Speeding fines in Thailand

[thaibry]

 
Yes so true.. Modern Performance cars are so stable and quiet that keeping below 120 requires constant monitoring. Quick prod of the pedal and mine will spin up past 160 in a flash [emoji20]


Modern Performance cars are equipped with 'Cruise Control' to save you this anxiety.

Sent from my ASUS_Z010D using Tapatalk

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

Most modern small "A" sized mediocre hatchbacks will do 160Ks these days (MINI One, Mazda2 etc).

Most ordinary "B" sized cars, less than 20 years old will be fitted with a cruise control, ABS etc and even the diesels will accelerate from 100K/h to 140+ in only a few seconds.

What you need to consider is; is it safe to do so. Generally that is a question Thai drivers forget to ask themselves.

I've had fast motorbikes and fast cars both here and the UK.

I now prefer not to drive on Thai roads and go by train or plane. I have a "pet" taxi driver who I arrange local trips with, like the airport. MRT or BTS the rest of the time, but I'm retired now so don't need to travel very often.

[Pdaz]

9 hours ago, thaibry said:

 
Yes so true.. Modern Performance cars are so stable and quiet that keeping below 120 requires constant monitoring. Quick prod of the pedal and mine will spin up past 160 in a flash


Modern Performance cars are equipped with 'Cruise Control' to save you this anxiety.

Sent from my ASUS_Z010D using Tapatalk
 

Yeah, mine has some wonderful distronic cruise control and radar based auto braking and lane keeping features. But until somebody is able to teach Thais about braking distances and maintaining seperation between vehicles I won't be using it. As other drivers cut accross my path or insert themselves in the tiny space in front the system applies the brakes or drops out of cruise control. Really more suited to empty roads or countries who's drivers have more lane discipline. I'd rather be in control and either stay ahead or move to a lane with more stopping distance. 

Driving defensensively, being aware and adjusting my speed to suit the road conditions is better than numbly relying on auto driving aids designed for the lazy.

[Pdaz]

What all the blindly obeying safety nannies fail to remember is that road speed limits were set when most cars couldn't achieve 100 mph. They had drum brakes and crossply tires. Seat belts weren't fitted let alone compulsory.

Disc brakes, adaptive suspension, performance tires and electronic driving aids like ABS and stability control have made the vehicles far more capable than the classics of the past. Braking distances are massively reduced and due to ABS the cars can be steered under heavy braking without locking up the wheels.

Passive and active safety devices make them safer still. The weak link is poorly trained drivers and unroadworthy vehicles travelling slowly or erratically in the 'fast' lane. I'm constantly amazed to see the 'slow' lane empty and the 'fast' lane crammed with a procession of mini-buses, pick-ups and slow movers driving bl00dy Nissan almeras. If they 'kept left" the fast traffic could keep moving and there would be less frustrated drivers trying to overtake in inappropriate situations.

It all comes down to training.

 

[VocalNeal]

On 5/24/2017 at 1:50 AM, shady86 said:

157km/h is not fast on expressway.

What he said. I've been on their with a mate whose mechanic said he should stretch his old Volvo's legs a bit to give the engine a bit of a clean through. He is in his 70's and we got up to about 220 and a bit.

 

As to the OP? The traffic fines in Thailand are what they are. We are foreigners living in a foreign country. We adopt and adapt otherwise we might as well go home.

[Kwasaki]

14 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

As to the OP? The traffic fines in Thailand are what they are. We are foreigners living in a foreign country. We adopt and adapt otherwise we might as well go home.

Yeah the UK is much better.  

In the UK minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine and 3 penalty points added to your licence.

You could be disqualified from driving if you build up 12 or more penalty points within a period of 3 years.

 

If you’re still within 2 years of passing your driving test, your driving licence will be revoked (withdrawn) if you build up 6 or more penalty points. 

