Thailand Driving License: Tough new tests from 1st June 2014

[Estrada]

Made my Thai wife who has been driving for 4 years with a licence, go for a licence in Australia while on a 6 months stay

you guesseded it, fail on the first 3 attempts

but passed on the 4th

Now I can sleep while she drives

On the other hand, an Aussie mate took the Thai Driving test 15 years ago when it was harder, and failed twice!

[Jimbolai]

You bitch and moan and complain about the lack of good rules etc. and as soon as they start upgrading the system you bitch and moan and complain.

[Som wat]

What video will the school kids that ride a scooter to school, 3-up, no helmet, weaving through BKK traffic near me have to watch?

[hansnl]

If......

If all authorities will be serious about this it might become a first step in the right direction.

Next stepwould be to use the traffic police for enforce the rules.

[Patje]

Do you mean theys tart to drive at the good side of the street from then on?

[Showbags]

Can they please include in the new teaching scheme 'how to use a roundabout'.

lol....yesterday I had an idiot stop in the middle of the roundabout and give way to me to enter...I was on his left.....nice idiot but.....I took advantage of it.

[Som wat]

You bitch and moan and complain about the lack of good rules etc. and as soon as they start upgrading the system you bitch and moan and complain.

The rules are adequate. No upgrade needed.

It's the non-enforcement and compliance is the issue. Those, as always, don't change.

[BudRight]

You bitch and moan and complain about the lack of good rules etc. and as soon as they start upgrading the system you bitch and moan and complain.

It's skepticism. Read the damn thread.

[gp2002]

" Bt. 500 ? "

" yes and you have just passed the new tougher driving test . "

No, no, no......

They said they were making it tougher. The price has gone up from 500 baht to 1000 baht .

[chmike]

does this mean us expats have to take the same test ???

Why on earth not? Are foreigners in your home country exempt from basic laws?

[johng]

http://www.aphonda.co.th/hondasafety/

Sent from my V370 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[daveAustin]

Won't change a thing. Theory blah blah. The test needs to be through a qualified driving instructor and be practical, like, you know, in grown up countries. But, even then, if one has no brain, there is no hope. Keep on rockin in the free world.

[madmitch]

It's a start.

Lack of driver education has regularly been cited as the main reason for the unacceptable frequency of accident here. They do something and nearly everyone just scoffs at the idea. It may not change anything, in fact it probably won't change anything but surely we "experts" should at least give it a fair chance. Next step should be proper tests for HGV and public passenger vehicle licences.

I renew my 5 year licence at the end of this month so seems like I'll miss the new lecture. I hope there aren't bigger than usual queues at the centre.

[bkkbarbara]

Took the written test (English version) many years ago. Missed only 1 question about snow tires. Test was copied from Ohio and I came here from Florida. This new test should be fun. :-)

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[ATF]

So how does one get 12 hours of training for a bikers licence I wonder?

Honda,and probably all the other well known bike brands have rider training courses.

Sent from my V370 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I had asked Honda and they said they did not know of any. Do you have any contacts? I am truly interested in some proper training especially if there is any form of Advanced Rider Training as we have in Europe.

Graham Knight http://www.highsidetours.com/

[dinger]

What's bad is I just went back to the U S after 5 years here and I could see my driving skills and attitude towards other drivers had gone down hill a lot.

They also need to do something about drunk driving, though it will never happen. But when you are drunk and have an accident and can buy your way out for 20,000, the problem will never go away

[beowolf2012]

So now there come a new test. How can that be?

Police have to be a front figur of all drivers and when police brake the trafic law then all other say if police can then i also can. And then you stay there where you was before no matter about there come new driving test.

In Denmark you have to take driving lesson and driving test + teori test.

The driving test + driving lesson have to be in a car with manual gear.

I know a lady there are freind to my thai lady that lady can't drive a car with manual gear or motor bike with auto copling only have to change the gear with left foot. So she have take the driving lesson and driving test with a car with auto gear. And she drive her car to driving school with out driving licence..

I say to she where is the auto brack or total brake sit in a car with auto gear?

answer she don't know she say hole time the brack pedal for right foot answer wrong...

Answer is when you use the left foot on the brake pedal then you use total brake.

Ther must be hire more police in Thailand in hole Thailand about 100000 police men or female spret out over hole Thailand so they can control the morning trafic why i say this is because police to'day only control the scool trafic. make same as US germany and many other country in EU. Make a driving card hole system tree hole in your driving licence and you lose the licence and have to take a new driving test.

in that way all the traffic rule have to be the same all over Thailand and be control by police hole time. Then you can reduce traffic accident with more then 70%

[ATF]

This is a great opportunity for the DLT to issue a Big Bike license. 500CC+ So we can ride our bikes on the highways.

[stattointhailand]

Can they please include in the new teaching scheme 'how to use a roundabout'.

lol....yesterday I had an idiot stop in the middle of the roundabout and give way to me to enter...I was on his left.....nice idiot but.....I took advantage of it.

