Bangkok police want cars older than 10 years off the streets

[Andre0720]

So one more item to add to the ''want'' list...

[BKKdreaming]

this idea has gone thru Europe and the USA ,

Clunker laws to get old cars off the road and make people buy a new car ,

Just say NO ,

and yes I have too many old cars in the USA

[jacko45k]

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

But they do don't they? The vehicle is supposed to have a safety check to be re-registered if it is over 5 years (or is it 6) old.

In the UK it is called an MOT... and the vehicle pictured would not be passing it!

As is usual in Thailand, the rules, laws and procedures are there, but the enforcement is lacking.

Hey Bangkok police, there is no work being done in front of a microphone or at a press conference!

Edited October 8, 2013 by jacko45k

[Cuban]

Just after rainy season - how many cars and more importantly trucks had good tread on tires?

Any police/weigh-station checks?

[sabye]

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

I have an older truck that is in good condition mechanically and it is still inspected every year by the transport department before I can get my sticker on it. I agree with vehicle inspections and that any vehicles older than 5 years should have to get an inspection every year. That should include motorbikes, cars, trucks, buses and larger trucks on the road. I have seen a vast improvement in the south of Thailand since coming here 15 years ago but there are still many vehicles that don't have brakes or working light son them. They should be removed until repaired and made road worthy. I don't think that they should be banned just because of their age.

[JoePai]

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,

So you have a 14 year old car and you only "believe" there is an inspection, oh dear ....................

[johnlandy]

These Thais, they are something else. Now they're pressing down again on the poor Thais. Thais should think about raising tolls for entering Bangkok and enforcing compliance, inspection, and regulations to get plates every year.

They refer to Japan and how the Japs require cars to be off the road at an early age. It will never happen in Thailand.

They should introduce ERP to enter into Bangkok. It works extremely well in Singapore.

Unlikely to ever be introduced either (in Thailand other than talking about it, Thais are very good at talking, but they cannot walk the talk) Oh well, what's new? SFA

Edited October 8, 2013 by johnlandy

[Curt1591]

The traffic problem is not the cars; it's the drivers!

Edited October 8, 2013 by Curt1591

[asiamaster]

So no more Bangkok for me. I could neither take my 17 year old BMW 730 (mint condition 70.000 km) nor my 30 year old BMW 520 (good condition)....

Age (like in the song Dirty Old Man) ain't nothing but a number....

[NBD]

Some basic road worthiness requirements would probably be more effective. There's a car in my soi that isn't above 3 or 4 years old and the tyre are literally down to the wire. Good luck to whoever is in his way if he has to stop quickly on a wet road, or when he gets a puncture. Conversely when I lived in the UK most of the cars I owned were over 10 years old, but subject to a fairly strict MoT and well maintained I would say they were far safer than a 4 year old car with bald tyres.

One the other hand at least the car in my soi has blue lights and some flowers on the rear view mirror, so it should be fine.

[lazeeboy]

i have an 8 year old fortuner owned since new its in perfect condition so i can only drive it 2 more years .also have a 16 year old benz but with a 2 year old toyota camry engine thats also perfect so i should scrap them now >>>> the picture in the opening post of the bent clapped out car is around 30 years old ,i would say almost all cars that our 10 years old are still in pretty good nick as they are still worth quite a lot of money........

[Pui]

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

They do have this in place.

When I went for a paperwork to take the car abroad I went to a huge MOT like testing station near Chatuchak Market.

My car is new so it only took 10 minutes.

A lot of the time laws are in place just not enforced. Beleive it or not they do have a highway code.

The trouble is when cars are stopped for any reason they are normally on their merry way after paying a cash fine of 100 baht or 400 if you want the ticket.

From a safety point of view, some cars are really in a bad way.

What about all the Mercedes they cherrish so much here. A lot of those are real old bangers.

10 years is the wrong approuch, it should be road worthyness and a compulsory an anual health check. Enforced!

Edited October 8, 2013 by Pui

[richard10365]

I don't think Pol Maj Gen Adul Narongsak really thought this through. I think having standards that allow vehicles to be on public roads sounds like a better idea.

[NBD]

Anyway we all know how this will actually work, another excuse for the BiB to go around collection 100 THB of the poor bugger selling vegetables on the soi, and no other change.

[little mary sunshine]

ALL VEHICLES : buses, trucks, cars, over 2 years of age must pass a safety inspection, horn, breaks, tires,glass,

excessive smoke,before getting new registration. All vehicles not displaying new registration will be impounded

immediately at the owners expense........This should improve safety and pollution around BKK.....Motorbikes too

should be inspected for tires, breaks and lights............Each cop should be required to stop 100 vehicles per

month for safety check to keep their jobs, and submit proof of their safety stops...............

