Drivers license? Guess you can just pay the fine if you dont' have one(few hundred baht?). Usually they are catching people without helmets.

It's not just helmets. As posted above they can check for a variety of things. But helmets is a big one for sure.

My mate went for having the foot rests down without having a passenger.

I have a friend of a friend who got pulled over coming from Bangkok with a bike in his pickup. He was pulled over because he was speeding and the bike wasn't covered. He argued, so they started adding on fines. Next one was because he had repainted it and he didn't change the registration to show the new color. He argued more and decided to go to the police station. They added a speeding ticket for the bike!!! Ended up with some 2-3k Baht in fines.

I've heard of some really crazy reasons for pulling people over. Anything to get a few baht.

I have no sympathy for idiots that don't wear your helmet.its not for avoiding a ticket, it's for savings your life. It's saved my life more than once. Why would you not wear a helmet in Thailand, it's so risky. Use our brain while you still have one and don't worry about the cops. Rant over.

Yes, ma'am. I do, ma'am.

Profane flame removed

I have a friend of a friend who got pulled over coming from Bangkok with a bike in his pickup. He was pulled over because he was speeding and the bike wasn't covered. He argued, so they started adding on fines. Next one was because he had repainted it and he didn't change the registration to show the new color. He argued more and decided to go to the police station. They added a speeding ticket for the bike!!! Ended up with some 2-3k Baht in fines.

I've heard of some really crazy reasons for pulling people over. Anything to get a few baht.

The craziest one I have ever heard, was from when my wife's niece got pulled over in Buriram.

Everything was in order, but she got fined because her Bike hadn't been washed But it was only a 40 THB fine, no receipt of course.

Edited December 8, 201312 yr by MJCM

I get pulled over at least 15 times during the high season months and the reason is they are looking for foreigners without International drivers licenses. They know how to check for the motorcycle endorsement on it too. If the tourists that come here would come here with one these checks around pattaya would stop. I am frankly sick of as it is a waste of time but as soon as they see my Thai DL and up to date registration they have always let me go without any BS. The current focus spot for them is on second road next to mikes shopping mall, seems it is a shady place for them to stand in the afternoon.

License and annual taxes is my experience. Easy cash grab because very few tourists have a license. Requiring proof of Thai drivers license by scooter rental shops would put an end to the infraction but also stop the silly money grab.

Plus a one-page handout given to the customer every time there is a rental agreement signed explaining how to avoid being nabbed

I have no sympathy for idiots that don't wear your helmet.its not for avoiding a ticket, it's for savings your life. It's saved my life more than once. Why would you not wear a helmet in Thailand, it's so risky. Use our brain while you still have one and don't worry about the cops. Rant over.

Riding a bike increases the odds of dying (per km) by a factor between 20-30x riding in a car (USA and Aus studies- been posted ad nauseam on TV here).

Wearing a full, legal DOT approved helmet decreases that risk by about 40%. Wearing a cheap-o or beanie type helmet doesn't make a significant difference on that 20-30x risk (in the long, boring paragraphs of the same studies).

Seems to me that once I've decided to ride a scooter, I've already decided to take the risk. I ride scooter taxis every day to work and back, and around town. I figure that one out of every 2 million 1km trips to the office will kill me with a full face, DOT helmet, and one out of every 1.2 million trips will kill me without the helmet.

I make a judgment call and don't wear my full face, DOT helmet to the office, or around town. I take the scooter taxis instead of firing up the pickup truck and fighting the traffic. And I scuba dive (about 100x more dangerous than playing checkers), and I occasionally fly Cessnas (100x more dangerous than flying commercial), and I waterski (100x more dangerous than sitting on the dock watching)...and...

On the flipside, you'll never catch me inside a moving car without my seat belt (if there is one)

It's all about choices and trade-offs. Doesn't make any of us idiots.

Edited December 8, 201312 yr by impulse

..

He argued more and decided to go to the police station.  They added a speeding ticket for the bike!!!  Ended up with some 2-3k Baht in fines.

...

They gave him speeding ticket for a bike, that was in the truck?

That is insane.