Stopped by police whilst riding motorbike... First time!

[arnold40844]

It would seem that Thaivisa is turning a personal diary of events, logging my experiences of Thailand. I thought I would share yesterdays event... Not really for advice or ridicule (which I am sure will follow) but here goes..

I have been riding bikes in Thailand for about 9 months and although I've passed a lot of police it was not until yesterday I was stopped. Usually I am wearing a helmet but stupidly this time I was not, I don't have a Thai licence yet, but a full UK and have been riding motorbikes for over 20 years. The bike is a Honda PCX, quite new, its intended purpose was to use only to go up and down our Soi and occasionally venture out to Bic C or Lotus. I went out yesterday to get a few croissants from foodland, I never like doing this trip as you have to do 2 U-turns and deal with about 4km of Srinakarindra. Anyway... on the journey back from the store and after completing the 2nd U-turn I was greeted by a roadblock of traffic police... There was no confusing the officers intentions he was looking straight at me. I stopped the bike at the side of the road, switched off the engine.

Firstly he was very polite, I got an awesome little salute from him and he asked to see my licence in Thai, I said "i not have" "pom England Licence". he asked to see my UK licence and I said "Mai, Sonkran nam" "left wallet at home, so it not get wet" I used as much Thai as I could here, it was also the truth. He started politely going off on a bit a Thai tangent that I couldn't follow, something about no helmet, you pay fine, you ride for 1 day with no helmet. At least that is what i think he was saying. I just said "Chai Chai Chai, I pay fine".

He led me over to a little desk with another officer sitting under a pagoda, this guy looked very senior and official but was very polite and asked me for my name which he wrote down on the ticket. There was no debate regarding the amount, "you pay 400 THB", this guys English was a little better than the other officer. Turned out i had about 460 THB on me with no bank card. Paid the fine, collected the ticket, said "Krup Khun Kraap" and gave them all a Wai. He then tried to explain that I could ride the bike for the rest of the day without a helmet but after that I had to wear a helmet, like I had bought a 1 day no helmet pass. I said I am on my home and will make sure I always wear a helmet. He had absolutely no idea what I was saying, but was happy for me to go.

Get home with the croissants where a few neighbors are over having lunch with the family and I mentioned it to my wife. Got grilled by them all about how I should have refused to pay and that i should have negotiated and offered him 100 THB.. Anyway that is all besides the point...

I honestly feel relieved that this happened, I had always known the importance of wearing a good fitting, good quality helmet when riding a motorcycle but in Thailand I think you become less and less safety conscious over time. Thing is we live on a private moo baan with speed bumps and several shops, I just got in to the habit of not a putting helmet on to go 500 meters from my front door to pick up a coffee, its when the coffee shop is closed and you have to venture out further, you risk it once and then before you know it you are frequently riding around without a helmet. This was just the slap in the face I needed and I will NOT be riding anywhere without a helmet in future. This is not to keep the police happy, its just made woken me up to how ludicrous it is not too.

On another note my wife could not read any of the Thai writing on the ticket, under reason it was not clear but she said it definitely did not say "no helmet". ne question I had was that if I was wearing a helmet would he have fined me for not having a Thai licence or perhaps another reason?? I don't know, will get one soon enough anyway.

Happy motoring and stay safe out there!!

[marko kok prong]

Think you did the right thing,maybe if you had your licence,it would have been 200 b ,thats my understanding of what the Thai's generally pay,maybe they fined you falang price,better not to argue with them,as it could work out more expensive and inconveinient[ie go to police station etc], plus i know the temptation of not riding with a helmet,but it only takes a few yards of travel to get hit,i rarley use the bike now always the car,also getting the Thai licence is easy just make sure you get a translation of your uk licence for them.

[submaniac]

OP, you did the right thing and were reasonable. Well riding with a helmet is the law, so you legitimately broke that one, and no driver's license on you (not to mention the fact that you don't even have a Thai driver's license) is also a no no. (And really it isn't that hard to get one). Just because your Thai relatives tell you that the price should be lower or that you should have argued, don't necessarily believe them. I meant they are Thai...you are not. My feeling is that the Thai police are more tolerant of an overbearing loudmouth Thai, than they would be of an overbearing loudmouth foreigner. Really 400 baht isn't that big of a deal. Compare with the price of a ticket in your home country..and that in USA a cop is legally entitled to impound your car if you don't have your license. So mai bpen rai.Do what you are doing, and keep everything in stride.

