Thailand: Speeding motorists beware, traffic tickets will come to their homes soon

[RigPig]

Tried this in California, and all of the tickets had to be thrown out. The cameras never took a picture of the driver, just the car. Just because someone owns a car does not mean they were driving it, or violating the law in any way. Innocent until proven guilty, and the car never testified against its owner.

In Queensland, Australia, if the owner of the vehicle can´t show who the driver is / was, or basically get someone else to take the blame then the owner gets the fine. You are deemed to be responsible for the vehicle.

A guy in my home town got done for DUI, he was working on his car, in his back yard. When he went to move the car (still in his back yard) he accidentally hit the fence and the neighbour called the police. Not even on the road !!! Now if that doesn´t suck......

[watcharacters]

CRush cars or bikes if people can't get it together enough to drive safely

[mike324]

why are people being so pessimistic with it? Isn't it great news people will drive slower? tickets DO reach the owner of the vehicle, Bangkok - Chonburi highway has speed camera for something like 3-4 years and it works very well, many folks who drive that route have driven slower after receiving tickets. Stop being an old fart, yes bmw and mercedes do receive them to as can be confirm by fellow co-workers.

[lil fluffy clouds]

Where can you pick up those covers to keep the dirt off your tags?

I find that the cameras on the Motorway only seem to work if you are going between 130 to 160Kph.

If you go 180 or higher I think the timing is off and they are too slow to get a clear shot.

I have had half a dozen in the last 18 months from the same spot, but always says around 140-155Kph on the

letter.

Never got one yet when passing it at much higher speed.

Yeh thanks no brainer, I'm going to feel really safe riding my motorbike with you around...

Edited January 7, 2015 by lil fluffy clouds

[Tomtomtom69]

if the ticket gets put on the registration information, they will not be able to re-tax vehicle

So, stop paying road tax as well.

Wouldn't the car then be seized if you tried that?

There has to be some kind of enforcement to prevent people driving if they have outstanding tickets. Similarly, you can't just drive with expired or non-payment for road tax. Otherwise no one would pay any road tax, but based on my observations nearly every driver does.

[Tomtomtom69]

why are people being so pessimistic with it? Isn't it great news people will drive slower? tickets DO reach the owner of the vehicle, Bangkok - Chonburi highway has speed camera for something like 3-4 years and it works very well, many folks who drive that route have driven slower after receiving tickets. Stop being an old fart, yes bmw and mercedes do receive them to as can be confirm by fellow co-workers.

Apparently I received a fine from speeding somewhere along that route once about 1.5 years ago and of course I paid it, but in more recent times I've certainly exceeded the speed limit on that and other expressways many times but have never received another fine.

I wonder why?

Something tells me those speed cameras don't work very well, if at all. Also HOW MANY speed cameras are installed along that route? I'd say probably only one and then it generally doesn't work anyway. Otherwise I'd have 2-3 tickets a month in the mail and since I don't it must mean that camera or those cameras you claim exists doesn't work (anymore).

[Tomtomtom69]

I got a ticket in the post last year, so they have had the capacity to do it for a year at least.

Speed limits on highways have in places been 120 kmh for years.

If they actually did this properly they would make an absolute fortune at 500 baht a pop.

Wrong. Only two roads in Thailand have an official speed limit of 120km/h, which are the two "inter-provincial" motorways, namely the 62km Bang Na to Bang Pa-in Eastern Outer Ring Road and the Bangkok-Chonburi motorway, which now extends to Pattaya and is around 140km long.

All other highways throughout Thailand have a 90km/h speed limit, but may have a tolerance of 120km/h before fines are imposed for speeding. However, if the average speed of drivers is relatively low, then many drivers doing about 110-120 will be caught, in the event of a shakedown. Case in point is me: I was caught in Udon Thani once driving on the Friendship Highway and going at a speed of 116km/h in a 90km/h zone (outside of town, about 20km south of Udon). The fine? 200 Baht, payable at the table nearby with a receipt.

However, if Thailand wants to get serious about enforcing speed limits, apart from the obvious extra enforcement it could start by first of all, imposing realistic speed limits on all highways and REGULARLY posting speed limit signs. Then and only then might they consider setting up more speed cameras and stricter fines, as well as stricter enforcement to ensure violators pay their fines on time.

Where are all the speed limit signs in Thailand? For a first-time visitor who didn't know any better, they'd be led to thinking that Thailand is the land of no speed limits because speed limit signs are posted so rarely. Must be one of the few countries in the world which has so few speed limit signs, let alone ambiguity about speed limits (hence why you were confused). For me, the only way I normally know about speed limits on any given Thai road is based on what my GPS tells me because I obviously can't rely on any non-existent signs.

Edited January 7, 2015 by Tomtomtom69

[bbbbooboo]

Where can you pick up those covers to keep the dirt off your tags?

