Thai Highway Police to get tough on traffic law violators

[webfact]

Highway police to get tough on traffic law violators

BANGKOK, 9 June 2014 (NNT) - The Highway Police have declared that they will station police officers every 50 kilometers on roads coming into Bangkok and its vicinity, to monitor traffic.

Police Major General Pongsit Saengphet, the Superintendent of the Highway Police, along with other related police departments have come up with measures to resolve traffic problems, as well as reduce violations of traffic laws in suburban areas of Bangkok and its surrounding provinces.

Areas that have reported heavy traffic include the Bangna-Trat Road (Highway No. 34) and the Bangkok-Chonburi Motorway (Highway No.7). According to Mr. Pongsit, there are not enough toll booths to support the number of cars traveling on these highways.

Many cars have to join queues at these points, which in turn causes major traffic congestion.

The police are also set to take strict action against drivers who violate traffic laws. For instance, truck drivers who refuse to drive in the left-most lane or load cargo beyond the weight limit, will be fined.

Already around 100 trucks per month are caught by police on the Phra Ram 2 Road for violating traffic laws.


-- NNT 2014-06-09

[Oryx816]

Would be great if they targeted unlicensed drivers....countrywide.

[gemini81]

Haha, never heard that one before.

[EricBerg]

Let soldiers accompany the keystone cops while on the job. Worked well in other places so far. Fines could land in the right pockets some more.

[seajae]

another lip service top the people of Thailand. These people never do what they say they will it is simply a waste of our time for them to keep lying to us all. The amount of trucks/buses/ overloaded pickups that drive only in the right hand lane is beyond a joke, half of the trucks have tailights that are either not working or that dirty you cannot see them until you are almost hitting them. The other big truck thing is being extremely overloaded and those that simply park/stop while still on the roads how many people have died running into the back of a truck stopped on the road/highways with no lights on, I know a couple that have died this way. The only fines will be what they put in their pockets, the trucks/pickups load up then all leave around the same time as they have paid the police to look the other way then they just sit in the right lane and never move out of it causing a lot of problems for drivers doing the speed limit as they are usually well below it. Trucks pulling out to overtake other trucks on a hill when neither has the speed to go any faster but just block all the faster cars off, they are idiots and need to be pulled into line. I will be the first to praise the police if they actually do this but I highly doubt it, not unless the general threatens them at least.

[jaltsc]

"...they will station police officers every 50 kilometers on roads coming into Bangkok and its vicinity, to monitor traffic."

And...They have figured out at which points, 50 kilometers apart, the violations will occur. Somehow, I think that there will be no reduction in violations since the drivers will know where the checkpoints are. No different than when you see a motor cycle driver put on his helmet right before a checkpoint and then remove it as soon as he passes it. Have they ever heard of unmarked patrol cars, or is it that no officer is willing to ride in an unmarked car since one of perks of becoming a law enforcement officer is that you gain a lot of face when everyone sees you riding around in your shiny police vehicle with all the flashing lights"

[ExpatOilWorker]

What has the below to do with traffic law violators??

"Areas that have reported heavy traffic include the Bangna-Trat Road (Highway No. 34) and the Bangkok-Chonburi Motorway (Highway No.7). According to Mr. Pongsit, there are not enough toll booths to support the number of cars traveling on these highways.

Many cars have to join queues at these points, which in turn causes major traffic congestion."

[terryp]

more stupidity from the corrupt ones ......

[Mango Bob]

Already around 100 trucks per month are caught by police on the Phra Ram 2 Road for violating traffic laws.

There are thousands of trucks that use Rama 2 to get into and out of the city every day. From my experience driving Rama 2 from Bangkok to Ratchaburi most are speeding, don't use signal, overloaded, and driving in the right lane. 100 per month is nothing. A drop in the bucket.

[coma]

Would be great if they targeted unlicensed drivers....countrywide.

I agree. Step one for road safety should be a massive pull over campaign to check licenses. No license. Get arrested on the spot.

[bigbamboo]

Would be great if they targeted unlicensed drivers....countrywide.

I agree. Step one for road safety should be a massive pull over campaign to check licenses. No license. Get arrested on the spot.

