Stopped by Traffic Cop ....... for what?

[richard_smith237]

One thing I would like to contribute. If you do not have a heavily tinted windshield, which obscures the drivers face from the police, your chances of actually being stopped goes down. Especially at night.

If you do have heavily tinted wind screen then when going through a check-point at night lower the side window so they can see inside.

EDIT: OH and if you convert your car to LPG that has to be in the book as well.

Agreed - Ignoring the safety aspect of dark tint vs light tint, I have long believed that not having a dark tint also helps with not getting pulled over at Police Check points.

The Police can see in the car, they can make eye contact. It's usually a nod and they wave me along.

Contrary to what many paranoid folk like to post, I have long suspected that the Police are a little reluctant to stop foreigners in cars. It certainly appears that way to me. When at a check point they look in and very quickly wave me along. I'm obviously not the profile they are looking for.

[farmer floyd]

Sure glad we dont have those laws here in USA. You can have a 10 ft camper on back of Pickup that weighs 1500 lbs.

or more no cost. Can pull 32 foot trailer no cost except for license for trailer. Way to picky.

[jacko45k]

Looks like he really got you on an infringement......but didn't want to have the extra effort of taking you to the station.

Ignorance is no excuse, and in my mind would deserve a heavier fine for being difficult.

This is just the type of attitude that allows the graft and corruption so endemic in Thai society to continue. Don't pay cash to the BIB. If they want to write a ticket and take my license that is fine. I will go to the station, pay the fine and get the license back. If you pay on the spot the money just goes into their pockets and contributes to the continuation of the cycle of corruption.

I did it last time in Pattaya, no apparent attempt to extort, but I had to go to the station nearby to pay-up and return to get my licence back.

Bangkok is a different matter, it could be a long trip.

And sometimes pouring rain, or a hot sun, could persuade me to hand over a few hundred baht and get on with my life. I call it convenience not graft!

The OP thought he had committed no infringement, he had. Then proceeded to argue with the police, even though he was in the wrong. How is your approach working out for you?

[VillageIdiot]

I too feel we foreigners are stopped more now than ever before. But I suppose it makes sense. So many foreign tourists are driving without the required licenses (plural-if one uses an IDl, we are required to have a valid license from our home country with it,) or in violation of the helmet law just because we see the Thais doing it. I get stopped often, but I carry my license in my shirt pocket. 20 seconds for the cop to look t it, check the year on my tax sticker, and I'm on my way again. Less time than a stop light!

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

It was just a quickie and it sounds like you almost enjoyed it.

[Oscar2]

Could be...

Personally, I dislike seatbelt laws and helmet laws. I don't think the governments should get involved with that issue, and have supported lobby groups working to abolish those laws in the US. But by the same token, I'd never ride a motorcycle or motorscooter without a helmet! And the first thing I do when I get in a car is put on my seatbelt. I believe those two can be lifesavers... MY lifesavers. I just don't think there should be laws about them. I don't wear them because there are laws about them. I wear them because I believe they improve the odds of my survival in an accident.

The problem is that people who don't wear seatbelts suffer more damage in accidents which ends up raising the insurance rates for everybody. It's good to keep in mind that driving a motor vehicle is a privilege, not a right. Which is why licenses are issued.

i agree 100% and it is exactly what i said in the last thread that debated people breaking traffic laws.

[DaamNaam]

The cop gets your money either way..Yes? So i would [only if guilty ] pay the lessor amount ,...that makes sense to me.

Err, no. The cop gets the bribe, the government (police force) gets the fine payed, which goes into the kitty for building and maintaining roads.

Easy for you, bad for the future of Thailand.

But what do you care.

Haahaaa So the government who collects the fine,which goes into the kitty ,as you say is only for building and maintaining roads

Who do you think pays the cops wages? Yes ,the same goverrnment does with money from your traffic fines.

I [if i ever have to pay a fine] will take the easy way every single time..

Also good for the cops who as you undoubtably know are paid a pittance for their work..my ''on the spot fine'' sure does help them and as you probably know these 'on the spot' fines are shared.

Win, win for everyone!!

They are payed a pittance due to the corruption that you are a willing participant in.

Funny old world.

Forrest and trees come to mind.

[FolkGuitar]

I too feel we foreigners are stopped more now than ever before. But I suppose it makes sense. So many foreign tourists are driving without the required licenses (plural-if one uses an IDl, we are required to have a valid license from our home country with it,) or in violation of the helmet law just because we see the Thais doing it. I get stopped often, but I carry my license in my shirt pocket. 20 seconds for the cop to look t it, check the year on my tax sticker, and I'm on my way again. Less time than a stop light!

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

It was just a quickie and it sounds like you almost enjoyed it.

Almost. Certainly not an inconvenience.

What I really enjoyed was the fact that I didn't get ticketed for anything, nor did it have any effect on the time to get where I was going. I give 'em what they want, with no skin off my back, and life can be easy.

We just drove back from Nan province on Thursday, driving through 8 different police road blocks. Some of them were the 'S' type blockage where all traffic had to flow through a single gate at about 2kph. Very serious checks going on, with all trucks and vans being pulled over to the side, but looking more for illegal aliens and contraband than just paper-work, I did have to show my license out the window twice, but nothing more, and my wife had to show her passport once. A minute or less and we were on our way again. Two of the road blocks had secondary back-ups about 200m further down the road, with heavy police presence manning them to catch evaders.

[andreandre]

The cop gets your money either way..Yes? So i would [only if guilty ] pay the lessor amount ,...that makes sense to me.

Err, no. The cop gets the bribe, the government (police force) gets the fine payed, which goes into the kitty for building and maintaining roads.

Easy for you, bad for the future of Thailand.

But what do you care.

Haahaaa So the government who collects the fine,which goes into the kitty ,as you say is only for building and maintaining roads

Who do you think pays the cops wages? Yes ,the same goverrnment does with money from your traffic fines.

I [if i ever have to pay a fine] will take the easy way every single time..

Also good for the cops who as you undoubtably know are paid a pittance for their work..my ''on the spot fine'' sure does help them and as you probably know these 'on the spot' fines are shared.

Win, win for everyone!!

They are payed a pittance due to the corruption that you are a willing participant in.

Funny old world.

Forrest and trees come to mind.

Errrmmm so if people didn't pay them ''on the spot fines'', in your eyes they would somehow get a pay rise..ie, not paid a pittance??

What sort of flawed logic is that?

Maybe you could explain just how that works in your mind at least.

Funny old world alright in your eyes

Edited July 7, 2014 by andreandre

[wilcopops]

Corruption is endemic and whilst "top down" measures sound great, the system will only collapse from the bottom up.

so long as Thai citizens think it is acceptable to pay "fines" to anyone on the side of the road who asks, then corruption will continue in EVERY aspect of Thai life, regardless of who runs the country.

[sercoed]

The same thing happened to us in Rayong, twice. The first time the cop backed down, the second time they wouldn't and wanted us to pay 2000 baht at a booth. Wife refused so they gave her a ticket and kept my licence. When we went to Police HQ. the people there said there was no such charge and tore the ticket up and gave my licence back. However, we went to the local licencing bureau and got the certificate, cost about 200 baht. Better safe than sorry. It is only really for commercisl vehicles. Just another scam by the locals.

[ableguy]

you definitely need a license for the carboy if you want to be legal and avoid further issues

You do not need a license, but it does need to be registered in the vehicle blue book, just take it along to you your local DMV office along with a picture and receipt for the work if new, I have just done it.