Motorists Urged To Report Handphone Misuse To Traffic Police

[george]

An eagle eye on motorists

BANGKOK: -- Those who witness motorists using mobile phones while driving can now submit pictures as evidence at the Traffic Police Division's website, www.trafficpolice.go.th, a senior traffic police officer said Tuesday.

However, Police Lt Col Phanu Kerdlarpphol did not say if these good Samaritans would be rewarded for participating in this "Golden Eye Traffic Policemen" project.

Violators will be given these photos along with their traffic tickets and will be required to pay the fine when they renew their annual vehicle registration papers.

-- The Nation 2008-03-11

[Dupont]

Got to say, this is a step in the right direction. We down here (Phuket) see far too much death on the roads. Hope the cameras at traffic lights is next, and speed cameras. I love the idea of someone applying for their vehicle registration once a year and finding a few hundred bahts worth of fines.

Surely, most of these cement trucks and sand and balast tipper trucks are going to be badly affected.

Mind you, we also see many police driving the wrong way down roads, driving with no helmets etc. Where do these pictures go?

[taxexile]

Motorists Urged To Report Handphone Misuse To Traffic Police

Those who witness motorists using mobile phones while driving can now submit pictures as evidence at the Traffic Police

does that mean the motorist (a) who takes a picture on his mobile of another motorist using a mobile will not be prosecuted ?

what happens if someone [c] takes a picture of the motorist (a) who is taking a picture of the first motorist .

things could get very complicated.

Edited March 11, 2008 by taxexile

[misterman21]

Please file this next to "My Little Kitty Armbands' for naughty policemen!

[Maejo Man]

Unless you have a camera in your car, you will have to use your mobile phone to snap the offender, and by doing so, break the law youself

[Jewelz]

Does that mean I'll have to take the picture while I'm driving too? Wow, how am I gonna hold my steeringwheel?

[Deesurin]

Yet another step towards "Big Brother"is watching you...I thought this would be the last place for BB to show up and now "they" want "us" to help I don't think so !

I agree with the law on no phones when driving, but let the boys in brown do the enforcing, don't turn us into "rats"

[wolf5370]

Erm, sorry to state the obvious, you could be a peedestrian or a passanger and snap an offending driver - why assume you are also driving?

Edited March 11, 2008 by wolf5370

[Regyai]

Not thought this thru too well have they

What if motorists took this to heart

MPeg clips of Brownshirt extortion at the drivers window

that would be good for a laugh!!!!

Plus it would need a photographic marvel to capture clear evidence of mobile phone it use plus registration plate # in the same shot.

.

Edited March 11, 2008 by Regyai

[Thanh-BKK]

Finally, a GOOD one in the Land Of Crackdowns.

How many times did i narrowly avoid collisions where the other driver (usually a woman) was so busy on the phone that there was no possibility to watch the traffic when pulling out of a soi or overtaking right into oncoming traffic........ even a FERRARI once, in Ekkamai (male driver in that case).

Today again, a truck - speeding thru a red traffic light, driver on the phone. Almost hit the car in front of me.

Hope it's enforced.

Best regards.....

Thanh

[Tony Clifton]

There are quarter of a million Police officers in Thailand, one of the biggest Police forces in the World per capita and they are asking for assistance from the public to do their job properly?

Shows how inept and impotent they really are I suppose.

Also, some of the most annoying drivers may not appreciate having their picture taken if they happen to notice, especially the annoying pricks with the gold badges hooked up on their front radiator grill. I doubt this will be a popular amongst Thais. Fear of reprisals, probably why the boys in brown are already delegating in the first place. Useless bums.

Edited March 11, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[deminister]

Luckily we live in a country where half the population is not ashamed to inform the police on the other 50% of the population. Thailand is a true police state, a state which learned a lot from the Stasi and Securitate. It is still quite sympathetic from the upstanding jokers in brown that they have not yet asked their recruits from grade 3 to 6 to inform about their own parents making a phone call. Yes rules must be enforced, but come from you BiB

[Edina]

Blast, this now means when i am stuck in traffic in the mornings,with my coffee in one hand my toast in the other and my morning newspaper open on the dashboard and my phone rings some prick can step up and photograph me, how unfair.

[dotcom]

I predict this will be as sucessful as the 2 baht coin. Soimeone hasn't figured out that the Thai's will do what they want whenever they want & driving & talking is a fact of life.

Now they want them to rat each other out. Saves the cops having to do any work. More cameras please. Let's make this place just like UK.

[sonnyJ]

You can buy very small cameras at panthip, if installed well they could record all these offences. Maybe them would be made illegal then. But who cares, who follows the letter of the Law anyway..

[lucky2103]

Good idea...

I regulary see vehicles in front of me (in bkk) behaving strangly...

Upon overtaking (by motorcycle) it turns out that the driver is on the phone.

Rilly pi$$ed off by that folks

[frenchFARANGbkk]

Erm, sorry to state the obvious, you could be a peedestrian or a passanger and snap an offending driver - why assume you are also driving?

Exactly! I will do it and smile to all these retarded drivers who don't even know that they threaten pedestrians life by using their mobile when driving!

