Public Transport Vans Face Bt5,000 Fine For Speeding Beyond 90Kms Per Hour: Thailand

[AZBill]

If its actually enforced the fines alone will fund the government and all its corruption for another 10 years!

[beano2274]

You guys are something else left home to get away from rules and regs and now you want Thailand to be just like Dear Old Home. Next thing you know you will be talking about banning booze.

Hold on a sec, did we make the rule, no the Government did, I just suggested a way to enforce it.

True about Somchai whipping his phone out and calling the number, but he would already been on the phone or doing ten other things whilst driving.

[bendejo]

Should be signs on the back of the vans like in Europe, saying "How is my driving? Call xxxxxxxxx"

Also if a van is reported then the person reporting the van gets a reward, this would really get things done.

Yeah, and then when Speeding Somchai finds out who did it he goes and kills them.

[bendejo]

Does this means more tea-money to the BIB?

That was my thought. Now instead of the mandatory 200 baht without receipt (official fine) it will increase to 500bt

A Songkran bonus for the RTPF.

[saengsureeya]

Great, another rule. Let's put it in the row of existing rules and regulations which won't be enforced.

Just mechanically limit the speed at 100 kmh and the problem is solved.

Fooling around with the speed-limitation-eqp will immobilize the vehicle totally.

[NoshowJones]

What about underage schoolkids riding motorbikes under the polices noses? Their or their parents motorbikes should be confiscated.

[laurentbkk]

did it start already ? because the 10 vans I saw on the toll way this morning were driving at over 130kn/hour .. in fact I see those van everyday on the toll way ..

[hansnl]

Most of the above posts are absolutely right. But going strictly 90 km/h on a motorway like, or similar road,

doesn't make sense, when 120 would be possible without any danger.

It is all about the proven ability of the drivers. So people driving public vehicles, should be much better trained and chosen more careful.

120 km/h would be possibe without danger?

In Thailand?

Even 90 km/h is too much for nearly all drivers.

Oh well, you said so yurself in the last line.

[Card]

It is a start however first offence should be 50,000 baht and licence revoked. Second offence should be the same but with 6 month jail sentence.

But if the license is revoked by the first offence,then how they gonna do a second offence?

They haven't considered that yet, they will consider it later - plz give them time TIT.

[KKK]

Why only Bangkok. Minivan drivers are a real menace on Phuket.

And Samui

And everywhere else in Thailand......In short put a Thai behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and you have a menace. Truck and bus drivers are imo the absolute worst. Just because they are big you HAVE to get out of the way of them no matter how right you are....

[KKK]

What about underage schoolkids riding motorbikes under the polices noses? Their or their parents motorbikes should be confiscated.

agree 1000%..and the kids should be taken away from the irresponsible parents and placed with somebody who does care.

[iang]

"BANGKOK: -- From April 1 onwards, public transport vans that are speeding beyond 90kms/hour on tollways, expressways and motorways would be find at Bt5,000, Land Transport Department chief Somchai Siriwattanachoke said."

So that means 120km on the road outside my house will be just fine then!

[ableguy]

It's a start.

Yeah going to keep a lot of people very busy lot of money to be made here but by who ?

[Gers1873]

Keep them below 90 kmph and ban them from using the 'fast' lane. May save some lives. Start on #7 between Chon Buri and Swampy. They should catch quite a few on a daily basis.

[NoshowJones]

What about underage schoolkids riding motorbikes under the polices noses? Their or their parents motorbikes should be confiscated.

mmmm

[Sayonarax]

You guys really need to find another way to fill in your time. You complain about these guys for months, then the government finally does something and your still complaining! Who really cares who's pockets the tea or fine money is filling, as long as its effectively hurting these hoon's pocket money. Surely you've noticed more checkpoints in the day time? If police are targeting these hoon's for bribes or fines, its surely going to make them think about speeding.

[normac44]

Do you really think this will slow them down...as if they care!!

[NoshowJones]

What about underage schoolkids riding motorbikes under the polices noses? Their or their parents motorbikes should be confiscated.

mmmm

KKK. The biggest problem living in Thailand the way I see it is the mentality of the Thai people, it is dreadful, but I feel the people are much nicer than the UK, and a lot less confrontational. It does not matter which country you live in there will be problems, but I am a lot more happier living here than in the UK, where it is just TAX TAX TAX. And obviously I completely agree with you about the children riding motor bikes should also be taken away from their parents.

[americaninbangkok]

Speeding vans to face fines

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Starting on Sunday, speeding passenger vans will be fined Bt5,000 and for a repeat offence will lose their public-transport licence.

Somchai Siriwattanachoke, director-general of the Land Transport Department, said yesterday that so far some 9,000 RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags have been installed in commuter vans to detect speeding on tollways.

Drivers found travelling over 90km/h will be fined Bt5,000 for the first offence, he told a press conference held by the department, Transport Co and Bangkok Mass Transit Authority.

For a second offence, they will be fined Bt10,000 and the public-transport licence will be revoked.

Anyone spotting vans that are driven too fast or in a reckless manner can report them to the 1584 hotline around the clock, Somchai said.

-- The Nation 2012-03-29

This is typical laziness in law enforcement. Don't bother having the BIB actually do anything. Just leave it to the CCTV cameras and the RFID chips to register that rules have been broken. If you could somehow downlaod all the crimes, speeding, etc that have been recorded by CCTV/RFID and splice them together into a video/report, the resulting product would make this seem like a lawless, corrupt country. Wait a minute! ...

