No Helmet Fine In Your Town

[Sydneycraig]

Bib told me today that fines are set by each area as they choose but must be between 200 and 1000b

Koh pha ngan - 200b

[uptheos]

The BIB in Chiang Mai 'are flexible' depending on what's in your wallet.

[CharlieH]

No, it depends on what's in their wallet and how much they need.

Around our immediate area they couldnt careless about helmets, in the city, only seem to care at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and first few days into the month, then they hunt in packs on every intersection and 200 baht usually, after that back to never seeing a BIB.

Got stopped in Chiang Mai once for no seatbelts, that was 200 baht, didnt mind the fine but the hassle to find and go to the Police station and retrieve my licence and pay was a real pain. He wouldnt accept the money directly to him !....very surprised on that occasion.

Edited September 13, 2012 by CharlieH

[Semper]

No, it depends on what's in their wallet and how much they need.

Around our immediate area they couldnt careless about helmets, in the city, only seem to care at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and first few days into the month, then they hunt in packs on every intersection and 200 baht usually, after that back to never seeing a BIB.

Got stopped in Chiang Mai once for no seatbelts, that was 200 baht, didnt mind the fine but the hassle to find and go to the Police station and retrieve my licence and pay was a real pain. He wouldnt accept the money directly to him !....very surprised on that occasion.

Just cut off the belts and next time they stop you, just point and say no have. The more intelligent way to deal with it, would be to actually use them. They are there for a purpose.

[thaicbr]

I don't know the answer because i'm not dumb enough to ride without wearing a helmet. And i cant be bothered asking a Thai.

[CharlieH]

No, it depends on what's in their wallet and how much they need.

Around our immediate area they couldnt careless about helmets, in the city, only seem to care at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and first few days into the month, then they hunt in packs on every intersection and 200 baht usually, after that back to never seeing a BIB.

Got stopped in Chiang Mai once for no seatbelts, that was 200 baht, didnt mind the fine but the hassle to find and go to the Police station and retrieve my licence and pay was a real pain. He wouldnt accept the money directly to him !....very surprised on that occasion.

Just cut off the belts and next time they stop you, just point and say no have. The more intelligent way to deal with it, would be to actually use them. They are there for a purpose.

Yes and that purpose can be to trap you in your vehicle while you BURN to death as happened to a relative of mine or as happened to me, stop you from being thrown clear and stop you being crushed by the engine !

Edited September 13, 2012 by CharlieH

[Semper]

No, it depends on what's in their wallet and how much they need.

Around our immediate area they couldnt careless about helmets, in the city, only seem to care at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and first few days into the month, then they hunt in packs on every intersection and 200 baht usually, after that back to never seeing a BIB.

Got stopped in Chiang Mai once for no seatbelts, that was 200 baht, didnt mind the fine but the hassle to find and go to the Police station and retrieve my licence and pay was a real pain. He wouldnt accept the money directly to him !....very surprised on that occasion.

Just cut off the belts and next time they stop you, just point and say no have. The more intelligent way to deal with it, would be to actually use them. They are there for a purpose.

Yes and that purpose can be to trap you in your behicle why you BURN to death as happened to a relative of mine.

You can't be serious, with a reply like this?

[BookMan]

No, it depends on what's in their wallet and how much they need.

Around our immediate area they couldnt careless about helmets, in the city, only seem to care at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and first few days into the month, then they hunt in packs on every intersection and 200 baht usually, after that back to never seeing a BIB.

Got stopped in Chiang Mai once for no seatbelts, that was 200 baht, didnt mind the fine but the hassle to find and go to the Police station and retrieve my licence and pay was a real pain. He wouldnt accept the money directly to him !....very surprised on that occasion.

Just cut off the belts and next time they stop you, just point and say no have. The more intelligent way to deal with it, would be to actually use them. They are there for a purpose.

Yes and that purpose can be to trap you in your vehicle while you BURN to death as happened to a relative of mine or as happened to me, stop you from being thrown clear and stop you being crushed by the engine !

Sorry about your relative CharlieH, but I do think you will find it is generally accepted, worldwide, that seatbelts will save you from serious injury and often death

[CharlieH]

No, it depends on what's in their wallet and how much they need.

