Even At The Police Station Tea Money Rules

[hedonist44]

Actually as far as i'm aware it is not a legal requirement to hand over your licence and there is nothing in the statute books saying that you should.. in fact i believe there is one stating that you should carry your licence with you at all times while driving.... You cant do that if the copper has your licence....so????

Tell you what, next time you get pulled over, don't give him your license and please get back to us on the results. Better yet, let me tell you how it will go for you.

1).You refuse to turn over your license or you tell him you don't have one. He will ask for 200 or what ever Baht and you will pay and go on your way. It's a done deal and it over with.

2). You do give your license and he writes you a ticket. You go to the police station, pay the fine and get your license back. Simple as that.

If the your going to the police station to pay your fine and you get pulled over, you only have to show your ticket and do not need to show your license. I think even they can figure that if you have a ticket and are in route to pay your fine, you will most likely have a license waiting to be handed over to you once the fine has been paid, yes?

One more thing, if you have a ticket for being in the wrong lane or some other minor offense and have not made it to the station to pay yet, you can not get another ticket for the same offense as long as you show the officer the ticket that your on the way to pay.

[paulian]

Some good points made in this thread, however, I find them quite amusing since the highest amount of money involved is 500 Baht, what, US$15. I can remember in another life, maybe 13 years ago before I was promoted stopping people on the Harbor freeway in LA for changing lanes without using an indicator. Harbor freeway is like the road to Jomtien a perpetual construction zone, double traffic fines. Those people paid $320 and that was 13 years ago. What's that .... 10,000 baht ? Considering the ridiculous, insulting amount of money the BIB get paid in Thailand it's no wonder things are the way they are. I plead contemporary insanity on this issue !

[Dave9000]

$320 = 1.5 day's pay for a US labourer......500BHT = 1.5 days pay for a Thai labourer......same:same

Some good points made in this thread, however, I find them quite amusing since the highest amount of money involved is 500 Baht, what, US$15. I can remember in another life, maybe 13 years ago before I was promoted stopping people on the Harbor freeway in LA for changing lanes without using an indicator. Harbor freeway is like the road to Jomtien a perpetual construction zone, double traffic fines. Those people paid $320 and that was 13 years ago. What's that .... 10,000 baht ? Considering the ridiculous, insulting amount of money the BIB get paid in Thailand it's no wonder things are the way they are. I plead contemporary insanity on this issue !

[samran]

$320 = 1.5 day's pay for a US labourer......500BHT = 1.5 days pay for a Thai labourer......same:same

Some good points made in this thread, however, I find them quite amusing since the highest amount of money involved is 500 Baht, what, US$15. I can remember in another life, maybe 13 years ago before I was promoted stopping people on the Harbor freeway in LA for changing lanes without using an indicator. Harbor freeway is like the road to Jomtien a perpetual construction zone, double traffic fines. Those people paid $320 and that was 13 years ago. What's that .... 10,000 baht ? Considering the ridiculous, insulting amount of money the BIB get paid in Thailand it's no wonder things are the way they are. I plead contemporary insanity on this issue !

Only problem with your theory is that if they are earning 300 baht per day is that they probably can't afford a car to drive.

[ludditeman]

My girl and I were happily driving along on our m/c with no helmets and HORROR, police block ahead.

About 20 all over the road, so I just stop the bike before the block and we get off.

What to do, says I, she says hang on a minute I'll phone my brother.

It's OK he is in charge of the roadblock and says we can just drive through.

A bit nervously I drive through, the police all wave at us and smile, we wave back as we pass.

Next story

We are driving down the road, each on our own m/cs wearing our helmets.

Block ahead, I am waved through, she is stopped.

So I turn back to see what is going on.

Policeman says, she is 30+ years old, but has no driving licence.

She says, yes but my brother is a policeman.

Policeman says, OK, off you go then.

Thailand is a wonderful country!

(But I wonder if it will be so wonderful if I ever change my gf?)

[monty1412]

Of course it was tea money as it always is. In all my time in Thailand I have never known anyone defend the BIB to the outlandish extent that you do. They are criminals and everyone knows that with the probable exception of you. Why do you defend blatant corruption by a force that should be there to protect people,but instead fill their own pockets? Every post that you make and every topic that you reply to has the same feel to it. Is your brother in law part of the 'serve and collect' mafia?

