Bangkok Police To Be Tougher On Motorcyclists

[george]

Police to be tougher on motorcyclists

BANGKOK: -- The police have renewed efforts to get tough on motorcycles and passengers riding pillion who fail to wear safety helmets.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau said motorcyclists who fail to abide by safety regulations will immediately face a 500 baht fine. The fine will be doubled if passengers riding pillion are not wearing a helmet. Police warned the helmet must also be up to internationally accepted standard.

They’re also keeping a close eye on motorcyclists who fail to respect traffic regulations especially those who make a habit out of riding against the traffic flow.

A motorcyclist with more than one passenger riding pillion will have to answer to the police as will those who fail to stop at marked areas at traffic lights.

-- Bangkok Post 2008-04-23

[dantilley]

Sounds good. Hopefully this will extend to riding on the pavement also...

[Wolfie]

This should be entertaining when it comes down to Motobike taxi's

Who would be responsible for the fine? the taxi driver or the farang sat on the back?

[dantilley]

Taxi driver, but deferred to farrang on the back if they think they can get away with it...

[Slip]

Sounds good. Hopefully this will extend to riding on the pavement also...

I seem to remember reading in the Lonely Planet or some such place, years ago, that it is actually legal to ride a motorbike on the pavement in a traffic jam.

Tho' we rarely see those in BKK of course...

[Scott]

Well, as long as they don't have a crackdown on Mercedes drivers, I am happy!

[mrtoad]

The BIB's obviously didn't get a good pay rise this year, so they are adding up all sorts of new crack downs. I'd rather they enforce these laws properly in the interests of safety (which they wont), rather than in the interests of lining their own pockets (which they will).

[jdinasia]

I do not often see people NOT wear helmets if they are on the major roads in BKK. The times I have used a motorcycle taxi in BKK I have been handed a helmet (That was always too small to wear, but they insisted I hold it to my head !)

Over the last few months I have seen several cyclists killed on Onnut road when traffic was at its lightest (almost always on Sundays), alas not too much can or will be done about that since both car drivers and cyclists seem to feel the joy of the open road when the roads are clear enough to speed up!

[Ijustwannateach]

Sounds like a tea money scam to me, too. They can't tell citizens to have helmets that match some unspecified "international" standard when they can't even agree on a *national* standard!!!

[Scott]

Since the OP was put on has anyone seen any changes? I certainly haven't.

I did see a policeman with no helmet driving his motorbike the wrong way on the road, though!