Around our immediate area they couldnt careless about helmets, in the city, only seem to care at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and first few days into the month, then they hunt in packs on every intersection and 200 baht usually, after that back to never seeing a BIB.

Got stopped in Chiang Mai once for no seatbelts, that was 200 baht, didnt mind the fine but the hassle to find and go to the Police station and retrieve my licence and pay was a real pain. He wouldnt accept the money directly to him !....very surprised on that occasion.

Just cut off the belts and next time they stop you, just point and say no have. The more intelligent way to deal with it, would be to actually use them. They are there for a purpose.

Yes and that purpose can be to trap you in your behicle why you BURN to death as happened to a relative of mine.

You can't be serious, with a reply like this?

Yes I am deadly serious, and its no fun standing watching when someone you care about is screaming in front of you !

or my own accident where I was thrown clear because I wasnt wearing a seatbelt, otherwise i would havebeen crushed to death by the engine that ended up exactly where I was sat !. So dont lecture me on the "there for a purpose" as I will NEVER wear one.

Edited September 13, 2012 by CharlieH

[Swiss1960]

No, it depends on what's in their wallet and how much they need.

Around our immediate area they couldnt careless about helmets, in the city, only seem to care at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and first few days into the month, then they hunt in packs on every intersection and 200 baht usually, after that back to never seeing a BIB.

Got stopped in Chiang Mai once for no seatbelts, that was 200 baht, didnt mind the fine but the hassle to find and go to the Police station and retrieve my licence and pay was a real pain. He wouldnt accept the money directly to him !....very surprised on that occasion.

Just cut off the belts and next time they stop you, just point and say no have. The more intelligent way to deal with it, would be to actually use them. They are there for a purpose.

And the same is true for helmets...

[Swiss1960]

Just cut off the belts and next time they stop you, just point and say no have. The more intelligent way to deal with it, would be to actually use them. They are there for a purpose.

Yes and that purpose can be to trap you in your behicle why you BURN to death as happened to a relative of mine.

You can't be serious, with a reply like this?

Yes I am deadly serious, and its no fun standing watching when someone you care about is screaming in front of you !

or my own accident where I was thrown clear because I wasnt wearing a seatbelt, otherwise i would havebeen crushed to death by the engine that ended up exactly where I was sat !. So dont lecture me on the "there for a purpose" as I will NEVER wear one.

I would guess it is difficult to convince you to wear seatbelts based on your experience... but consider this:

Worst accident possible is a head-on collision sitting in a car with airbags and not wearing seatbelts... the impact will throw you towards the windshield and the airbag will blow you back into the seat... which normally leaves you either dead or paralyzed from your broken neck...

And when you talk about your engine ending up on your seat... I would assume that such an accident was either many many years back with a very old car or then with a car with PRETTY poor crash test results...

Speaking with the experience of three head-on collisions in the last 15 years, one of them was my fault, the others not... and escaping unscratched thanks to seatbelts and airbags...

[CharlieH]

There are plenty of arguments for and against, to me its a matter of personal choice and I have made mine based on my own personal experience and dont need anyone telling me "they are there for a purpose".

Your choice, you make your own decision, as I have made mine.

Edited September 13, 2012 by CharlieH

[Tchooptip]

I was caught in Samui with... dozens of people , a huge crowd was waiting to pay their 300 B ...

... Only the drivers were supposed to wear a helmet.. every motorbykes passing by with the passenger, sometimes the 2 passengers :-) with no helmet were not stopped

[oldsailor35]

No, it depends on what's in their wallet and how much they need.

Around our immediate area they couldnt careless about helmets, in the city, only seem to care at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and first few days into the month, then they hunt in packs on every intersection and 200 baht usually, after that back to never seeing a BIB.

Got stopped in Chiang Mai once for no seatbelts, that was 200 baht, didnt mind the fine but the hassle to find and go to the Police station and retrieve my licence and pay was a real pain. He wouldnt accept the money directly to him !....very surprised on that occasion.

Just cut off the belts and next time they stop you, just point and say no have. The more intelligent way to deal with it, would be to actually use them. They are there for a purpose.

Yes and that purpose can be to trap you in your vehicle while you BURN to death as happened to a relative of mine or as happened to me, stop you from being thrown clear and stop you being crushed by the engine !