[burgerking]

Received three fines 2 weeks ago, one dates back as far as February, so I don't think the are sending them out in record time, was caught speeding all 3 times on the Bang Na Chonburi expressway. One thing that was strange was, only one of the fines i could pay at the bank, the other 2 fines, I had to go to the post office and get a money order, send a stamped self addressed envelope so the receipt could be posted back to me. What a major hassle that was as it's rather unclear on the fine. It has taught me to back off on the pedal now.

 

I heard that when you go to renew your license and you have outstanding fines they won't allow you to renewed your license until the fines are paid, does anyone know if there's any truth to that?      

[bangkokairportlink]

45 minutes ago, burgerking said:

Received three fines 2 weeks ago, one dates back as far as February, so I don't think the are sending them out in record time, was caught speeding all 3 times on the Bang Na Chonburi expressway. One thing that was strange was, only one of the fines i could pay at the bank, the other 2 fines, I had to go to the post office and get a money order, send a stamped self addressed envelope so the receipt could be posted back to me. What a major hassle that was as it's rather unclear on the fine. It has taught me to back off on the pedal now.

 

I heard that when you go to renew your license and you have outstanding fines they won't allow you to renewed your license until the fines are paid, does anyone know if there's any truth to that?      

 

I think it's when you want to sell the car, not when you renew the driving license ?

 

 

 

[shady86]

Received three fines 2 weeks ago, one dates back as far as February, so I don't think the are sending them out in record time, was caught speeding all 3 times on the Bang Na Chonburi expressway. One thing that was strange was, only one of the fines i could pay at the bank, the other 2 fines, I had to go to the post office and get a money order, send a stamped self addressed envelope so the receipt could be posted back to me. What a major hassle that was as it's rather unclear on the fine. It has taught me to back off on the pedal now.
 
I heard that when you go to renew your license and you have outstanding fines they won't allow you to renewed your license until the fines are paid, does anyone know if there's any truth to that?      

How fast you went? Also i noticed some places there are not speed limit sign. Does that mean you can go freely?

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[MINIMIGLIA]

3 hours ago, burgerking said:

Received three fines 2 weeks ago, one dates back as far as February, so I don't think the are sending them out in record time, was caught speeding all 3 times on the Bang Na Chonburi expressway. One thing that was strange was, only one of the fines i could pay at the bank, the other 2 fines, I had to go to the post office and get a money order, send a stamped self addressed envelope so the receipt could be posted back to me. What a major hassle that was as it's rather unclear on the fine. It has taught me to back off on the pedal now.

 

I heard that when you go to renew your license and you have outstanding fines they won't allow you to renewed your license until the fines are paid, does anyone know if there's any truth to that?      

Yes true, will not renew road tax with outstanding tickets

[Mattd]

On 2017-5-24 at 9:13 AM, Pdaz said:

I seem to get the camera fines on a Monthly basis from travelling Pattaya-Bkk-Pattaya.. Always around 1000 baht. Speeds from 125-140kph. Sometimes you just need to do that speed to overtake the lane hoggers or escape the tailgaters.. Whatever.

I'd assume that you go on the motorway, I travel this road a lot and did very recently receive 3 tickets in the post, all were differing speeds and all were only 500 Baht?

 

In answer to another poster, there are A LOT of cameras on 7 now and I do mean a lot, if you look on most of the steel gantries, you will see them, some are active, some are not, the UN 'donated' a bunch of these cameras recently, in an attempt to get to grips with road safety here.

 

AFAIK the cameras only work during the daylight.

[Pdaz]

3 minutes ago, Mattd said:

I'd assume that you go on the motorway, I travel this road a lot and did very recently receive 3 tickets in the post, all were differing speeds and all were only 500 Baht?

 

In answer to another poster, there are A LOT of cameras on 7 now and I do mean a lot, if you look on most of the steel gantries, you will see them, some are active, some are not, the UN 'donated' a bunch of these cameras recently, in an attempt to get to grips with road safety here.

