Speeding fines in Thailand - go faster pay less!

[webfact]

Speeding fines in Thailand - go faster pay less!

 

Picture: Sanook

 

PRAE: -- Thais online have been questioning the consistency of speeding fines after several people posted fines that seemed to indicate the faster you go the less you pay.

 

Two fines in the same area of Prae province posted by "Liew Piya" showed an 800 baht ticket for going 115 kilometers an hour and one showing a payment of just 500 baht for going 121 kmph.

 

Another posted by Yuttana Tharamaha seemed to only confirm the discrepancy.

 

But when PPTV contacted cops in Prae it was all explained - one of the Prae tickets was before Songkran and the other was after the holidays.

 

Apparently there was a safe driving campaign on before the holidays and the fines were higher then. Reporters were told to look at the dates at the bottom for confirmation.

 

Besides, said the cops there is "discretion" from one district to another in how much a speeding motorist has to pay.

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-05-05

[darksidedog]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Apparently there was a safe driving campaign on before the holidays and the fines were higher then

Given the death toll I recall seeing, the safe driving campaign has to be considered an abject failure.

And if they really want to stop speeding, the fines should be considerably higher than either of these two tickets.

[Mister Fixit]

'Besides, said the cops there is "discretion" from one district to another in how much a speeding motorist has to pay.'

 

And that's the problem - no structured national fines system like the UK where it is all laid out in black and white exactly what the fine is dependent on the speed, within what limit, etc etc 

 

Nor does there seem to be a points deducted from licence system which is a great incentive so as not to lose your licence,.  

 

[yellowboat]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Besides, said the cops there is "discretion" from one district to another in how much a speeding motorist has to pay.

Since when have any of the BiB shown to have any discretion what so ever ?

[khunano]

3 hours ago, Mister Fixit said:

'Besides, said the cops there is "discretion" from one district to another in how much a speeding motorist has to pay.'

 

And that's the problem - no structured national fines system like the UK where it is all laid out in black and white exactly what the fine is dependent on the speed, within what limit, etc etc 

 

Nor does there seem to be a points deducted from licence system which is a great incentive so as not to lose your licence,.  

 

licence, what licence???

[EnlightenedAtheist]

If the fine was connected to the value of the car or the house that one uses, I guarantee that things would improve, but guess who makes the laws? People with expensive cars living in expensive houses.

[Regyai]

4 hours ago, Mister Fixit said:

'Besides, said the cops there is "discretion" from one district to another in how much a speeding motorist has to pay.'

 

And that's the problem - no structured national fines system like the UK where it is all laid out in black and white exactly what the fine is dependent on the speed, within what limit, etc etc 

 

Nor does there seem to be a points deducted from licence system which is a great incentive so as not to lose your licence,.  

 

 

So what you are advocating is UK style police subjugation?

 

Heaven help us all

[williamgeorgeallen]

i was on my 150cc CBR and a cop at a helmet stop pulled me over and said i was speeding despite going the same speed as the other 150cc scooters around me. not worth riding anything that looks like it is fast. i hear endless stories of guys on their big bikes paying big fines. think i will just ride an electric bike when i move back to thailand.

[Classic Ray]

3 minutes ago, Regyai said:

So what you are advocating is UK style police subjugation?

 

Heaven help us all

I think he's advocating U.K. Style road safety with far lower casualties. That necessitates effective enforcement as well as driver education.

[helloagain]

4 hours ago, Mister Fixit said:

'Besides, said the cops there is "discretion" from one district to another in how much a speeding motorist has to pay.'

 

And that's the problem - no structured national fines system like the UK where it is all laid out in black and white exactly what the fine is dependent on the speed, within what limit, etc etc 

 

Nor does there seem to be a points deducted from licence system which is a great incentive so as not to lose your licence,.  

 

I bet forienger pays more as well

[wirat69]

฿200 for same speed in Nakhon Ratchasima...

[Regyai]

27 minutes ago, Classic Ray said:

I think he's advocating U.K. Style road safety with far lower casualties. That necessitates effective enforcement as well as driver education.

To coin an old response

 

 

There's planes leaving every hour

[alanrchase]

'Besides, said the cops there is "discretion" from one district to another in how much a speeding motorist has to pay.'
 
And that's the problem - no structured national fines system like the UK where it is all laid out in black and white exactly what the fine is dependent on the speed, within what limit, etc etc 
 
Nor does there seem to be a points deducted from licence system which is a great incentive so as not to lose your licence,.  
 

Discretion exists in the UK. I was caught at 125 mph, automatic ban? Was leaving the country the next day for a minimum of one year and was fined more but not banned.

[wvavin]

Is there a proper system in the first place?

[tigermoth]

What a load of horseshit. Thailand has one law for all. There are no discrepencies or allowance for different fines. You are either speeding or not. The fines are ridiculously low all over. Exceeding the limit by 10kmp should be 500 bht, 20kmph 2000 baht. Anything over 20kmph 10,000 baht. Might make everyone think twice.

[midas]

1 hour ago, Classic Ray said:

I think he's advocating U.K. Style road safety with far lower casualties. That necessitates effective enforcement as well as driver education.

