Motorcycle Rules Of The Road And Laws

[Gonsalviz]

Once while in BKK I had my wife in a taxi I was following (because I still have not figured out how to get to the HD dealer). The cop flagged me to pull over (stopped traffic). I told him I was following the taxi and he waved me on. There are plenty of taxis in BKK.

[Richard-BKK]

What I love about this forum is that “probably” all people who say that the police have it wrong probably cannot read Thai. Still they can use strong words like the police are liars... while depending on partly unofficial translations of the Thai law.

I posted the link to the translation by Thailawonline but think it goes without saying this is not an official translation, I'm not sure there is such a thing, and was only posted for information purposes.

Yes I could have posted the Thai version but that would be against forum rules (English only except in Thai language forum). I do read Thai to a reasonable extent, but thought the link posted would have contained a decent translation. Was amiss not to state "unofficial translation- info only" when posting said link.

The Thai traffic act clear says that slow moving vehicles should stay in the left lane. So the truth about this discussion is finding the definition of the Thai law about what “slow-moving-vehicles” are...

And remember the rules and laws concerning two-wheelers were made when the Honda C90 (if not before that time) was probably the fastest two-wheeler available in Thailand... so it's possible that the Thai law sees motorcycles as slow-moving-vehicles... Sorry I don't know – but it will not surprise me...

Edited March 20, 2012 by Richard-BKK

[BigBikeBKK]

What I love about this forum is that “probably” all people who say that the police have it wrong probably cannot read Thai. Still they can use strong words like the police are liars... while depending on partly unofficial translations of the Thai law.

I posted the link to the translation by Thailawonline but think it goes without saying this is not an official translation, I'm not sure there is such a thing, and was only posted for information purposes.

Yes I could have posted the Thai version but that would be against forum rules (English only except in Thai language forum). I do read Thai to a reasonable extent, but thought the link posted would have contained a decent translation. Was amiss not to state "unofficial translation- info only" when posting said link.

The Thai Land Traffic Act is available for viewing at DLT offices in Thailand in both English and Thai.

I'm a bit surprised Richard doesn't know this...

I guess we're not allowed to post in Thai on this forum- if anyone wants the relevant sections (31-34) of the Land Traffic Act in Thai feel free to PM me and I'll forward it to you.

[taichiplanet]

What I love about this forum is that “probably” all people who say that the police have it wrong probably cannot read Thai. Still they can use strong words like the police are liars... while depending on partly unofficial translations of the Thai law.

I posted the link to the translation by Thailawonline but think it goes without saying this is not an official translation, I'm not sure there is such a thing, and was only posted for information purposes.

Yes I could have posted the Thai version but that would be against forum rules (English only except in Thai language forum). I do read Thai to a reasonable extent, but thought the link posted would have contained a decent translation. Was amiss not to state "unofficial translation- info only" when posting said link.

I think it is okay to post a link to a thai website, just not do a post written in another language.

"English is the only acceptable language, except within the Thai language forum, where of course using Thai is allowed."

It would be nice to have a Thai copy and print out the relevant pages to show the cops!

[wana]

What I love about this forum is that “probably” all people who say that the police have it wrong probably cannot read Thai. Still they can use strong words like the police are liars... while depending on partly unofficial translations of the Thai law.

I posted the link to the translation by Thailawonline but think it goes without saying this is not an official translation, I'm not sure there is such a thing, and was only posted for information purposes.

Yes I could have posted the Thai version but that would be against forum rules (English only except in Thai language forum). I do read Thai to a reasonable extent, but thought the link posted would have contained a decent translation. Was amiss not to state "unofficial translation- info only" when posting said link.

I think it is okay to post a link to a thai website, just not do a post written in another language.

"English is the only acceptable language, except within the Thai language forum, where of course using Thai is allowed."

It would be nice to have a Thai copy and print out the relevant pages to show the cops!

the intrepretation of the law will be as the officer decides it is,no matter what it says on your paper ,im sure you can buy a book of thai law somewhere

but dont expect it to get you through a checkpoint as easily as a 100thb note

[strollling]

I guess we're not allowed to post in Thai on this forum- if anyone wants the relevant sections (31-34) of the Land Traffic Act in Thai feel free to PM me and I'll forward it to you.

I'd guess you're wrong and there's no problem in posting Thai on this thread. Get it up!

With a link to the source as well, please.

[taichiplanet]

What I love about this forum is that “probably” all people who say that the police have it wrong probably cannot read Thai. Still they can use strong words like the police are liars... while depending on partly unofficial translations of the Thai law.

