Thailand to get tough with bad drivers - starting September 20

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Thailand to get tough with bad drivers - starting September 20

Post by Gaybutton »

Riding into digital roads

New 'e-policing' plan to boost road safety and rate of fine payments

September 8, 2019

Motorists charged with irresponsible and careless driving can expect their licences to be suspended for three months, once the 2019 Road Traffic Act starts to be enforced on Sept 20.

This will be a cause for concern for motorists who are convicted of traffic violations.

Police are preparing to use a penalty point system to deal with rogue motorists and careless drivers.

The system will work in tandem with so-called "e-policing", an initiative to keep drivers' information on electronic platforms and enable police and transport officials to keep tabs on and act against wrongdoers, especially those who don't pay their traffic ticket fines.

These are the elements of the 2019 Road Traffic Act in a nutshell, according to Police Education Bureau chief Ekkarak Limsangkat.

Police nationwide will be trained on the ins and outs of the new law before Sept 20, the day the officers will be forced to abandon their long-running tradition of seizing driving licenses from traffic offenders, Pol Maj Gen Ekkarak said.

It will be among the first things police do before gradually rolling out more e-policing measures.

"We'll then enter the full electronic or digital mode as quickly as possible," Pol Maj Gen Ekkarak said. He is a member of the committee to amend the old Road Traffic Act.

The committee is under the supervision of the Royal Thai Police.

Use fear as an instrument

Not only will motorists be allowed to show their e-driving licenses on their smartphones when they are pulled over, but they will also see points deducted from their scores for bad driving behaviour.

The new punishment is stipulated in Section 161 of the Road Traffic Act.

"We'll also make it more modern by reducing the points electronically," Pol Maj Gen Ekkarak said.

If the drivers lose all of their points, authorities will suspend their driving licences for three months. If they re-commit the violations, the suspension periods will be extended, he said.

Officers are currently working on a list of traffic offences subject to the point reductions. Public hearings will be held to allow people to share their views and add offences, particularly those related to severe accidents.

Once the new act comes into effect, the police will be given 90 days to issue organic laws, including laws on the criteria for proper driving behaviour, which must be put in place by Dec 19, according to Pol Maj Gen Ekkarak.

He said the points-deduction approach is needed as only imposing fines on wrongdoers has failed to correct their driving behaviour.

"Many people still disobey the law, which causes the number of accidents to increase," Pol Maj Gen Ekkarak said.

He believes that instead of fines, the system of issuing point deductions, a concept that was taken from Japan, will be more effective in making people comply with the laws.

The system, he says, instills the fear of poor marks in drivers, because a lower driving behaviour score could lead to a license suspension.

This system, he says, will lead to a lower number of traffic accidents.

If the approach of issuing fines cannot effectively reduce the number of badly-behaved drivers, a psychological tactic directed at their worry, or fear over low points and a subsequent bad result should be applied to add teeth to the law.

Streamlined fine payments

Even the fine payments can be made more intimidating in the event that the wrongdoers neglect to pay their traffic tickets.

Section 141 (1) of the Road Traffic Act says drivers must pay the fines or see their annual car license renewals suspended.

From Oct 1, those who have not paid their fines will only receive "temporary licenses" when they try to go through the renewal process at their local land transport offices, and will be given a deadline of 30 days to clear their fines.

If the motorists do not want to have to worry about maintaining their driving licenses, they will have to pay their fines.

The punishment of delaying license renewals is simple to carry out, as violators' information collected by police is linked with the large database of automobile owners that is kept at the Department of Land Transport.

Previously, the measure had hardly been in practice because the data held by the two agencies was not completely synchronised.

The license renewal delay is specifically aimed at dealing with the high number of fine defaulters, whose violations were mostly caught by surveillance cameras.

More than 85% of motorists ignored the ticket fine payments, according to assistant national police chief Damrongsak Kittipraphat.

Last year, he said, police issued 11 million tickets, which were double the number issued a year earlier, but drivers only paid off 1.3 million of the tickets.

In the first half of this year, officers already issued 7 million tickets, but up to 5.9 million of them still went unpaid, he added.

Under the new regulations, traffic offenders can pay the money directly to their local land transport offices while renewing their driving licenses and, in the future, "they can even pay it electronically", said Pol Maj Gen Ekkarak.

However, drivers do not need to fear these punishments if they just respect the laws, he said.

Carrying e-driving licenses

The use of virtual licenses marks the start of the authorities' efforts to digitise their legal actions.

When more jobs can be done on electronic platforms, it is not necessary for police to seize driving licenses from wrongdoers, as it will burden those who are in many cases required to follow officers to pay fines and get their cards back.

