Just now, LammyTS1 said:

Thanks for sharing the traffic laws.

I notice though that these laws apply to all vehicles.
It does not specify motorcycles, just that all vehicles must keep to the left lane.


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That seems so to me too !!! 

 

And it is possible you get away with showing this law ... and I would still show it in English - to confuse them !!!

 

So YES - also cars and busses and trucks are supposed to drive as left as possible ... 

 

Good to see that that works on the freeways ... 

14 minutes ago, howard ashoul said:

Yeah, but Im living in south Thailand. Where cop's english starts and ends with "Oh, Herro farang".

Don't bother - a good cop should have his Thai law in his pocket ... at least one of them ... if not - stay on your English version !!! That is the one that you can read and understand and argue upon ... you can't argue on a Thai Law book that you can't read. But you can stand your ground with this copy. 

... print two of the law translations and give him one to start learning English !!! Which City are you in ?? Phuket ??? 

Did you drive all the way up to Bangkok with your bike ???

10 minutes ago, HEKA01 said:

Don't bother - a good cop should have his Thai law in his pocket ... at least one of them ... if not - stay on your English version !!! That is the one that you can read and understand and argue upon ... you can't argue on a Thai Law book that you can't read. But you can stand your ground with this copy. 

... print two of the law translations and give him one to start learning English !!! Which City are you in ?? Phuket ??? 

Did you drive all the way up to Bangkok with your bike ???

*north Thailand

 

Sakon Nakhon. Yep, I drove 700 Km to Bangkok.

At Saturday Im going back.

2 minutes ago, howard ashoul said:

*north Thailand

 

Sakon Nakhon. Yep, I drove 700 Km to Bangkok.

At Saturday Im going back.

... then I am wishing you a safe and comfortable trip back home on Saturday.

Yes, scooters/motorbikes are to stay in the slow lane. Not only the slow lane but the extreme

left of that lane. That is why I scratch my head when expats complain about scooters and the undercut.

That is what they are supposed to do.

The policemen even don't understand this law themselves and nobody at all knows that other vehicles also have to keep left.

 

A while ago i was stopped for not keeping left. I told him it's impossible to drive there since all taxi's stand there, mototaxi's drive against traffic, the bus stops all the time, cars stop....He agreed with me and let me go. 

 

3 hours ago, HEKA01 said:

... and by the way - 

This was the situation I was running into - 6 trucks on the left lane, 8 SUVs in the middle and cars being able to drive on the right lane. 

 

That would fit SECTION 34 a. there is obstruction on the road plus d. and e. (see above !!)

It's entrapment anywhere else. Now you know.

 You should read up on the traffic laws, but the BiB do what they want,

Take care.

On 5/22/2017 at 8:07 PM, Peterw42 said:

I think there is a general "slow vehicles stay to the left" law, but its for noodle carts, tuk tuks, scooters etc. As you say, a big bike isn't exactly a slow vehicle. My wife is always telling me to move to the left lane when we are out on the bike, saying cannot be in middle lane.

You could maybe beat the system if you keep your right turn indicator on when travelling in the right lane, as in you are in that lane to turn right.

in the highway code it states all slow moving traffic should keep to the left, when i was taught to drive in the UK 40 years ago. your wife should not need to tell you to keep to the left as 1, you should know that as you were taught to drive in europe and 2.your get killed in the faster lane here in Thailand.

Traffic rules don't consider real ( bigger ) bikes in this country, as a number of bridges, underpasses or highways are banned for them.

Feel like 3rd class people on a 1st class bike, mxxxxx

Strange, that rules seems not to be applied in Chiang Mai, nor is the rule about bikes not using flyovers

 

12 hours ago, HEKA01 said:

I had the same trouble - I was in lane 3 and got stopped with my "big" bike (PCX 150) ... ;-)
My arguments that I had to turn right in around 300 meters were thrown away by the officer - I would only be allowed 30 meters before to start going right (which by the way is incorrect - as per Section 36 it is AT LEAST 60 METERS !!!).

 

So - I did not want to take that - I looked up the Thai Traffic law - and see and wow:

 

http://thailaws.com/law/t_laws/tlaw0140_5.pdf

 

SECTION 34 states it:

 

... the driver shall keep to the uttermost left-hand side lane. ... Except following situations:

 

d. when overtaking another vehicle   (OK that does not work if the road is empty !!)

e. when driving faster than vehicles in the left-hand side lane

 

I went to the police station and told them I do not agree to the ticket as per Section 34 d & e - as I was overtaking slower vehicles ... AND - I GOT THRU WITH IT ... !!!

 

Since then I do always have a printout of the above law text in my "BIG" bike. ;-)

 

I can't promise you that they will accept it - but it is worth a try !!!! 

 

 

So, does this apply to scooters and motorbikes?

 

Another poster posted about Section 35, which seems to say that certain vehicle types should (always??) drive in the left hand lane... not sure how those two sections might affect each other?

 

15 hours ago, hml367 said:

Land Traffic Act, 1979, Section 35:

14 hours ago, LammyTS1 said:

Thanks for sharing the traffic laws.

I notice though that these laws apply to all vehicles.
It does not specify motorcycles, just that all vehicles must keep to the left lane.


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Section 35 specifically mentions motorcycles keeping to the left. The problem is Thai law does not differentiate between a Honda Click and a Yamaha R1.  The law really needs updating by I dont expect that to happen anytime soon.