Phuket Poll: Do current traffic penalties work?

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Phuket Poll: Do current traffic penalties work?

The Phuket News

 

Fines by police deter some people from breaking the law, but do they do enough? Or do penalties for traffic violations need to be harsher? Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

 

PHUKET: -- Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong last week recounted Phuket’s death and injury toll during the Songkran “Seven Days of Danger” road-safety campaign, held April 11-17. The toll for the one week stood at four dead and 70 people injured in 67 accidents.

 

Gov Norraphat, who began his term as Governor of Phuket only on April 10, vowed to “bring all the road accident statistics and other relevant information to discuss with the Phuket Provincial Committee to come up with ways to solve this problem and create a campaign that will make driving safer in Phuket.” 

 

That promise came on the back of police announcing how many people were fined for traffic violations during the seven days. Notably, the greatest offenders were 5,628 people fined for not wearing helmets; and 3,075 fined for driving without a licence. 

 

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-poll-do-current-traffic-penalties-work-61891.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-04-24

[Thaiwrath]

Just check the figures in the hospitals and morgues on a daily or weekly basis, to find out the answer.

[Psimbo]

There are penalties?

[stevenl]

In general it is the lack of enforcement, not level of penalties that are the issue.

[dageurreotype]

2 hours ago, Psimbo said:

There are penalties?

That's the common name for 'donations' here, so in a way, yes.

[stevenl]

18 minutes ago, dageurreotype said:

That's the common name for 'donations' here, so in a way, yes.

Since you always get a receipt for the fines here, NO.

[williamgeorgeallen]

sounds like the OP does not understand the cops make a living from skimming off the general public, and often more so the western tourists. the cops dont want people to comply to the laws as this cuts their income. it is a hard concept to grasp for many foreigners.

[TGIR]

Not one ticket for speeding?????????????

[edwinchester]

Couple of examples.

Brother of one of wifey's friends has never had a car driving licence. He is 40 years old and recently on a trip from Chaiyaphum to Kanchanaburi was stopped and fined 3 times. When I pointed out he paid more than the cost of a licence he just smiled.

Another of wifey's friends until recently drove a school bus. Has never had a driving licence and found himself paying a fine every month.

Something radical needs to be done because small change fines will not change decades of being set in their ways.

[jesimps]

5 hours ago, stevenl said:

In general it is the lack of enforcement, not level of penalties that are the issue.

It's both, deterrent and enforcement IMHO.

[Geoffggi]

Apart from the lack of enforcement, the penalties are way too small, it has been said that they only give fines relative to what they can afford, where is the deterrent in this way of thinking, add to this that Thais generally just don't pay the fines imposed anyway so there are no deterrents in force.

[phuketjock]

Penalties X 10 + 0 enforcement = 0 .

[RigPig]

It's not just Thai people, The Russian up the road went 4 up on a scooter, all had helmets, but you can't buy a helmet small enough for a 2 year old, when I chipped him and said "so you don't love your children, are you for real?" he got his nose out of joint and did it anyway!!  I only went out once today, saw 3 obviously underage bike riders, and they all had younger kids on the bike (2 x 3 up), none wearing helmets.  Another lady over took me in a stupid maneuver , helmet was on her handle bars, she was holding it....  I gave a Thai lady a HTC  (probably 4000 Baht+) helmet because she drives over the Chalong hill every night, she still wears her "ice cream bucket" !  When you see the police leaving Chalong police station, wearing a baseball cap, what can you do?  Lead by example....

 

Safety means nothing, it's up to Buddha I guess......

[RigPig]

I just went down the Family, and there he is again, 9pm 4 up.....

[Stargeezr]

It is a change in attitude that will bring down the number of deaths throughout Thailand.

Phuket had a great Songkran in the low number of traffic deaths this year, too bad

that the rest of Thailand still had so many people killed again this year. Attitude change, and

less drunk driving might make a change, also more helmets on motorbike riders, and less people

crowded into pickups and on motorbikes would help

Geezer

[csabo]

I wear a full face helmet, have up to date tax and insurance and a dl for cars and bikes. Nothing better than whizzing through a checkpoint leaving a gaggle of locals and foreigners on the side of the road forking out donations to the BIB. Seeya wouldnt wanna beeya.