Bangkok traffic police ordered to crack down on 13 traffic law violations

[Nalo56]

This action in having police give tickets to violators much be something new!!! What were they doing before ?? I can see clearly that everyone driving is game, no matter if you break any traffic laws, remember, it is your word against the enforcers..... Shame !

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[SjaakNL2013]

Why only Bangkok ???

Bangkok is the HUB for traffic crack downs from ASEAN..

[HerbalEd]

A man can dream, can't he?

[alphaflight]

Oh and what about not using blinkers? Or defective lights on the vehicle. That will be the next step to become a decent structured city i hope.

What about driving at night with no lights at all?

[RubbaJohnny]

Nothing about driving into a bus queue or with a dead officer on the fender?

[cracker1]

I am assuming that the Police here in Thailand do not have a sophisticated system for following up observed driving indiscretions ? For example sending an infringement notice by mail or email and collecting a payment.

Looking at the photo showing three lanes of vehicles moving away from the camera, how would the Police go about issuing an offence notice to any driver in the two left hand lanes without causing a major traffic blocking situation ?

[thailandbeachisland]

"Seriously" means 200 thb instead of 100 ?

[alfalfa19]

I think they already do enforce all of these laws, it's just that the payments don't ever reach the city coffers.

[rickirs]

I think most of the 13 won't stop accidents. What about:

1. Going from outside (fast) lane to inside lane to make left turn i.e. turning in front of oncoming traffic

2. Not indicating before turning or changing lanes. Using indicators after changing lanes (same thing as not using indicators)

3. Slowing almost to a stop before turning left, especially when in the middle lane.

4. Crossing double yellow lines to overtake

5. Not using lights after dark (I don't need lights because I have good eyes, so everyone else should have as well)

6. Pulling out from a side road in front of oncoming traffic

7. Crossing the main highway in front of oncoming traffic

8. Stopping on a main road to let traffic cross the road from a side road (because I feel like being a nice guy and screw everybody behind me)

9. Using the left or right turning lanes and holding up all the traffic because I want to go straight.

These are my most hated traffic violations which I see every day. What are Yours?

How about:

10 Do not exceed 50kph on the sidewalk.

11 Do not stop on a Pedestrian.

12 Do not ride WITHOUT your friend sitting IN FRONT of you

13 Do never, ever stop at a left turn

14. Driving against one-way traffic. I recently saw an ambulance going down a three-lane freeway frontage road AGAINST the traffic during rush hour. At least when it has an accident, it will be well prepared to treat the victims.

[mercman24]

Oh so its alright to ride a scooter at night with no fkin lights on then is it, i was nearly run over last month by one of these idiots, they just seem to come from no where i dont know how they can see where they are going.

yep Mr Angry.

[LawrenceN]

Fantastic! Let's hope they remember that traffic laws apply to motorcycles, too.

[prvtdetdave]

Many of the forum members would bitch if they hung you with a new rope.

I hear complaints daily that Police do not enforce the traffic laws and how much better it would be if they did,

Now you cry when they do enforce it.

How about a little cheese with that whine.

[bikerider21]

No mention of crosswalks! In most countries drivers are required to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Here they are largely ignored, even when there are push-buttons, timers and signal lights. At the one near me, I push the button, wait patiently for 40 seconds, and when the 'walk' light turns green -- I continue to wait as the traffic just goes on whizzing by, right through the red lights! Even if I manage to stop the cars and trucks by actually standing on the crosswalk in the middle of a traffic lane, the motorcycles threading the narrow gaps between those vehicles continue at full speed. And nothing stops the buses. I never try to cross the street ahead of an approaching bus. They don't even slow down; in fact I think they speed up and try to hit me before I can scuttle across to the the (relative) safety of the opposite sidewalk - where I am just as likely to get hit by a motorcycle taxi!

I would love to know if there is any law about any of this, and if there is, why there is not even any pretence of enforcement.

