New Road Rules

[oldsailor35]

Minister SOPHON ZARUM has announced that he is about to crack down on road speed rules, i presume that this is the "joke of the week"

Surely this is just another excuse for tea money. When does anybody take notice of road rules in Thailand, when do the police actually police them, in fact i doubt that they even know much about them.

Until Thailand gets 'real' police chiefs and ministers who can really do their jobs instead of making occaisional stupid announcements, there will continue to be many horrendous traffic accidents.

[IanForbes]

It ranks right up there with... "I'm going to solve world peace!"

[katabeachbum]

I have done +400k km in LOS during past 8 years.

On each Highwaytrip more than 500km, there is always at least one speedcheck. Done mostly by laser, occasionally by radar, and clerks issue fines on the spot.

In addition there are automatic speed cameras on the BKK Expressways, fine is sendt by post to owner of vehicle, if not payed DLT gets report and annual tax can not be renewed until fines payed, thus vehicle becomes illegal to use on road.

This is just a small part of existing Thai traffic law enfocement. Apparently there is more to come

[beano2274]

Speed cameras on the Expressway where? I am sure that the lane changers would be fined but I don't think so!!!!

Also the quality of the pictures leaves a lot to be desired, per the pictures of the honda accident, so how will they read registration plates?

Edited January 18, 2011 by beano2274

[katabeachbum]

Speed cameras on the Expressway where? I am sure that the lane changers would be fined but I don't think so!!!!

Also the quality of the pictures leaves a lot to be desired, per the pictures of the honda accident, so how will they read registration plates?

Suggest a read up in the Motoring here on TV, and I suggest some real life Highway and Expressway experience. Try going Expressways at 140 kmh for a couple of hours and check your mail/post box the following weeks

Offenders caught by speed cameras pay higher fines than ordinary offenders caught, as they are more expensive to collect.

BTW the Honda Civic/minibus accident wasnt really within reach of one of the speedcameras, only the ordinary surveillance cameras installed to spot traffic jams, which they are able to do with cheap cameras. Thai Police is using the same tech speedcameras as other countries. Reg plates where readable in my homecountry +20 years ago, and they presently are here

It is easy to critisize something you have no clue about. If you want to make a joke on Thai traffic law enforcement, suggest base it on facts out on the real roads

[PattayaParent]

It is easy to critisize something you have no clue about. If you want to make a joke on Thai traffic law enforcement, suggest base it on facts out on the real roads

It's just that how many times do you see a car go through a red light with a cop there that does nothing?

Or a car blocks a second lane to turn right 'cos they can't be bothered to wait, and a cop stands there doing nothing?

Or cars drive on the hard shoulders, inside and out, passing police cars and nothing is done?

Or a car pulls out from a side road onto a main road without looking, or worse, does look and still pulls out!

That's why enforcement is a joke becuase these things are not caught by speed cameras and cause far more accidents and the police don't care.

[bdenner]

Just get rid of the U turn mentality this country has adopted will save countless lives. The idea of wanting to right turn off a road by driving to the nearest U turn area, negotiate traffic speeding in their respective right lanes, perform the U turn with others trying to do it at the same time then driving back to do a left turn is stupid and dangerous.

[phaethon]

It ranks right up there with... "I'm going to solve world peace!"

Are you suggesting Sophon is going for Miss Universe?

[p_brownstone]

Just get rid of the U turn mentality this country has adopted will save countless lives. The idea of wanting to right turn off a road by driving to the nearest U turn area, negotiate traffic speeding in their respective right lanes, perform the U turn with others trying to do it at the same time then driving back to do a left turn is stupid and dangerous.

This is one of my pet peeves here, also, many times one has to drive a considerable distance before the U-Turn is reached only to have to retrace that distance so in effect doubling the amount of traffic which would otherwise be using the section of road.

Patrick

[Travel2003]

Tea money or not.

If they manage to do something about the safety on the roads, its a good thing.