It's a good idea but it would be a lot of work for very little reward. The police will never go for it.

[coma]

Would be great if they targeted unlicensed drivers....countrywide.

I agree. Step one for road safety should be a massive pull over campaign to check licenses. No license. Get arrested on the spot.

It's a good idea but it would be a lot of work for very little reward. The police will never go for it.

Yes. It would be a logistical nightmare, They would have to turn local sporting fields into holding cells. They have to come up with something.

[londonthai]

Targeting those without licence might be just waisting of resouses, unless you want fast and easy money. Drivers without a licence might be more careful and better drivers, knowing that insurance doesn't cover them

[UbonRatch]

50Km apart?

Ok... drive into BKK from outside, go thru it, and drive out the other side. Hum.. should meet about 1.43 check-points.

[Rockhound]

Station cops at traffic lights and arrest ever single driver that goes through a red light.

[1plumber]

this could be a real revenue generator if the money would only go to right place. IE: equipment for police

That's really what police work is about almost anywhere:revenue generation

[ezzra]

Before you fix the traffic woes fix the police image first, if a driver knows he can buy his

way out of losing his license by slipping some money to the cop than they will NEVER

take any new measures seriously and forever more they will be repeat offenders....

[prakhonchai nick]

100 trucks a month caught - that's just 3 per day!. That is effectively 1 policeman for a minute of 1 day per day!

What about all the cars and pick-ups who NEVER use the inside lane, yet dawdle along in the outside lane...and the buses including Nakhornchai Air, who most people speak so well of!. Force them into the inside lanes by the only way possible......HEAVY FINES!

First let the military Junta fix new penalties that are meaningful (How about 5000baht per offence) Then beef up the checks.

[Chicog]

Ooooh goody.... another "crackdown".

[Bernard Flint]

Deport farangs who

drink/ drive

speed

road rage

bald tyres

that,s 50% gone already

[diehard60]

I can only laugh. It will never work here in Thailand. First they have to get the corruption out of the high way police and traffic police before it might do any good. Ever come up on a check point and 100 meters before there are 50 motorcycles stopped? No cops will go after them.

[sweatalot]

Why are most of the comments so negative ?

May be the general will help the police doing what they are supposed to do.

He only just begun.

[diehard60]

Deport farangs who

drink/ drive

speed

road rage

bald tyres

that,s 50% gone already

Why just foriegners? What about Thais????????????? If you are going to do some thing make it fair for all.

[PilotEd]

First of all the posters who called attention to unlicensed drivers are absolutely correct but it must also include uninsured and underage drivers.

As to police corruption, the excuse that police are corrupt is because they are underpaid just doesn't hold water. In NYC, LA, Chicago etc. The police are paid well and are very corrupt.

The answer lies in ridding corruption from the upper classes. No getting away with murder or driving while texting and underage and killing 16 people.

When the elite take responsibility for their role in Thailand then we can deal with police corruption.

[transam]

WOW, they are going to hit the black top............WOW............

[Bernard Flint]

Deport farangs who

drink/ drive

speed

road rage

bald tyres

that,s 50% gone already

Why just foriegners? What about Thais????????????? If you are going to do some thing make it fair for all.

The thais do not complain on message boards, farangs do, plus how do you deport a thai????/

[avander]

It would be great to see the police doing some, ahh, what do they call it? Oh yes, POLICING!

[jmccarty]

There has been a good toll station rip-off going on - on the Bangna to Chon Buri toll road, the toll station past the mega mall going toward the 7.

Cops on foot stop you after you pay the toll, point to your plate number on a pad and say you were speeding, camera catch. They are writing down plate numbers and speed from radio calls so likely legit but asking for money on the spot. Not sure I was speeding and the cop that stopped me kept pointing to different plate numbers and I kept saying, that's not my plate! But then he wanted my license. What to do?

1,000bht is what he was after.

[lostmebike]

Fining truck drivers that do not use the far left lane ... doubt it.

Has been 'promised' before yet still they hog the outside lane, the far left lane is too bumpy for them, bless.

[leggo]

And by the start of the world cup the roads of Thailand will be safe again -mark my words!!!!!