I am wondering why I am seeing a lot of vehicles in Chiang Mai without rear licence plates. Although there would seem to be advantages if a hit-and-run is executed, I would have thought the local police could make a fortune in traffic fines from this. Does anyone have more information?

If they didn't have front ones as well then perhaps they are new and have yet to receive their plates, it normally take a coupe of weeks or so. Others wait until they get a special number plate they have paid for but that may not be legal any more. Other new cars waiting for their permanent plate display a Red plate registered to the car showroom from where it was purchased if they wish to travel out of their area. Otherwise it might just have been repaired and the plate not yet put back on which I imagine is not strictly legal but it does not seem worry some people.

cost money for a red plate,so new car owners just wait until car plates issued,personally if car has plates or not, if hit and run propaly impossible to trace owner,thailand not pc orientation like the west.

People are too busy driving around trying to find the best Italian restaurant in Chiang Mai, locating flood parking and finding out how to inflate their tires so they do not have time to be bothered about license plates.

lots of new cars round chiang mai,that is the only reason.also the people want a good restaurant to go too and drive everywhere

One of those bad habits. Driving without plates and no one cares.

Try that in the west.

The plate mystery is another one.

In my last country you get a plate in minutes, go to the traffic office and get the sticker to validate it.

Done in a forenoon.

Here: magic, takes weeks, months.

And what you get are plates that a nearly unreadable from just about 10 m (province).

New cars drive around without licence plates because the sales companies hold on to the 100,000+ new car tax payment for many months, earning interest, before registering the car with the government department, which takes an hour or so.

This obviously means the cars are technically illegal, but no-one seems to care, apart from the police when they set up check-points and collect 400 baht for no road tax.....