[Moonrakers]

I don't understand how this is "joke of the week". The BIB have been stopping speeders for years,

[katabeachbum]

It is easy to critisize something you have no clue about. If you want to make a joke on Thai traffic law enforcement, suggest base it on facts out on the real roads

It's just that how many times do you see a car go through a red light with a cop there that does nothing?

Or a car blocks a second lane to turn right 'cos they can't be bothered to wait, and a cop stands there doing nothing?

Or cars drive on the hard shoulders, inside and out, passing police cars and nothing is done?

Or a car pulls out from a side road onto a main road without looking, or worse, does look and still pulls out!

That's why enforcement is a joke becuase these things are not caught by speed cameras and cause far more accidents and the police don't care.

Give it some time

Traffic enfocement in the US or Europe wasnt much better 2 decades after cars became common available, was it?

[katabeachbum]

Tea money or not.

If they manage to do something about the safety on the roads, its a good thing.

When I came to Phuket 8 years ago, fatalities where approx 350 a year. Last year was approx 250 and in the same timeframe number of vehicles have doubled. Rather impressing if you ask me

[PattayaParent]

It is easy to critisize something you have no clue about. If you want to make a joke on Thai traffic law enforcement, suggest base it on facts out on the real roads

It's just that how many times do you see a car go through a red light with a cop there that does nothing?

Or a car blocks a second lane to turn right 'cos they can't be bothered to wait, and a cop stands there doing nothing?

Or cars drive on the hard shoulders, inside and out, passing police cars and nothing is done?

Or a car pulls out from a side road onto a main road without looking, or worse, does look and still pulls out!

That's why enforcement is a joke becuase these things are not caught by speed cameras and cause far more accidents and the police don't care.

Give it some time

Traffic enfocement in the US or Europe wasnt much better 2 decades after cars became common available, was it?

But at least then the only fatality was the man walking in front carrying a flag to warn others that a car was coming.

[Travel2003]

Tea money or not.

If they manage to do something about the safety on the roads, its a good thing.

When I came to Phuket 8 years ago, fatalities where approx 350 a year. Last year was approx 250 and in the same timeframe number of vehicles have doubled. Rather impressing if you ask me

Agree.

I think the numbers of casualties (please correct me if wrong) during (our) new year, Chinese new year, and Songkran are decreasing for each year.

[Felt 35]

When I came to Phuket 8 years ago, fatalities where approx 350 a year.

Numbers and just that....if the above is correct then they are in fact up with 150 from the the middle of the 90s. The word in Phuket was at that time that the annual fatalities on the roads was comparable to a small Thai village with a population of 200 or 16-17 monthly.

Then again the Songkla university did a research in all the provinces down south from 1995-2002 and in Phuket the numers show in avarage that fatalities was 83 annually for the period!

[katabeachbum]

When I came to Phuket 8 years ago, fatalities where approx 350 a year.

Numbers and just that....if the above is correct then they are in fact up with 150 from the the middle of the 90s. The word in Phuket was at that time that the annual fatalities on the roads was comparable to a small Thai village with a population of 200 or 16-17 monthly.

Then again the Songkla university did a research in all the provinces down south from 1995-2002 and in Phuket the numers show in avarage that fatalities was 83 annually for the period!

2003 was 346 road fatalaties. 2010, less than 250. Do a search in Phuket Gazette

Traffic law enforcement, helmet law, daytime bike lights, drivers lisence availability for out of province residents all contributes to lower road tolls.

[richard_smith237]

Not that this is a bad thing. But, it comes on the back of the '16 year old in the Civic hitting the Van' tragedy a few weeks ago and IMO is therefore nothing more than lip service to the media and the masses.

This type of response (along with that of placing a curfew on teenagers) clearly highlights lack of intelligence, forethought and productiveness in the Thai leadership.

The Laws, Rules and Regulations in place are already to the most part sufficient. It is the enforcement of these laws that remains lacking and needs dealing with.

The only true meaningful response to any of the events we have seen in the news over the past years would be to enforce the enforcement of the law without corruption.

Then and Only then would people behave in a socially responsible manner. Not because they have become socially responsible citizens but simply because there are universal consequences for their actions

[metisdead]

Please continue discussion here:

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