Driving car night time with red number plate

[george]

If you drive a car with a Thai red number plate (new car) you are not allowed to drive it in the evening or in the night. The regulations mentions a fine of 1,000 or 2,000 Baht.

You can get permission if you get the registration book stamped at the Transport department first.

Are the police cops enforcing this "red plate" rule if you get stopped?

Anyone got caught for this strange rule?

[Rambutan]

Well that doesn't answer your question but I see frequently cars driving around with no number plates at all.

They're mostly Benzes and BMW's.

[KevinN]

The law is as you state,,daylight hrs. only

But I can't see why they would enforce it,as you see more than one person [normaly 3] on a motorcycle,people running at night with no lights,no tail lites,green tail lites,very bright white tail lites,lots of kids under 18 riding motorcycles,no crash helmets and if they do have them on never strapped on or on the back of the head like a Jimmy Dean.and always going again the flow of traffic, always making U turns thru safety zones,in fact no traffic laws in Thailand are ever enforced. so why would they enforce the red plate law??

[george]

why would they enforce the red plate law??

Because I am a farang, and I believe they would *love* to fine me if they cant fine me for something else, if stopped while travelling upcountry to and from Bangkok.

[phazey]

Thats pretty much the same in Manila, odd and even numbers get to drive in central only on certain days. Alough it does not mean too  much as the people just buy two cars.

I agree with keeping the roads of Bangkok uncongested and safe, but where are the alternatives - the park and ride scheme, the expanded bts, the safe, clean regular busses....

./P

[Heng]

Rarely enforced, BUT I have heard of it enforced.   Luxury brand name NOT withstanding.  

[sinbadsailor]

Get some good reflective film on your windows so they can't see you. That's what I did and it works wonders, I only get busted for doing something wrong now. Out of sight out of mind.

I would'nt worry about driving with the red plates at night.

[Axel]

George, thanks for raising this question. I try for the last 10 years to find out why?

Can somebody give a logic reason why red plates are not allowed after dark?

[Heng]

Goes back to the good old days (not sure when this was, but I've heard people in my parent's generation: they are in their 60's, mentioning it) where new (dealership) cars were often stolen and sold in other provinces.    Somehow they were easier to resell (may have involved some collusion with the new car dealers themselves).   The "at night" part of the law was just because that's when most of the cars were moved.  

Car "smugglers" nowadays mostly deal in imports and just mark up the cars 200-300+% and collude with tax officials who agree not to collect (whole or in part) the 214+/-% import taxes to make their money.   Eton, SEC, Watana, and the 3-4 dozen other import car specialists you see around.   Of course that's just what people say...      

    :cool:

[ThaiAdventure]

I agree with keeping the roads of Bangkok uncongested and safe, but where are the alternatives - the park and ride scheme, the expanded bts, the safe, clean regular busses....

./P

Get rid of 80% of the taxis. That would do it.

[Nat]

This may sound a bit out there, but it may have something to do with the sensory process of vision. Maybe it is due to dark-adaption, which involves the rods and cones in the eye adapting to light. The dark-adapted eye is more sensitive to wavelengths on the yellow-green region than the red (humans have different colour regions). Red light stimulates only the cones and not the rods, therefore dark adaption is quicker. So due to eyes being insensitive to red it might be harder to see the red licence plates at night time. Some car manufacturers use green-yellow lights in cars due to this. Just a theory  

[Heng]

I agree with keeping the roads of Bangkok uncongested and safe, but where are the alternatives - the park and ride scheme, the expanded bts, the safe, clean regular busses....

./P

Get rid of 80% of the taxis. That would do it.

Increase the cost of automobiles and motorcycles (as in Singapore).   Put the price out of reach of the commoners.   250,000 Baht Honda Waves, 6,000,000 Baht Toyota Camrys, and 50,000,000 Baht S500s.     That should get more people on the bus.      

[Crash999]

Get rid of 80% of the taxis. That would do it. Increase the cost of automobiles and motorcycles (as in Singapore).   Put the price out of reach of the commoners.   250,000 Baht Honda Waves, 6,000,000 Baht Toyota Camrys, and 50,000,000 Baht S500s.     That should get more people on the bus.

Simply ban all vehicles from certain zones of the city, except for buses and taxis. The exception is people who have registered vehicles at their work/residence, but must pay monthly 'zone' fees to be allowed to use them.

The traffic is only going to get worse with all of the new buildings now going up in the middle of the city that feed into already congested streets.

Cheers!

[jayenram]

If you drive a car with a Thai red number plate (new car) you are not allowed to drive it in the evening or in the night. The regulations mentions a fine of 1,000 or 2,000 Baht.

I was given an 'exercise' book with my red plate and told that I must record any travel outside the province, prior the trip. I was not told that I shouldn't drive at night but I've heard others have been told this.

[Edward B]

George, thanks for raising this question. I try for the last 10 years to find out why?

Can somebody give a logic reason why red plates are not allowed after dark?

See here: red plates and here: reason for an answer.

We talked about this about 2 months ago from memory.

[Axel]

See here: red plates and here: reason for an answer.

Tks Edward, interesting read and makes sense, now.

What I do for myself, not very scientific more like a farmer's rule, I use it as a measure on the market situation. More red plates means to me the economy is going up. Remember, by automn 97 most of the red platres had dis-appeared.

[phazey]

I'm suprised no one has mentioned a scheme alike Londons "Congestion Charge"....

./P

[george]

See here: red plates and here: reason for an answer.

Tks Edward, interesting read and makes sense, now.

Thanks for the links, Edward B!

[tomy]

red plates=snobbish

I saw some people have red plate more than a year or so

[Heng]

Sometimes those are people waiting for the personalized plates of their choice.   Sometimes the wait is over a year.  

[Edward B]

Some people keep their red plates if they plan to re-sell their car. That way buyers will think that the car is still fairly new.

[tomy]

and some say, look at me i have new car, im badd-azz, im kool, and i have red plate

[PK2]

<font color='#000000'>Get some good reflective film on your windows so they can't see you. </font>

That would be as illegal as driving at night or upcountry on red plates I would wager.