[transam]

I thought they brought in a 1000bht fine for no helmet a while back.

[arnold40844]

To be honest i was prepared for him to say 1500 THB, in that case I would have phoned the Mrs and have have her bring my bank card, would not have taken more that 5 minutes as I was literally less than 3km from my house. I need to sort out the Thai licence as soon as I can. Have not got a car here yet, currently shopping around.

[JSixpack]

But in Thailand I think you become less and less safety conscious over time

I think you become more and more safety conscious, as indeed you are now. Experience is a great teacher.

[arnold40844]

But in Thailand I think you become less and less safety conscious over time

I think you become more and more safety conscious, as indeed you are now. Experience is a great teacher.

For sure.. i think you just have to be careful that you don't get roped in to this "Mai Pen Rai" mentality of no seat belts, no helmets, no baby seats, no worries.. These things are here for no one else's safety other than your own and that of your family.

The fine should be a lot higher and should be enforced more aggressively. Maybe would change.

[JLCrab]

The real lesson is the Thai police only hang out habitually in a few spots and you should never ride farther than, if you should spot 10 or 20 police in the distance, you have time and distance to allow you to make a u-turn and go via another route.

[philthebook]

But in Thailand I think you become less and less safety conscious over time

I think you become more and more safety conscious, as indeed you are now. Experience is a great teacher.

I agree, 10 years ago me and my friends would never wear helmets, after seeing so many accidents and knowing a few guys that got killed we all wear full face helmets now.

[WoopyDoo]

Here it is 80 baht for no helmet and 400 baht for no license.... Looks like you were hit for no license.

Biggest mistake you made was to speak Thai.

Most police can't be bothered with the frustration of trying to explain the procedures, just speak in your own language in future.... 9 out of 10 times, they just wave you on... Most police speak no English.

[arnold40844]

The real lesson is the Thai police only hang out habitually in a few spots and you should never ride farther than, if you should spot 10 or 20 police in the distance, you have time and distance to allow you to make a u-turn and go via another route.

That's how got away with it this long. Got very lost a few times taking unplanned detours.

Its funny how many motorcyclists without helmets passed during the 10 to 12 minute exchange... Must have been at least 30 i noticed, some with 3 on the bike.

Gotta love this country!

[KittenKong]

I doubt the sanity of anyone who rides a motorbike on a main road in Thailand. That anyone should choose to do so without a helmet is simply astounding. Being fined 400B should be the least of your worries. Death and serious permanent injury should be much higher on the list.

Still, it's your life to screw up as you wish.

[Bluetongue]

My stepson got done on the 11th for either no helmet or no license I haven't asked him yet, as he got the license on Friday the 11th, I have the ticketin front of me right now - 100bht, but I cant read it. I think you got done for both no license and no helmet ie 300 for no helmet and 100m for no

license. Funny thing is he went to get the license on the 10th but they wouldn't let him due to the fact that he was wearing shorts

[arnold40844]

Here it is 80 baht for no helmet and 400 baht for no license.... Looks like you were hit for no license.

Biggest mistake you made was to speak Thai.

Most police can't be bothered with the frustration of trying to explain the procedures, just speak in your own language in future.... 9 out of 10 times, they just wave you on... Most police speak no English.

If i was in the UK doing the same thing it would have cost me closer to 50,000 THB, my bike would have been impounded and I would have had a few court appearances to look forward too. They are major extremes of 1 country going way too far and the other not going far enough.

I suppose when you think about the minimum wage here 400 THB is a lot of money to some people, there is such a big divide in the economy you can't have one rule for all. But if they put the fine up to 50,000 THB for farangs even by Thai standards it would be discrimination.

Overall though it was a good experience, I am glad it happened, made me think and come to my senses.

[samran]

Well done by paying the official fine. Too many people let themselves get bullied to pay a cheaper rate for imaginary infringements to which a copper would never put their name too lest it gets appealed.

If you insist on an official ticket you'll soon find out if they are making it up or not and will get waived on.

[samran]

Here it is 80 baht for no helmet and 400 baht for no license.... Looks like you were hit for no license.

