Bangkok police want cars older than 10 years off the streets

[rametindallas]

Why don't they have a yearly safety inspection on any vehicle over 5 years old and make a reasonable decision if the vehicle is safe for the road or not. Oh wait this is Thailand and this is too simple of a solution

It would open another avenue (no pun intended) of corruptions as people would make a bribe to get certified. The even do that in Dallas!

[pizzachang]

Very bad precedent if this is passed. It is wasteful of resources to just keep making new cars, instead of recycling(which is a great tradition in Thailand)

This is all about appearances, IMO. Why not just deal with problem vehicles on an individual basis. I am sure that the existing law would cover unsafe vehicles as they are encountered.

[maingmoom]

This seems to be more of a class and image thing. No mention of the roadworthiness (safety) of the vehicles only removing the poor mans cars from Bangkok out to the poor mans province. I would guess clearing the majority of the vehicles of the roads would clear the way for Somchia's Merc.

I have no problem with removing any vehicle from the roads if they fail to comply with road worthy standards, and that includes 2 year old Mercs if a 10 year old vehicle is in mint or top condition then it has every right to use the same public road as the Hi So's. Adding extra taxes on vehicles based solely on a vehicles age is not fair.

I couldn't agree with you more. I have a ten year old Toyota truck that I bought new. I have had a sevice every 10,000 k and any job needed in between time I have had done. It is in excellent condition and better than some younger trucks.

[klauskunkel]

Bangkok police want cars older than 10 years off the streets

Traffic police would rely more on closed-circuit cameras to direct traffic and enforce the laws.

Officer Wiwat: "Hey Somchai, does this car on the screen look old to you?"

Officer Somchai: "zzzzzzz"

[bangkokpoppys]

I have a 2005 model vehicle, and each year as it is older than 7 years old it is subjected to a test and I need the certificate before I can get it registered. I was impressed to see that the braking force is measured on a reverse-dynamometer type of machine. This test is a good administrative control, sure it could be added to so that pick-ups like the banger in the photo don't get through the cracks...and like someone else said get the BIB to do their job, maybe incentivise them to get more cars off the road. If the incentive is bigger than any potential kickback then the system should work.

[trainman34014]

Why don't they have a yearly safety inspection on any vehicle over 5 years old and make a reasonable decision if the vehicle is safe for the road or not. Oh wait this is Thailand and this is too simple of a solution

There is such yearly inspection on all vehicles over 7 years I believe, whereby the vehicle is inspected for all safety and mechanical roadworthiness,

Wrong ! I had an old car for four years before buying new and every time i went for the 'test' the bloke took the documents, checked the frame number, walked in the office, came out with a bill and said 'come back next week to get tax square', and that's what happened every year. The last year i took it in i was about to buy new so i had two baldish tyres and the brakes needed doing but same same and out the door. Checks non existant.

[alangc]

What a silly idea ! How about just implimenting the existing law on yearly vehicle inspections to ensure that vehicles are in operable condition. There is a thriving classic car movement in Thailand of people who enjoy their cars and keep them in pristine condition stimulating the Thai ecconomy in the process. Should these people be penalised because of the few that get away with driving around in unsafe old bangers belching fumes and without lights all because corrupt officials are not implimenting the existing law. Thailand has a high percentage of quality car ownership and I cant see why the owner of a 10 yo Mercedes, Saab, BMW, Jaguar or similar should be penaalised as if his/her car was a clapped out piece of Jap crap. The powers that be should put their brains into gear.

[yourauntbob]

One word: Arrogance

[Denim]

Well who the hell thought it was smart to licence cars on a sliding scale anyway?????

The British government for one.

Dumb idea anyway. If the idea is to get cars off the road it will fail. Owners of older cars will just stump up the extra few hundred baht tax and carry on driving in Bangkok. No change .

[kamahele]

I agree with the several posters who mention inspections and enforcement of laws already on the books. In the US I believe that all cars must be inspected yearly from manufacture until they are no longer registered to drive. Of course,this could be gold mine for government workers to pass ineligible cars for an added cost.

[Local Drunk]

Does anyone ever wonder about the untold millions of man hours lost and fuel burned by sitting in traffic?