I posted the link to the translation by Thailawonline but think it goes without saying this is not an official translation, I'm not sure there is such a thing, and was only posted for information purposes.

Yes I could have posted the Thai version but that would be against forum rules (English only except in Thai language forum). I do read Thai to a reasonable extent, but thought the link posted would have contained a decent translation. Was amiss not to state "unofficial translation- info only" when posting said link.

I think it is okay to post a link to a thai website, just not do a post written in another language.

"English is the only acceptable language, except within the Thai language forum, where of course using Thai is allowed."

It would be nice to have a Thai copy and print out the relevant pages to show the cops!

the intrepretation of the law will be as the officer decides it is,no matter what it says on your paper ,im sure you can buy a book of thai law somewhere

but dont expect it to get you through a checkpoint as easily as a 100thb note

True, but there is a lot of fun to had pretending (well, some of us anyway) to be a stupid farang.

[Richard-BKK]

Title 3 “Use of Roadways” of the Thai land traffic act.

Section 35

The driver of a vehicle of low speed or traveling at lower speed than those of other vehicles moving in the same direction, shall keep to the curbside of the roadway as close as possible.

Section 45

No driver shall overtake another vehicle from the left-side unless

• 
  a. the vehicle to be overtaken is making a right turn or has given a signal that he is going to make a right turn
  
• 
  b. the roadway is arranged with two or more traffic lanes in the same direction.]
  

Again everything hangs on the definition of what is a slow-moving-vehicle, but we also clearly have Section 45 that says no vehicle is allowed to overtake a vehicle from the left side....

So I'm leaning to the side that there's no special rules that motorcycles should stay in the left lane...

[wana]

i can speak enough thai to have short chat ,but when i get stopped for taking liberties i still pretend i dont know ive done anything wrong

recently i was on a no bike lane with a friend (new in thailand )going out of town and a cop rolled up behind us with the siren flashing ,i saw him coming in the mirror and took off ,my friend pulled on to the hard shoulder to see what the problem was

my friend caught up later at the next gas station , 1000 thb lighter

thank god for acceleration

[BigBikeBKK]

I guess we're not allowed to post in Thai on this forum- if anyone wants the relevant sections (31-34) of the Land Traffic Act in Thai feel free to PM me and I'll forward it to you.

I'd guess you're wrong and there's no problem in posting Thai on this thread. Get it up!

With a link to the source as well, please.

Actually Trolling with an S it's a ThaiVisa rule that we are only supposed to post in English except for the Thai language section.

Anyway- you can purchase a copy of the Thai Land Traffic Act if you like:

Title: Land Traffic Act B.E. 2522

ISBN: 9-7450-3994-2

[taichiplanet]

Title 3 “Use of Roadways” of the Thai land traffic act.

Section 35

The driver of a vehicle of low speed or traveling at lower speed than those of other vehicles moving in the same direction, shall keep to the curbside of the roadway as close as possible.

Section 45

No driver shall overtake another vehicle from the left-side unless

• a. the vehicle to be overtaken is making a right turn or has given a signal that he is going to make a right turn
  
• b. the roadway is arranged with two or more traffic lanes in the same direction.]
  

Again everything hangs on the definition of what is a slow-moving-vehicle, but we also clearly have Section 45 that says no vehicle is allowed to overtake a vehicle from the left side....

So I'm leaning to the side that there's no special rules that motorcycles should stay in the left lane...

Cool!

can you please give the links to the official Thai and English versions.

[BigBikeBKK]

i can speak enough thai to have short chat ,but when i get stopped for taking liberties i still pretend i dont know ive done anything wrong

recently i was on a no bike lane with a friend (new in thailand )going out of town and a cop rolled up behind us with the siren flashing ,i saw him coming in the mirror and took off ,my friend pulled on to the hard shoulder to see what the problem was

my friend caught up later at the next gas station , 1000 thb lighter

thank god for acceleration

Wow, what a friend you are...

[Richard-BKK]

Sorry, my translation is surely not the official translation, but I'm sure that if you search the Internet for "Thai Traffic Act" you get enough options to choice from.....