Sorry about your relative CharlieH, but I do think you will find it is generally accepted, worldwide, that seatbelts will save you from serious injury and often death

Yes, now accepted worldwide, but first brought into law in the state of Victoria Australia !

[sbk]

Moving to motorbike forum

[mogandave]

No, it depends on what's in their wallet and how much they need.

Around our immediate area they couldnt careless about helmets, in the city, only seem to care at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and first few days into the month, then they hunt in packs on every intersection and 200 baht usually, after that back to never seeing a BIB.

Got stopped in Chiang Mai once for no seatbelts, that was 200 baht, didnt mind the fine but the hassle to find and go to the Police station and retrieve my licence and pay was a real pain. He wouldnt accept the money directly to him !....very surprised on that occasion.

Just cut off the belts and next time they stop you, just point and say no have. The more intelligent way to deal with it, would be to actually use them. They are there for a purpose.

Yes and that purpose can be to trap you in your behicle why you BURN to death as happened to a relative of mine.

You can't be serious, with a reply like this?

I think that anyone that can't figure out how to open the seat belt ought not be driving.

[stevenl]

There are plenty of arguments for and against, to me its a matter of personal choice and I have made mine based on my own personal experience and dont need anyone telling me "they are there for a purpose".

Your choice, you make your own decision, as I have made mine.

Yes, your choice, but there is really only one argument: wearing one increases safety, not wearing one reduces safety.

[wantan]

There are plenty of seat belt cutters available. So even after a serious crash nobody has to be caught in a burning trap. Without wearing a seat belt you will most likely be aswoon and without any chance to get out of the car at all.

But wasn't the topic about "helmet fine in your town"?

I don't know it. I wear a helmet. I heard its 200 Baht here in Prawet/Bangkok. But not sure if bribe or official.

[yankee99]

400 here in pattaya .... payable at the station

[dave_boo]

Not my town, but Maha Sarkham is 400 thb...one of the few times I've ever been without a helmet.

[karlos]

I saw a motorbike cruising in front of me this week where both of the pillion’s hands were busy holding the strapless helmet down on the rider's head.......... I guess the rider wouldn't get a fine in this instance

I haven't seen a road block or any BIB for a month or so now, it seems the BIB in Ladkrabang/Minburi are following the new procedures....

Edited September 15, 2012 by karlos

[pomchop]

Chiang Rai seems to be on a semi serious crusade to "100%" enforcement....they have stopped people in downtown area for years but i have seen them out in the rural areas 10 km or so from town several times in the past few weeks waving no helmet people over...and from what i saw they were giving them some kind of written tickets for no helmets. Someone has also put up a bunch of signs at the local high schools with a pic of a helmet and 100% enforcement.

As one who had an accident on a motorbike going about one mile an hour and got thrown off and landed on my head and KNOWS that if i had not had the helmet on i would not be typing this right now i wish everyone would wear them...i was very very lucky to only get a broken collarbone which is a hell of a lot better than a smashed skull...

[maxtingtong]

in Rayong is 200 baht, and I guess it should be nationwide, I mean officially speaking

[Buckaroo]

Wear the helmet, it's much cheaper and a lot safer

[snowflake]

So, the problem I had this weekend was that on saturday some clown stole my GF's helmet in the evening- No place open to buy a new one. Sunday morning I droppe her of for her work, then I picked her up at noon again (home to change, toilet and then out to buy a helmet). On the way home, before the change we passed a police check point, first no problem but they pulled me over a few hundred meters up the road. I pulled off my full face helmet and the police just ignored me, but they came down hard on my GF (who happens to be a philippino that can not speak Thai as she has not been here that long). I laughed and she got really upset with the police man, and spoke very angrily at him in English, then his supervisor came and I again tried to explain to him that she did not speak Thai and that she is not even Thai (they seem to not belive that)...

Long story short, I finally managed to convince them to talk to me, instead of her, since I spoke Thai to them... They whipped up the fine book and I started laughing, I told them that I would not pay a fine for the helmet that was missing from her head- It had just been stolen and that the shops were not open yet for us to buy a new one... They did not like that but in the end, I used to teach the traffic police, and my old student saw me. He asked when we were going to buy a helmet, and truth be told I told him that we would just go home, change and then go to buy one.

fine folder tucked away, no fine paid and I left with my GF... they missed out on maybe 20 people with no helmets just to argue with me and my gf... hahaha, they were nto so happy at the end of the day I guess...