[Pui]

The traffic problem is not the cars; it's the drivers!

Certainly the driving style does seem to generate more traffic but at quiet times of the day I can get from A to B faster if there are less cars. There are far too many cars and discounting them last year was a bad idea. The money would have been better spent on mass transport.

Bangkok has something like 15 million people and no decent public transport covering most bust areas. China town comes to mind. Nothing but buses, no proper bus lane. I could go on.

More cars causes more traffic, period.

Edited October 8, 2013 by Pui

[technologybytes]

There are a lot of very unroadworthy at 8 years old, and also many perfectly roadworthy cars at 20 years old.

By the way, there is an annual inspection of cars over 7 years old, the tax can only be obtained with a certificate that the vehicle has passed that test. If the standards of the test were enforced and corruption minimised then there would be no need for all this BS.

[silent]

Great idea! Get the old crappers out of the way so the rich kids in their ferarris have more room to violate traffic laws. Having said that didn't Japan have a law banning all cars over 3 years old? might still have that law... MOT testing (and enforcement) would help but instead of banning older cars why not implement congestion charges (and enforce them) as in London for example? Oh, and teach people how to drive correctly might help too - you know, stopping when the traffic light is red instead of dashing into the middle of the intersection and holding up all the traffic (thus starting or aiding and abetting the traffic congestion)! Start with taxi drivers... mass pogrom on the tuk tuk drivers... happy days

But how does logic overcome inherent laziness and blame transfer skills

[Pui]

These Thais, they are something else. Now they're pressing down again on the poor Thais. Thais should think about raising tolls for entering Bangkok and enforcing compliance, inspection, and regulations to get plates every year.

Raise the toll prices, for what? How is that going to help keep clunkers off the road?

Annual testing, nationwide is the only solution.

[slapout]

I see two problems in this proposal and those that presented it. Thailand is approaching being a police state and its a policeman who wants to change, what is law which has received no negative input from the agencies nor public who have worked with it for dog years.

The police seem to be above the laws of the land, selectively enforce those that provide the most reward to themselves, and in no way have earned the respect nor trust of the general public, either resident nor tourist.

Someone with a concern for Thailands internal problems and international reputation, needs to rein in the RTP, make them accountable to the public majority. For a policman in a metropolis the size of Bangkok even to have the audacity to presume to make vehicle tax law is only a reflection of the present government and it ram it down their throat action, which to date seems to have been successful.

[Garnethoyes]

I assume this apply to all the old dead beat buses.

YES. That would make it really worth it. Increase safety, cut pollution, improve public transport.

Am I dreaming ?

[Feesbay John]

Put the tax on the fuel, them that do more miles should pay more. It's not how old the car is BUT how many miles you do in a year. Why should a car that covers 5k a year pay the same as a car that does 150k in a year.

[Garnethoyes]

Put the tax on the fuel, them that do more miles should pay more. It's not how old the car is BUT how many miles you do in a year. Why should a car that covers 5k a year pay the same as a car that does 150k in a year.

Both I think.

[ttthailand]

Japan from my understanding increases your yearly license renewal as your car increases with age. This helps in phasing out older cars that use more gas and pollute the air. Basically you can still drive old cars but soon it is cheaper to buy new. Has some good logic behind it but the poor will suffer as always.

Edited October 8, 2013 by ttthailand

[Frederickxx]

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

They already have an annual road-worthiness check on vehicles over 7 years old (my 2004 Nissan "Wing road" sailed through every time)

[Feesbay John]

Put the tax on the fuel, them that do more miles should pay more. It's not how old the car is BUT how many miles you do in a year. Why should a car that covers 5k a year pay the same as a car that does 150k in a year.

Both I think.

What both should pay the same in tax, when one does 30 times more mile's. that's like saying when you are in Tesco and have 3 items in your basket, you should pay the same as the man next to you that has a full basket.

[siddv]

Why? They'd rather be run over by a new Ferrari... than an older one??

[Moo2cm]

I think I'm pretty much onboard with any new laws that will help police in Bangkok line their pockets. I've lived

from North to South but Bangkok police must be the poorest.... based on the shakedowns I got. Nowhere else in the country like that.

[coma]

Why stop with Bkk ?

[Local Drunk]

I don't think the age of a vehicle has much to do with the traffic problems in Bkk. An Thai engineer I know told me earlier that the roads in Bangkok are designed to move at best 2 1/2 million vehicles a day. There are over 7 million vehicles in Bkk. Now, that's almost 3 times more than the system can handle. Considering the absurd U-turns, antiquated traffic control, maniacal bus drivers and coppers that don't do their job... Well, you get gridlock. But hey! Let's point the finger at the poor.