Yawn i am just waiting for the 'if you don't like it *deleted* off home to your Utopian country of birth' standard remark

"Tea money" is a bribe. It's what you pay to a corrupt traffic cop on the street for not issuing you a ticket (yes, traffic cops are highly corruptible -- but those paying off cops are just as corrupt as the cops are. Takes two to tango when it comes to offering/accepting a bribe).

Anyway, when you take a ticket and pay for it at the police station, it is an official fine and receipted as such.

Do you not know the difference? Perhaps you don't.

It didnt get receipted and money went to his pocket....

Thanks for clearing that up.

Got done again, done near soi 79. Refused tp pay the B200 on spot as didn't want to give the a'hole any joy so went to Phra Khanong police station and argued my point... cop at desk reduced the B400 to B200 for me and this time did get a receipt however irony was that had to collect license from a'hole who gave me fine. Hd was pissed off no end that I had got it reduced and that his share of team money was no doubt substantially diminished.

question is it written in road rules that riding on centre or RH lanes of dual lane carriageway is illegal and in same breath and as on this thread is it written its legal o ride on footpath/ sidewalk. If you are doing a U turn on Suhkumvit how long before U turn are you allowed to get to RH lane or are you expected to swerve over 3 lanes of traffic.

[thaipod]

On the subject of tickets . What happened to the new and wonderful high tech hand held ticketing system that the police traffic department issued to most metropolitan police stations several months back. I have not seen one used, I still see police stopping traffic with the old books in their hands

[mijan24]

Should we not differentiate between tea money and corruption?

Corruption = paying money to receive a service which you either would not be entitled to get OR paying for a service that you should get for free but will not get if you don't pay the bribes.

Tea Money (in this case) = paying small amounts to omit being held responsible for something you did wrong. Of course, their is a small step to extortion when they take you out for nothing just to get their tea money...

But is it not the main problem that these guys just don't get paid a living salary? When they get 10K a month but need 5K for the child's tuition and should be supporting the family back home... what else can they do? They can't work more than two jobs a day...If you want to get rid of the tea money, then Thai authorities must start to pay their employees a wage for living...BTW: If you look at the Transparency International List of corrupt countries, then Thailand is in the middle field, together with countries like Greece... and if you analyze the list, you will see that corruption is the higher as average salaries in the countries are lower...

Finally, someone with a brain joins the discussion.

Tea money is a totally optional convenience payment.

If it offends you, you don't have to pay it. Take a ticket, pay the official fine, and get a receipt.

Right...I wonder how many people actually opt to do that. Perhaps Rick can name a single "outraged" Thai who would gladly do so?

Swiss 1960 a very good input and I fully agree with the comment finally someone with a brain joins the discussion as this obviously self includes the writer himself Richard4849 a serial nobrainer if ever I have read one.

[mca]

You stay calm, firm, and insistent. Smiling works.

I find this has always worked for me if I'm in the right. A few weeks back I was on the expressway that goes past Don Muang heading back to Khon Kaen and just past the final tollgate there were a posse of oinkers nicking everybody in sight. Pulled me over, said I was speeding ( I admit I was putting the hammer down, I was busting for a piss ) and I bought a ticket to the Policeman's Ball as it were.

The next week had cause to be driving exactly the same route so once bitten, twice shy I crawled along e at exactly the speed limit being overtaken by everybody else. Same posse were in position again and pulled me over. Speeding. I smiled and said words to the effect of " Not a chance because you got me last week so I knew you were there. My GPS showed I was doing exactly the limit." Bit of back and forth banter about where I was heading etc and he gave me my license back and waved me on.

[Swiss1960]

On the subject of tickets . What happened to the new and wonderful high tech hand held ticketing system that the police traffic department issued to most metropolitan police stations several months back. I have not seen one used, I still see police stopping traffic with the old books in their hands

Could be two reasons for not using them

a ) Police has not been instructed how to use them and / or they are too hightech to understand

b ) Police realized that once ticket is in the system, taking tea money is not any more possible...

Edited October 9, 2011 by Swiss1960