Traffic Fines Thailand
Cheryll Witting
I was fined for speeding on highway 1 (3 tickets on the same day same highway ????) few months ago but the traffic ticket came by the post after 1 1/2 months later. So I just had about 1-2 weeks to pay the fine before it was expired. Somehow I forgot to pay the fine and its almost 3 weeks passed now.
I usually pay the fines via online banking, since the traffic ticket is expired, it cannot be done. I would like to know, does anyone gone through this? Do I have to pay an extra fine for the delayed period? or go to any police station?
Also I happened read a post about paying remaining fines at your vehicle tax renewal. Is it really possible?
In Ubon, you must deal with the cops to pay fines, the Road tax office has info about outstanding fines on their system and will point it out to go to the police station, then come back with the paid fine chit.
Incorrect. There does not seem to be a centralized system in place. Yet. My wife and I have received over 30 speeding tickets. We paid the first one. And they kept coming. We average 110-120kph on a good highway. I think that is a safe speed, and some of the speeds that they promised to change, at 90kph are dumb. We stopped paying the tickets long ago. Since then, we have renewed both our drivers licenses, and the car registration. No issues at all.
I had one; on my motorbike on the hill at Pratumnak traffic lights. I followed a couple of Thais in the 'overspill' lane and the policeman just over the brow of the hill ignored the Thais and pulled me up. An unnecessary trip to soi 9 police station and 1,000 Baht - entirely my fault.
Incorrect. There does not seem to be a centralized system in place. Yet. My wife and I have received over 30 speeding tickets. We paid the first one. And they kept coming. We average 110-120kph on a good highway. I think that is a safe speed, and some of the speeds that they promised to change, at 90kph are dumb. We stopped paying the tickets long ago. Since then, we have renewed both our drivers licenses, and the car registration. No issues at all. So, my advice is do not pay them, and do not support a silly and draconian system.
That arguably makes you a criminal for evading a fine that is properly due. Your good fortune rests solely in the fact tat Thailand has not yet managed to get it's act together with an integrated system.
maybe because anything that draws attention to yourself here can be a very bad thing and can turn around and bite you at any time. I was told by a friend who had lived here for many years, to adopt the 'grey man' persona and stay in the background of and in everything. Good advice I think.
You are right, which is why I think it is still a risk to stop at a red light as the driver behind me thinks I will not and the plan is to follow me over and might ram my backside. Never happened actually!
Paid a ticket sent to me via mail at the main post office in Pak Chong. Gave me a receipt. Village branch post office looked at me like I had three eyeballs when I asked to pay there. Why did I pay the ticket? Because it is what is required by law and I try to follow them no matter whether enforced or not. One day maybe it will be enforced to pay then the message boards will be full of complaints.
The new amendments to the traffic laws include fines increasing up to four-fold for infractions such as eschewing helmets and seatbelts, speeding and blowing through crosswalks and red lights, drag racing on the street, souping up motorbikes, reckless driving, and drink driving, with penalties for driving under the influence repeatedly increasing to up to six-figure fines and multiple years in jail.
Traffic violations, such as speeding, drunk driving, and running red lights, contribute to approximately 77.9% of these accidents. The solution appears simple: impose fines to make drivers obey traffic laws so they will not do it again. But this is easier said than done.
The inefficient process leads to infectiveness in traffic law enforcement. As a result, many offenders go unpunished, and some continue their reckless driving habits. It can be seen from the news on multiple occasions that some drivers have outstanding traffic violation fines exceeding a hundred tickets but have not paid them.
Thailand has adopted the demerit deduction system to strengthen traffic law enforcement, reduce repeated offences, and promote safe driving habits to reduce road accidents. But it has many challenges to overcome.
Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Police enforced the demerit points system for all drivers in 2023, with over 71,000 drivers having points deducted for offences like not wearing a helmet, lacking a valid annual tax sticker, and driving without a licence plate.
Consistent and strong enforcement of traffic laws is another challenge. Inconsistency only produces short-term behaviour changes during periods of intense law enforcement. Continuous and strict enforcement, meanwhile, promotes long-term safe driving habits. Measures like random inspections, speed detection cameras, and alcohol testing should also be employed to enhance enforcement.
Another difficulty in Thailand is the testing and training curriculum. It is a passive video-based training that focuses on learning about accidents in general, their causes, and relevant laws. As a result, it cannot produce real behavioural change and ethical driving attitudes. The training period is also extremely short compared to other countries.
For example, the United Kingdom targets problematic behaviours such as drunk driving or speeding. Violators receive personalised recommendations for behaviour change through interactive sessions and driving evaluations.
Writer : Saliltorn Thongmeensuk, PhD, is a research fellow, and Napat Pattarapisan, Jitlakha Sukruay, Chattrika Napatanapong and Suphawit Santadkarn are researchers at the Thailand Development Research Institute Foundation (TDRI).
Our new 5G world has made doing a lot of things much more convenient to do and that includes paying for traffic fines. We can check for traffic fines and pay them without wasting time traveling and there is also no need to carry around paper tickets. Super convenient and easy!
In the past, the Metropolitan Police Headquarters faced large crowds trying to pay their overdue traffic tickets at physical counters. Rulebreakers were unable to pay their fines as scheduled and there was also the issue of people forgetting that they have a bill to pay to start with. Therefore, an online fines payment channel has been added and is effective from 20 June 2022 onwards.
Vehicle drivers or vehicle owners know that when they have to renew their road tax, if any fine remains unpaid, they will have to clear it before getting their new road tax document. Now a similar thing happens to Motorists who refuse to pay their traffic fines in Bangkok, they could face arrest under the latest measure ordered by the Royal Thai Police, in June 2022.
The motorists are then given another 15 days to pay the fine. They have the option of paying electronically via the Krungthai Bank, through counter services at convenience stores, by mail or at police stations nationwide.
If the motorists do not respond to the two summonses, the police will ask a court to issue an arrest warrant,3 so the motorists are subject to arrest anywhere in the kingdom. If they are traveling out of the country, the police can apprehend them at the airport.
Drug and narcotic abuse have long been a distressing issue in Thailand. According to a report by Bangkok Post, during the six months from the end of 2021 to the beginning of 2022, Thai authorities seized 260 million drugs and confiscated nearly 2.4 billion baht worth of assets from drug suspects, (Bangkok Post, 2022).
The offenses related to drugs are strictly governed under several Thai laws, including the Narcotic Act and Psychotropic Substances Act. The consumption, distribution, and possession of narcotics and any additive medicines are controlled and monitored by the Thailand Office of Narcotic Boards together with other relevant authorities, such as the police.
Though drug and narcotic laws in the Kingdom have been relaxed to some extent, drug possession and trafficking may still bring about harsh penalties. Foreigners who are found guilty of drug offenses may face serious legal problems and be extradited to their home countries. It is invaluable to be aware of important aspects of drug and narcotic laws in Thailand in order to protect yourself and avoid hefty fines or imprisonment.
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