New Thai driving licenses to bring the country up to international standards

 

Picture: Sanook

 

BANGKOK: -- Sanook reported that all drivers' licenses issued from September 4th will be the smart card variety.

 

This means they have the magnetic strip and QR code on them.

 

Old paper licenses can be exchanged for the new ones at a cheaper rate from today.

 

The old licenses are still valid but any new ones will utilize the new technology.

 

The Department of Land Transport said the move will bring Thailand up to international standards.

 

They will cost 305 baht from next month for a standard license.

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-08-15

 

The licenses may be Smart(?) but will the drivers be....

2 minutes ago, canopus1969 said:

The licenses may be Smart(?) but will the drivers be....

Farangs yes,  Thais no

1 minute ago, gummy said:

Farangs yes,  Thais no

As long as I read daily:

You can rent motorbike in Thailand without License, but drive slowly and carefully,

Stupid Police, they fined me 500 Thb because I had no helmet,

Corrupt Police, they fined me 10.000 Thb for driving under influance,

 

I disagree.

Having smart licenses is all very well, assuming of course you can get the millions of Thais who don't have a license, to be bothered to actually get one.

Yes, nice new shiny smart cards will ensure better driving. As usual, a facade solution.

31 minutes ago, webfact said:

The Department of Land Transport said the move will bring Thailand up to international standards.

Suck on it Libya.

The licenses may go up to international standards level but the drivers still remain at international disaster level.

An insulting/Thai bashing post was removed.

...yeah right!

What does it feel like to be a superintelligent, first class driver in a country of lazy idiots?

I'd like to know because that's not my experience at all. Cut the white colonialist crap please

1 hour ago, webfact said:

BANGKOK: -- Sanook reported that all drivers' licenses issued from September 4th will be the smart card variety.

 

This means they have the magnetic strip and QR code on them.

 

Old paper licenses can be exchanged for the new ones at a cheaper rate from today.

 

The old licenses are still valid but any new ones will utilize the new technology.

 

The Department of Land Transport said the move will bring Thailand up to international standards.

 

They will cost 305 baht from next month for a standard license.

 

This is not new news the 5 year Thai DL has been a smart card for about 10 years and is the only Thai DL that can be used overseas. Thais have been able to exchange their old paper licenses for the 5 year DL for the pass 10 years. You can put the 2 year temporary DL in this same catogory as being a smart card. To my knowledge a paper DL has not been issued for 11 years.

6 minutes ago, khwaibah said:

Thai DL has been a smart card for about 10 years

 

Those are with magnetic strips. QR code seems to be the latest "smart" addition.

 

1 minute ago, Dobredin Ghusputin said:

 

Those are with magnetic strips. QR code seems to be the latest "smart" addition.

 

I have had 5 DL's all smart cards with magnetic strips. All info is embedded in these strips. Unless they are putting my DNA in the strip I do not buy it. I have just returned from a 3 months visit to the USA my Thai 5 year DL was accepted with NO IDP for ID and car rentals.

26 minutes ago, khwaibah said:

 

This is not new news the 5 year Thai DL has been a smart card for about 10 years and is the only Thai DL that can be used overseas. Thais have been able to exchange their old paper licenses for the 5 year DL for the pass 10 years. You can put the 2 year temporary DL in this same catogory as being a smart card. To my knowledge a paper DL has not been issued for 11 years.

In March of this year I used my 2yr thai driver licence in the UK in fact the girl in the hire company asked if I had an overseas licence as it was less hassle than having to register on the .gov website and having to get a reference number to allow the hire company to access my driving history..

Just now, kaiyaibob said:

In March of this year I used my 2yr thai driver licence in the UK in fact the girl in the hire company asked if I had an overseas licence as it was less hassle than having to register on the .gov website and having to get a reference number to allow the hire company to access my driving history..

You got lucky as a 2 year Thai DL says TEMPORARY at the top and can not be used for international driving only the 5 year DL is accepted.

"Old paper licenses can be exchanged for the new ones at a cheaper rate from today."

    What old paper licences. I'v had the plastic credit card size type  for the last 14 years?

 

This is a sick joke, they will never be up to international standards until they have a proper driving test ON THE ROAD!

All the bling in the world won't change the horrific deaths in the world's worst place to drive (Thailand) 

 

 

An expression pops in mind..

 

 

2 hours ago, Khun Robert said:

As long as I read daily:

You can rent motorbike in Thailand without License, but drive slowly and carefully,

Stupid Police, they fined me 500 Thb because I had no helmet,

Corrupt Police, they fined me 10.000 Thb for driving under influance,

 

I disagree.

If you did ad you say then you deserved it

New smart driving licences to be valid across Asean

By The Nation

 

Photo from: teepopdriving.com

 

Thailand’s paper driving licences will be replaced with smart cards starting on September 4, the Land Transport Department has announced.

 

The new licences will be embedded with magnetic strips and QR codes to improve security to prevent frauds. 

 

“In the future, they will be compatible with apps that are designed for enhanced road safety,” department director-general Sanith Phromwong said. 

 

Names on the smart card will be spelled in both Thai and English so they could be used to drive legally in any Asean country.

 

Sanith said his department would stop issuing paper driving licences on August 15. 

 

From August 15 to September 3, applicants for driving licences will receive plastic cards without QR codes, which will be valid until their expiry date. Recipients will be able to receive the smart cards when other licences expire, are lost or become damaged. 

 

Fees for the new smart card licences will be lower as holders will not have to pay fees for photographs. Temporary driving licences will cost Bt205, reduced from the current Bt305. General driving licences will cost Bt504, down from Bt505.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30323873

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-8-15

smart licenses + dumb drivers = useless. how will this change anything? why in the world would they swap their paper licenses for this "smart" card? are they going to force them? if they are, expect another "180-degree" soon.

Edited August 15, 20178 yr by irwinfc

what are these new licenses supposed to do? The driving laws haven't changed in 38 years, motorcycles are still considered bicycles, and

as long as the police don't enforce anything that promotes safety, what's the point?

When is the Thai government going to wake up and make some kind of change?

Maybe it's time for motorcyclists to start suing the Thai government for making driving safely illegal.

Is it anything less than obvious why there are so many deaths each day, and most of them motorcyclists?

Yes motorcycles are dangerous, but those of us that come from developed countries, developed because of developed minds,

learn right from the beginning, thru traffic keep to the right, stay out of the blind spots and don't pass on the left.

The opposite of what they do here. Is it any wonder?

 

3 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

The licenses may be Smart(?) but will the drivers be....

NO

2 hours ago, cooked said:

What does it feel like to be a superintelligent, first class driver in a country of lazy idiots?

I'd like to know because that's not my experience at all. Cut the white colonialist crap please

Indeed.

Expect the usual and fanciful Eurocentric punitry.

 

a driver's license is a piece of paper, embossed to look official ; it means NOTHING to others on the road, the ones that will be killed

3 hours ago, gummy said:

Farangs yes,  Thais no

I am not so sure about this as some farangs are worse than the Thais.

That means overtime at Khao San Road...

3 hours ago, Khun Robert said:

As long as I read daily:

You can rent motorbike in Thailand without License, but drive slowly and carefully,

Stupid Police, they fined me 500 Thb because I had no helmet,

Corrupt Police, they fined me 10.000 Thb for driving under influance,

 

I disagree.

you can rent a motorbike but you cant legally drive it.  police in pattaya are starting to issue fines for not having proper dl.