Traffic Cop Loses Face? In Car Video Camera

[Satcommlee]

My opinion is that the Motorbike rider did not approach the junction with caution, in the absence of the lights then the stop line means exactly that.. STOP

Verdict.. Motorbike at fault!

[Mosha]

In the video, the motorcyclist is wrong. He was riding a little too fast, he failed to stop at the white line, and he was in the wrong lane( swung to the right)at the time of impact.

Ermmmmmmm he doesnt have to stop because if you notice its a junction with traffic lights ( overhead) which Im assuming were on GREEN for the bike.

Play the video on full screen and use the pause button. The traffic lights are not in use; no lights showing at all for the m'cycle drivers point of view. SUV pulled out, probably partly sighted due to the parked white car but typically, once they start rolling, they don't think to stop. Same when they turn from a side street to 'merge' with traffic flow. They never consider that some cars will need to brake heavily and that maybe all 2 or 3 lanes are full. When I approach any junctions, with lights or otherwise of see any traffic merging, even when I have right of way, I lift my foot off the gas. That way when they do something really silly, it makes for a much shorter braking experience. Thai-style driving indicates that it is better to accelerate into areas of risk or doubt and hope to get through it... aided with horn, lights and tightly closed eyes!

OR the red light was not working.

[wackysleet]

Mosha.

I'm not surprised they let you go, we English have a problem with your northern yorky accent, 5555.

David.

[Charlie Cheap]

getting smart with a Thai cop not a good idea... can't remember the detail but recall bits of a story from a few years back, someone did a similar thing making the cop look like a complete turkey in public. The resulting massive loss of face made the cop snap.. he pulled out his gun & shot the 'smart a$$' dead, then promptly turned it on himself and pulled the trigger.

That's such a heartwarming and touching story!

[Charlie Cheap]

I can't help but wonder how some of these stories would have turned out if there had not been a Thai wife/GF involved.

I was thinking the same thing.

[Charlie Cheap]

so why were you speeding in the first place? sounds like you should've been fined, and that camera would've incriminated you, knowning this you still decide to act like a rude a**hole, nice job.

He wasn't being fined he was being extorted

Seriously, what do you expect? We are in a third world country! Extortion, bribes, payola $$$

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[indothai]

I just bought one also. Hope to upload some nice videos to youtube soon.

There's a a site that does dash cam reviews (http://dashcamtalk.com/category/dashcamreviews/), not too shabby I think.. just in case anyone is interested.

[PaulHamon]

I'm sure it's worth investing USD $2,000 in the latest technology to avoid a 200 baht fine!

US$2,000 seriously, you can get them for less then 2,000 BAHT.

[PaulHamon]

Almost every time I've had to stop, I wind the window down. They look and wave me on. Great these non English speaking police.

Well it is Thailand. I dare say that if a Japanese tourist was pulled over in Bavaria and started nattering away in Japanese, the green uniformed chap wouldn't be as forgiving, nor would a tourist jabbering away in Portuguese stopped in west armpitville Arkansas get a friendly accomodation.

Edit to add Thai example. Interesting enough, the beardedThai onlooker blames the farang.

Looks to my like the farang is at fault, there is STOP/GIVEWAY line there. doesn't really matter which one.

[richard_smith237]

Almost every time I've had to stop, I wind the window down. They look and wave me on. Great these non English speaking police.

Well it is Thailand. I dare say that if a Japanese tourist was pulled over in Bavaria and started nattering away in Japanese, the green uniformed chap wouldn't be as forgiving, nor would a tourist jabbering away in Portuguese stopped in west armpitville Arkansas get a friendly accomodation.

Edit to add Thai example. Interesting enough, the beardedThai onlooker blames the farang.

Looks to my like the farang is at fault, there is STOP/GIVEWAY line there. doesn't really matter which one.

Not necessarily so - There is no Stop Sign, the line is there for the traffic lights (which at the time were not on).

IF you are saying the choppy on the bike is at fault, what about the car driver ? is he completely blame free ?

I can understand someone suggesting a 50/50... but to place all the blame on the westerner is perhaps a little bias and over protective of Thai's wouldn't you think?

[samran]

To my eye, there is a solid line, the motor bike should have stopped and gave way. The car was already in the intersection, so by rights would have had right of way.

