QUESTION
I recently saw on a website a photo from a police station in Pattaya that listed in Thai and English how much all the major traffic fines cost. Are the fines the same in Phuket? Do police stations in Phuket also have these signs posted so people know how much the fines actually are?
– Dasha, Moscow
ANSWER
The traffic law is the same throughout the country, so all fines should be the same amount no matter where you are in the Kingdom.
The penalties for the most common violations are:
- No license plate – B400
- Running a red light – B300
- Reckless driving – B400
- Illegal U-turn – B400
- Blocking traffic – B200
- Operating an illegal vehicle – B1,000
- Parking in a non-parking area – B200
- No vehicle insurance – B600
- Driving against the flow of traffic – B200
- No helmet (Passenger & Driver) – B200
- No driver’s license – B400
- No owner’s registration – B400
- Overdue vehicle tax – B400
- Using a vehicle which makes noise louder than the prescribed limit – B1,000
Motorists should also be aware that much harsher penalties for drunk driving were introduced last year. Under the new laws, the BAC (blood-alcohol concentration) limit for professional and commercial drivers, and drivers under 24 years old, remains zero, and the legal BAC limit for all other drivers is 0.05%.
The new penalties for drunk driving are:
- Drunk driving: Up to one year imprisonment or a fine of B5,000 to B20,000 or both, and driver’s license suspended for six months.
- Drunk driving causing bodily or mental harm to others: One to five years imprisonment or a fine of B20,000 to B100,000 or both, and driver’s license suspended for up to one year.
- Drunk driving causing serious injury to others: Two to six years imprisonment or a fine of B40,000 to B120,000 or both, and driver’s license suspended for up to two years.
- Drunk driving causing death: Three to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of B60,000 to B200,000 and your driver’s license will be cancelled. Whether you will be allowed to apply for a driver’s license again during your lifetime is up to the court.
The full list of driving-related penalties, except drunk driving, can be found in Thai on our website. (Click here).
Police stations in Phuket have notices announcing these penalties posted in public view, but these signs are in Thai only. We do plan to have these penalties posted in police stations in English soon, as Phuket is a popular tourist destination.
– Lt Col Theerawat Liamsuwan, Deputy Superintendent, Traffic Police Division, Phuket City Police