PLTO riding clinic to provide training, licenses to Phuket students

PHUKET: Up to 350 students from five schools and colleges in Phuket will be able to obtain their first motorcycle driving licenses through a series of official riding clinics in May and June, the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) has announced.

The funding to organise the clinics has been provided by the Department of Land Transport’s Traffic Safety Foundation, which in turn is financed through the annual ’lucky’ license place auctions, explained the PLTO Chief Adcha Buachan.

The safe riding education offered by the clinics will be available to male and female students of 15 years old, which is the legal age to obtain a driving license for a personal motorcycle in Thailand.

The courses will include both theoretical and practical training sessions under the guidance of experienced instructors. The training will conclude with written exams (E-Exam) and practical driving exams conducted according to the PLTO standards for motorcycle licenses.

Those who pass the exams will receive their licenses and become eligible drivers of motorcycles for personal use. With their new licenses, students will be able to enjoy riding any motorcycles they wish as Thai law does not have any restrictions on the power of motorcycles for beginners.

The PLTO has already coordinated with five Phuket schools and colleges and allocated quotas for students who are interested in joining the clinics. The schedule of the clinics is as follows:

Class 1. Phuket Polytechnic College, 50 students, May 20;
Class 2. Werasatree Anusorn School, 50 students, May 27;
Class 3. Phuket Technical College, 100 students, June 10;
Class 4. Phuket Vocational College, 100 students, June 17;
Class 5. Phuket Ratchabhat University, 50 students, June 24.

I would like to know what function is filled when gloves are worn with the rubber grips on TOP of the hand and not underneath where such will help avoid slipping on the throttle and provide some protection to the palms in a spill.

Cap, I think that the most aggressive jerks on motorbikes are the food delivery riders. Every day they are swerving through traffic in all directions. The next worst are the tourists who think they are expert riders after 15 minutes of practice. Have to take evasive actions to avoid hitting them because they are too stupid to drive sensibly.

Frame that photo, that's the last time you will ever see them in protective gear. Once they are licensed it will be back to shorts, singlet tops and either thongs or bare feet. (NB: Not thongs as our USA friends imagine, commonly known as anal floss, but the footwear variety.)

I seriously doubt there exists a Thai person who knows what riding safely actually means, or cares about. 15 is a ridiculously low age to put your children in charge of vehicles they don't understand on roads that are chaotic at best and death traps at worst. And you wonder why your road death tolls are so high every year!

I also heard that the worst riders and biggest jerks will be offered apprenticeships to the Phuket Moto-taxi cartels...and will offer advanced training in how to best hide your weapon of choice, how to tell if you've had too much yaba, and who to summon at the PLTO when a tourist takes a video of you breaking the law.

PLTO riding clinic to provide training, licenses to Phuket students

PLTO riding clinic to provide training, licenses to Phuket students

Comment on this story

Phuket community