Comon. You have to give them credit. At least they hunk the horn before they run you over. So you have a fair change to jump out of their way.

As a side note:

I need a walking device to get around and when I crossed a busy street, everything (even motorcycles) come to an total standstill. Very embarrassing.

And it is not only me. In the Santhitam area of CM there are many massage parlors with blind staff. When those walk the road (no sidewalk!) same happens.

It is like you hit the Pause button on your DVD player.

There's a culture in Chiang Mai not to peep the horn. The only motorbike horn I've ever heard is mine. I wish drivers would peep their horns more often for safety reasons.

But that goes for indicators and lights also.

[bikerider21]

Step 1. Increase all fines x 10.

Step 2. Give up.. This will never get done properly

All it takes is a doctrine from the government. It would work, especially with motorbike helmets.

So why don't they do the obvious?

I think it's because votes are more important than lives.

[belg]

is this ticketing system called ang pao ? and to be collected in all possible shops for DONATIONS ?

same as they do on several days to catch motosays without helmet ?

[mikebell]

mmm what is "6. Overtaking other vehicles in public" ?

Top of the list of offences: 'Driving whilst in possession of a white face.' Penalty 300 baht or 200 if you are with a Thai wife.

[Jonmarleesco]

Do they count motorcyclists as drivers, or are they still going to be treating the pavement (sidewalk) like their own private soi? And number 6 is interesting, to say the least. Most interesting of all, of course, is how long it will last before any new found enthusiasm dissipates. Particularly as the police break any number of these laws, themselves.

[MGP]

If you violate trafic laws, they will send the special brigade after you. No joking.

[impulse]

There's a culture in Chiang Mai not to peep the horn. The only motorbike horn I've ever heard is mine. I wish drivers would peep their horns more often for safety reasons.

But that goes for indicators and lights also.

Live in China for a few months and you'll be dreaming of ways to put their horns where the sun don't shine. Sideways.

It was such a treat to deal with drivers in Bangkok after 10 years up there.

Edited January 30, 2014 by impulse

[55Jay]

There's a culture in Chiang Mai not to peep the horn. The only motorbike horn I've ever heard is mine. I wish drivers would peep their horns more often for safety reasons.

But that goes for indicators and lights also.

Live in China for a few months and you'll be dreaming of ways to put their horns where the sun don't shine. Sideways.

It was such a treat to deal with drivers in Bangkok after 10 years up there.

Was going to say the same thing about middle east. Mostly due to the Pakis and Indians.

Driving here isn't as bad as there, save for the hordes of motorbikes, but at least no horns.

[bikerider21]

There's a culture in Chiang Mai not to peep the horn. The only motorbike horn I've ever heard is mine. I wish drivers would peep their horns more often for safety reasons.

But that goes for indicators and lights also.

Live in China for a few months and you'll be dreaming of ways to put their horns where the sun don't shine. Sideways.

It was such a treat to deal with drivers in Bangkok after 10 years up there.

Was going to say the same thing about middle east. Mostly due to the Pakis and Indians.

Driving here isn't as bad as there, save for the hordes of motorbikes, but at least no horns.

At about the same time in the evening in Abu Dhabi when the traffic starts to grind to a halt, the locals take out some of their daily frustrations by fisting their horns until they start to move again. This is the arrogant locals who can get away with it. Of the few Pakis and Indians who own cars, most would be afraid of doing this. The culture there is, don't rock the boat and risk getting thrown out.

However, driving in India, Indonesia, Iran and many other places in Asia is a constant adrenalin flow. Even if YOU don't overtake there are vehicles that constantly (every few seconds) pull out of line in front of oncoming buses and trucks knowing they've no chance and then try to squeeze in front of you or push you off the road.

On my recent bike trip down south, this only happened one time so I must say that the driving in Thailand is really really good by comparison.

However, there are still those who flaunt the rules and cause the high accident rate.

[JulesMad]

mmm what is "6. Overtaking other vehicles in public" ?

