odd thai driving laws

[Royrex]

recently bought a new mirage and took it out of bangkok with the red plates for its first trip ti isaan. got stopped at the first police checkpoint, received a 15 minute lecture about driving in the farthest left lane with a small car. at the next police stop got a $400 baht fine ( with receipt) for not filling out the page in front of the handbook saying when i departed bangkok and where i was going and the times. after that every day we filled in the book. on the way back to bangkok i got waved over at the first police checkpoint and asked for the book, again got a 15 minute lecture because during the red plate usage time the car can not be used at night or driving in the rain (no fine this time)

I wonder how many more of these unique laws I will encounter in the future ( I think every time I drive)

also for the first time driver in Thailand it is the biggest game of vehicular chicken as to who will flinch first. ( I have seen mexico and the middle east)

5 lanes of traffic driving on road marked for 3 and oncoming passing cars, trucks, buses literally running you off the road

[thedivezone]

There are three driving rules in Thailand that i'm aware of :

- show no mercy

- give no quarter

- take no prisoners

Edited July 27, 2013 by thedivezone

[IMHO]

Red plates here are basically the same thing as 'dealer plates' in the West - their purpose is to provide a form of 'temporary permission' to drive an otherwise unregistered and uninsured car on public roads.

They are intended for commercial purposes e.g. transferring stock between showrooms, sending cars out for pre-delivery accessory fitting etc, and were designed as an instrument to help those in the auto trade drive their unregistered stock on public roads legally - with the restriction that they can only be used between daylight hours (6AM-6PM), and log books must be maintained.

The only thing strange is that they allow them to be used by customers

As for keeping left unless overtaking, I think you'll find that one's not unique to Thailand

[BSJ]

Red plates are for temporary use in the province of issue. IMHO said between hours of 6am to 6 pm....I thought it was 7pm.

The police are usually pretty good in Thailand but there are some shady characters amongst them. Just keep smiling!

[Jitar]

Red plates are for temporary use in the province of issue. IMHO said between hours of 6am to 6 pm....I thought it was 7pm.

The police are usually pretty good in Thailand but there are some shady characters amongst them. Just keep smiling!

BSJ, You are very generous. I thought it was more like the police are shady but there is one or two good ones among them.

The OP is the first time I heard red plates in the rain is a no no? That must be inconvenient.

The history behind red plates morphing from dealer use to the norm for new cars for the first 3 months or more would be interesting.

[Spoonman]

$400 fine was a tad harsh.

[transam]

$400 fine was a tad harsh.

It was near BiB lunch time.

[Totster]

$400 fine was a tad harsh.

It was near BiB lunch time.

Had to be bt400

totster

[Gsxrnz]

Didn't a thread a while ago state that taking the red plate off is more convenient than having it on? Less obvious at a distance and therefore less likely to be stopped was the conclusion I think.

[willyumiii]

Driving Laws in Thailand???

I thought there were only "Check Point Laws"

1) Where is helmet?

2) Registration?

3) Licence? Is it international? ( no licence? it's o.k., pay 200 thb and get a note so you can continue to drive without a licence for the rest of the day!)

I have heard that it sometimes happens, but, I have never seen a vehicle pulled over for unsafe driving or any moving violation.

Only get violations if you are unlucky enough to be caught at a check point..

ie. Check Point Laws.

[culicine]

maybe I've Been lucky but I've just been stopped once in 12 years. I've probably covered 250K kms here. Cops can be fussy about red plates but if you follow the rules regarding the, there should be no problems. Not sure why the cop would tell you to drive on the left if you have a small car - the you need to do battle with the trucks and that chewed up lane.....the time I got stopped was when i was going to Pattaya and was in the right lane. No fine just a warning.

[harrry]

^{I do not know about thai laws being strange but in Australia I once saw a car pulled up and ticketed for going through an Orange light. Here everyone knows that a red light means go through for the first 5 seconds.}

[Tywais]

Raining? Seems a BIB is being creative in his interpretation of the law.

[robblok]

maybe I've Been lucky but I've just been stopped once in 12 years. I've probably covered 250K kms here. Cops can be fussy about red plates but if you follow the rules regarding the, there should be no problems. Not sure why the cop would tell you to drive on the left if you have a small car - the you need to do battle with the trucks and that chewed up lane.....the time I got stopped was when i was going to Pattaya and was in the right lane. No fine just a warning.

Same stupid reason as for bikes to stay in the left. The law never states such a thing just that slow traffic should stay left (ike in any normal country)

[robblok]

@spoonman, that is what the law says, i even had a copy of this and in Thai to argue with a cop. I was going faster as the rest of the traffic. I was on a big bike he was not having any of it.