Such a practice will sink into oblivion when people start carrying electronic driving licenses.

The new licenses, to be used on a mobile phone-based application developed by the Department of Land Transport, not only suit a modern lifestyle, but can also serve as a way to remind motorists to pay their traffic fines.

"They can check the number of tickets issued by police," deputy permanent secretary for transport Peraphon Thawornsupacharoen said.

He said the department will attach quick response (QR) codes to each of the new driving license cards, so owners can scan them and make the e-licenses themselves on their smart phones.

Current driving license card holders can also ask for the QR codes at land transport offices countrywide, he added.

Keeping cops in check

Atiluck Kuanhaveth, 28, who has been riding and driving for 10 years, said he agrees with the move against fine defaulters, but suggested the police must also be kept in check.

The image of traffic police has long been tarnished by some dishonest officers, so he is not completely confident that the law will always be enforced in a fair manner.

They may not enforce the law as much on powerful people, and are also prone to abuses of power and committing other types of misconduct, Mr Atiluck said.

"What will happen if these corrupt practices still exist when the digital score deductions are applied?" Mr Atiluck asked.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/sp ... ital-roads
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Re: Thailand to get tough with bad drivers - starting September 20

Post by Dodger »

Bangkok Post:
More than 85% of motorists ignored the ticket fine payments, according to assistant national police chief Damrongsak Kittipraphat.

Last year, he said, police issued 11 million tickets, which were double the number issued a year earlier, but drivers only paid off 1.3 million of the tickets.
Here we go again!

People who receive traffic tickets (versus paying the BIB cash on the spot) have to pay the ticket at a local police station before the police will give them their drivers license back. Does anyone actually believe that 85% of the traffic violators ignored the tickets and forfeited their licenses? Or, does it make more sense that 85% of the revenue collected by the BIB simply vanished and never made it on the books? Before you answer that, remember This is Thailand.

The violation which clearly contributes the most to road accidents and fatalities in Thailand is "Reckless Driving", which the BIB simply ignore unless there is an accident involved (reactive) or a driver is caught speeding at one of the BIB road blocks. With these exceptions The BIB rarely (if ever) ticket drivers for reckless driving.

If what I am saying is anywhere close to being correct, the new "point system" will not reduce road accidents, nor will it make crazy drivers more responsible as planned. If the BIB were actually observing drivers on a day-to-day basis, the same way we all do, and started issuing reckless driving tickets when warranted, I could see this helping. Of course having any fine money paid to the police actually making it to the books would be a nice touch as well.
Up2u

Re: Thailand to get tough with bad drivers - starting September 20

Post by Up2u »

Somewhat relevant. I just got a ticket today at Sukumvit making the right turn on to Thepprasit. There were cars in front of me all waiting for the red light to change. After the traffic completed on Thepprasit completed their right turn on to Sukumvit going south, everyone one moved forward into the intersection(including me, motorbikes and the cars in front of me) with the cross hatched markings. Light changes, and all of us pulled over by the BiB. Citations issued and license surrendered. End of story.
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Re: Thailand to get tough with bad drivers - starting September 20

Post by Gaybutton »

Up2u wrote: Sun Sep 08, 2019 4:45 pm End of story.
Not quite the end just yet. Were you told why you were pulled over for having done the same thing everybody does and has been doing all the time? I didn't even know that is illegal.

I could see it if the cops were pulling people over for creating that illegal third lane, which also happens all the time, but it seems to me in your case today was line-the-pockets day for certain BiB.
Up2u

Re: Thailand to get tough with bad drivers - starting September 20

Post by Up2u »

Gaybutton wrote: Sun Sep 08, 2019 5:34 pm
Up2u wrote: Sun Sep 08, 2019 4:45 pm End of story.
Not quite the end just yet.
My bf was adamant I was in the wrong. In the future I will stay out of the cross hatched zone even though everyone else doesn't. If someone honks their horn behind me to move forward I will ignore them. They even pulled over the motorbikes which surprised me.
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Re: Thailand to get tough with bad drivers - starting September 20

Post by Gaybutton »

Up2u wrote: Sun Sep 08, 2019 8:16 pm They even pulled over the motorbikes which surprised me.
That doesn't surprise me. Motorbikes are what they do most often pull over, usually if the driver is not wearing a helmet.

While technically you may have been in the wrong, just about anybody who drives in Pattaya has also been in the wrong - a great many times for a great many years. But this is the first time I've ever heard of anyone being pulled over at that intersection for that violation (which I did not know is a violation). I've done exactly the same thing a million times, with police watching, and nobody, including me, was ever pulled over.