It is simply acknowledging offenders will only learn if you hit them hard enough in the back pocket

 

Quote

A driver caught doing 41mph in a 20mph zone, or 101mph on a motorway, could be fined 150% of their weekly income.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38724301

[alanrchase]

I bet forienger pays more as well

Really? I was stopped by the highway police and didn't understand what the offence was. They talked to my wife who was not driving and gave her a ticket for staying in the right hand lane. 200 baht fine to be paid at the highway police station and a warning that she would have to attend traffic school if she had another offence within a year. Personally think the traffic school was more threat than any action.

[paulbj2]

1 hour ago, Classic Ray said:

I think he's advocating U.K. Style road safety with far lower casualties. That necessitates effective enforcement as well as driver education.

As Britain vies with Sweden and the Netherlands for the prize of safest roads in the world and Thailand is runner up

in competition for the world's most lethal roads - if Thailand did emulate Britain in matters of road safety - it would likely be a pretty massive improvement over the current endless slaughter.

[alanrchase]

As Britain vies with Sweden and the Netherlands for the prize of safest roads in the world and Thailand is runner up
in competition for the world's most lethal roads - if Thailand did emulate Britain in matters of road safety - it would likely be a pretty massive improvement over the current endless slaughter.

How can you compare the UK with Thailand when the makeup of the vehicles on the road is so different? Motorcycles are obviously more dangerous than cars. 80% of fatalities in Thailand involve motorcycles. Agree more needs to be done here but it is apples and oranges.

[StevieAus]

6 hours ago, Mister Fixit said:

'Besides, said the cops there is "discretion" from one district to another in how much a speeding motorist has to pay.'

 

And that's the problem - no structured national fines system like the UK where it is all laid out in black and white exactly what the fine is dependent on the speed, within what limit, etc etc 

 

Nor does there seem to be a points deducted from licence system which is a great incentive so as not to lose your licence,.  

 

Here's a further inconsistency to consider, my Thai wife and I along with her brother recently made a 1000km Plus trip to the south from Chiang. Mail with her brother doing nearly all the driving

On our return I received a speeding fine by mail albeit a small one for exceeding the speed limit by 5kms per hour

The issue was that I wasn't driving as we could clearly identify where the offence occurred.

It wasn't particularly an issue for me as stated above no points were involved however the police advised that with speed cameras it is the owner of the car who is fined not the driver

Try to work that one out for logic!

 

[alanrchase]

Here's a further inconsistency to consider, my Thai wife and I along with her brother recently made a 1000km Plus trip to the south from Chiang. Mail with her brother doing nearly all the driving
On our return I received a speeding fine by mail albeit a small one for exceeding the speed limit by 5kms per hour
The issue was that I wasn't driving as we could clearly identify where the offence occurred.
It wasn't particularly an issue for me as stated above no points were involved however the police advised that with speed cameras it is the owner of the car who is fined not the driver
Try to work that one out for logic!
 

That is universal. If you can prove you were not driving you can avoid a fine as long as the person that was driving pays it. Lived in a country that fined 3,000 baht for speeding. Company cars, many drivers. If you contested the fine it cost 5,000 baht for the picture of the driver.

[alocacoc]

Maybe it depends on the car you drive. The more expensive the car, the lower is the fine. Would make sense in Thai logic.

[natway09]

Sorry Stevie, It makes perfect sense to me!!!

[Happyman58]

First Thing that as to happen is to get the keystone cops off there <deleted> and go out and book some people for speeding I can see them speeding why cant they?

[Jonmarleesco]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

the cops there is "discretion" from one district to another in how much a speeding motorist has to pay.

Just as there is discretion in every aspect of Thai law enforcement.

[wakeupplease]

16 minutes ago, alocacoc said:

Maybe it depends on the car you drive. The more expensive the car, the lower is the fine. Would make sense in Thai logic.

Yes you are right as the more expensive a car is, the more chance the driver is connected, That is why you see the pick up trucks taking most of the stops as BIB know they are just farmers. My view only from observations I saw.

[JohnThailandJohn]

Wouldn't the fine be based on how much over the speed limit you were traveling vs. how fast you were going?

[masuk]

7 hours ago, Mister Fixit said:

'Besides, said the cops there is "discretion" from one district to another in how much a speeding motorist has to pay.'

 

And that's the problem - no structured national fines system like the UK where it is all laid out in black and white exactly what the fine is dependent on the speed, within what limit, etc etc 

 

Nor does there seem to be a points deducted from licence system which is a great incentive so as not to lose your licence,.  

 

Fines in Australia are rather stiff, and not only are there large increases each time your get caught (it's all computerised) but it's indexed to cost of living.

 

Last time I asked, the fine for not wearing a helmet was $300 for a first offence and indexed.

 

Then points also come off and as Mister Fixit points out, you lose your licence after two or three bouts of forgetfulness.

 

Thailand is a rather dangerous place to be driving anything other than a Sherman tank, and without realistic fines, a points system, and a police force willing to enforce traffic laws, traffic fatalities will never decrease.

Edited May 5, 2017 by masuk
typos

[Surasak]

3 hours ago, helloagain said:

I bet forienger pays more as well

Depends on who stops you. Got caught on camera doing 120kph. 200 baht and told it was dangerous. Not do again

[alanrchase]

First Thing that as to happen is to get the keystone cops off there and go out and book some people for speeding I can see them speeding why cant they?

I agree with you somewhat. Thai people however do not seem to be worried about traffic fines. If they don't pay nothing happens. Unfortunately the horse left the stable many years ago. Over 20 years of a helmet law and the population says "No".