Getting tough! Now potential drivers must take the test themselves

[webfact]

Getting tough! Now potential drivers must take the test themselves

 

Picture: Daily News

 

BANGKOK: -- The Land Transport department has announced stringent new measures to ensure public confidence in the driving test.

 

These include having to take the test yourself.

 

In future applicants at land transport offices will have their picture taken both at the start and finish of the five hour process all under the watchful eye of the staff, reported Daily News.

 

IDs will be double checked too.

 

Anyone found taking the test - written or practical - for someone else will find the full force of the law raining down on them, said chief of the department Sanit Phromwong yesterday.

 

Sanit was announcing a swathe of improvements to how Thais get their "temporary" licenses.

 

The new "E-exam" will have a 90% pass rate. That means a successful applicant must get 45 of the fifty questions right to pass.

 

The practical test of driving will be more closely watched too, he said.

 

Criminals preying on the public both at testing centers and online will be prosecuted.

 

And, perhaps equally importantly, he promised to go after any corrupt officials taking bribes within the department itself.

 

Extra convenience will now be available to the public by being able to get their place in he queue online or over the phone.

 

Daily News gave the 24 hour hotline number 1584 for people wishing to report nefarious activity related to the driving test.

 

Picture: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-05-30

[Tilacme]

The new "E-exam" will have a 90% pass rate. That means a successful applicant must get 45 of the fifty questions right to pass.

 

More like a 90% fail rate on that marking criteria.

[NanLaew]

18 minutes ago, webfact said:

In future applicants at land transport offices will have their picture taken both at the start and finish of the five hour process all under the watchful eye of the staff,

Your kidding me?

 

I was already aware of certain LTD offices penchant to simply take extra payments for a DL in lieu of an applicant exhibiting any innate ability to drive but their system allows total strangers to do tests for others? They have only just realized that this is a problem?

 

Thai ID cards have had this auditable picture taking trail to verify that the applicant for a new or replacement ID card is the same person picking it up for a very long time.

 

I wonder how many crap farang drivers have had a buddy get their Thai DL for them since we 'all look the same' to them?

[taichiplanet]

30 minutes ago, webfact said:

These include having to take the test yourself.

what a novel idea, maybe the rest of the world should follow suit.

[Trumpish]

Hmmm. Must take the test yourself? Now there's a revolutionary idea. I'll bet other countries will flock to Thailand to see how they managed to come up with this revelation. Still, it does rather suggest a possible reason for the extraordinary road death-toll at present.

 

90% will pass after getting 45 questions right out of 50. Hmmm. Well, bearing in mind the scores in Thai education exams, where multiple-choice questions are apparently the norm (to avoid putting too much load on teachers), I have my doubts. Most drivers I encounter on Thai roads would probably do well to get 5 or 6 right answers, judging by what I see every day. Depending on the questions of course.  "How many wheels are there on a motocy?" Might boost the pass rate a bit.

 

Anyway, no problem. 5,000 baht in the right pocket will solve all problems. It's the Thai way, honoured in tradition and deeply embedded in the culture, passed down from the top. It isn't going to change, so tut-tutting about it, and rolling one's eyes toward Heaven isn't going to achieve very much. Might as well sit back with a cold beer and watch the fun. Entertainment need not be expensive in Thailand.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Trumpish

[YetAnother]

a lot of talk; any change for renewal of existing DLs; the 5 year variety ? and these folks should limit the existing lifetime DLs to 5 years

[bheard]

Brown envelopes just got fatter.

[SiamBeast]

Wow, I didn't know that you had to take the test yourself when driving. </thailogic>

[DavisH]

Why are there no learner's licences here? Do a written test to get a learner's licence that allows you to drive in the daytime as long as accompanied by a licenced driver. Use this licence at least a year and then do the test. Fail the test then back to the learner's permit. Then a provisional licence 2 years before getting an open licence. I guess this would mean too much effort though. 

 

It's only part of the problem - poor law enforcement is the main issue. I'm sure most drivers know to indicate before changing lanes. Yet they o do it because police don't enforce their own laws. 

[Trumpish]

30 minutes ago, DavisH said:

Why are there no learner's licences here? Do a written test to get a learner's licence that allows you to drive in the daytime as long as accompanied by a licenced driver. Use this licence at least a year and then do the test. Fail the test then back to the learner's permit. Then a provisional licence 2 years before getting an open licence. I guess this would mean too much effort though. 

 

It's only part of the problem - poor law enforcement is the main issue. I'm sure most drivers know to indicate before changing lanes. Yet they o do it because police don't enforce their own laws. 

 

"It's only part of the problem - poor law enforcement is the main issue. I'm sure most drivers know to indicate before changing lanes. Yet they do it because police don't enforce their own laws."

 

Right. That hit the nail squarely on the head. The police take state money to do their jobs, and then take money from the punters not to do their jobs. And they please themselves whether they enforce any law at all. And then they have the gall to say they serve and protect the public. It's a complete farce.

 

Thainess.

[canuckamuck]

How about testing them in actual traffic. That should weed out quite a few unqualified drivers. More beneficial to public safety than the several hours of video watching now required.  I can drive, I saw the film.

[mark01]

Having recently taken the test, it is not a test of driving ability.

It is a test of endurance.

 

The practical tests very little road skills.

The theory tests ability to remember the right answers without actually understanding why they are right.

The questions are available online on Thai websites.

The difficult part is sitting the the hours of pointless videos. Zzzzzzz...

