Want a driving license? Just go to a driving school

[webfact 40,720]

Want a driving license? Just go to a driving school

 

Picture: Thairath

 

BANGKOK: -- New regulations mean that people who want a driving license will no longer need to be tested at a land department center.

 

All applicants need to do is go to a driving school, get a certificate and they will be behind the wheel.

 

Head of the land transport department Sanit Pornmuang said yesterday it was all part of changes to the rules for getting licenses.

 

If potential drivers can show they have completed the new more stringent training they can pick up a license from any department office, reports Thairath.

 

Drivers now need to do five hours of training instead of the previous four.

 

Sanit said that 93 private driving schools nationwide are registered with his department. Potential drivers will have to go to one of  these to complete the training.

 

But when that is done they will need to do nothing else except present the certificate from the driving school and they will get their license.

 

Another 48 driving schools are also being considered to be part of the scheme.

 

Source: Thairath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-01-16

[JerryinTH 544]

No more theory test? 

[ikke 1,832]

Soon more dead toll on Thai roads......

[Tallviking 99]

And the driving school are not in any danger of being corrupt ?

 

No checks´s and balance-system  ?

[JerryinTH 544]

Those with an existing Thai car license will have to watch the video again to get one for big bikes?

[Lammbock 791]

Corruption I see on the horizon. (Certificate for cash)

[thai3 4,945]

We all know what's on offer for a price at the official test centers if you cannot even manage the three basic maneuvers, this will only make it worse. 

[fruitman 5,150]

5 whopping hours! And there's me with my European licenses which took me 50-60 hours of driving together with an instructor in real traffic and costed me 200.000 baht. I also had to do 10 hours of theory and do an exam for that as well.

[TallGuyJohninBKK 15,581]

I suppose it's too much to wonder:

 

Is there an online list somewhere of just who and where these approved driving schools are?

 

and

 

Do any of them provide their instruction in English?

 

[dageurreotype 2,325]

Love the comments re 'opportunities for corruption/paying the school for the certificate' when it is unanimously held on this forum that 'all driver's licences are paid for anyway'. They're not. I believe this to be a very good idea. It would most certainly do away with having to explain to some jumped up test official the impossibility of reverse parking into a 6 meter space rather than the 8 meter space in a Wyllys jeep (no power steering), all the while said test official completely ignoring other participants not understanding how their little dummy roundabout should be navigated, hence the usual chaos at circles here. Having paid a Driving School would most certainly have been preferable to me way back then.

[soalbundy 13,417]

13 minutes ago, fruitman said:

5 whopping hours! And there's me with my European licenses which took me 50-60 hours of driving together with an instructor in real traffic and costed me 200.000 baht. I also had to do 10 hours of theory and do an exam for that as well.

and they still have accidents in Europe, quite amazing really.

[ezflip 1,496]

5 hours? Really? I mean, really???

 

Most Thais that I know can't even sit still for 2 hours in front of the local monks while blessing a new home... Let alone stop playing on their phone as if Facebook updates are way more important then any driving video. Especially if the video does not contain car chases, guns and crashes.

 

Ok -- end of sarcasms for the day --

[greenchair 6,732]

It's around 5,000 baht to get training at the driving school. Then students will go to the transport department to do the practical test. 100 percent passes.  I went directly to L and T for free. I cannot pass the parking test as it must be exactly within a milimeter correct by the camera finish. My first fail I was a cm out. The 2nd test I was perfect but the wheel was slightly not straight. Meanwhile many vehicles that had 2 suspicious  crosses on the rear with coloured masking tape were all passing. Let me tell you, they were nowhere near straight. And one slightly touched the barrier and still passed. Let's be honest . The criteria of a drivers license is a few thousand baht. Nothing to do with the test. 

[smedly 22,769]

41 minutes ago, Tallviking said:

And the driving school are not in any danger of being corrupt ?

 

No checks´s and balance-system  ?

to keep them right all they have to do is send in a bogus applicant with the intention of slipping them a back hander to get the certificate - then introduce stiff penalties for those caught taking a bribe - like a mandatory jail sentence and stiff fine plus revoke the operators licence - that should work

[bananafish 315]

25 minutes ago, fruitman said:

5 whopping hours! And there's me with my European licenses which took me 50-60 hours of driving together with an instructor in real traffic and costed me 200.000 baht. I also had to do 10 hours of theory and do an exam for that as well.

10 hours of theory and 60 hours of lessons? That's a lot. In the UK my theory test took about 30 minutes (okay I studied for a few hours the day before), and I did 12 hours of lessons. 

And honestly after my 2nd ever lesson I knew I was going to pass my test which was already scheduled 4 days later.