[sawadee1947]

...why only for BKK area? Why not everywhere in Thailand? Including buses and Trains!! An inspection every 2 years would be a good idea as we got it in western countries, but probably you'll get the "passed" by paying some lump of money to the officers. It's a nightmare. You are not safe on the roads here, at night in particular. Trucks without lights? No problem at all. The next accident will happen.

Bring Thainess to the world.

[Dellboy218]

Why don't they have a yearly safety inspection on any vehicle over 5 years old and make a reasonable decision if the vehicle is safe for the road or not. Oh wait this is Thailand and this is too simple of a solution

There is such yearly inspection on all vehicles over 7 years I believe, whereby the vehicle is inspected for all safety and mechanical roadworthiness,

Yes, it makes you wonder does it not? I thought they were supposed to enforce the observance of the law that is laid down. They do not need to scrap 7 year old cars but to enforce the condition. This is as ridiculous as the announcement that the government were considering taxing vehicles on CO2 emissions. Perhaps they should join with the police and stop all vehicles that continuously emit smoke, easily done with no fancy gear required. They will then probably find that a number of those vehicles have not paid any tax and insurance which means they do not undergo any testing. A fantastic money spinner just waiting for their attention.

[khunbillmex]

Well if it dosen't quite fit in Bangkok maybe Havana could give it a go?

Edited October 8, 2013 by khunbillmex

[Local Drunk]

One word: Arrogance

But it took you three words a full colon and an underscore to say it.

Edited October 8, 2013 by Local Drunk

[Doc46]

Well,Well,Well If you know NSW- Australia you know very well that All cars older than 4 years need an roadworthy inspection every 12 months if they don't pass then,,, No Go,,,,,,No rego,,,Have to be made roadworthy every 12 months,If they see a car like this on the road the Police will stop and impound that vehicle and it will be Crushed and as a bonus the driver will get a hefty fine........ I would say,,,better late then never its a good start

Why TF are so many idiots on this Forum so negative ?????????????????? Nothing better to do then putting down everything the Thai do? This is only a small step forward ,,,,,But going in the right direction,,,So lay off for ones O K

[tompelli]

Why don't they have a yearly safety inspection on any vehicle over 5 years old and make a reasonable decision if the vehicle is safe for the road or not. Oh wait this is Thailand and this is too simple of a solution

There is such yearly inspection on all vehicles over 7 years I believe, whereby the vehicle is inspected for all safety and mechanical roadworthiness,

Wrong ! I had an old car for four years before buying new and every time i went for the 'test' the bloke took the documents, checked the frame number, walked in the office, came out with a bill and said 'come back next week to get tax square', and that's what happened every year. The last year i took it in i was about to buy new so i had two baldish tyres and the brakes needed doing but same same and out the door. Checks non existant.

My car is 10 years old, done 63,000 km as trainman states normal inspection usually is just a check that serial numbers tie up. This year they stuck the car on the dyno to check braking, so progress of a kind. Not that I am stupid enough to take a car on the road with defective brakes/bald tyres (rainy season caused accident LOL).

[I knew this would happen]

POLICE will propose that all vehicles older than 10 years be kept off Bangkok streets as part of a plan to improve traffic flow, unless they pay the same tax as new vehicles, a senior Metropolitan Police officer said yesterday.

So no need to worry a lot. If i have an old car it does only mean i cannot have a tax rebate on my ageing car anymore. That doesn´t hurt too much, my tax is about 5500 per year (dunno exactly). So the only difference ist that you will keep paying 500B a month instead of 250B later on? My cars usually only stay with me 4-6 years anyway ,end of warranty

Edited October 8, 2013 by I knew this would happen

[koratjohn]

Luckily, I'm north of Bangkok and unless this was ever implemented in my area it would never impact me. With that said, as as others have said there are plenty of regulations to rid the streets of non-roadworthy vehicles or at a minimum get the older vehicles up to par in terms of safer on the roads. The problem lies in the enforcement of current rules and until this happens new (bizarre) rules will just add opportunities to be fleeced along the way.

I just purchased a car that's 42 years old (very clean 71 vw notch) and was maintained very well by the previous owner. During the transfer of title the car underwent an inspection and passed. The 2 cars ahead of mine failed for simple issues like backup lights being in op. So they do check the basics and tire tread depth was being checked and noted along with the chassis and engine serial numbers to ensure nothing had been changed. They tend to focus on weird things like color changes and have you added a topper to cover your bed. Not my sure why?

