Feeling Safe in Chiang Mai

[FolkGuitar]

I feel much safer now. This morning, spending less than an hour in and around the Old City, I was stopped no less than three times by three different police road blocks. The line for payment of fines was filled to overflowing with Chinese tourists, western tourists, and bare-headed riders. I wear a good helmet and have a Thai driver's license, so no big deal other than having to stop and dig my wallet out of my pocket.

 

It's the placement of these roadblocks that irks me... Had they put them after major intersections, they could have been stopping people from running red lights, making illegal turns, riding 4 on a bike, etc., AS WELL AS riders without licenses or helmets, but safety doesn't seem to be as important as making money from the tourists in the middle of town.  I guess they are going for quantity rather than quality.

[mamborobert]

Similar here. Stopped twice on way to the Floral display at the park. Slight difference my license was handed off to a Farang officer as soon as Thai officer saw it was a Thai license.  Not sure if that was protocol or simply a case of no money in it for him. Either way quick and painless....but i did think the money grabs were usually towards the end of the month. Having said that oodles of Chinese stopped on hired bikes and seemingly all on their wsy to the floral display.

[sharktooth]

Here we go again...

[dcnx]

Harassment. I loath these scum bags. I agree with the OP,  if they want to make a real difference set up where people are running red lights and are a real danger. Hiding around the corners of the moat and in known heavy tourist traffic area is nothing more than a shake down. They care nothing about saftey or the law, they just want to collect as many fines as possible. And shame on the foreigner who helps them do that. If he wants to help, go help where you're needed, not at a helmet shake down stop. 

 

At least the night police are checking for drunk drivers. The day crew is pathetic. I love watching people run through their blocks.

Edited February 5, 2017 by dcnx

[FolkGuitar]

 

 

I disagree. Totally disagree. I'm sure THEY feel much safer standing at roadblocks rather than chasing down red-light runners, speeders, insane drivers, etc., etc.

Edited February 6, 2017 by FolkGuitar

[sfokevin]

I like how they have taken a que from Immigration and made it a "One Stop Shop"... setting up a table nearby table where a senior officer will take your money as to save you a second trip to the police station 

Edited February 6, 2017 by sfokevin

[connda]

6 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

 

I disagree. Totally disagree. I'm sure THEY feel much safer standing at roadblocks rather than chasing down red-light runners, speeders, insane drivers, etc., etc.

Without patrol cars on the roads stopping vehicles for moving violations, Thailand will maintain the title of The Second Most Dangerous Roads in the World for a long time to come.  Road blocks?  Ineffective enforcement mechanisms other than for making money from a short list of infractions.  The driving that routinely kills and maimes everyday simply is not sought after nor sanctions enforced.  And I know they have plenty of highway patrol vehicles.  They are on conspicuous display every time a VIP needs a high-speed escort. However, they should change the name on those cars to VIP Escort instead of Highway Patrol.  Much more accurate. 

Edited February 6, 2017 by connda

[Jdiddy]

I dont know why people even stop at these checkpoints

 

Step 1: slow down and put a confused look on your face when hailed down

Step 2: apply wrist movement to open throttle and appropriate steering when police officer is at your 10'oclock or 2 o'clock position

Step 3: continue on with your day

[FolkGuitar]

27 minutes ago, Jdiddy said:

I dont know why people even stop at these checkpoints

 

Step 1: slow down and put a confused look on your face when hailed down

Step 2: apply wrist movement to open throttle and appropriate steering when police officer is at your 10'oclock or 2 o'clock position

Step 3: continue on with your day

 

I'd hesitate to try that... I've seen, on several different occasions, police actually pull riders from the bike, or pull the handlebars over. I have all the required documents that they could ever ask for, just in case, but so far usually only get asked to produce my Thai license and then get waved on.

[jonwilly]

I wear a Black 'Token' as a mark of respect to the recently passed Head of State.

I go through 2 formal police check points say 4-8 times/week.

Most times they know me and knowing I have all the correct papers just wave me through.

Occasionally a new bobby checks me out, on several occasions seeing the black token they smile and wave me on my way.

 

john

I have found over the years that showing respect to Thais earns you respect.

[flare]

9 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

I'd hesitate to try that... I've seen, on several different occasions, police actually pull riders from the bike, or pull the handlebars over. I have all the required documents that they could ever ask for, just in case, but so far usually only get asked to produce my Thai license and then get waved on.

Yup- I've got over 1mil into my bike- I'm not going to get knocked off it to save a couple hundred baht (not that I'd have to pay it as I ride with proper gear and documentation) or save a couple minutes while I dig out my license.  The cops are happy to throw a kick or swing a nightstick at a bike running a roadblock.

 

It's funny, though- I also have a couple of Shoei lids- our helmets with various international safety certifications are technically illegal here as they don't have TIS stamps- last year, they were all pulled off the shelves at Helmet2Home as they were concerned about them being confiscated  (they may have been put back out since then, but I talked with the owner about it and he said they were all moved offsite for a while).  A 150bt Tesco helmet is just fine, though...  A cop who really wanted to bust balls could issue a ticket for an equipment violation for a non-approved high-end helmet.

Edited February 6, 2017 by flare

[CrashTestDummy]

On 2/3/2017 at 6:12 PM, mamborobert said:

Similar here. Stopped twice on way to the Floral display at the park. Slight difference my license was handed off to a Farang officer as soon as Thai officer saw it was a Thai license.  Not sure if that was protocol or simply a case of no money in it for him. Either way quick and painless....but i did think the money grabs were usually towards the end of the month. Having said that oodles of Chinese stopped on hired bikes and seemingly all on their wsy to the floral display.

I've never seen a 'Farang officer' in CM. Would this be maybe a farang volunteer with tourist police? 

