Govt mulls mandatory GPS/trackers for all cars and motorcycles

[buksida]

The government may soon require all vehicles on the road, including private cars and motorcycles, to install tracker devices and send location data to the authorities, a minister said Monday.

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said citizens must bear the cost of GPS devices and sacrifice some levels of privacy in order to keep the roads safe if the measure is approved. He said the policy would help reduce speeding and crack down on driving without proper licenses.

“If we could install GPS on all types of vehicles, we would be able to regulate every vehicle on the roads,” Saksayam told reporters. “Thailand would be the first in the world to do so.”

He continued, “Nothing is free, but we are weighing the benefits that [the new measure] could bring. I’ll consult with the Ministry of Industry within this month.”

The minister said the GPS devices would send relevant data, including vehicles’ location and speed, to a central server stored at the Department of Land Transport.

If the measure is enacted, motorists would be forced to pay up to 3,000 baht for a tracker device and an additional monthly fee of 300 baht, he said.

When a reporter asked whether privacy should also be considered, Saksayam replied, “We have to see what consequences from installing GPS might be. There could be a lot of benefits. At least, there would be fewer crimes, such as car theft. Regulating speed via GPS might also reduce accidents.”

He said public opinion would be solicited for the idea, which could take at least six months before it becomes a ministerial regulation. Saksayam added that he believed the tradeoff is worth it.

“I concede that some issues may affect civil rights, but it won’t cause much damage to them,” the minister said. “And it can lead to a reduction of accidents and losses.”

Public transport such as buses and vans are already required to have GPS devices onboard, but some operators said they could not afford to pay for the trackers.

Source: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crim ... vate-cars/

[HHTel]

The mind boggles.

Get the police off their fat ar**s and do some policing and enforce the laws. The laws are adequate but currently mean nothing.

[pitsch]

It seems that the ministries are in competition who will have the silliest ideas

[buksida]

This one really does take the biscuit. Maybe they're going to take the 300 baht monthly charge and use it to pay the police to do their jobs properly and actually patrol the roads to make them safer.

[PeteC]

This idea will never see the light of day. 3,000 Baht and 300 per month would bankrupt most of the motorcycle driving population, or at least take food out of their kid's mouths given the slave wages many still earn.

I don't expect to see this idea in the news again, except perhaps a note saying it has been scrapped.

All these new ministers have to come up with something to make their presence known, even if the idea is totally cockamamie (look it up )

[handdrummer]

Why not implant a monitoring device in each human? Then we could be tracked every moment of our lives.

[Big Boy]

Don't worry, imagine the IT system to handle that much traffic (pun intended). They can't do something simple like providing something like 90 day reporting or TM30 management properly. 'Thai' technology is centuries away for something like this.

[laphanphon]

That 500 baht Thai social security won't be buying much food.....

Can't see that one going over very well or making it pass committee. Thankfully I won't live long enough, when they finally get around to chipping all people.....hopefully.

[buksida]

There are some gems in this piece ...

His latest brainchild has triggered perhaps the greatest resistance.

Last Monday, Mr Saksayam announced he is considering whether to require all privately owned vehicles, including motorcycles, to install GPS devices that can be tracked by authorities.
...
The transport ministry estimates that each GPS device will cost about 10,000 baht, with motorists also required to pay annual maintenance costs of between 3,000 and 6,000 baht.

The ministry is studying how it can help motorists with the costs. "We still have many factors to think about, including ways to install the devices and how we can help people," he said.
...
One option to serve this purpose is "Intelligent Speed Adaptation" (ISA) equipment, Mr Titipat said.

The technology connects with a computer network to monitor speed limits in different areas in order to control driving speeds.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/sp ... our-roads-


can you just imagine the carnage with a Thai government website and computer network trying to control the traffic here ... it takes two days to book a room in a national park, over a month to register for an ID to report alien whereabouts, and the e-visa website is on another level ...

[hhinner]

I wonder how long it will take to produce speed limit mappings to use with this system, when you consider how speed limits are actually posted. In the space of 100 meters you can have 3 different speed limits (khlong road, Khao Noi), showing 60, then 45, then 30. The 30 limit isn't changed until Bo Fai, and is never observed. Even on Petchkasem there's the flashy new gantry, near B-Quik, showing 50 limit and how fast you're going, and then about 100 or 200 meters later there's 60 limit signs painted on the road surface, shortly followed by another 50 sign.

[HHTel]

I think we all know that this is never gonna happen. Nuff said!