They don't follow their own laws as in the land traffic act there is no difference between a bike and a car. Unless they define that all bikes are slow traffic witch of course with current bikes is not true.

[ripstanley]

$400 fine was a tad harsh.

The op actually posted "$400 baht fine" I think he got carried away with the $ sign

[stevenl]

@spoonman, that is what the law says, i even had a copy of this and in Thai to argue with a cop. I was going faster as the rest of the traffic. I was on a big bike he was not having any of it.

They don't follow their own laws as in the land traffic act there is no difference between a bike and a car. Unless they define that all bikes are slow traffic witch of course with current bikes is not true.

Yes, a bike is a bike and all are slow traffic.

[cooked]

Swearing one day very early on a foggy morning, one of the cars which became visible before I saw its 'Side lights' (parking lights actually) was a police car.

[robblok]

@spoonman, that is what the law says, i even had a copy of this and in Thai to argue with a cop. I was going faster as the rest of the traffic. I was on a big bike he was not having any of it.

They don't follow their own laws as in the land traffic act there is no difference between a bike and a car. Unless they define that all bikes are slow traffic witch of course with current bikes is not true.

Yes, a bike is a bike and all are slow traffic.

That might be it if it says so in the law, but so far I have read the English translation and it says slow traffic (same as thai) but no explanation what is considered slow traffic. Anyway its a dangerous law that i will break to stay alive.

[anon210]

The issue is not whether traffic is slow or not... it is simply that all traffic should drive in the leftist lane, unless to overtake other cars. Period. No "fast or slow" traffic and it is certainly illegal to hog the so called "fast lane". Although in some areas, the road on the leftmost lane is so badly damaged by trucks that it is almost undriveable.

[robblok]

The issue is not whether traffic is slow or not... it is simply that all traffic should drive in the leftist lane, unless to overtake other cars. Period. No "fast or slow" traffic and it is certainly illegal to hog the so called "fast lane". Although in some areas, the road on the leftmost lane is so badly damaged by trucks that it is almost undriveable.

That was my understanding too but even armed with a translated copy of these laws, the officer kept insisting this did not apply to bikes. I have so far not seen the traffic law stating bikes have to stay in the left.

However if this was not true why do all the Thais accept it as true. I pay as arguing with a guy with a gun is not that smart. I was certainly always keeping up with the rest of the traffic if not going faster.

It does gets on my nerves, not the fine but the fact that often you have to pay the fine somewhere else and get your drivers license. Time wasted is the problem.

[Fookhaht]

maybe I've Been lucky but I've just been stopped once in 12 years....

Maybe I've been unlucky, but I've just been stopped 365 times in one year.

Our town has a regular police block every day on my way to work. Yes, it's a huge traffic bottleneck and there are few detours available.

After 10 years of this, they know me by sight, but still have to stop, show them my registration, license, and tax tab. I just build it into my regular timetable/routine. They're just waiting for the day I forget one of the three, and they can nab me for the obligatory 200-400B. T.I.T.

[guzzi850m2]

maybe I've Been lucky but I've just been stopped once in 12 years....

Maybe I've been unlucky, but I've just been stopped 365 times in one year.

Our town has a regular police block every day on my way to work. Yes, it's a huge traffic bottleneck and there are few detours available.

After 10 years of this, they know me by sight, but still have to stop, show them my registration, license, and tax tab. I just build it into my regular timetable/routine. They're just waiting for the day I forget one of the three, and they can nab me for the obligatory 200-400B. T.I.T.

Have you considered by purpose to forget one of the items pay the 200 baht and maybe be left alone for perhaps a year?

[Fookhaht]

maybe I've Been lucky but I've just been stopped once in 12 years....

Maybe I've been unlucky, but I've just been stopped 365 times in one year.

Our town has a regular police block every day on my way to work. Yes, it's a huge traffic bottleneck and there are few detours available.

After 10 years of this, they know me by sight, but still have to stop, show them my registration, license, and tax tab. I just build it into my regular timetable/routine. They're just waiting for the day I forget one of the three, and they can nab me for the obligatory 200-400B. T.I.T.

Have you considered by purpose to forget one of the items pay the 200 baht and maybe be left alone for perhaps a year?

Beautiful post. Sage advice.

[anon210]

 

maybe I've Been lucky but I've just been stopped once in 12 years....

Maybe I've been unlucky, but I've just been stopped 365 times in one year.  

Our town has a regular police block every day on my way to work.  Yes, it's a huge traffic bottleneck and there are few detours available.  

After 10 years of this, they know me by sight, but still have to stop, show them my registration, license, and tax tab.   I just build it into my regular timetable/routine.   They're just waiting for the day I forget one of the three, and they can nab me for the obligatory 200-400B.   T.I.T.