I would be pissed if they said I could not drive my vehicles provided they are road worthy.

[slipperylobster]

Our small Niisan pickup is 15 years old, but clean, shiny and reliable. Good on gas,good looking, and takes up less parking space. Ham and Eggs vehicle, to be sure...so what would be the point in banning our vehicle? Vehicle purchased for 100,000. Nobody is interested in buying it. Why scrap it? Its a hell of a good vehicle to pickup and transport a small load, and gets through traffic like a champ.

[slipperylobster]

Our small Niisan pickup is 15 years old, but clean, shiny and reliable. Good on gas,good looking, and takes up less parking space. Ham and Eggs vehicle, to be sure...so what would be the point in banning our vehicle? Vehicle purchased for 100,000. Nobody is interested in buying it. Why scrap it? Its a hell of a good vehicle to pickup and transport a small load, and gets through traffic like a champ.

[Time Traveller]

How about we get the rid of the police off of the streets instead. Or if the police pay for everyone to trade up to a newer car, and remove all taxes on new car purchases.

In other countries stupid policies like this lead to riots.

[Local Drunk]

Six years ago there were less than 10 cars on our soi... Now you can't find a place to park on the soi and part of the problem is that people don't use their carports for parking their cars. In fact, many of them convert their carports into an extra room, which is OK, but then they have nowhere to park their car. Some of them have 3 cars or trucks. There is a family around the corner that has a transport business and they park their trucks in front of our house for days on end because they have no place to park them. It takes about 300 turns of the wheel and a spotter to get out of our carport, then it's a nightmare to navigate out of the soi. They are all new vehicles!

[GarryP]

Being the sceptic I am, I cannot help thinking that big business (automobile business) is behind this plan. It certainly has the most to gain. They certainly gained from the 100k tax giveaway for first time buyers.

[epicstuff]

cant see how the age of a car effects traffic?????????????? some crazy logic.. nice how they use a picture of a 30 year old junker to demonstrate the issue.. I frequently used 10 year old cars in my youth never looked like that one.......

Maybe They should spend more time enforcing how to use what is already there. tougher tests to get licences in the 1st place after several professional lessons. would be a good place to start.

I never really understood the congestion charge in London, as I got out when they came in but I think that probably makes more senses and fairer..

[12DrinkMore]

I know of one bike that should be instantly removed from the streets. Mine.

It is in a dreadful state. Rust all over, due to ineffective drum brakes need to plan a few hundred meters in advance before stopping, a couple of bits of the plastic have fallen off. As the battery has given up the lights only work at high revs.

But every year it passes the roadworthy test.

I have gotten a reprimand two years running due the the rust. You see, it is difficult to make a rubbing of the chassis number.

[lujanit]

Sounds like the Police General made a recent trip to Singapore. Next he will be advocating a 10 year COE (for those who don't know it is a piece of paper called Certificate of Entitlement which you have to purchase by auction before you can buy a new car). After 10 years you either get a new COE or scrap the car. Singapore is one of the top vehicle exporting countries in the world yet it doesn't manufacture a single vehicle. Many owners of quality vehicles in good condition buy a second COE.

These inspections here are a farce, pay a few baht and in a couple of minutes you have your bit of paper to re-register your claptrap. The BIB are just not interested, maybe they haven't worked out how to extort money from the owners.

One way that a lot of these dangerous vehicles, including buses, could be put off the road is if there was a compulsory insurance, maybe third part property levied on every vehicle and the premium increased as the vehicle got older, say starting at 10 years.

[tomyummer]

Fix the darn roads and intersections first, automate rather than rely on stupid guys in brown uniforms, start by getting the old 6-10 wheeled vehicles off the roads, and then the busses, and start talking about passenger cars.

Thailand is not Singapore. They encourage public transport on the small island nation, but try to copy that with a land mass hundreds times larger? Forget about it!!

[Local Drunk]

Should we consider investing in scrap iron?

[Thaddeus]

Why don't they have a yearly safety inspection on any vehicle over 5 years old and make a reasonable decision if the vehicle is safe for the road or not. Oh wait this is Thailand and this is too simple of a solution

There is such yearly inspection on all vehicles over 7 years I believe, whereby the vehicle is inspected for all safety and mechanical roadworthiness,

And emissions.