So we have to go onto private land to overtake now? I'm confused.

Do it secretly! Make sure nobody is watching

[maengda]

Is it still legal to crash into and drag the body of a police man as long as I'm driving a Ferrari???

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[tomross46]

11. Using mobile while driving

This is a movement against woman's rights? Another Male Pig movement to keep women from expressing themselves.

[samtam]

So presumably the crackdown went the way of all other (appropriately-named) crackdowns. Just remembered reading this post as I was about to be run over by a motocy on the pavement in Saladaeng, and as I dodged the motocy's jumping the red light on Sathorn yesterday afternoon. Plus ca change, plus ca change. Mind you, I suppose the RTP is very busy making sure that traffic flows more smoothly during this period of blockade, re-directing traffic etc etc, or whatever it is traffic police do.

[samtam]

Did I read somewhere recently that the traffic violations previously discussed would be strictly penalised (again)?

This was the scene on south Sathorn Road on Friday evening:

Bollards are designed specifically to allow the width of motorcys, or food vendor carts...South Sathorn Road was empty, but North Sathorn was not moving, which is why we got out of our car and walked, only to be repeatedly jostled by motorcys coming from behind.

If reform of police included improvement of traffic, it might make a lot of people happy. I shall dream on.

[Thai at Heart]

Traffic enforcement here is a joke. I was stopped along the Mitraphap highway travelling between Bangkok and Vientiane about 3 times last week and in all cases, there was no fine levied for my speeding or driving on red plates at night (although I did the right thing by filling out the brown book) etc. The Thai police are really very nice but if they were to start rigorously enforcing traffic laws then maybe the road toll would finally improve. I have to admit however, that I was surprised by the amount of enforcement as I travel along this highway (and the highways north to Chiang Mai and Mae Sai) regularly and very rarely see any sort of enforcement or at most one speed trap once every full moon or something.

The following priorities for enforcement that I see are as follows: Increase the ridiculously low speed limit on open highways from 90 to 100 or 110km/h BUT at the same time, enforce the law, only allowing a maximum 10% tolerance. This means install more fixed and mobile speed cameras (especially in known accident spots) and increase the penalties for speeding significantly, rather than the slap on the wrist punishments that are handed out now. As it stands there seems to be an unwritten law that police don't even bother stopping anyone going less than 120km/h (unless it's a slow day), in effect meaning that all 90km/h highway roads allow for travel at up to 120km/h. Indeed, that's the average I and many other drivers travel at unless there is traffic blocking my way in front. Even if you get stopped for going faster, either you can talk your way out of a fine or it ends up being like 200 Baht (sometimes only 100). However, like in other countries there should be greater enforcement towards speeding in the cities and proportionally less on straight, flat stretches of open highway. I would never speed in a dense built-up area, but with so little enforcement, nobody seems to care.

Driving against the flow of traffic. This mainly concerns motorcycles, but offenders should be severely punished with steep fines, license revocation and if that still doesn't work, bikes should be confiscated until fines are paid.

Poor lane discipline. This requires more cameras and heavy fines should be meted out to offenders.

No helmet wearing for motorcycle riders (including passengers). Heavy fines, license revocation and if that still doesn't work, bikes should be confiscated until fines are paid. Geez if they can do it in Vietnam, why can't they do it in Thailand?

Illegal parking. OK, they've talked about this a lot but how many times have you encountered just one idiot who parks on a busy street holding up dozens of vehicles behind who are then forced to move into the middle or right lane? I really hope they start towing away offending vehicles like they've promised.

Drink driving. It seems that despite the rhetoric, the penalties are NOT harsh enough. Tough fines, jail time, license revocation and vehicle confiscation are what the penalties SHOULD be.

I prefer Thailand to be free, do what you want. . the way it is now.

If you want heavy handed draconian policing go home.

Numptie

When u suffer because of the unenforced driving laws here, u will cry for enforcement.