[wana]

i can speak enough thai to have short chat ,but when i get stopped for taking liberties i still pretend i dont know ive done anything wrong

recently i was on a no bike lane with a friend (new in thailand )going out of town and a cop rolled up behind us with the siren flashing ,i saw him coming in the mirror and took off ,my friend pulled on to the hard shoulder to see what the problem was

my friend caught up later at the next gas station , 1000 thb lighter

thank god for acceleration

Wow, what a friend you are...

yes ,better to have stopped and both been fined for been on the motorway illegally ,then he could get 2 bribes for the price of one ?

and then it would transpire that i have a thai licence,been here long enough and should know better than to be on a prohibited road !

youre in no position to comment on anyone, you are always making statements like " if i ride the way i do here at home id be baned or locked up " or " here i uploaded a speeding ticket i recieved this morning ,look at me everybody " or even " why stop for police ,i have no time to stop for brown mafia checkpoints ,so i dont stop "

pot ,kettle......... black

[monty1412]

if all vehicles must keep left except when overtaking the answer is in the words of the law itself ......

excuse me officer ,Lets not be silly ,you can clearly know i was in this lane because i was overtaking slower traffic

it would be completely wreckless of me to overtake them on the inside since drivers can turn left at any time and that would

cause a terrible accident ,you should give 100thb to me for my excellent driving ,quick ,drop it in my helmet when no one is looking

yes but you sitting on motorbike with no helmet on so I fine you 200B.. now drop it in my hat

[wana]

if all vehicles must keep left except when overtaking the answer is in the words of the law itself ......

excuse me officer ,Lets not be silly ,you can clearly know i was in this lane because i was overtaking slower traffic

it would be completely wreckless of me to overtake them on the inside since drivers can turn left at any time and that would

cause a terrible accident ,you should give 100thb to me for my excellent driving ,quick ,drop it in my helmet when no one is looking

yes but you sitting on motorbike with no helmet on so I fine you 200B.. now drop it in my hat

i dismount my motorcycle when im pulled on to the hard shoulder

[BigBikeBKK]

Title 3 “Use of Roadways” of the Thai land traffic act.

Section 35

The driver of a vehicle of low speed or traveling at lower speed than those of other vehicles moving in the same direction, shall keep to the curbside of the roadway as close as possible.

Section 45

No driver shall overtake another vehicle from the left-side unless

• a. the vehicle to be overtaken is making a right turn or has given a signal that he is going to make a right turn
  
• b. the roadway is arranged with two or more traffic lanes in the same direction.]
  

Again everything hangs on the definition of what is a slow-moving-vehicle, but we also clearly have Section 45 that says no vehicle is allowed to overtake a vehicle from the left side....

So I'm leaning to the side that there's no special rules that motorcycles should stay in the left lane...

Cool!

can you please give the links to the official Thai and English versions.

I don't read Thai, but here are links to the Transport Act and Vehicle Act of 2522:

http://web.krisdika.go.th/data/law/law2/%c301/%c301-20-9999-update.pdf

http://web.krisdika.go.th/data/law/law2/%a111/%a111-20-9999-update.pdf

Ride On!

Tony

[strollling]

it's a ThaiVisa rule that we are only supposed to post in English except for the Thai language section.

Yes, and as I said, in this thread my guess is that it would be perfectly acceptable.

But never mind, you're obviously scared to.

[BigBikeBKK]

it's a ThaiVisa rule that we are only supposed to post in English except for the Thai language section.

Yes, and as I said, in this thread my guess is that it would be perfectly acceptable.

But never mind, you're obviously scared to.

I already posted links to the documents you've requested:

[smedly]

I don't have the bylaw...but I know it actually is the law.

The police are lying through their teeth actually.

There is NOTHING in the Thai Land Traffic Act that states motorcycles are required to stay in the left-most lane.

Sections 33 and 34 of the Land Traffic act state that ALL vehicles should stay left except when overtaking, road is less than 6m wide, road is one way, left lane is a bus lane, it is necessary to be in correct lane when approaching a junction, etc etc.

100% correct

[KarlHatton]

Coming back from Rayong this afternoon - got stopped 6 times !!.

The first five i was not doing anything wrong, but sooo tedious havng to stop and pull out the papers and license etc,

The final time i was 'a bit in the wrong' by riding on the Vipawadee-Rangsit road, not on the Frontage road. THB200. There were three checkpoints between Kaset and Future Park,

Someone high up must be short of a few bob as I've never noticed it this bad before.

[mackes]

I had an incident last week going to Rayong, stopped in a checkpoint.

The officer claimed that the registration paper (blue/silver) should be

attached to window and visible from outside else fine 400 Baht,

When I asked for receipt he said 200 Baht without receipt.

This is a typical situation in Thailand today, I don't know about the rule

if it was created there or not but apperently the most interesting was the

money, not to have me following the rules.

I still think that if we continue to pay it will go even worse.

[thaicbr]

I had an incident last week going to Rayong, stopped in a checkpoint.

The officer claimed that the registration paper (blue/silver) should be

attached to window and visible from outside else fine 400 Baht,

When I asked for receipt he said 200 Baht without receipt.