[anterian]

In any western country all vehicles have a clearly defined passenger limit, be it a car, minibus or public bus. Yet here at school closing times I regularly see the Songtows bursting at the seams with kids hanging out the back. Does Thailand have legal limits on passenger numbers?

[robertson468]

One of my residents has just returned from Myanmar Visa Run. He said the minibus travelled at 100-120 kms per hour, often topping 140+. Today he is having his own mini personal breakdown

[Skywalker69]

You guys are something else left home to get away from rules and regs and now you want Thailand to be just like Dear Old Home. Next thing you know you will be talking about banning booze.

Hold on a sec, did we make the rule, no the Government did, I just suggested a way to enforce it.

True about Somchai whipping his phone out and calling the number, but he would already been on the phone or doing ten other things whilst driving.

He has his own driver, he sits in the backseat and can make all the calls he want.

[JohnAllan]

It is a start however first offence should be 50,000 baht and licence revoked. Second offence should be the same but with 6 month jail sentence.

But if the license is revoked by the first offence,then how they gonna do a second offence?

Minus the licence!

[JohnAllan]

You guys are something else left home to get away from rules and regs and now you want Thailand to be just like Dear Old Home. Next thing you know you will be talking about banning booze.

What a wonderful reflection of life as it is - and of the ease with which one can become too accustomed to the undefined parameters of Thai stupidity when it comes to safety!

[JohnAllan]

In any western country all vehicles have a clearly defined passenger limit, be it a car, minibus or public bus. Yet here at school closing times I regularly see the Songtows bursting at the seams with kids hanging out the back. Does Thailand have legal limits on passenger numbers?

The question should be: does anyone actually KNOW the limits? In fact, how many Thai drivers are more than vaguely acquainted with traffic laws and road signs? And of more concern is the fact that these idiots -assuming they can afford it and can obtain the requisite visa - can arrive in the UK, for example, and legally drive on their Thai licences . . .

[unanimosity]

If you want to solve this issue of wild driving, the first thing you must do is pass a law against any drivers wearing their amulets while driving and require all drivers to drive without shirts in order to verify that the law is being upheld. Without the protection of their amulets, you would see them slowing down and exercising caution. This should have the added advantage of getting a lot of women drivers off the road with the side benefit of reduced traffic jams.

But seriously, folks, here are two absolutely true driving anecdotes that could have taken place anywhere in LOS.

1.

One late afternoon on the finest deluxe bus from Khon Kaen to Krung Thep--the kind with electric outlets for your laptop, with Wi-Fi Internet connectivity, and with individual entertainment consoles instead of 100 decibel slapstick that seems to pass for comedy blaring from cheap speakers--it was quite comfortable as usual as the sun ducked over the western horizon near Korat.

But when would the driver put on the headlights?

20 kilometers later...

Was the driver going to put on the headlights?

Bunch of kilometers later...

Get out the phone and dial the owner of the bus line. "Hi, I am concerned about your driver because he is driving without lights and it is impossible to see the road from seat 1A which as you know is the very front of the bus."

"Okay," the owner said. "Very sorry for your inconvenience. Let me take care of it for you."

A few minutes later, a gender-challenged stewardit arrived and pointed out how to turn on the overhead reading light and had no interest in the fact that there was total blackness outside the front of the bus.

Get out the phone again. "Sorry to disturb you again but the reading light is not the problem. The problem is that this bus is barreling along down Mittiprap Highway in total darkness, running up on vehicles that can't see us coming, and narrowly missing a couple of old trucks that had no tail lights."

"Please sir," the owner said, "You must not worry. All my drivers are professionals."

End of story. No lights the entire way.

2.

During the building of Thai Muang Golf Course in Phang Nga, the shaper (guy who drives the D4 Cat and contours the land) was aboard a bus heading up north and looked up to see the bus driver perched to the edge of his seat driving much like when a golfer drives a golf cart from the passenger seat, one leg stretched diagonally across to reach the pedals and steering from the nine o'clock position on the steering wheel.

Feeling quite ill upon seeing this, the shaper decided to move to a rear row on the driver side so he wouldn't have such a clear view of the danger.

"Did you see how the driver is driving," the shaper asked a Thai seat mate.

The seat mate stood up, craned his neck, sat down and smiled, "Yes, I see."

"Did you see how he is sitting on the edge of the seat, not even behind the steering wheel?"

"Yes, of course, I see," the seat mate smiled.

"Aren't you worried?" the shaper asked.

"Of course not," the seat mate replied. "He's letting Buddha drive."

[saengsureeya]

"BANGKOK: -- From April 1 onwards, public transport vans that are speeding beyond 90kms/hour on tollways, expressways and motorways would be find at Bt5,000, Land Transport Department chief Somchai Siriwattanachoke said."

So that means 120km on the road outside my house will be just fine then!

The max speed on the road outside your house is probably 60 or 90 kmh.

[blabla1]

It doesn't matter what laws are passed, like everything else here,it's a matter of enforcement, that aint gonna happen, not for new laws, old laws, any laws, man power and willingness aren't there!

[Big Gary]

Its not only speed that is the danger as my wife and I were waiting for a friend at Chiangrai Bus Station last month and a Mini Bus pulled in from Prae. It has a sign on the side licensed to carry 10 passengers. Well believe it or not we counted 21 people get out of the van. Yes 21. That is a serious safety problem with overloading and where in hell did some of them sit?????

[Gone]

I remember back in Canada they had CCTV's that would snap a picture of your plate number if you were speeding and you would receive the ticket in the mail very shortly after. If you did not pay the fine BIG PROBLEMS.

Maybe they can sell all these tablets and exchange them for these types of CCTV's?