/lrb/rpts05/cellcar.pdf

http://www.ama.ab.ca/images/images_pdf/Fin...CellPhones4.pdf

http://mysite.verizon.net/horrey/papers/Ho..._HF2006meta.pdf

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/20...14.0001.001.pdf

http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/distraction.pdf

http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/4135/1/MPRA_paper_4135.pdf

http://www.psychology.nottingham.ac.uk/sta...ces/inpress.pdf

http://www.psych.utah.edu/AppliedCognition...04-000597-1.pdf

And so on...

Added: http://www.urwelcome.us/Jstill/Cellular_Phones.htm

Edited May 9, 2008 by TAWP

[Sunderland]

So the fine is 400-1000 baht? Why a range? Do you need to negotiate with the police as to how much you are willing to pay? 400 for Thai, 1000 for farang?

No. One thousand baht for you and 400 baht for the rest of us.

[Scott]

Well, this law apparently doesn't apply to the police, or at least no one is going to stop them. Today, on my way to work, I saw a policeman on a motorcycle talking on a cell phone while driving. Of course he only had one hand and no helmet! And that's right here in BKK. I was going to take a picture with my mobile phone, but figured I'd get caught!

[Galong]

So the fine is 400-1000 baht? Why a range? Do you need to negotiate with the police as to how much you are willing to pay? 400 for Thai, 1000 for farang?

No. One thousand baht for you and 400 baht for the rest of us.

good one sstumbo! :D

It is a legitimate question though.

I wonder what they mean or how they determine the fine. Maybe if you run a red light because you're too busy chatting about the price of rice to you mate it's 1,000 baht.

I'd like to see the cops carry a list of fines (in a few languages)... something like this:

Riding without a helmet - 500 baht

Talking on a mobile while driving - 500 Baht

Running a stop sign - 800 Baht

Running a red light - 1,000 Baht

Driving with an infant in your arms - execution or sterilization plus a 100,000 baht fine

Anyway, you get the point. Make an 'across the board' list of fines so it's not up to the individual cop to decide how much any given offender has to pay.

[samran]

Lets give it time.

I remember when they made seatbelts compulsory. There was a similar fuss about it, but most people abide by it.

I clearly remember what traffic was like in the late 1980's. Today, it is much better. A step in the right direction me thinks.

[stumonster]

and a new study using a MRI machine

Psychologist David Strayer of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City agrees, adding that the new results offer a conservative estimate of the neural impact of multitasking on driving. Strayer and his colleagues have documented steep declines in simulated driving skill, as well as a marked drop in driving speed, among volunteers using handheld or hands-free cell phones.

Just’s team studied 29 adults, ages 18 to 25. Each participant lay in a functional MRI scanner equipped with a screen that displayed a simulated driving exercise. These machines measure blood-flow changes in the brain, providing indirect signs of rises and falls in neural activity.

Cell phones stand out as particularly problematic for drivers, Just notes. Cell phone conversations require a driver’s constant attention in order not to appear rude or insulting to an unseen partner. In contrast, a talking passenger can willingly cut off conversation upon spying an approaching ambulance or some other demand on a driver’s attention.

http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/314...es_at_the_wheel

its like trying to tell people that their driving skills are lacking to start with.