[Jonmarleesco]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Your kidding me?

 

I was already aware of certain LTD offices penchant to simply take extra payments for a DL in lieu of an applicant exhibiting any innate ability to drive but their system allows total strangers to do tests for others? They have only just realized that this is a problem?

 

Thai ID cards have had this auditable picture taking trail to verify that the applicant for a new or replacement ID card is the same person picking it up for a very long time.

 

I wonder how many crap farang drivers have had a buddy get their Thai DL for them since we 'all look the same' to them?

Crap 'farang', as in western, presumably? I doubt any western driver could come close to a crappy Thai driver. 

[Jonmarleesco]

'Anyone found taking the test - written or practical - for someone else will find the full force of the law raining down on them ...' Lucky them. Raining down? Read that as spitting.

[MichaelJohn]

More lip service to road safety.

 

Most will continue without a licence. Like poor driving, breaking the law, having no insurance etc etc has no consequence so no need to get a licence.

If you really want a licence; money under the table gets a licence.

 

Nothing will ever change.

[dcnx]

4 hours ago, SiamBeast said:

Wow, I didn't know that you had to take the test yourself when driving. </thailogic>

The netizins are going to be outraged!

[oxo1947]

1 hour ago, mark01 said:

The difficult part is sitting the the hours of pointless videos. Zzzzzzz...

Yes up in the sticks.....Udon Thani......I had to sit a cut down test just to renew my licence ---watch the Video/answer the written questions/take the eyesight & colour test/ take response test...(how long it takes you you brake ) took most of the day...... no driving

[YetAnother]

is it true that the videos are all in thai ?

if so, then people must think that only thais drive

[YetAnother]

they have to take their own tests ?! ===> UNFAIR

[bamukloy]

13 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

is it true that the videos are all in thai ?

if so, then people must think that only thais drive

So what country would have drivers test written in several languages? 

If you in that country its expected you can speak read and write the language.

If you think about it, if cant read or speak Thai, you cant even read road warnings,directions etc.

 

And then if you in an accident cant even communicate to others or police..then wonder why you get the short end of stick!

 

Imagine the uproar in your country, if some guy run into you and babbles on in Swali language and speak zero english 

[Laughing Gravy]

26 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

is it true that the videos are all in thai ?

if so, then people must think that only thais drive

English subtitles. But when taking mine this year most of the Thais were ion their phones, 2 were asleep and yet all passed.

[Ocicat]

Honest enforcement of existing laws is the only answer.Get some Alabama State troopers in and I'm sure they could clean up this ridiculus mess in no time.

[jethro69]

25 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

English subtitles. But when taking mine this year most of the Thais were ion their phones, 2 were asleep and yet all passed.

Well, same like school then. Never touch a running system!!! OK, that was ironic, b4 some one asks.

[twizzian]

Another all talk & no action proposal.

I'd rather believe 'Humpty Dumpty' was real.

[Moti24]

Might want to include parking practice in the test.  Most Thais don't park cars, they abandon them!

[wgdanson]

7 hours ago, Trumpish said:

Hmmm. Must take the test yourself? Now there's a revolutionary idea. I'll bet other countries will flock to Thailand to see how they managed to come up with this revelation. Still, it does rather suggest a possible reason for the extraordinary road death-toll at present.

 

90% will pass after getting 45 questions right out of 50. Hmmm. Well, bearing in mind the scores in Thai education exams, where multiple-choice questions are apparently the norm (to avoid putting too much load on teachers), I have my doubts. Most drivers I encounter on Thai roads would probably do well to get 5 or 6 right answers, judging by what I see every day. Depending on the questions of course.  "How many wheels are there on a motocy?" Might boost the pass rate a bit.

 

Anyway, no problem. 5,000 baht in the right pocket will solve all problems. It's the Thai way, honoured in tradition and deeply embedded in the culture, passed down from the top. It isn't going to change, so tut-tutting about it, and rolling one's eyes toward Heaven isn't going to achieve very much. Might as well sit back with a cold beer and watch the fun. Entertainment need not be expensive in Thailand.

Does it not mean that you must get 90% of the questions correct, ie 45 out of 50?

[jethro69]

1 hour ago, bamukloy said:

So what country would have drivers test written in several languages? 

 

China PDR for exemple. I know that for a fact, as I did mine in English. I don't know how many other Languages did exist, but German and Russian was among them. Most Germans I know did the test in English however because the translations were so bad that they became unusable, as a Russian air crew found out. (For the Russian translation, not the German of course)

It's almost 10 years ago I did the test there, and they had already the 90% rule, with the difference they were asking 100 questions in the test. All possible questions came somewhat close to 1500. From this number there were 100 specially for motorcycles, 100-200 for trucks, 100 for machinery like cranes a.s.o. so depending what license you went for, you still went over 1000 possible questions, and here they complain about 100 ??

OK, if you see Chinese driving, the test does not really reflect the behaviour on the streets.

[wakeupplease]

These include having to take the test yourself.

 

What the hell does that mean?

 

If its what I think it is (send a friend) no wonder the place has the worst driving record in the world

 

PS for libya its at war.

[peterpaintpot]

You do not have to take the UK test in English. There are facilities for taking it in the major languages spoken by immigrants, but not Thai.

 

I ascertained this when my Thai wife was living in England. By the way my step sons said when visiting England that the most impressive thing they noticed was traffic and the roads.

[Orton Rd]

is it still stop at white line, reverse through cones then back up into a box and 1500 baht if you can't manage that after a few tries?