I do not condone riding without a helmet, but sometimes, what can you do? My gf does now have a new helmet and we are a-ok again...

Ps, this year so far i have had 4 helmets stolen off my bike, all for around 1000b, so I guess it is my fault... Now I look silly and have a cheap little piss-pot that won't help for anything but rain (I doubt that even)... my REAL I alwasy carry with me...

[NoshowJones]

No, it depends on what's in their wallet and how much they need.

Around our immediate area they couldnt careless about helmets, in the city, only seem to care at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and first few days into the month, then they hunt in packs on every intersection and 200 baht usually, after that back to never seeing a BIB.

Got stopped in Chiang Mai once for no seatbelts, that was 200 baht, didnt mind the fine but the hassle to find and go to the Police station and retrieve my licence and pay was a real pain. He wouldnt accept the money directly to him !....very surprised on that occasion.

Just cut off the belts and next time they stop you, just point and say no have. The more intelligent way to deal with it, would be to actually use them. They are there for a purpose.

Yes and that purpose can be to trap you in your vehicle while you BURN to death as happened to a relative of mine or as happened to me, stop you from being thrown clear and stop you being crushed by the engine !

This is very interesting, many years ago, maybe around 1980, there was a page in the Sunday post called the "honest truth". The subject was a doctor who lived close to the Scotland main highway from Scotland to England. Today it is the M74, anyway, this doctor was called to many road accidents of which many were fatal. He said a lot of these fatalities were caused by peoples seatbelts. I just wonder if it is wrong to force people to wear seatbelts. It would seem that wearing seatbelts does cost lifes as well as saving them. Personally, I think people should be given the choice of whether or not they wear seatbelts.

[Sydneycraig]

Seatbelts and helmets save lives... No discussion needed there!

[ClareQuilty]

Not my town, but Maha Sarkham is 400 thb...one of the few times I've ever been without a helmet.

Nah, its 200 baht - that's what the students pay, and what I paid the one or two times I didn't just get 'waved through' in the years I've lived in Maha Sarakahm. He just cheated you, unless he got you 200 for the no helmet and an extra 200 for not having a Thai motorbike driver's license.

In fact I've always been told by Thais that all such fines are the same throughout the nation, as the police are a standardized, national organization here (unlike back in the USA). Local government means almost nothing in centralized Thailand.

[BSJ]

I never wear a belt cos I got an airbag in front of me if I ever have a bingle.

A belt doesn't help if you have a side impact or an angle impact. A lot of people suffer head injuries even if they have a belt on.

The ideal safety system would be to have an inflatable bubble for each person in the vehicle. The bubble would inflate quickly and encompass the person until the vehicle came to rest.

[wantan]

No, it depends on what's in their wallet and how much they need.

Around our immediate area they couldnt careless about helmets, in the city, only seem to care at the end of the month when everyone gets paid and first few days into the month, then they hunt in packs on every intersection and 200 baht usually, after that back to never seeing a BIB.

Got stopped in Chiang Mai once for no seatbelts, that was 200 baht, didnt mind the fine but the hassle to find and go to the Police station and retrieve my licence and pay was a real pain. He wouldnt accept the money directly to him !....very surprised on that occasion.

Just cut off the belts and next time they stop you, just point and say no have. The more intelligent way to deal with it, would be to actually use them. They are there for a purpose.

Yes and that purpose can be to trap you in your vehicle while you BURN to death as happened to a relative of mine or as happened to me, stop you from being thrown clear and stop you being crushed by the engine !

This is very interesting, many years ago, maybe around 1980, there was a page in the Sunday post called the "honest truth". The subject was a doctor who lived close to the Scotland main highway from Scotland to England. Today it is the M74, anyway, this doctor was called to many road accidents of which many were fatal. He said a lot of these fatalities were caused by peoples seatbelts. I just wonder if it is wrong to force people to wear seatbelts. It would seem that wearing seatbelts does cost lifes as well as saving them. Personally, I think people should be given the choice of whether or not they wear seatbelts.

1980???

Many cars not even had head rests and reel seat belts at that time. Hard to compare with today and todays traffic.