Scooter hire, and the Police

[Harry Palmer]

Hi

Visit HH several time and always hired a small scooter for getting around and we are there again in April.

Every visit has been the same, pulled over by the Police who always find some problem.

Mirrors, licence etc.

Is it still the same, bribe them and off you go, or have thing now tightened up with the military in charge.

95 day to go not counting though.

[STEVE G]

It seems to have got better, I've been here around a month now and haven't been stopped at all, either with the car or scooter.

[NOKYAI]

The 'Tea Money' collectors are less, but they still have roadblocks and are now keener on Drink driving, especially around the holidays. Ferangs are still targeted as the poor Thais haven't got the money to pay, so they are let through with no lights, tax, insurance, driving licence etc.

[Dannie Boy]

I passed through the regular police checkpoint going south just opposite Market Village this morning and they were mainly targeting bike riders with no helmets and didn't seem to be differentiating between Thais or Westerners.

[usual suspect]

The police can almost be certain that tourists do NOT have the correct documentation to ride a scooter etc on the Thai roads..Very few will actually have a thai driving permit/card, very few will have taken the trouble to get an 'international licence' before leaving their home country, but mainly very few tourists (& including myself) do not know what paperwork
a (let's say) 2 week visitor needs to carry with them to be above the law at these checkpoints..?

As a final note..tourists do not help themselves by riding on the main roads wearing just speedo's/bikinis & beach footwear..cover up..you're not in Majorca now!

[buksida]

Tourist towns such as Hua Hin are magnets for cops looking for easy pickings so you're more likely to be pulled over there than elsewhere in Thailand.

[Big Boy]

But they make it so easy for the police. No helmet and no licence. OK, this applies to many Thais also, but as said further up the page, the tourist is more likely to have the cash to pay.

While this remains a lucrative business, the police don't have to worry too much about real policing. I have little sympathy for those driving illegally.

[STEVE G]

Tourist towns such as Hua Hin are magnets for cops looking for easy pickings so you're more likely to be pulled over there than elsewhere in Thailand.

Personally, I've never had a problem driving around Hua Hin, I've been hassled far more either driving around Bangkok or on the highways up into Issan.

[buksida]

I have the total opposite experience.

[Big Boy]

Tourist towns such as Hua Hin are magnets for cops looking for easy pickings so you're more likely to be pulled over there than elsewhere in Thailand.

Personally, I've never had a problem driving around Hua Hin, I've been hassled far more either driving around Bangkok or on the highways up into Issan.

Steve

buksi, when you say that you've had 'the total opposite experience', do you mean they stop you and made up fictitious stories about your driving/riding, or do you mean you've been stopped regularly at Hua Hin road blocks? If the latter, then blame the tourist trade for being such easy pickings, and bringing the BIB out in swarms.

I've been stopped at dozens of Hua Hin road blocks, but always waved on with a salute when everything is found to be in order. Never any hint of corruption ............. yet.

[STEVE G]

I have the total opposite experience.

Yes, it's strange, I've never had a single ticket around Hua Hin in 13 years. We've been driving or riding the scooter everyday for the last month around the area basically from Cha Am, Hua Hin and as far south as Dolphin Bay and I haven't been stopped once.

[buksida]

buksi, when you say that you've had 'the total opposite experience', do you mean they stop you and made up fictitious stories about your driving/riding, or do you mean you've been stopped regularly at Hua Hin road blocks?

I mean that over the years, having covered thousands of kilometers driving and riding all over Thailand, I've been stopped more in Hua Hin than anywhere else. I've also observed more police in Hua Hin than any other place in Thailand.

[Big Boy]

I won't disagree with the being stopped bit, but that doesn't bother me. I'm retired, and rarely in a hurry to get anywhere. It's when they stand in front of you, and spout a load of bare faced lies that winds me up - they say them as though they believe them. Thankfully, that's never happened to me in Hua Hin.

Since the new traffic regulation on stopping vehicles, my experience has been road blocks are few and far between.

[HHTel]

The police can almost be certain that tourists do NOT have the correct documentation to ride a scooter etc on the Thai roads..Very few will actually have a thai driving permit/card, very few will have taken the trouble to get an 'international licence' before leaving their home country, but mainly very few tourists (& including myself) do not know what paperwork
a (let's say) 2 week visitor needs to carry with them to be above the law at these checkpoints..?

As a final note..tourists do not help themselves by riding on the main roads wearing just speedo's/bikinis & beach footwear..cover up..you're not in Majorca now!

A licence from your own country (well most) is valid as long as it has a photo and is in English or is with an English translation. Plus of course licenced to ride a m/cycle.

I've been here 14 years and the number of times I've been pulled over can be counted on one hand and I've never had to pay 'tea money'

[Big Boy]

HHTel, I know you keep telling people this, and you've convinced us you're right. However, you normally also tell us the police don't know the law.

Just think of the scenario, green holidaymaker, taking your advice, gets stopped at a roadside check. Is he really going to win that argument without spending a lot of valuable holiday time discussing Thai law with a BIB whose English is not so good, and doesn't want to lose face?

By all means, don't bother with a Thai licence, but get an International Driving Permit if you are entitled (most holiday makers are not eligible to drive a motor cycle in their own country anyway). If it only costs £5 or £6 to be belt and braces, why bother with arguing to save 200 Baht each time you're stopped?