[steve187]

It looks like the traffic lights are not in operation. Also there are no stop signs or give-way signs and only white lines at the junction so it's very much up to the motorcyclist to slow the <deleted> down. Most experienced Thai motorcyclists would have understood that car drivers are unlikely to give way, braked hard, and shot through on the left, behind the car. This guy decided to 'shoot the gap' the wrong way, nailed the car on the wrong side of the street and hence is totally f*cked.

i agree, if you look at 10 seconds you can clearly see the car is pulling out and the bike is so far back he had plenty of time to slow down and pass behind the car or in fact stop, it took another three seconds before he hit the car at 13 seconds. at 25mph (40kmh) a vehicle travels at 36.67 feet per second thinking distace at 25mph is 23 feet (7 m) one second easy covers this, and breaking distance is 32 feet (10m) another second covers this , so he had one second to spare it appears to me the bike carried on regardless, and only has himself to blame, i was taught to think every other person on the road is doing their best to kill you, so be extra careful, i think a lot of western driver still think the normal rules of the road that are in their own countries apply in thailand, but they do not the Thai's drive to their own rules.'' think bike'' doesn't happen in thailand, '' i'm bigger than them'' happens. Drive in Thailand as if you are in Thailand and not in your own country.

f

[a99az]

getting smart with a Thai cop not a good idea... can't remember the detail but recall bits of a story from a few years back, someone did a similar thing making the cop look like a complete turkey in public. The resulting massive loss of face made the cop snap.. he pulled out his gun & shot the 'smart a$$' dead, then promptly turned it on himself and pulled the trigger.

Sounds like my wife, she regularly cut her noes off to spite her face.

[lemoncake]

As an American, who owned a car for about 40 years straight, stories like these just give me one more reason why I am happy not to own a car in Thailand. I rent a car with a driver on the few occasions where one was a necessity.

i know, an outrage!!!

Just imagine speeding, getting caught and pissing off the cop

Just outrages, one may even have to pay 200 baht=$7 fine.

Simply outrages

[mikebell]

Almost every time I've had to stop, I wind the window down. They look and wave me on. Great these non English speaking police.

Here's a cheaper method than a camera. The driving licence is the key; the police demand it then 'sell' it you back for 200 baht. When I am asked, I hand them my wallet with the licence encased in a transparent holder. Unable to get it out; unable to steal my wallet, they eventually heed my protestations that I was doing nothing wrong and wave me on. Four years now & not one 'fine'.

[Maestro]

...I have this one http://www.pandawill.com/27-tft-screen-hd-double-lens-true-dual-1080p-driving-recorder-dvr-p64435.html although I didn't get it from Pandawill I bought it in Singapore (Simlim Tower IIRC)...

Does it save two videos, one for each camera? Can it be set to record with only the front camera (which I would want to do sometimes)?

[Maestro]

IMO: The bike could have stopped earlier. The Bold White line across the road implies a 'mandatory' stop, but there is no presence of a stop sign. The car is clearly at fault as he is pulling out into traffic, however, the bike could have avoided the accident if he was paying more attention.

The car driver implied the bike was on the wrong side of the road !! He's just back peddling as he knows he's in the wrong and drying to divert blame. Of course the bike was on the wrong side of the road, he tried to avoid the car !

The white line across the left lane indicates where vehicles must stop when ordered to stop, eg by traffic lights of by a policeman directing the traffic. With the traffic lights not in operation and no traffic signs or road marking to tell drivers in any of the directions to yield, who has the right of way in Thailand? In continental Europe, with traffic on the right, it is the vehicle coming from the right. Is it the vehicle from the left in Thailand, where traffic is on the left?

[richard_smith237]

IMO: The bike could have stopped earlier. The Bold White line across the road implies a 'mandatory' stop, but there is no presence of a stop sign. The car is clearly at fault as he is pulling out into traffic, however, the bike could have avoided the accident if he was paying more attention.

The car driver implied the bike was on the wrong side of the road !! He's just back peddling as he knows he's in the wrong and drying to divert blame. Of course the bike was on the wrong side of the road, he tried to avoid the car !

The white line across the left lane indicates where vehicles must stop when ordered to stop, eg by traffic lights of by a policeman directing the traffic. With the traffic lights not in operation and no traffic signs or road marking to tell drivers in any of the directions to yield, who has the right of way in Thailand? In continental Europe, with traffic on the right, it is the vehicle coming from the right. Is it the vehicle from the left in Thailand, where traffic is on the left?

In the UK I understand that it is the vehicle entering the major of the two roads which has to give way. One road is always 'more major' (for want of a better description) than another. This looks like a T-Junction to me with the Isuzu entering from the smaller road, and thus should give way... IF this is the law in Thailand which I believe it to be but may be mistaken.

So I believe that legally the car is at fault. But, from the cam I believe that the bike could've stopped in time. He wasn't speeding, but it looks like he wasn't really paying attention judging by how late he braked.

[kurnell]

You reckon that was a result?

If I had been that cop, I would have been all over you like a rash, you admit to speeding, then you give them a hard time.

