What to do when pulled over by the police?
What to do when pulled over by the police?
Coming to HH for a month and plan on renting a car. I hear horror stories of people being subjected to forced payment of "fines" when being pulled over by the police. Please advise what I should do if pulled over.
Thanks you lucky locals you.
Exbrit
Thanks you lucky locals you.
Exbrit
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It also depends a lot on where you drive; I've never been stopped for money around Hua Hin, Cha Am or the area to the South as far as Prachup Khiri Khan.
However, if you drive in the Bangkok metropolitan area it happens quite often although the ring road around the South and East is not so bad.
If you drive in Issan you get stopped all the time at road blocks, but they're normally looking for other things and just check you're license and let you go on.
If I get stopped I smile in a polite fashion and then let my Thai partner talk to them, and if they can get money out of her easily, good-luck to them!
Whatever you do, don't open a wallet full of thousand baht notes in front of them, it's better to keep some small money handy in the car.
However, if you drive in the Bangkok metropolitan area it happens quite often although the ring road around the South and East is not so bad.
If you drive in Issan you get stopped all the time at road blocks, but they're normally looking for other things and just check you're license and let you go on.
If I get stopped I smile in a polite fashion and then let my Thai partner talk to them, and if they can get money out of her easily, good-luck to them!
Whatever you do, don't open a wallet full of thousand baht notes in front of them, it's better to keep some small money handy in the car.
There was a big rant about this in the Post the other day:
http://bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/ ... corruption
Unfortunately the police are going to continue fleecing people until the government weed out the bad ones (all of them) and starts paying them a decent salary.
Only been stopped once driving in HH and yes, handed over the bribe as it beats farting around at the station and wasting 2 hours of your day.
http://bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/ ... corruption
Unfortunately the police are going to continue fleecing people until the government weed out the bad ones (all of them) and starts paying them a decent salary.
Only been stopped once driving in HH and yes, handed over the bribe as it beats farting around at the station and wasting 2 hours of your day.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
To add to what Steve has said, it also depends on what you drive, and how you drive. Pickups are targeted more than a standard sedan, as are motorcyclists.
If you try drive like a local (beat the red lights, drive on the wrong side of the road, not wear a helmet) you'll be singled out.
Don't drink and drive either. They are very serious with offenders these days.
For sure, the locals are picked up too. I hear this a lot of time at work from local colleagues.
As long as you plan your drive, drive safely and have a valid licence to drive here (don't forget insurance!) you should be okay.
The last time I got picked up I was a little over the speed limit and knew I got caught (radar detector went off during overtaking maneuver) but by being nice I just got off with a warning.
If you try drive like a local (beat the red lights, drive on the wrong side of the road, not wear a helmet) you'll be singled out.
Don't drink and drive either. They are very serious with offenders these days.
For sure, the locals are picked up too. I hear this a lot of time at work from local colleagues.
As long as you plan your drive, drive safely and have a valid licence to drive here (don't forget insurance!) you should be okay.
The last time I got picked up I was a little over the speed limit and knew I got caught (radar detector went off during overtaking maneuver) but by being nice I just got off with a warning.
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I was travelling from Hua Hin to Phuket when we were stopped at a road block, the driver who lives in Hua Hin and can speak Thai just act dumb and pretended not to understand the officer, after a couple of minutes we were just waved on.
In my time of dying all want for you to do is take my body home..... so I can die easy
What was that movie where they sneaked up behind a parked police cruiser, attached an anchored cable to the rear axle, then gave them the bird while driving by to entice them to chase. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Earlier today, a friend was riding me into town. We took an innocuous soi off Petchkasem and got stopped.
It was all pretty friendly. The copper was ticketing a Thai without a helmet and when it was our turn, my friend was asked for his license (he had a helmet on. We were stopped just for being farang). He handed over "an international one" (I was later told it was just European). It didn't have the motorcycle symbol on it. Also there was no tax sticker displayed.
When the copper heard that we were both from HH and had been here rather a while, he instantly lightened up and my friend said he was in a hurry and didn't have time for a ticket. "Here's 200 THB, please take it".
Everything was in good humour and I promise that the copper gave both of us a wai as we rode away.
It was all pretty friendly. The copper was ticketing a Thai without a helmet and when it was our turn, my friend was asked for his license (he had a helmet on. We were stopped just for being farang). He handed over "an international one" (I was later told it was just European). It didn't have the motorcycle symbol on it. Also there was no tax sticker displayed.
When the copper heard that we were both from HH and had been here rather a while, he instantly lightened up and my friend said he was in a hurry and didn't have time for a ticket. "Here's 200 THB, please take it".
Everything was in good humour and I promise that the copper gave both of us a wai as we rode away.
Wow, am I a sucker! I've been stopped twice (in 5 years) in Hua Hin and had to pay 400 baht each time and that amount was requested each time by the copper, not 200.
Granted, once was legit because I wasn't wearing my seat belt, the other one was questionable as I stopped at a red light and the nose of my car was just into the striped pedestrian crossing (didn't realize the light was red because the 5 meter tall tourist bus in front of me blocking my view of the light ran it and I had to stop fast once I was able to see the light).
Granted, once was legit because I wasn't wearing my seat belt, the other one was questionable as I stopped at a red light and the nose of my car was just into the striped pedestrian crossing (didn't realize the light was red because the 5 meter tall tourist bus in front of me blocking my view of the light ran it and I had to stop fast once I was able to see the light).
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
I was done for 400 on Petch Road in April. Pulled into a random block, and had cleverly left my drivers licence at home. It's a fair cop (but annoying). As everyone says, just smile and get on with it. And remember how cheap the petrol is. The BIB are last thing to worry about when drinving in LOS!!
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