But first I need to find where to send the photos on http://www.trafficpolice.go.th/index.php because in that case I am the retarded (but I do not threaten anybody's life!)

;-)

Edited March 11, 2008 by frenchFARANGbkk

[buddyholly1]

Blast, this now means when i am stuck in traffic in the mornings,with my coffee in one hand my toast in the other and my morning newspaper open on the dashboard and my phone rings some prick can step up and photograph me, how unfair.

No problem. Just make sure the newspaper covers your entire face.

[talahtnut]

I predict this will be as sucessful as the 2 baht coin. Soimeone hasn't figured out that the Thai's will do what they want whenever they want & driving & talking is a fact of life.

Now they want them to rat each other out. Saves the cops having to do any work. More cameras please. Let's make this place just like UK.

just like the uk.........HELP!!!!

[onethailand]

Funnily enough, last week I was hit by a motorist who was talking on the phone... fortunately only the side mirror. I managed to catch up at the light, where the driver duly apologized but I shook my finger at her and indicated that she should not be on the phone while driving, and stalked off in a bit of a bad mood.

As I was heading up to the BTS, it occurred to me that the driver looked a bit familiar... and today confirmed that it was indeed my wife's friend... who said hello to me today as if nothing had happened...

I have to say - this is one new regulation that I will be very happy to see take effect.

[pascal20160]

Why have I been bothered by this ridiculous nonsense from Thaivisa.coM ????

Is somebody bored??

[talahtnut]

Blast, this now means when i am stuck in traffic in the mornings,with my coffee in one hand my toast in the other and my morning newspaper open on the dashboard and my phone rings some prick can step up and photograph me, how unfair.

you mean you cant work on your laptop as well

[astral]

In principle it is a good idea,

but in reality complete nonsense.

Unless the Thai policeman sees you commit the crime he will take no action at all.

[Pundi64]

An eagle eye on motorists

BANGKOK: -- Those who witness motorists using mobile phones while driving can now submit pictures as evidence at the Traffic Police Division's website, www.trafficpolice.go.th, a senior traffic police officer said Tuesday.

However, Police Lt Col Phanu Kerdlarpphol did not say if these good Samaritans would be rewarded for participating in this "Golden Eye Traffic Policemen" project.

Violators will be given these photos along with their traffic tickets and will be required to pay the fine when they renew their annual vehicle registration papers.

-- The Nation 2008-03-11

LOL the only way this idea will work, is to offer a 1M baht reward after conviction of said person, for the person who takes the picture of someone using a cell phone while driving.

This is a great new law, but like every other law in Thailand, it'll never fly-

[Foggy Bottom]

Someone needs to teach the Nation how to read a calendar - 1st April is still 3 weeks away

[Jing Joe]

Imagine how much revengeful spam email you could get after reporting a policeman especially if he had computer savvy friends.

[Jing Joe]

Shouldnt the police require two bits of evidence? One pic of the driver and one of the number plate? A bit hard to arrange?

Pedestrians stand a better chance to get pics and also disappear into the crowd to avoid road rage. Has road rage become a way of life in Bkk yet?

In Australia you cant use the phone even at the traffic lights or traffic jamb.

That would be a bit unfair in Bkk. Again something to think about the potentially good idea is--it would be a bit hard to determine from the pics if the vehicle was actually moving in all cases?

On the lighter side- in the case where two motorists or passengers armed with mobile phone cameras were out to catch someone- it puts a whole new meaning to the words of the old song -"I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me".

Edited March 11, 2008 by Jing Joe

[Boncuk]

Luckily we live in a country where half the population is not ashamed to inform the police on the other 50% of the population.

Reminds me strongly to the Stasi in the former GDR. They used civilians too to spy on people. There are more than enough policemen in Thailand. If everybody did his job properly they wouldn't require assistance. Best time to rob a jewelry shop: Watch the policeman go to lunch, hit and run!

[Plus]

I doubt 64 millions of Thais ever heard of Stasi, but they'll cooperate anyway.

Pedestrians have no chance of snapping a picture of a moving car in time.

People driving behind the offending motorist don't usually have a clear view of the driver, not enough to prove he/she is on the phone, even if they ask the passenger to take a picture, what are the chances of catching a clear shot of both the number plate and the driver with his phone to his ear, though they can try it again after overtaking the offending vehicle.

The best policy is to set up volunteer checkposts - tripods, cameras, huge optical zoom lenses. That might work.

Generally it's a good idea, people will take notice even if it's not enforced, hopefully fellow motorists will start honking at them, too.

Glad I can still read my newspaper, it's not illegal yet. But those DVD players on the dashboard need to be outlawed immediately. Watching too much TV makes people dumber than they already are.

I tried sending an e-mail from a laptop once, it's doable, but you need to set up mobile internet connection, and laptop doesn't fit between my stomach and the steering wheel.

[Lance_A_Lot]

I think it's a very sensible law. I've seen my wife all too often come very close to disaster because of her constant use of her mobile while driving. Yesterday I had enough. She won't obey the dam_n law and I'm sick and tired of paying for her fines ... everythingg from going through Stop signs to not wearing a seat belt. I told her to pull over, get out and let me drive! She did ... but, do you actually think the public is safer now?