[Trujillo]

Quote

 

I go through 2 formal police check points say 4-8 times/week.

I have found over the years that showing respect to Thais earns you respect.

 

It is disrespectful not to stop when approaching a checkpoint, regardless if you think they recognize you. 

 

I know this is coming from the dark side of the moon, but I would be interested in finding out if these stops, without probable cause, are legal or constitutional. 

 

 

[FolkGuitar]

17 minutes ago, CrashTestDummy said:

I've never seen a 'Farang officer' in CM. Would this be maybe a farang volunteer with tourist police? 

 

No, he is a Brown Shirt police officer, in full uniform minus the firearm. I believe he is an Australian fellow, working with the Thai police for many years.

Edited February 7, 2017 by FolkGuitar

[sfokevin]

11 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

I'd hesitate to try that... I've seen, on several different occasions, police actually pull riders from the bike, or pull the handlebars over. I have all the required documents that they could ever ask for, just in case, but so far usually only get asked to produce my Thai license and then get waved on.

 

[Nowisee]

Most of the stops I have seen the last 2 weeks are right after intersections, usually under a shade tree blocking traffic.
I see thais stopped also and having to show DL and registrations.  
Give them the heads up on the red light runners and illegal turners.  

I always thought it was pretty obvious that it's not about safety and more about revenue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2017 by Nowisee

[BernieOnTour]

On 2/7/2017 at 0:00 AM, flare said:

Yup- I've got over 1mil into my bike- I'm not going to get knocked off it to save a couple hundred baht (not that I'd have to pay it as I ride with proper gear and documentation) or save a couple minutes while I dig out my license.  The cops are happy to throw a kick or swing a nightstick at a bike running a roadblock.

 

It's funny, though- I also have a couple of Shoei lids- our helmets with various international safety certifications are technically illegal here as they don't have TIS stamps- last year, they were all pulled off the shelves at Helmet2Home as they were concerned about them being confiscated  (they may have been put back out since then, but I talked with the owner about it and he said they were all moved offsite for a while).  A 150bt Tesco helmet is just fine, though...  A cop who really wanted to bust balls could issue a ticket for an equipment violation for a non-approved high-end helmet.

... happened to one of my friends in Pattaya already in 2015.

 

Edited February 23, 2017 by BernieOnTour

[BernieOnTour]

On 2/7/2017 at 2:43 AM, Trujillo said:

It is disrespectful not to stop when approaching a checkpoint, regardless if you think they recognize you. 

 

I know this is coming from the dark side of the moon, but I would be interested in finding out if these stops, without probable cause, are legal or constitutional. 

 

 

roadblocks are legal, as long as a senior police officer is supervising them

[dingdongrb]

On 2/6/2017 at 9:02 PM, FolkGuitar said:

 

I'd hesitate to try that... I've seen, on several different occasions, police actually pull riders from the bike, or pull the handlebars over. I have all the required documents that they could ever ask for, just in case, but so far usually only get asked to produce my Thai license and then get waved on.

Yepper....  One of my all time favorites was in Taiwan where a biker tried running through the roadblock and one of the officers grabbed him by the cuff of his jacket, yanked him down hard to the pavement (no helmet on), and his bike smacked hard up against the concrete median where I'm sure some major damage was done.......  What's a few hundred baht...... better yet, be legal.

[LannaGuy]

to be fair when i first came to cm no one wore a helmet and no farang ever cared about getting a licence etc.  so things have improved substantially and people do need to comply with the law (as they would in farangland). I have noticed they actually confiscate bikes recently? 

[daveAustin]

On 2/7/2017 at 9:00 AM, sfokevin said:

 

In hindsight, biker should've got one in before the tough guy cop... would be quite amusing to see the cop do a backwards roly-poly. It's like the Wild West out there. 

[totally thaied up]

Just say, a few weeks ago we got stopped with some Englasnd friends. They had IDPs but the police asked them for a 1000 baht fine each. My Thai wife stood in and within a few minutes, they got waved through.

 

Behind us we had a few Chinese being done and they were getting asked for well above a infrigment pricee 'fine'.

 

These stops are not saving lives. It is about the fine. Get to the red light traffic ligth runners for a start and start testing truck drivers for Meth. In Bangkok this week, I know one farang guy that had gun stuck to his head by a hyped up Meth-head truck driver.

[LannaGuy]

7 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

Just say, a few weeks ago we got stopped with some Englasnd friends. They had IDPs but the police asked them for a 1000 baht fine each. My Thai wife stood in and within a few minutes, they got waved through.

 

Behind us we had a few Chinese being done and they were getting asked for well above a infrigment pricee 'fine'.

 

These stops are not saving lives. It is about the fine. Get to the red light traffic ligth runners for a start and start testing truck drivers for Meth. In Bangkok this week, I know one farang guy that had gun stuck to his head by a hyped up Meth-head truck driver.

i get stopped too.. i have my ID, thai license and i don't pay ONE satang

[Teak]

I found, after repeated stops, I simply keep my IDP in my shirt pocket and helmet on. When I see the road stop and the first cop, I go slow, hold up my IDP,  smile a bit and usually get waved through without having to stop. Even got a smile back and a joking salute from a cop once.

[Flustered]

I am just glad that this did not happen to us while we were in Chiang Mai.

 

The only time I have ever been stopped was near the airport in Phuket in a car. My Thai "sister" feeling mischievous said she would deal with it, took my wallet and handed them my UK bus pass. They looked at it, turned it over and then gave it back with a salute and waved us on our way.

 

She had told them I was a high ranking military officer on holiday and that was my ID card. I was shocked but she said don't be stupid they have trouble reading Thai let alone English, they are local police, they just pretend.

 

I did see the funny side of this but if stopped I would always give my IDP and not a UK bus pass.