california usa driving not legal to drive motor bike in thailand

[dingerbel]

Seedy

you are a probobly the guy who ran off with my driving license arent you.

lets say you are the one for sake of youre complete lack of understanding the situation that i am currently in.

I am about as pissed off at youre ignorance as w the copers

Seedy is right, you are to blame here! This isn't 'The States' its Thailand and Australia and anywhere else you are going on your holidays.

Check the rules, never just assume 'it will be okay' because generally it isn't ok. The situation you are in is of your own making and it annoys me that people such as you from the "First world" can come here and think you can do what you like without consequences, well suck it up Kid, these are the consequences of YOUR actions!

[quadperfect]

Yea ok guy but with names like seedy and dingerbell its pretty clear who i am dealing with

blows my mind how anyone can not see that what i am talking about is the injustice of my driving license being given to another biker and the incompetence of the whole thing,the bike shop is just a start to the fix

yes i am in thailand

but i still need want my license back .

[thehelmsman]

Seedy

you are a probobly the guy who ran off with my driving license arent you.

lets say you are the one for sake of youre complete lack of understanding the situation that i am currently in.

I am about as pissed off at youre ignorance as w the copers

Except the cop loosing your license, all the blame lies on your shoulders. The usual fine for no license is 200 baht. I just got one myself, I smiled, paid and said thank you. Why the big deal???

[RubberSideDown]

What percentage of expats (not tourists) currently ride and drive in LOS without a Thai license? I bet it's more than half. In any case, what the OP is really angry about is the fact the police lost his license, which he needs and can't replace without traveling back to the US, and he's on a one-year trip. Please tell me how this situation is of his own making?

Yeah, he should have paid a 500 baht fine, which is no big deal, but instead he has a big problem that was NOT in any way his fault- I'd be pissed off as well at the incompetent idiots who gave away an important piece of documentation- who wouldn't be bothered by that?

[Smokin Joe]

california allows a maximum 250 cc bike to be driven under the standard driving license for cars so i was thinking i was ok here .

Look like you don't know the rules back in California either.

Under California law if it is under 150cc but can exceed 30mph it is called a motor-driven cycle rather than a motorcycle but a motor-driven cycle has to be registered and the driver must have a motorcycle license (M1).

www.dmv.ca.gov

[catmaninoz]

Why would you even ride in Thailand if you cant ride?

Not the best place to learn!

[spidermike007]

Foreigners are not employed as police in Thailand.

They have no right to take any documents from you, or issue any fines.

Don't be fooled by fake police, if they aren't Thai, tell them to bog off.

Not true. There are some exceptions. I have a British friend in Samui, who works for the police. He is a full fledged policeman. Except he is not allowed to carry a firearm. But, he is empowered to act as a policeman on all other levels.

This guy should have been taken to task. At the very least, his name should be published online, along with the department he works in. Shame him into doing the right thing, and caring about his work. His level of indifference sounds astonishing.

[quadperfect]

I was driving a moped in california at 12 years old to the beach and school and it was not illegal then.

I did not believe i was breaking a law here as did the 60 or so others paying the fine alongside me.

but thats not been the point here. Sure you can make me the a hole but really guys its about my license being taken away against my will by a farang coper too old to his job or hung over or just a simple blunder. Whatever the case i am paying the price for doing what 98 percent of the motor bike tourists do here in phuket ride a bike around spending money every day here. So lets not forget tourism is important at least here in phuket it is.

cars cost 1200 bht a day bikes are 150 a day .its obviouse why i rented a bike.

but now regret the choice.

I am not thai bashing i love phuket maybe farang bashing is the point.

guys who like to bash me go on do youre best.

but really just wish i could get that license back .

[seedy]

Seedy

you are a probobly the guy who ran off with my driving license arent you.

lets say you are the one for sake of youre complete lack of understanding the situation that i am currently in.

I am about as pissed off at youre ignorance as w the copers

I understand very well what happened. And now it was me who has your license ?

Not your fault ? Please ...

[seedy]

Please tell me how this situation is of his own making?

Makes no difference if 99% of foreign people drive with no Thai DL.

If he was obeying the law he would have given ...

A. An IDP

B. A Thai DL

When he was stopped. Then none of this would have happened.

But is the fault of somebody else.

Take responsibility for your own actions. Perform due diligence before traveling to a foreign country.

Then his Cali license would still be in his possession. Or mine, which he accused me of.

Som Nom Na

Edited January 9, 2015 by seedy

[RubberSideDown]

^

Sorry, but that's absolutely ridiculous- the police took possession of his license and lost it- that's gross incompetence. Making an error by believing his license was valid here has nothing to do with that. The price of committing a traffic violation is supposed to be a few hundred baht, not the loss of your valuable and impossible-to-replace (in LOS) driver's license that's needed as documentation for your trip.

If the police take your license for a traffic infraction, is the expectation that you'll be getting it back unreasonable, even if you actually committed the violation you were stopped for?

If the police had done their jobs properly (regardless of the actions of the OP), this would never have happened.