Lucky you're a Farang, a Thai guy would never get away with the crap that you pulled, as far as I'm concerned, think yourself lucky you never got shot, I would never have a Farang give me crap of I was a cop, I'd pull a gun on you just to see you soil your pantaloons if you gave me lip.

You'd <deleted> yourself, then give me money, guaranteed.

That old chestnut "yer lucky you didn't get yer ass shot off" never fails to amuse me.

[Maestro]

I believe I found the answer about the right of way, on page 13 of this manual of the Department of Land Transport:

In the manual, when the video has finished running, click on the image, next screen choose English, next screen click on Rule of the Road.

[angryfarang]

My opinion is that the Motorbike rider did not approach the junction with caution, in the absence of the lights then the stop line means exactly that.. STOP

Verdict.. Motorbike at fault!

Exactly. The motorbike driver should have slowed right down. If he had, he could have stopped. He was at fault.

[angryfarang]

@Nanlaew #43:

Does this car video camera have gps? Does it film the speedometer?

Mine has GPS. The speed is shown digitally when viewed on a computer through the supporting software.

What model do you have?

[richard_smith237]

My opinion is that the Motorbike rider did not approach the junction with caution, in the absence of the lights then the stop line means exactly that.. STOP

Verdict.. Motorbike at fault!

Exactly. The motorbike driver should have slowed right down. If he had, he could have stopped. He was at fault.

But thats almost like saying if the car was driving towards him on the wrong side of the road, he could have stopped so was at fault.

While I agree that the motorcyclist was careless and with greater attention could have avoided the accident, I still believe the Isuzu to be at fault because he was the one who when pulling out of a junction should have given way to the motorcycle.

[richard_smith237]

I believe I found the answer about the right of way, on page 13 of this manual of the Department of Land Transport:

p13.gif

In the manual, when the video has finished running, click on the image, next screen choose English, next screen click on Rule of the Road.

That might prove to be a very handy link at some point...

[candypants]

Almost every time I've had to stop, I wind the window down. They look and wave me on. Great these non English speaking police.

Well it is Thailand. I dare say that if a Japanese tourist was pulled over in Bavaria and started nattering away in Japanese, the green uniformed chap wouldn't be as forgiving, nor would a tourist jabbering away in Portuguese stopped in west armpitville Arkansas get a friendly accomodation.

Edit to add Thai example. Interesting enough, the beardedThai onlooker blames the farang.

looks to me like the bike was going too fast and not paying attention, the truck was visible well in advance of the crash.

had he slowed down even slightly, h could have passed behind the truck without incident.

the legality is almost irrelevant accident was a stupid one, and the onus generally falls on the motorcyclist to avoid rendering himself dead

[wackysleet]

Well I guess if anyone actually read the story that went with the you tube video then you would be aware that the police viewed the video cam and agreed with the cyclist that the car driver was at fault and had to pay for all repairs.

[Mitker]

p.s. according to the constitution, video or voice surveillance on a person without notifying them in advance is a criminal offence. Wont say how or why, but have had to look at this law very carefully for i particular issue i had to resolve once.

Indeed, but does a camera in full view pointing at the window constitute 'surveillance'?

Good question, I guess thats for the court to decide. If its a policeman bringing the charge against you, not sure who would win. My gut feeling is its a family /holiday video, not an issue, but if proven it was set up to record activities, it would be an issue.

guy feeling "intent" would be a important determinant

The law understandably doesn't allow you to spy on your neighbors in their master bedroom.

But I think the situation here is totally different. The camera is recording a general (and evolving) situation in the open public area, without targeting any individual specifically (I understand the OP didn't point it to the cop, he just let him notice its presence).

What they actually do is to passively record what shows in their view the very same way thousands of CCTV do at 7 Eleven entrances without anyone complaining and everybody happy to check them when something nasty happens.

Like a bribe attempt?

[louse1953]

getting smart with a Thai cop not a good idea... can't remember the detail but recall bits of a story from a few years back, someone did a similar thing making the cop look like a complete turkey in public. The resulting massive loss of face made the cop snap.. he pulled out his gun & shot the 'smart a$$' dead, then promptly turned it on himself and pulled the trigger.

Thats a result.

[lemoncake]

Well , I think it's time we all stand up to all the scams.

I am sick and tired of being pulled over for speeding and expected to pay the fine.

No more paying for being caught driving without a license or registration.

No more paying for doing illegal turns or going down one way street in the opposite direction.

No more paying for riding without a helmet, on the phone, without a shirt and drunk.

These scams have no limit, before we know it they will expect us to pay the bar girl or worst of all will be expected to pay for things at 7-11.

No more