With the citation, how much did they stick you for?

I can't help the feeling there was much more to it than the police all of a sudden deciding this is a significant danger that has to be dealt with and punished. If they were being fair about it, instead of issuing citations to everybody, instead they should have spent a couple weeks issuing warnings.

Many years ago, while I was still a teenager, there was a street in my area that was always a two-way street. One day, all of a sudden they changed it to a one-way street. Nobody had any idea they were doing that and nobody knew why either. There was a police officer issuing citations to every car he could stop. One man took it to traffic court, explained to the judge that the street had always been a two-way street, that it was changed to a one-way street with no prior notice, and instead of dishing out tickets the cop should have been issuing warnings.

The judge agreed. He not only quashed that man's ticket, but also voided every ticket issued that day for the same violation. He also angrily advised the cop that he is supposed to be out there helping people, and instead he was doing just the opposite.

That's what the police here ought to have been doing, but as far as I know there is no way available to even dispute traffic citations. As far as I know, at least in Pattaya, it's pay up or you don't get your license back. And if this point system idea goes through, it would have cost you points.

In other words, I think you and everybody else trying to drive there were treated unfairly - and there's nothing you can do about it. Even if I'm wrong and traffic citations can be disputed, you can bet that all it will get you in Thailand is the usual "the law is the law."
Jun

Re: Thailand to get tough with bad drivers - starting September 20

Post by Jun »

Gaybutton wrote: Sun Sep 08, 2019 9:00 pmThe judge agreed. He not only quashed that man's ticket, but also voided every ticket issued that day for the same violation. He also angrily advised the cop that he is supposed to be out there helping people, and instead he was doing just the opposite.
The world needs more judges like that !
Up2u

Re: Thailand to get tough with bad drivers - starting September 20

Post by Up2u »

My fine was 400 baht and I am now holding my driver's license. The police station is well organized, press number 1 on dispenser, get your number and take a seat until called. I was out in 20 minutes.
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Re: Thailand to get tough with bad drivers - starting September 20

Post by Gaybutton »

Along with a point deduction system, the article fails to mention whether fines will also still be assessed. Assuming fines will continue to be assessed, why do I think some may find certain ways to avoid point deduction . . . ?
_______________________________________________________________

Driving license point deduction system to be introduced in mid-December

October 8, 2019

A point deduction system, designed to improve the discipline of drivers, is tentatively scheduled to be introduced for motorists and motorcyclists in mid-December. It is hoped that the system will help to reduce road fatalities and injuries each year by 2,000-4,000.

Pol Col Aekkarach Limsangkart, deputy commander of Highways Police Command, explained that each licenced driver will be given a maximum of 12 points. Each time the driver commits a traffic law violation, points will be electronically deducted. When there are no points left, the driver’s license will be suspended for 90 days, after which the driver or motorcyclist will have to undergo training administered by the Land Transport Department to get their licence topped up with another 12 points. Those who refuse to attend the training, however, will have their licence returned, but with only 8 points.

Points to be deducted differ, depending on the offence. Offences are divided into four categories:

One point deduction is applied for the following offences: using a cell-phone while driving; exceeding the speed limit; not wearing crash helmets for motorcyclists; not wearing seat belts; not giving way to emergency vehicles, riding on the sidewalk and not stopping for pedestrians on zebra crossings.

Two points deduction is applied for the following offences: running a red light; driving on the wrong side of the road; reckless driving; driving while his/her license is suspended and drunk driving.

Three points deduction is applied for the following offences: organizing or promoting street racing without permission; hit-and run; driving while under the influence of narcotics; driving while under the influence of alcohol exceeding 150mg/ml.

Four points deduction is applied for the following offences: driving under the influence of alcohol exceeding 200mg/ml; drunk driving in a way which may cause serious injuries or death to the other people; driving in a manner disregarding the safety of the other people or causing trouble to other people.

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/driving-li ... -december/
Jun

Re: Thailand to get tough with bad drivers - starting September 20

Post by Jun »

Earlier this year, I took a bus ride in Isaan and on the same piece of dual carriageway, we encountered 5 police check points in 1 hour.

Now the driving on this road was relatively sensible and there is almost zero chance of the police catching any bad driving, since they had cones to force all the traffic into one lane, so everyone had to slow down before reaching the police.

I presume this is an easy way to collect revenue for all sorts of trivial reasons, but does absolutely nothing to improve road safety. The first thing Thailand needs is a crackdown on the police.
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