 

AFAIK the cameras only work during the daylight.

My Missus paid them while I was away at work.  Just mentioned there was three.  Recently just been tagged when driving her car. Only time I've had to pay was a couple years back when the highway police had set up some tables in a tent by the Chonburi end toll booth. As you stopped at the booth barrier a cop popped up and instructed you to pull to the hard shoulder and receive a fine. That day it was 1000 baht.  As long as they never discover the demerit points concept I'm happy to pay.

[Mattd]

1 minute ago, Pdaz said:

As long as they never discover the demerit points concept I'm happy to pay.

+1 on that!

[bangkokairportlink]

2 hours ago, Mattd said:

I'd assume that you go on the motorway, I travel this road a lot and did very recently receive 3 tickets in the post, all were differing speeds and all were only 500 Baht?

 

In answer to another poster, there are A LOT of cameras on 7 now and I do mean a lot, if you look on most of the steel gantries, you will see them, some are active, some are not, the UN 'donated' a bunch of these cameras recently, in an attempt to get to grips with road safety here.

 

AFAIK the cameras only work during the daylight.

 

Hello, are you sure that they can't work at night :?

 

So it's safe ? :-)

 

 

[bangkokairportlink]

2 hours ago, Pdaz said:

My Missus paid them while I was away at work.  Just mentioned there was three.  Recently just been tagged when driving her car. Only time I've had to pay was a couple years back when the highway police had set up some tables in a tent by the Chonburi end toll booth. As you stopped at the booth barrier a cop popped up and instructed you to pull to the hard shoulder and receive a fine. That day it was 1000 baht.  As long as they never discover the demerit points concept I'm happy to pay.

 

1000 for speeding ?

 

 

[Pdaz]

1 minute ago, bangkokairportlink said:

 

1000 for speeding ?

 

 

Yep.. Three cars stopped. Me and two Thai fellas.  Honda Civic fined 500 Baht, Audi TT Quattro fined 1000 baht. Audi TTS fined 1500 baht...  All received an official receipt. Highway police very polite and friendly.

[Robert24]

I never understood the traffic fines here. I think the local police determine the amount. Honestly as long as you get them in the mail it's ok. One time I had to give my license to a policeman and later pay the fine at the police station. That's much more of a headache.

Sent from my SM-J710F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[simoh1490]

On 24/05/2017 at 1:50 AM, shady86 said:

157km/h is not fast on expressway. If you are driving a big car, I don't see any problem driving even at 200 as long as the car is under control. The fines are not fixed and depends on the officer, this is how law works here.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 

Really, you think that? If you do, I say you're dangerous and shouldn't be driving here in Thailand.

[simoh1490]

On 27/05/2017 at 8:59 AM, Pdaz said:

What all the blindly obeying safety nannies fail to remember is that road speed limits were set when most cars couldn't achieve 100 mph. They had drum brakes and crossply tires. Seat belts weren't fitted let alone compulsory.

Disc brakes, adaptive suspension, performance tires and electronic driving aids like ABS and stability control have made the vehicles far more capable than the classics of the past. Braking distances are massively reduced and due to ABS the cars can be steered under heavy braking without locking up the wheels.

Passive and active safety devices make them safer still. The weak link is poorly trained drivers and unroadworthy vehicles travelling slowly or erratically in the 'fast' lane. I'm constantly amazed to see the 'slow' lane empty and the 'fast' lane crammed with a procession of mini-buses, pick-ups and slow movers driving bl00dy Nissan almeras. If they 'kept left" the fast traffic could keep moving and there would be less frustrated drivers trying to overtake in inappropriate situations.

It all comes down to training.

 

The speed limits and safety rules are set to cater for the slowest and most careful, not for the fastest and most technically advanced! You also sound dangerous.

[Pdaz]

4 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

The speed limits and safety rules are set to cater for the slowest and most careful, not for the fastest and most technically advanced! You also sound dangerous.