Edited January 9, 2015 by RubberSideDown

[seedy]

Have IDP, have Thai DL - still have Cali license.

Why is this so hard to realize ?

[RubberSideDown]

^

Expectation of a minimum amount of competence (the return of a piece of documentation that has both your name and picture on it) from a police officer- why is this so hard to understand?

No argument the OP was in the wrong re: the license issue and Thai law, but it wasn't his fault for its loss- the police lost it, and it's on them, not the guy who got stopped for a traffic violation.

[seedy]

^

Expectation of a minimum amount of competence

Expect something ... thought something ... All avoidable.

Put it down to the continuing cost of his education.

[nikster]

Re-issuing a license on return to CA isn't that hard, and isn't that expensive. The license is lost, what's the point of whining about it now?

Things happen when you go on a trip... also it was a bit silly to expect a car license from California to be accepted for riding a motorbike. That made no sense. Did you expect Thai cops to know about the 150cc bike rule? Are they a wandering encyclopedia on what is allowed on what sort of license all over the world? Do Thai cops receive special training on international driving licenses? ..... bummer they managed to actually lose the license - that's a bit rich. But what's done is done, just pretend you lost your wallet somewhere, could happen too right...

[quadperfect]

I am moving on the cops gave me a get out of jail free card for 4 months.pretty cool of them. I can drive a bike ledal too.so at least they recognize my need for transportation.i have a special paper that the head honcho filled out to let me walk on any check point charges.

at leat now i can enjoy this part of my holiday with out looking over my shoulder.

how well this paper works i hope not to find out. But i have personal cell numbers of both farang copers to back me up.

[Smokin Joe]

I am moving on the cops gave me a get out of jail free card for 4 months.pretty cool of them. I can drive a bike ledal too.so at least they recognize my need for transportation.i have a special paper that the head honcho filled out to let me walk on any check point charges.

at leat now i can enjoy this part of my holiday with out looking over my shoulder.

how well this paper works i hope not to find out. But i have personal cell numbers of both farang copers to back me up.

Congrats. Considering that you didn't haven't have a valid license to ride a motobke in a Thailand, or the US, you seem to have stumbled into a pretty good deal being given permission to illegally ride a motorbike for four months.

[seedy]

I am moving on the cops gave me a get out of jail free card for 4 months.pretty cool of them. I can drive a bike ledal too.so at least they recognize my need for transportation.i have a special paper that the head honcho filled out to let me walk on any check point charges.

at leat now i can enjoy this part of my holiday with out looking over my shoulder.

how well this paper works i hope not to find out. But i have personal cell numbers of both farang copers to back me up.

Now face the fact that because you do not have a valid license your insurance is also not any good.

So if you have an accident - congrats ! You are now the proud owner of a wreck ! And you get to pay for damages to the other vehicle AND their medical bills !!

[Rhys]

That dude show be shaved.. in the area of his concern....what a <deleted> to loose your DL

[quadperfect]

Well seedy better stay out of phuke.

copers said any trafic incedent i am covered because this paper they gave me is equivelent to driving license and covers all .

i know because i demanded a thai driving license and they told me what you have is better than license its a get out of jail free card.

so i am out on the streets enjoying the awesome island of phuket and its really lovely residents.

[billd766]

Well seedy better stay out of phuke.

copers said any trafic incedent i am covered because this paper they gave me is equivelent to driving license and covers all .

i know because i demanded a thai driving license and they told me what you have is better than license its a get out of jail free card.

so i am out on the streets enjoying the awesome island of phuket and its really lovely residents.

You may find this a little difficult to understand but the police, farang or Thai, CANNOT give you a Thai driving licence whether you demand it or not. You can ONLY get it from the Department of Land Transport and that only after you showing your driving licence. You also need your passport, proof of your address and several other sundry items. You may also have to sit through the safety and driving video, take a paper test and get 45 out of 50 questions correct and take a small driving test.

Your arrogance in Thailand is outstanding. You have very few "rights" similar to the west and if you have a big problem here I suggest that you talk to the US Embassy or Consulate who will put you straight on a few things.

As for the farang police giving you a piece of paper saying that it is better than a licence and is is a get out of jail free card, they are wrong too. You may find that out the hard way if you have an accident or upset a Thai policeman. What will you do if the Thai policeman takes it off you and tears it up? Who will you complain to then especially if the Thai policeman is of a higher rank and does not speak English?

Try looking here

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g293915-c133830/Thailand:Driving.License.Requirements.html

Edited January 10, 2015 by billd766

[quadperfect]

Ok folks i am moving on w life and still hold hope that my license shows up one day out of the blue.

Life is full of risks and at some point you just need to flow w it.thats where i am now just flowing w it

i do have my old expired license from 2013 so might get that past a few car rentals down the road my real license same number is valid just mia.

this is my last post

thanks to the positives and whatevers to the nots.i hear you and some are good advice

[seedy]

Well seedy better stay out of phuke.

Correct spelling is Phuket.

At a loss how to take this statement - is it a threat ?