Biggest mistake you made was to speak Thai.

Most police can't be bothered with the frustration of trying to explain the procedures, just speak in your own language in future.... 9 out of 10 times, they just wave you on... Most police speak no English.

I only speak to them in Thai. I ask what I did wrong and the say 'kor bai sung' ie please give me a ticket. Only ever been fined twice since I stated driving in Thai roads in 1996. Funny that.

[tomyumchai]

I doubt the sanity of anyone who rides a motorbike on a main road in Thailand. That anyone should choose to do so without a helmet is simply astounding. Being fined 400B should be the least of your worries. Death and serious permanent injury should be much higher on the list.

Still, it's your life to screw up as you wish.

i do around 10-18000km every winter in thailand and theres nothing wrong with my sanity. and my life is just fine.

[BKS22]

The funny....not funny....thing about this story is how the officer openly said AFTER you paid the fine that you were "free to ride the remainder of the day with no helmet" I mean <deleted>!? Why bother even stopping someone then? ...... oh yeah....mia noi/tea money! LOL

Bah jung luei

[arnold40844]

The funny....not funny....thing about this story is how the officer openly said AFTER you paid the fine that you were "free to ride the remainder of the day with no helmet" I mean <deleted>!? Why bother even stopping someone then? ...... oh yeah....mia noi/tea money! LOL

Bah jung luei

Yeah! you leave the scene still breaking the law with a certificate to say you are allowed to break the law for the rest of the day... I thought that was quite funny to be fair, but other than impounding your vehicle they can't do much else.

[duanebigsby]

A reminder, most accidents happen within a few kilometers from home.

I'm astonished by the tourists with no helmet, short pants, and flip flops. And they have zero riding experience.

Don't let the size of these little Hondas lure you into thinking it's safe. OP has a ton of experience so will be okay on the roads, but those tourists are ignoring helmets and drinking are accidents in the making.

OP it's easy to get your Thai license. Passport, Residency permit, medical certificate and you've got it.

Also use ziplock bags for things like DL, passport( or photocopies) wallet etc.

[Shurup]

I don't get it, if there was a police block after you made a U-turn, how come you didn't see them before you actually made a U-Turn?

[arnold40844]

I doubt the sanity of anyone who rides a motorbike on a main road in Thailand. That anyone should choose to do so without a helmet is simply astounding. Being fined 400B should be the least of your worries. Death and serious permanent injury should be much higher on the list.

Still, it's your life to screw up as you wish.

Like I said, i live on a long private Soi with lots of speed bumps. I did look in to just getting a bicycle or one of those e-bikes but in the end a moped seemed like the best option.

I don't think everyone in this country rides a bike like a lunatic, you don't have to weave in and out of traffic brushing wing mirrors like the Thai's do. For experienced riders its just another city, and on a little moped you are rarely going over 35 mph.

I agree that it is dangerous but branding people mentally insane might be a little extreme.

[arnold40844]

I don't get it, if there was a police block after you made a U-turn, how come you didn't see them before you actually made a U-Turn?

Nice observation!! The U-turn was at an underpass so I had to be on the very left hand lane, it was busy and there were at least 3 lanes of traffic. The underpass is almost tunnel like, I just couldn't see them. They may have been in sight but I was to busy negotiating through the traffic. After the U-turn I was stopped within 200m.

[Shurup]

They found a good location! If I needed to make a U-turn but saw a block, I'd just keep on going straight. SO yes, nice hiding place they found.

[BWPattaya]

OK Arnold.................where you came from, the UK, would you ride without a helmet? Would you ride without a licence (yes, I know you have a UK licence but if you hadn't would you still ride?) Would you ride without insuance? Your insurance is invalid if you haven't got a Thai licence or an IDP. The first thing the insurance companies here do when they arrive at the scene of an accident or report in their office is to ask for the licence.

You did all these things here knowingly. Count your blessings that you were let off so lightly.

I don't doubt your skill on a bike, after all you have been riding since before you were 9 years old. It is the others around you who may cause the accident but you, as the unlicensed and uninsured party, will be paying for everything.

[sirchai]

Here it is 80 baht for no helmet and 400 baht for no license.... Looks like you were hit for no license.

Biggest mistake you made was to speak Thai.