Been driving for 37 years in four continents. No accidents so far if you don't count a couple of car park dents from careless door openers. I drive safely and well within the limits of the road conditions. By their nature performance cars require awareness and a modicum of skill. It is the dozy drivers chatting on their mobile or picking their nose unaware of the traffic around them who are the danger.  If the rules are for the "slowest and careful" why do they seem unable to reach 120kph in the fast lane of an otherwise uncrowded  motorway ?

"careful" is just code for unskilled and nervous.

 

BTW... You sound like an a55 :)

Edited May 30, 2017 by Pdaz

[simoh1490]

4 minutes ago, Pdaz said:

Been driving for 37 years in four continents. No accidents so far if you don't count a couple of car park dents from careless door openers. I drive safely and well within the limits of the road conditions. By their nature performance cars require awareness and a modicum of skill. It is the dozy drivers chatting on their mobile or picking their nose unaware of the traffic around them who are the danger.  If the rules are for the "slowest and careful" why do they seem unable to reach 120kph in the fast lane of an otherwise uncrowded  motorway ?

"careful" is just code for unskilled and nervous.

Speed limits of 120 kph are very much the exception, just as performance cars are the exception also, I can't think of anywhere in the North where 120 kph is posted or permissible, perhaps that's why.

[shady86]

Most of the people who think 120kph is fast either don't own a car or too scared to drive.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[Pdaz]

29 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

Speed limits of 120 kph are very much the exception, just as performance cars are the exception also, I can't think of anywhere in the North where 120 kph is posted or permissible, perhaps that's why.

As I said, I "drive to the road conditions" I'm certainly very unlikely to be doing 120kph on a rural Northern road. The problem is when the country folk who are used to empty farm tracks and doddery old trucks/cars come down to the big smoke they can't cope with the speed of or the quantity of traffic. 

[bangkokairportlink]

The problem is not to go fast, but to know how to brake. And for this, I feel a lot safer in German cars. Unfortunately they also go fast :-)

 

 

 

 

[simoh1490]

15 hours ago, Pdaz said:

As I said, I "drive to the road conditions" I'm certainly very unlikely to be doing 120kph on a rural Northern road. The problem is when the country folk who are used to empty farm tracks and doddery old trucks/cars come down to the big smoke they can't cope with the speed of or the quantity of traffic. 

As strange as it may seem we actually have highways in the North, there's a long one that runs from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, hardly a rural northern road! We also have traffic flows that are as heavy as anywhere else in the country, unfortunately so it's not as though such things are foriegn!!

 

I also have driven for over forty years without an accident and have passed driving tests and had driving tuition in the UK and the US, I hold an advanced drivers license from the UK. I also drive a "performance" vehicle, three litres of turbo charged energy, capable of 220 kph. AND I've also driven extensively around Thailand during the fifteen years I've lived here, these are my observations:

 

In a country that holds the worlds record for motorcycle deaths each year, most of them are caused by accidents involving motor vehicles, why is that. Of course many motorcycle riders are untrained and shouldn't be on the roads but that's not out shot to call, we need to live with them on the roads, live being the operative word and that involves defensive driving, not excessive speed.

 

Speeding is a serious problem here and it's not just one particular marque that's responsible, nor is it any one age group or gender, that problem is owned by certain mind sets who think they are safe, capable and who think it's OK to drive really fast. Let's face it, it's not the little old lady doing 60 that's the problem, it's the nut job who slammed into her at 140 who is. The problem with a person believing they're a good driver is that they often fail to realise that they can't always compensate for the other guy, like the motorcycle driver who drove erratically and made an utterly stupid and unpredictable manoeuvrer at the very last nano second and wasn't seen until too it was too late, may he rest in peace!  And driving to the conditions is also only a partial solution, driving conditions here are generally not bad, often heavy but not affected by things such as snow and ice. The risk is the unpredictable behaviour of other drivers and that boils down to reflex and response times, all of which increase with speed.