For sure I will stay away from Phuket, as far too many people riding bikes and driving cars with no drivers license, and insurance which will not pay out when said riders/drivers have an accident.

[ll2]

Lots of nonsense here!

Lots of foreigners die here just bc rental companies do not ask a license while renting bikes.

Sure most of you see the photos of dead foreigners on the roads as they rent a cbr1000rr even before driving a scooter. No enforcement and no questions asked. It is OK for rental companies as they get the money from the family of the dead of from insurance companies. Or they overcharge you even for a scratch on a bike. So they win at all times and people lose or die.

They are basicly just pushing their responsibility to the renter.

then an idiot farang cop loses your license and we blame the guy losing his license bc he rode with a driving license and not a motorbike one?

C'mon. This is BS!

Rental companies has to be enforced and they have to ask a license before renting a bike but as they dont want to lose business they dont care and shit happens to us!

Do you support this f.....i..ng system really and blame the farang?

Edited January 10, 2015 by ll2

[seedy]

he rode with a driving license and not a motorbike one?

C'mon. This is BS!

and blame the farang?

If I came to your home country, rented a bike with no license, and the police stopped me, who would be at fault ?

Your post is like the OP, not MY fault, somebody else is to blame.

And herein lies the BS

[ll2]

he rode with a driving license and not a motorbike one?

C'mon. This is BS!

and blame the farang?

If I came to your home country, rented a bike with no license, and the police stopped me, who would be at fault ?

Your post is like the OP, not MY fault, somebody else is to blame.

And herein lies the BS

In my country noone let you rent a bike without a valide license that allows you to ride a bike.

And it is same at any civilized country as it is danger to society and the renter.

Seedy, not sure what you are supporting here?

So you say renters are ok to rent bikes without asking a license and people get killed just bc of this greedy rental shops?

Edited January 10, 2015 by ll2

[seedy]

Read my posts above. If he followed the law his Cali DL would still be in his pocket.

Come to a foreign country rent a bike with no DL, so no insurance coverage, get into trouble, and whine 'It's not MY fault'

And people who should know better support him.

Som Nom Na !

[ll2]

Read my posts above. If he followed the law his Cali DL would still be in his pocket.

Come to a foreign country rent a bike with no DL, so no insurance coverage, get into trouble, and whine 'It's not MY fault'

And people who should know better support him.

Som Nom Na !

They should not let OP to rent a bike at the first place. So that way his license would still be in his pocket.

But no, they pushed the responsibility to OP.

[quadperfect]

One more

seedy no threat.just phuket does not sound like a good place for the faint hearted.

driving here as most likely all of asia feels like going in to battle every time.no copers except at check points .cars passing on the wrong side of road doing 100 a hour.its full battle ready once my helmet goes on.

the truth is there are many things that can be done here to better thailand for everyone.one such would be enforce bike shops.its easy and requires minimal man power like take the copers from the check point scam and have them make sure bike shops are competent renters.

thailand second most road fatalitys in the world per 100,000 populouse.only nigeria has 1 more fatality i read this here on thaivisa so did you all.

I accept my role in the dilema i am in its not me blaming thailand for my problem.i blame a guy from england for that problem.its his lack of respect and responsibility that my 1 year planned holiday ends in 4 months because i will need to go back to california to get new license to drive.

2000 dollar air fare then another 1500 to get to my next destination. That copper cost me 3500 bucks in 5 minutes.

That is who i am blaming and only saying if bike shop had asked me for my driving license it would be a different story.

but then there is the story of the guy who was standing before the judge and the judge said guilty because if you were not here this would not have happened.

so there we leave it again

i would not have rented a bike i would hsve rented a car if the law told me so.

[andrewrooney]

One more

seedy no threat.just phuket does not sound like a good place for the faint hearted.

driving here as most likely all of asia feels like going in to battle every time.no copers except at check points .cars passing on the wrong side of road doing 100 a hour.its full battle ready once my helmet goes on.

the truth is there are many things that can be done here to better thailand for everyone.one such would be enforce bike shops.its easy and requires minimal man power like take the copers from the check point scam and have them make sure bike shops are competent renters.

thailand second most road fatalitys in the world per 100,000 populouse.only nigeria has 1 more fatality i read this here on thaivisa so did you all.

I accept my role in the dilema i am in its not me blaming thailand for my problem.i blame a guy from england for that problem.its his lack of respect and responsibility that my 1 year planned holiday ends in 4 months because i will need to go back to california to get new license to drive.

2000 dollar air fare then another 1500 to get to my next destination. That copper cost me 3500 bucks in 5 minutes.

That is who i am blaming and only saying if bike shop had asked me for my driving license it would be a different story.

but then there is the story of the guy who was standing before the judge and the judge said guilty because if you were not here this would not have happened.

so there we leave it again

i would not have rented a bike i would hsve rented a car if the law told me so.

Just a quick thought:

If you were planning to stay here for a year why not get a Thai license?

It can be done in about a day.

Seems like a better option than calling your holiday short.