I removed my fog lights after I saw someone post they got hit with a 400 baht fine months ago........I dont like to drive at night

Smart replies aside, we were used to years ago being stopped because we were the obvious people top stop as we had money. Now it would seem that they are stopping for spurious reasons and with the advent of credit card payments and payments elsewhere for fines then one wonders if they will then start to lose licences they hold pending payment as another way to garner an income.

Acting information regarding traffic laws being enforced incorrectly would leave one never to actually drive or own a vehicle here .
My first port of call is the Tourist police , then the Department of Land Transport ( Kohn Kaen ) road to ascertain that the fact they endorsed and checked the vehicle some 14 years ago was legal . If it was and the lights so fitted are actually legal then I will seek audience with police themselves.
This is not going to go away, If I am wrong so be it I will remove said lights, but if I am right then not only will I not remove them I will replace them with ones that work as well.

Wife got a radar speeding ticket mailed to us the other week. Looked just like what we get in North America, picture of the truck with license plate clearly visible. They are getting with the times. Fine was 500 baht, also stated if not paid will not be able to renew registration. Mailed it off right away, just got a receipt for payment the other day.

Ok upshot is that the lights are legal but also illegal depending on who you speak to. However the Inspector Traffic Udon Thani Police Station understood my concern that in essence as it was daylight and they did not measure the offending lights, they actually had no-way of assuming they were illegal and therefore fining something with a comment it is Thai law is also wrong and illegal, when it states quite clearly that Spotlights and Fog lights are legal as long as the conditions are applied and also as since fitted the Land department PASSES MY CAR EVERY YEAR , THEY MUST BE LEGAL.

As usual the dear old compromise came into play but he did state he would advise officers to ensure they fined people correctly and legally for offence not ones just thought up on the spur of the moment. Which is really what I wanted and by showing that NOT all drivers are stupid and idiots means that the Police must be a tad more careful.
I stated that the Police have lost the respect of the Public due to their attiude and actions and to regain that , bull-=----- was not a good idea especially with farangs as you do not really know who you are talking too, and to get respect you have to earn it, not just expect it. he is happy I am happy top be vindicated I will now change the lights to smaller ones .
Below are the main criteria on top of the ones previously posted.
Lamps must be over 40 cms from the ground but NOT over 1meter 35 cms.
Light must not extend further than 7.5 metres
Quite simple really.

They did laugh when they realised that this check was done in the afternoon, how could the lights be challenged when they were not on, they laughed even more when I said they don't work either.

newtovillagelife wrote:Wife got a radar speeding ticket mailed to us the other week. Looked just like what we get in North America, picture of the truck with license plate clearly visible. They are getting with the times. Fine was 500 baht, also stated if not paid will not be able to renew registration. Mailed it off right away, just got a receipt for payment the other day.

are they shooting radar or laser?

Photo Radar Ticket.

Two speeding fines I've heard of recently - not me. A letter sent to home address. 1000 baht fine in Saraburi and 800 baht in Khon Kaen. Funny in that one said pay in seven days, but didn't arrive at the address until nearly a month after the event. I'll mention there IS some kind of system. I had a minor parking fine in Rayong, paid at the time. Some time later In Nongbualamphu when trying to pay the yearly tax, it came up on their system as NOT paid. Sorted, but just a warning that you do have to get it paid, or it can bounce back at you later.

Recently sold my CRV, bought second-hand 15 years before. It had four added spotlights on it already. For all those years, no problem, then the last time I had to do the pre tax payment check, the guys raised a query over additional lights, quoting new? law, or perhaps old one, which the army now insisted should be enforced? I just removed them, as rarely made use of them anyway.

newtovillagelife wrote:Wife got a radar speeding ticket mailed to us the other week. Looked just like what we get in North America, picture of the truck with license plate clearly visible. They are getting with the times. Fine was 500 baht, also stated if not paid will not be able to renew registration. Mailed it off right away, just got a receipt for payment the other day.

Where was the fine from Udon or elsewhere.

There are hundreds of Thai forum links to drivers who have been stopped by the police for fog lights.....most warning of a 500 Baht fine. It's not a falang thing, any more than it's a falang thing if you're stopped for speeding or running a red light or having either no or too small a red flag on an item overhanging your vehicle. You got off light!
https://www.google.co.th/webhp?sourceid ... 2%E0%B8%A2

Fine was from Khon Kaen, and it was a Photo Radar Ticket.

Fines will go to 1k
When they need extra
And that's all the time

.

Not so much traffic laws topic but just a heads up for heavy traffic and conjestion , just had a couple of local off duty BIB drop in and advised best to avoid Udon City center tomorrow as the the city is hosting thousands of teachers from all over Thailand for seminars and some sort of testing/examinations ... not sure the facts but looks like its gonna be heaving with Khun Kru and Ajarns .

Only posted as info .

DM

With a bit of luck they will get taught that the indicator lights are to let others know what you are about to do NOT what you have just done

No that is beyond their pay grades.

On the way back from Nong Khai the other day as a passenger, my Thai friend showed me the location of TWO traffic cameras capable of issuing tickets and THREE Gantries that told you what speed you should be going, it would appear the best speed to drive at is between 80-90 Kph, no more as tickets etc will be coming out of the woodwork.
After said Gantry he upped his speed to 120 but then it is his money for fines not mine .

Are the gantries in operation, as recently they seem to show "80" on all 3 lanes, and the one outside Udon has the same fixed speeds. A few months ago, it was showing your cars specific speed for the journey.

Short answer yes, but his friend who was in front showed a different speed as he was going faster, bottom line although may e stu8ck are you going top trust them I wont and will stick top my recommended speed .

Those speed cameras measure the time between the two points, eg if it's 20 minutes between both stations at the legal speed and you are under that time you are nabbed, it is not the actual speed you go under the station, thankfully I live between the stations!

Hundreds of BIB searching for Coxo ......... ready to slap a "driving too slowly" fine on him when he fails to trigger the second checkpoint in under an hour