 

 

[Pdaz]

5 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

"driving conditions here are generally not bad, often heavy but not affected by things such as snow and ice. The risk is the unpredictable behaviour of other drivers and that boils down to reflex and response times, all of which increase with speed."

 

 

Yes I agree. And yes you are right about the guys using inappropriate speed, they pass me on the inside on an almost daily basis.

As very few of the drivers here follow any set driving norms it's very hard to predict what they will do. Erratic lane changing, changing lanes while queued at a junction without indicating, not indicating, pulling right before turning left and dozens of others. 

After a while it just becomes the norm to give other road users space and to expect the unexpected. Apart from heavy rain and greasy roads after rain they have none of the issues we face in the West of snow, ice, fog etc. But still accident rates are very high.

 

  "I also drive a "performance" vehicle, three litres of turbo charged energy, capable of 220 kph"

 

Sorry to say but a turbo diesel Pick-Up/PPV  isn't a performance vehicle. even if it can struggle to 220 kph.. Try negotiating a few corners or stopping from that speed in it...

[simoh1490]

4 minutes ago, Pdaz said:

Yes I agree. And yes you are right about the guys using inappropriate speed, they pass me on the inside on an almost daily basis.

As very few of the drivers here follow any set driving norms it's very hard to predict what they will do. Erratic lane changing, changing lanes while queued at a junction without indicating, not indicating, pulling right before turning left and dozens of others. 

After a while it just becomes the norm to give other road users space and to expect the unexpected. Apart from heavy rain and greasy roads after rain they have none of the issues we face in the West of snow, ice, fog etc. But still accident rates are very high.

 

  "I also drive a "performance" vehicle, three litres of turbo charged energy, capable of 220 kph"

 

Sorry to say but a turbo diesel Pick-Up/PPV  isn't a performance vehicle. even if it can struggle to 220 kph.. Try negotiating a few corners or stopping from that speed in it...

Mr Vigo thinks it's a performance vehicle and so do most of the locals who drive similar, that's part of the problem also. Here we've got bog standard pickups that kick out so much power, turbo charged and all yet the national speed limit is mostly only a third of what the vehicle is capable of, how crazy is that. So for anyone who drives a true performance car, something along the lines of a porsche or a lambo., I'm bound to wonder why. If I lived in Germany my views would be very different, even in the UK when I used to drive Supra's I could only very rarely drive it in the manner it was meant to be driven, driving similar in Thailand seems, well, odd really.

[Pdaz]

Just now, simoh1490 said:

Mr Vigo thinks it's a performance vehicle and so do most of the locals who drive similar, that's part of the problem also. Here we've got bog standard pickups that kick out so much power, turbo charged and all yet the national speed limit is mostly only a third of what the vehicle is capable of, how crazy is that. So for anyone who drives a true performance car, something along the lines of a porsche or a lambo., I'm bound to wonder why. If I lived in Germany my views would be very different, even in the UK when I used to drive Supra's I could only very rarely drive it in the manner it was meant to be driven, driving similar in Thailand seems, well, odd really.

Yep.. Those sound checks at the cinema showing Somchai driving his Isuzu like a rally car have a lot to answer for. Likewise Nissan, Toyota and Mitsu are all guilty of portraying their trucks as fast and "sporty" in their advertising. Yes they have 180hp ( easily modified to way more ) but don't have the brakes or stability to match. Add a brave ( stupid) and poorly trained driver and we see the result daily.

 

The reason many ( including me ) drive a performance car/luxury car here is the same as in the West. They are simply nicer to drive (I'm not including Lambos as they are impractical anywhere)  Power, when you need it, Nice interior, sharper handling, better roadholding and safer. I would never have bought a pick-up in the West but as they are the norm here I've owned a couple. Good view of the road, practical for hauling stuff but big, awkward to park and disappointing to drive. I really just couldn't face driving a truck for the rest of my life so went back to what I was used to. Both are compromised to be fair but I get far more pleasure from a sporty car and my wife has an SUV if we need to be practical.. 