This is a typical situation in Thailand today, I don't know about the rule

if it was created there or not but apperently the most interesting was the

money, not to have me following the rules.

I still think that if we continue to pay it will go even worse.

what document do you mean the tax disc with the date on it or the vehicle registration document??????

[wana]

I still think that if we continue to pay it will go even worse.

sometimes theres no other option ,when all the escapes are covered or blocked by vehicles and you might be in a hurry to do something important ......thats when they get you

i heard they have started asking for 1000 thb now around viphawadi intersection for bikes that have just exited the dual carriageway area in the centre of the road (bikes are not allowed in these centre lanes at any time and must use the frontage road on the left side )

only problem is ,the frontage road is very hazardous and full of potholes and you have people streaming into it from both sides

the forbidden centre lanes are smoother and good for cruising at 120+ if you have a decent bike ,but of course youre not allowed on them

[KarlHatton]

i heard they have started asking for 1000 thb now around viphawadi intersection for bikes that have just exited the dual carriageway area in the centre of the road (bikes are not allowed in these centre lanes at any time and must use the frontage road on the left side )

I got stoppred today on the main vipawadi carriage way (not the frontage road) by a kamikaze police man. his first offer was 500THB and after negotations the final settlement was THB200. About 8km up the road there was another checkpoint, but i'd learned my lesson... for today.

[wana]

i heard they have started asking for 1000 thb now around viphawadi intersection for bikes that have just exited the dual carriageway area in the centre of the road (bikes are not allowed in these centre lanes at any time and must use the frontage road on the left side )

I got stoppred today on the main vipawadi carriage way (not the frontage road) by a kamikaze police man. his first offer was 500THB and after negotations the final settlement was THB200. About 8km up the road there was another checkpoint, but i'd learned my lesson... for today.

i was talking to an canadian bloke and he got asked for 1000

he was able to haggle it to 500 but they wouldnt accept 200 anddid the old take out the ticket book and put the pen on the page but didnt write

i wouldnt have stopped on a road like that unless they had a barricade and caught me coming out of the exit

when youre in those middle lanes of carriageway its absolutely crazy ,pickups changing lanes are swerving everywhere at 140

ive missed catastrophe by inches on that road a few times already but its the only road i can get where im going at a good speed

[mackes]

what document do you mean the tax disc with the date on it or the vehicle registration document??????

It was the tax disc with date

[taichiplanet]

I had an incident last week going to Rayong, stopped in a checkpoint.

The officer claimed that the registration paper (blue/silver) should be

attached to window and visible from outside else fine 400 Baht,

When I asked for receipt he said 200 Baht without receipt.

This is a typical situation in Thailand today, I don't know about the rule

if it was created there or not but apperently the most interesting was the

money, not to have me following the rules.

I still think that if we continue to pay it will go even worse.

what document do you mean the tax disc with the date on it or the vehicle registration document??????

Maybe the cop meant the compulsory government 3rd party personal slip of paper. Most 2nd hand bikes i've bought i never get this with the greenbook and tax disc, but apparently it is just as important.

Edited March 21, 2012 by taichiplanet

[wana]

I had an incident last week going to Rayong, stopped in a checkpoint.

The officer claimed that the registration paper (blue/silver) should be

attached to window and visible from outside else fine 400 Baht,

When I asked for receipt he said 200 Baht without receipt.

This is a typical situation in Thailand today, I don't know about the rule

if it was created there or not but apperently the most interesting was the

money, not to have me following the rules.

I still think that if we continue to pay it will go even worse.

what document do you mean the tax disc with the date on it or the vehicle registration document??????

Maybe the cop meant the compulsory government 3rd party personal slip of paper. Most 2nd hand bikes i've bought i never get this with the greenbook and tax disc, but apparently it is just as important.

i thought thats only a receipt for paying the tax

the actual tax is the pink thing

[mackes]

I had an incident last week going to Rayong, stopped in a checkpoint.

The officer claimed that the registration paper (blue/silver) should be

attached to window and visible from outside else fine 400 Baht,

When I asked for receipt he said 200 Baht without receipt.

This is a typical situation in Thailand today, I don't know about the rule

if it was created there or not but apperently the most interesting was the

money, not to have me following the rules.

I still think that if we continue to pay it will go even worse.

what document do you mean the tax disc with the date on it or the vehicle registration document??????

Maybe the cop meant the compulsory government 3rd party personal slip of paper. Most 2nd hand bikes i've bought i never get this with the greenbook and tax disc, but apparently it is just as important.

The tax disc was the paper he meant, he was please when I put it up. BTW, it was a car.

I suppose the whole thing was just created to get some money...

Edited March 21, 2012 by mackes