I find that the cameras on the Motorway only seem to work if you are going between 130 to 160Kph.

If you go 180 or higher I think the timing is off and they are too slow to get a clear shot.

I have had half a dozen in the last 18 months from the same spot, but always says around 140-155Kph on the

letter.

Never got one yet when passing it at much higher speed.

No brain explains it all I suggest

[Tomtomtom69]

Well, looks like as they have in Thailand also discovered the fine machine. Believe in Europe it is big, big, bussines. In Holland they have this building, only for collecting fines.

They could make a killing on fine collection for traffic infringements in Thailand, both via legal means (collection of fines via official tickets that are collected by the jurisdiction responsible for where the offence occurred) and illegal means (bribes demanded by and paid to the police).

I'm pulling my hair out wondering why in a country like Thailand the traffic police don't basically man every single road in the country 24/7 and impose fines, or at least continuously man certain stretches of road, intersections etc.? They could make a huge windfall.

What am I missing?

[Noi657]

A friend of mine got a ticket through the post the other day, 1000 baht fine....

Apparently if the car had been in his wife's name it would have been 300 or 400 baht, can't remember which.

Anyway, he paid the 1000 baht fine and a few days later he got a letter to thank him for paying!

[dominique355]

The central data system for vehicle license plate / registered owner is hopelessly outdated and not at all up to date. I got a speeding ticked issued the license plate of a car I had sold a year earlier.

[Doc46]

Where can you pick up those covers to keep the dirt off your tags?

I find that the cameras on the Motorway only seem to work if you are going between 130 to 160Kph.

If you go 180 or higher I think the timing is off and they are too slow to get a clear shot.

I have had half a dozen in the last 18 months from the same spot, but always says around 140-155Kph on the

letter.

Never got one yet when passing it at much higher speed.

NoBrainer by name, no brain by nature.

Perhaps you are deficient in some way - do you know what speed limits are for?

"... around 140-155Kph on the letter. Never got one yet when passing it at much higher speed."

Shame on you.

You same as Thai driver,,,To stupid to do things right,,,see you round the next bent up a tree,,,

Edited January 7, 2015 by Doc46

[steve187]

Where can you pick up those covers to keep the dirt off your tags?

I find that the cameras on the Motorway only seem to work if you are going between 130 to 160Kph.

If you go 180 or higher I think the timing is off and they are too slow to get a clear shot.

I have had half a dozen in the last 18 months from the same spot, but always says around 140-155Kph on the

letter.

Never got one yet when passing it at much higher speed.

slow learner

[trainman34014]

if the ticket gets put on the registration information, they will not be able to re-tax vehicle

So, stop paying road tax as well.

Wouldn't the car then be seized if you tried that?

There has to be some kind of enforcement to prevent people driving if they have outstanding tickets. Similarly, you can't just drive with expired or non-payment for road tax. Otherwise no one would pay any road tax, but based on my observations nearly every driver does.

You obviously don't live in the Boonies then. I would say as many as 85% of Motorbikes around our surrounding villages don't have road tax and some have not had any for many years....or insurance either. Most of them don't know what a helmet is either. You need to get out more.

[HerbalEd]

Do not rejoice too soon Pol Capt Pornchai Sangsila of the 4th subdivision, half of them are probably

fake license plates and the other half don't live at that address any longer... lucky if you be able

to collect on 10% of the 300....

Do you often make up your own "facts" to suit your self?

Edited January 7, 2015 by HerbalEd

[topt]

I thought the speed limit is 90KM per hour.

When did it go up?

Anyway, good to see they are going to post the tickets.

As about getting paid that's another story.

And nobody will enforce it as nobody did in the past.

Tickets can be found in the dustbins as people around here usually do.

Even if you want to keep at the relevant speed limit often it is not clear what that is. Do they actually have signs saying when the limit drops to 100 or 90? I often see signs for "City Limits reduce speed" but there is very rarely an actual speed sign and nor one to tell you that you have exited the limit and can speed up again........

Edit - sorry missed Tomtomtom69 earlier post basically saying same.

Edited January 7, 2015 by topt

[Hornell]

It is high time that they put up speed limit signs on the roads. Between Korat and Bkk the speed limit is 90kph according to the signs, on the Hua Hin Cha Am By-pass it is 80 (ditto) and on the western Kanchanapisek Roak (Bkk By-Pass) it is 120 (ditto). I don't think I have seen speed limit signs anywhere else. having said that, it does seem that if one drives at a speed slower than 120 kph one doesn't get 'pinged'.

[RigPig]

if the ticket gets put on the registration information, they will not be able to re-tax vehicle

So, stop paying road tax as well.

Wouldn't the car then be seized if you tried that?

There has to be some kind of enforcement to prevent people driving if they have outstanding tickets. Similarly, you can't just drive with expired or non-payment for road tax. Otherwise no one would pay any road tax, but based on my observations nearly every driver does.