[SiamBeast]

13 minutes ago, Pdaz said:

Yep.. Those sound checks at the cinema showing Somchai driving his Isuzu like a rally car have a lot to answer for. Likewise Nissan, Toyota and Mitsu are all guilty of portraying their trucks as fast and "sporty" in their advertising. Yes they have 180hp ( easily modified to way more ) but don't have the brakes or stability to match. Add a brave ( stupid) and poorly trained driver and we see the result daily.

 

The reason many ( including me ) drive a performance car/luxury car here is the same as in the West. They are simply nicer to drive (I'm not including Lambos as they are impractical anywhere)  Power, when you need it, Nice interior, sharper handling, better roadholding and safer. I would never have bought a pick-up in the West but as they are the norm here I've owned a couple. Good view of the road, practical for hauling stuff but big, awkward to park and disappointing to drive. I really just couldn't face driving a truck for the rest of my life so went back to what I was used to. Both are compromised to be fair but I get far more pleasure from a sporty car and my wife has an SUV if we need to be practical.. 

 

That's right.

 

I also drive a luxury car (Porsche) and when driving at high speeds, I practically do not feel anything. I tried the Toyota of a friend last time and above 140, the car was shaking like it was about to fall in pieces. It's not made to drive fast, and they do not have the stability & braking systems that high-end cars have. With the Porsche, I can drive at faster speeds while knowing that the car has appropriate systems in place. And that's what we expect from a car at this price point.

 

Nobody buys a luxury car like that to follow the speed limits. However with the PROPER car, proper systems, and proper experience, driving fast is easy and safe, and speed cameras only become revenue-generating machines. As for "impounding the car" for driving over 150, that's a stupid idea, because I drove many times above that and it was way safer than a Toyota at 100 km/h. The real thing is being able to adjust your speed to the conditions. If I drive a Porsche on the expressway at 01:00 a.m., do you really think that I'll set the cruise control to 100 km/h?

 

Which one is the most dangerous (forget about the law, think solely about safety)?

1) A Porsche going 160 km/h on an empty expressway with all stabilization and control systems in place.

2) A Toyota going only 120 km/h on the expressway with the wind pushing the car sideways and no stability systems.

Edited May 31, 2017 by SiamBeast

[simoh1490]

1 hour ago, SiamBeast said:

 

That's right.

 

I also drive a luxury car (Porsche) and when driving at high speeds, I practically do not feel anything. I tried the Toyota of a friend last time and above 140, the car was shaking like it was about to fall in pieces. It's not made to drive fast, and they do not have the stability & braking systems that high-end cars have. With the Porsche, I can drive at faster speeds while knowing that the car has appropriate systems in place. And that's what we expect from a car at this price point.

 

Nobody buys a luxury car like that to follow the speed limits. However with the PROPER car, proper systems, and proper experience, driving fast is easy and safe, and speed cameras only become revenue-generating machines. As for "impounding the car" for driving over 150, that's a stupid idea, because I drove many times above that and it was way safer than a Toyota at 100 km/h. The real thing is being able to adjust your speed to the conditions. If I drive a Porsche on the expressway at 01:00 a.m., do you really think that I'll set the cruise control to 100 km/h?

 

Which one is the most dangerous (forget about the law, think solely about safety)?

1) A Porsche going 160 km/h on an empty expressway with all stabilization and control systems in place.

2) A Toyota going only 120 km/h on the expressway with the wind pushing the car sideways and no stability systems.

The comparison of vehicles doesn't tell us anything, give us the profile of each driver, his age, training, background, IQ etc and then I'll tell you which vehicle is safer.

 

And if you say, same driver profile for both then my answer is the Toyota driver, simply because he's driving slower which statistically is safer.