 

Have you considered by purpose to forget one of the items pay the 200 baht and maybe be left alone for perhaps a year?

I would believe that the 200 thb would only worsten the issue... as they would then be sure that this guy pays.

[SOTIRIOS]

....my friend, a westerner.....told me how a policeman once told him......"We can see when there is a foreigner driving from 100m away...."

....make your own conclusions about 'enforcement of law' in thailand......

[Suetape]

I drove in Thailand for two years and TEHRAN for three. Tehran driving is miserable also.

[drdoom6996]

Red plates are for temporary use in the province of issue. IMHO said between hours of 6am to 6 pm....I thought it was 7pm.

The police are usually pretty good in Thailand but there are some shady characters amongst them. Just keep smiling!

BSJ, You are very generous. I thought it was more like the police are shady but there is one or two good ones among them.

The OP is the first time I heard red plates in the rain is a no no? That must be inconvenient.

The history behind red plates morphing from dealer use to the norm for new cars for the first 3 months or more would be interesting.

I must agree with Jitar.

[steveyinasia]

I must have been lucky, bought my car in Bangkok and drove it, with red plates, all the way to Chiang Mai on the day. Not one police road block to entire trip and no stops, other than for fuel and snacks.

[drdoom6996]

I have posted this once before. I find it funny and true at the same time. It was sent to my by an American who has lived here 20 years. And it Asia for 30.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Madness

THERE are two things about Thailand that are totally incomprehensible to westerners:

Buddhism and road rules.

The two are inextricably linked, and by understanding one, you gain insight into the other.

Western religions are burdened with the concept of opposites such as good and evil, heaven and hell, and light and dark.

Buddhism recognizes the inherent one-ness of all things and sees these supposed opposites as facets of the unity and totality of existence.

To follow the way of the Thai driver, you too must cast off these illusions of duality, such as the duality of two traffic lanes moving in opposite directions.

The Thai driver sees both lanes as part of the one road, and both directions as an expression of the eternal flow of all things.

When you have grasped this concept, you will then understand why Thais so naturally swerve into oncoming traffic to overtake, and why they are completely serene as they travel along a busy road the wrong way.

It is because there is no wrong way, only ‘The Way’.

It’s the same with traffic lights.

To the enlightened Buddhist driver, red and green are not different colours, but simply different ways of seeing the same traffic light.

Unlearn such deceptive Western notions as ‘right of way’ and your inner eye will open, which is the only way to proceed through an intersection in Thailand.

In Thailand, existence is not seen as a linear progression from birth to death, but rather as an endless cycle of life, death and rebirth.

As one’s soul gains experience and enlightenment from each lifetime, that soul is reincarnated into yet another lifetime until Nirvana is achieved and he, or she, escapes from this eternal cycle into a state of perpetual bliss.

You never die, because life is a mere Honda Dream.

Instead, you simply pass into another life for another chance to attain the wisdom necessary for enlightenment.

You should also never fear death, even when careening along a twisty Phuket highway at 200km an hour with a bottomless chasm yawning right next to the road.

This life will end when it is time, and no matter how often you check your mirrors, a pick-up truck can come screaming up from behind and make that time now.

Accept this as inevitable, and you will be free to follow the way of the Thai driver, overtaking on blind corners and driving in the rain at breakneck speeds without a helmet.

Those who wish to spend a little longer in this lifetime should be especially careful when driving past Buddhist temples, because those drivers coming out have probably
just made merit and may be looking for reincarnation while the getting is good.

Be like the water, which is the essence of all life and, as such, has many lessons to teach us.

Water can fit into any container and seep through even the smallest crack, and so too can the Thai driver.

He can manouever into any space between two speeding vehicles, no matter how small or inconvenient it may be, or at what speed he is travelling.

When confronted by an obstacle, water does not stop, but flows around the obstacle, never losing momentum.

So, too must you.

When someone along life’s highway has stopped in the middle of the road to smell the roses, or pick up some fried chicken, you must flow around the obstacle, never stopping your harmonious movement.

Patience is also necessary when leaving a car park and turning across an oncoming lane of vehicles.

You must slowly edge onto the road, keeping an eye out for even the tiniest cracks in the teeming traffic.

What is the sound of one horn honking?

As you travel the road to enlightenment, you will ponder this repeatedly, because it is a sound you will hear quite a bit.

The answer is childishly simple.

It depends on how many times it honks.

One honk indicate that someone is overtaking or coming through, while a series of several honks is meant as a warning to anyone stupid enough to get in the way.

There is also the puzzle of the turn signal.

A blinking left indicator can mean the driver is about to make a left turn, or it can mean he is about to make a right turn or no turn at all.

Understanding intractable questions like these is the secret to mastering the way of the Thai road.