Some roundabouts in Thailand still have the white lines drawn "ON" the roundabout indicating that you should give way to those entering the roundabout.

[Travel Dude]

The 1 hour refresher course was more a course in social classes then a course in correct driving and rules.

The good driver is a kikou anone family, mother father (driver) and cute kid. White skin and advertisement models. In a fortuner.

The bad guy had long hair, never smiling and drove and old car. He was Claire socially less enviable. The whole video was full of stereotypes about rich and poor. Meanwhile very little instructions. This video should be redone. Same or similar model. Same car. Bad guy in a red shirt and good guy in a green shirt. Or both in a white shirt and clearly indicate what is right and wrong. That would be much more effective. Not this social classes video which is really a shame and thinks those taking the refresher are idiots.

[MMarlow]

It's not going to make people better drivers or reduce their levels of road rage. The Roads in Thailand are full of unlicensed drivers and idiots. Get the police out onto the roads and actually book people breaking the laws.

THE key word missing is DRIVING1 DRIVING1 DRIVING1 they should have to get behind a wheel with an instructor or evlauator and drive!

May have some difficulty finding an evlauator, they're a rare breed.

[Elmer Gantry]

I just looked at my Thai liscense and of course, it expired on the 28th of March 2014. Does anyone know the regulations / requirements / problems or pitfals to avoid in obtaining a renewal? Does it matter that my liscense is 2 months expired?

Input will be appreciated.. I will post my experience.

I have been driving on my UK licence for the last 10 years,no problem.In that time I have had a couple of minor bumps,once with a taxi,he pulled out without looking and another with a m/c who cut across the front of me and I had no chance of missing.I have always maintained 1st class insurance and when the assesors came they took a picture of my licence and no questions asked.I used to get stopped regularly on the Don Mueng tollway.Showed them my licence which they accepted.The reason I didn't bother with a Thai licence is because a friend of mine went to the Lad Phroa office to get an international licence and he was told he did not need his UK licence was ok,Just as an extra precaution if I get pulled over I never give them my licence but hold it so they can read it.

[Tonawatchee]

Good start but really, all of the rigid testing and training to the new drivers will become diluted and long gone once they get back into the groove with the rest of the driving population. What Thailand sorely needs is an authentic Highway Patrol that enforces the driving code and tries to prevent accidents instead of waiting for them to happen. Yawn.

[Som wat]

This is a great opportunity for the DLT to issue a Big Bike license. 500CC+ So we can ride our bikes on the highways.

There are no problems riding a motorbike on the highways in Thailand.

2 and 3 wheeled vehicles are however prohibited from using the tollways.

[lee b]

there was 4 hours training time?

Not really, 2 of them were in lunch time breaks !

[wabothai]

Other than handling the steeringwheel, a 4 hour course won't make any difference. How is a short course having any influence on selfish and dangerous road behavior? Like passing in a curve? Changing of attitude will take a lot more than a course.

[Mianjee]

It would be better to enforce the existing laws to prevent from reckless driving,You can not produce the better drivers by making them going through new strict tests. Make the existing drivers to follow the law.

[stattointhailand]

I just looked at my Thai liscense and of course, it expired on the 28th of March 2014. Does anyone know the regulations / requirements / problems or pitfals to avoid in obtaining a renewal? Does it matter that my liscense is 2 months expired?

Input will be appreciated.. I will post my experience.

I have been driving on my UK licence for the last 10 years,no problem.In that time I have had a couple of minor bumps,once with a taxi,he pulled out without looking and another with a m/c who cut across the front of me and I had no chance of missing.I have always maintained 1st class insurance and when the assesors came they took a picture of my licence and no questions asked.I used to get stopped regularly on the Don Mueng tollway.Showed them my licence which they accepted.The reason I didn't bother with a Thai licence is because a friend of mine went to the Lad Phroa office to get an international licence and he was told he did not need his UK licence was ok,Just as an extra precaution if I get pulled over I never give them my licence but hold it so they can read it.

Then you have been exactly the same as many Thais for the last 9 1/2 yrs .... driving WITHOUT a license ......... your UK license is only valid for 6 months (enough time to allow you to get a Thai license)

[Elmer Gantry]

Whatever they do, they won't stop idiots like I saw the other day, driving his motorcycle at speed down a busy soi with one hand and his eyes on his mobile phone, probably texting or playing games. They should include the dangers of driving with one hand on the bloody handle bar of motorcycles in the new tests.

Plus being ambidextrous when picking their nose or sqeezing their zits.

[dieseldave]

in england we have one of the most intensive tests in the world, so no i dont think expats at least uk expats need to be tested by some authority that has no idea of whats safe driving on the roads

in fact i t would be good if the driving standards of some wesrern countries were adopted here (ie) right turn, round abouts, traffic light compliance

but i have found (much to my dis-liking )you have to drive like a thai to suvive in this i must be first in the que, cut you up undertakeing mentality