Enforcing Traffic Laws?

[hellodolly]

c m n r

re .. there are plans to have a professional Police Academy that will professionalize the police department from top to bottom. Traffic enforcement will be a priority

and heres the first one : )

dave2

In the states it would have been a doughnut shop in the background.

[Hachi]

At least one of them has the obvious title on his shirt so all the others know who to ask their probable hundreds of traffic law questions.

Such as "does my kid also need to wear a helmet while he/she sits on my work motorcycle's petrol tank after I pick him/her up from school?"

and many, many more that would be pertinent & timely..

An important thread, thanks to CMNR for kicking it off.

[uptheos]

Should 30 Burmese laborers be stood like sardines on the back of a pick-up as it speeds to get them to their 70 Baht a day job?

Oh, forgot........ Burmese don't count as far as Thai's are concerned,

[dave2]

winnie.

re .. It seems they started off with a demonstration of where not to park, on a red/white curb at teh busiest spot in town where road is narrowing and merging with another main road.

you knew i had these two pics to prove you right .... didnt you : )

dave2

[uptheos]

winnie.

re .. It seems they started off with a demonstration of where not to park, on a red/white curb at teh busiest spot in town where road is narrowing and merging with another main road.

you knew i had these two pics to prove you right .... didnt you : )

dave2

Thanks for the pics Dave2

I'm not sure why the demonstration is needed, wouldn't traffic cops know what red and white is?

Bit like kindergarten..."this is a road, this is a curb, these are red and white, these are black and white, this is a blue car, this is a white motorbike"...........geez!

[kjhbigv]

It all very well saying they are going to do this and that BUT it seems to me that they have a stint of clamping down for a while, then a few weeks later its all forgotten and it's back to normal.

Always makes me smile when sitting at the lights and the police motorcyclist is sitting there surrounded by helmetless riders, does he do anything? Of course not.....he's going home!

On a similar vein, I have noticed loads of farang riding with no helmets recently......do they think it's cool? Want to be a 'local'? I always wonder why? Just a little spill and little bang to the head on the kerb and your drinking through a straw for the rest of your life! Strange!

[SoloFlyer]

I just love the way expats take up the local driving habbits. Like pariking in the loading zone at Rimping; like keeping to the right whilst chatting on the mobile; like buying a second hand song teaw to transport the kids to school; ....

For me the problem is ditching some Western habbits like flashing or honking crap drivers ... you never know where that might lead too...

[MESmith]

For me the problem is ditching some Western habbits like flashing or honking crap drivers ... you never know where that might lead too...

I use my horn at least once a day, & I'm a serial flasher.

[Flatouthruthefog]

'Scuse me, OP.........

Av you bin drinkin??

[uptheos]

Always makes me smile when sitting at the lights and the police motorcyclist is sitting there surrounded by helmetless riders, does he do anything? Of course not.....he's going home!

....wearing his cap!

Someone should inform the Thai traffic police, that being a traffic cop is a little more than standing in the shade pulling over motorcyclists. They should be on the ball in instances such as above, actually pull up alongside them and stop them, same if they notice someone running a red light etc..

Anyway, if you want to go out and break a traffic law do it at the hottest times of day, when they are all sleeping.

[cardinalblue]

As someone said - pipe dream - competent and consistent enforcement begins first when one believes in what one is doing and second the enforcement body (the police) are qualified to enforce and issue citations...I recall a few years back that the bkk polce failed miserably on a test about traffic regulations...

How can a body enforce when themselves don't understand the regulatons and promise you that almost all of them commit the same violations that they would be expected to enfoce...Their own driving actions are not violations in their own minds..

It would take years in the Thai culture to actual get a proper enforcement system down b/c the current educational system is not there. And even before education, those you are eduacting have to be motivated and believe (internalize it) in what they are doing...

It is much easier to periodically set up road side stops and catch non-compliant individuals on very basic and minor stuff - stuff we westwerners learn at DMV...It's easy and represents low-hanging fruit and the Thai police DO UNDERSTAND the few things they are now ticketing...It's the KISS principle at work...