You obviously don't live in the Boonies then. I would say as many as 85% of Motorbikes around our surrounding villages don't have road tax and some have not had any for many years....or insurance either. Most of them don't know what a helmet is either. You need to get out more.

I would think around the same percetage of riders don have licenses either then there are the red plates...

[Robbie Dye]

Ok what insane idiot is going to drive at 180 kph?

[Farma]

I wonder if these cameras are the same as I saw a few KM's west of Prasat on hwy 24 a few weeks ago.

It was a small video type camera on a tripod at the side of the road. I've seen the same setup used in Bahrain and other places in the past.

I didn't notice a police stop further so presumed the tickets would be sent via post.

[ChiangmaiRob]

Note to self: buy plastic overlay for my tags.

Another note to you; plastic overlay on plates doesn't work!

[mca]

120 kmh in KK? It's always been 90 unless they upped it since I last drove there a month ago.

[MichaelJohn]

I was charged 1,000B.

129km/hr in 120km zone ............

Letter in the post to in-laws!

[Tomtomtom69]

It is high time that they put up speed limit signs on the roads. Between Korat and Bkk the speed limit is 90kph according to the signs, on the Hua Hin Cha Am By-pass it is 80 (ditto) and on the western Kanchanapisek Roak (Bkk By-Pass) it is 120 (ditto). I don't think I have seen speed limit signs anywhere else. having said that, it does seem that if one drives at a speed slower than 120 kph one doesn't get 'pinged'.

The only roads with relatively regularly posted speed limit signs are the eastern outer ring road (Bang Na to Bang Pa-in) and the Bangkok-Chonburi-Pattaya motorway.

Occasionally there is also the odd sign on other mostly elevated expressways in Bangkok but elsewhere in the country speed limit signs are extremely rare, almost as rare as hen's teeth.

[torpedo1970]

if the ticket gets put on the registration information, they will not be able to re-tax vehicle

dream on...

another 500 Baht and no problem... new tax disc....

money speaks again

[KhnomKhnom]

But how fast do the "speeding cameras" go ???

[thailandusauk]

Only 1 highway with camera ?

I saw signs on Bangkok Pattaya highway but never seen any speeding camera, so they are not installed yet ?

[sstuff3]

The average speed of traffic through Khon Kaen last Friday afternoon was only about 5-10 kph, not a big threat of getting a speeding ticket when I past through there. If they were to get serious about road safety, they would likely make a bigger impact by keeping the traffic in the proper lanes, instead of allowing lines of vehicles using both shoulders of the road as travel lanes. This undoubtedly resulted in more congestion and the traffic police at the intersections never attempted to stop it. A trip that took 8.5 hours going up took all of 14 hours to return, all due to the selfish nature of the drivers here. If everyone would maintain the proper lanes of travel, the traffic would flow.

[sstuff3]

I got a ticket in the post last year, so they have had the capacity to do it for a year at least.

Speed limits on highways have in places been 120 kmh for years.

If they actually did this properly they would make an absolute fortune at 500 baht a pop.

Wrong. Only two roads in Thailand have an official speed limit of 120km/h, which are the two "inter-provincial" motorways, namely the 62km Bang Na to Bang Pa-in Eastern Outer Ring Road and the Bangkok-Chonburi motorway, which now extends to Pattaya and is around 140km long.

All other highways throughout Thailand have a 90km/h speed limit, but may have a tolerance of 120km/h before fines are imposed for speeding. However, if the average speed of drivers is relatively low, then many drivers doing about 110-120 will be caught, in the event of a shakedown. Case in point is me: I was caught in Udon Thani once driving on the Friendship Highway and going at a speed of 116km/h in a 90km/h zone (outside of town, about 20km south of Udon). The fine? 200 Baht, payable at the table nearby with a receipt.

However, if Thailand wants to get serious about enforcing speed limits, apart from the obvious extra enforcement it could start by first of all, imposing realistic speed limits on all highways and REGULARLY posting speed limit signs. Then and only then might they consider setting up more speed cameras and stricter fines, as well as stricter enforcement to ensure violators pay their fines on time.

Where are all the speed limit signs in Thailand? For a first-time visitor who didn't know any better, they'd be led to thinking that Thailand is the land of no speed limits because speed limit signs are posted so rarely. Must be one of the few countries in the world which has so few speed limit signs, let alone ambiguity about speed limits (hence why you were confused). For me, the only way I normally know about speed limits on any given Thai road is based on what my GPS tells me because I obviously can't rely on any non-existent signs.

Don't rely too much on the speed limit shown on GPS, mine shows 110 kph for the road between Udon Thani and Khon Kaen but the police who ticketed me says it is 90.

[callaway]

Interesting to see if they even arrive. Last 2 credit cards (not activated yet so just a piece of plastic ) haven't arrived to home. Seems they are lost (????) in the mail. Hope the speeding tickets have a better chance of arriving.