Most police can't be bothered with the frustration of trying to explain the procedures, just speak in your own language in future.... 9 out of 10 times, they just wave you on... Most police speak no English.

I only speak to them in Thai. I ask what I did wrong and the say 'kor bai sung' ie please give me a ticket. Only ever been fined twice since I stated driving in Thai roads in 1996. Funny that.

I got stopped only once when speeding on my big bike. The guy, who's daughter was one of my students was only asking me if I drank Whiskey.

Had to remind him that I'm a beer drinker. Gapp Rott Chaa CHaa, na khrap..Chock Dee Pee were his last words.-

[arnold40844]

OK Arnold.................where you came from, the UK, would you ride without a helmet? Would you ride without a licence (yes, I know you have a UK licence but if you hadn't would you still ride?) Would you ride without insuance? Your insurance is invalid if you haven't got a Thai licence or an IDP. The first thing the insurance companies here do when they arrive at the scene of an accident or report in their office is to ask for the licence.

You did all these things here knowingly. Count your blessings that you were let off so lightly.

I don't doubt your skill on a bike, after all you have been riding since before you were 9 years old. It is the others around you who may cause the accident but you, as the unlicensed and uninsured party, will be paying for everything.

I think that I clearly answered all those questions in previous posts. I don't think riding a bike without a helmet is a good idea... like I said I just started getting in to a bad habit.... I am just surrounded by people who never wear a helmet and made the point that its easy to become less safety conscious in this country.

Its crazy when you think how tough the test in the UK is, hours and hours of professional tuition followed practical and theory tests that most do not pass first time. It counts for nothing here, you need to be able to identify 3 colors and know your left from right before being given the privilege.

Its great to see you get all noble in a sort of "good god man!! do you know that you are breaking the law" kind of way but I'm genuinely finding it very difficult to do anything in this country without breaking some sort of law...... Bought a bottle of beer this afternoon and drank it at the local park, 10 years in prison for that if you get caught i think.

[djvolak]

To be honest i was prepared for him to say 1500 THB, in that case I would have phoned the Mrs and have have her bring my bank card, would not have taken more that 5 minutes as I was literally less than 3km from my house. I need to sort out the Thai license as soon as I can. Have not got a car here yet, currently shopping around.

You do not need a car or bike to take the test here. They will rent you both there at DMV. Like 50 baht or 100 baht to rent for the tests. The bike one is harder than the car one. They had me back into cones like parallel parking then drive over and pull up next to a curb where they measured the distance from the curb to the wheel. The bike one they had me drive on a small course. Stop signs, railroad crossings, left turns, right turns. The hard part was driving on a raised curb without putting your feet down. Pretty easy. Written test they will let you keep taking it till you pass if you fail. I watched one girl retake it 4 times while I was waiting to take mine. It explains a lot about how people drive on the roads here. No driver training to speak of.

Stay safe, Dave.

[Lokie]

Also UK full licence does not cover scooters over 49cc so unless you have Motorcycle group pass then even with IDP, still invalid - if you live here just go get your licences...

[arnold40844]

Thanks for that buddy. i need to get on it fairly soon, been having lots of fun with Visa's over the last few months and as I understood it i can only get one of these licences with certain types of visa. On the other hand I was told that my UK licence is good here for a year anyway so haven't bothered sorting it yet.

lThanks for the advice though, really appreciate it.

To be honest i was prepared for him to say 1500 THB, in that case I would have phoned the Mrs and have have her bring my bank card, would not have taken more that 5 minutes as I was literally less than 3km from my house. I need to sort out the Thai license as soon as I can. Have not got a car here yet, currently shopping around.

You do not need a car or bike to take the test here. They will rent you both there at DMV. Like 50 baht or 100 baht to rent for the tests. The bike one is harder than the car one. They had me back into cones like parallel parking then drive over and pull up next to a curb where they measured the distance from the curb to the wheel. The bike one they had me drive on a small course. Stop signs, railroad crossings, left turns, right turns. The hard part was driving on a raised curb without putting your feet down. Pretty easy. Written test they will let you keep taking it till you pass if you fail. I watched one girl retake it 4 times while I was waiting to take mine. It explains a lot about how people drive on the roads here. No driver training to speak of.

Stay safe, Dave.