Get real about you think thai police are individually going to hide behind barriers and out-of-sight and try to catch moving violators..It's much eaiser to set up a few cones, stand for 30 minutes and drink coffee with your mates afterwards..Thailand is a social culture and what is required to be done is not...

CB

[chorizo]

I wish they would patrol the roads along the train tracks at night.I travel this often and everytime see 1/2 dozen motorbikes with no tail lights..Very difficult to see them until you are right on them....Also turning into Saraphi and heading west..narrow dark road.....think this is more important than a ticket for a helmet that would not help them anyhow......

[uptheos]

It's much eaiser to set up a few cones, stand for 30 minutes and drink coffee with your mates afterwards..

Not between noon and 4pm it's too hot and they are sleeping. If they worked during those hours, those skin tight uniforms that are obviously passed on when someone leaves, would become wet suits.

[llp]

today there was enforcement that all passengers wear helmets. northern part of the moat. fine 400 baht

[dominique355]

Just a short term hype, everything will be back to normal soon.

The police here totally lacks any will to follow through. How many of these "crack downs" have we seen already?

Traffic cam on redlights

Cutting in on a waiting line

Phone while driving

Wearing seatbelts

Not to mention DIU

Etc. etc.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect App

[uptheos]

today there was enforcement that all passengers wear helmets. northern part of the moat. fine 400 baht

Yeah, the weather's a little cooler, they can go outside now.

[mic6ard]

really?

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

[KhunVee]

Speaking of "running stop lights" does anyone know if left turn on red is officially legal? Most people seem to do it. Must say always made sense to me, much like the US's "right turn on red" rules, but am not sure if it's legal here or not.

As to the rumour, sounds like more like a pipe dream...

Yes it is officially legal unless when there's a sign saying you cannot turn left when red.

I've been looking for a picture of this sign, but cannot find it online.

It's only in Thai and goes with a black arrow pointing left with a big fat red stripe trough it.

[hml367]

Speaking of "running stop lights" does anyone know if left turn on red is officially legal? Most people seem to do it. Must say always made sense to me, much like the US's "right turn on red" rules, but am not sure if it's legal here or not.

As to the rumour, sounds like more like a pipe dream...

Yes it is officially legal unless when there's a sign saying you cannot turn left when red.

I've been looking for a picture of this sign, but cannot find it online.

It's only in Thai and goes with a black arrow pointing left with a big fat red stripe trough it.

The signs don't always have the arrows. There are many with just Thai writing. It would be a good idea to remember what it looks like. Not everyone obeys the sign, and you could get notified by horn if you did observe the directions and someone behind you wants to turn.

MSPain

[KhunVee]

Speaking of "running stop lights" does anyone know if left turn on red is officially legal? Most people seem to do it. Must say always made sense to me, much like the US's "right turn on red" rules, but am not sure if it's legal here or not.

As to the rumour, sounds like more like a pipe dream...

Yes it is officially legal unless when there's a sign saying you cannot turn left when red.

I've been looking for a picture of this sign, but cannot find it online.

It's only in Thai and goes with a black arrow pointing left with a big fat red stripe trough it.

The signs don't always have the arrows. There are many with just Thai writing. It would be a good idea to remember what it looks like. Not everyone obeys the sign, and you could get notified by horn if you did observe the directions and someone behind you wants to turn.

MSPain

Yes, you're right. I should have written that some are accompanied with a black arrow with red stripe trough.

[hml367]

Just in case you were confused three times, Khun Vee, the reason I posted that is so someone doesn't think that if there is a sign without arrows that it is okay to turn anytime.

MSPain

[ChiangMaiTiger]

Thanks to a reckless, speeding and blind motorcyclist, my daughter spent 6 hours in a police station getting to know Traffic Enforcement Laws.

[KhunVee]

Just in case you were confused three times, Khun Vee, the reason I posted that is so someone doesn't think that if there is a sign without arrows that it is okay to turn anytime.

MSPain

Not confused at all. Never!!! When I appear to be confused I'm actually thinking.

[ripstanley]

I was with a thai driver who did not turn left at a red light. Car behind him tooted the horn twice. After the 2nd toot the driver got out and pointed to the sign. He then got back in the car and waited for the lights to change. No more noise from the car behind. The girlfriend then explained what the sign was.]