Issuance of driving licenses to be tightened to improve road safety

[trogers]

17 minutes ago, holdenbuckner said:

I agree it would be a bad idea for license renewal. They need to focus on initial training. My fiancé took a 10 hour course with a driving school where she could also take her driving exam. After we got her drivers license later that day she couldn't even back the car out of our parking spot. I figured she was just nervous so the plan was for her to drive with me a little bit until she got more comfortable. After a few days of nearly getting us killed And watching her make a very basic driver safety errors . So she has gone back to drivers training for another 10 hours at a different driving school to get a newly license driver proper training.

You always hear that most of the countries issues can be traced back to education or training. Wouldn't make sense that if Thailand is having such an issue with poor drivers and deadly crashes that first they look on how they trained and licensed drivers as well as the training and licensing of commercial drivers?

To be honest I get frustrated with all the requirements are government places on us. Now I realize there is probably reasons I don't even understand why they do it. But I have to say this experience with my fiancé getting her license so quickly, despite the fact that she really doesn't even know how to drive let alone park as opened my eyes.


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I was teaching my fiancee (now my wife) to drive in 1991. A month after I had started teaching her, she showed me her Thai driving license that she just got.

 

I took it and burnt it.

 

Five months later, she re-sat for her test and got her actual license.

[Don Mega]

They need to police to start doing their jobs, yesterday on the motorway I was sitting on 180km/h and  passed two police cars, I doubt they even blinked.

[maewang99]

2 hours ago, onemorechang said:

Thailand needs to teach it's children how

to behave,   then in 30 years time you may see the results.

The adults now in Thailand,   are a lost cause on the roads.

Selfish,  Dangerous , murderous  , just to mention a few.

 

 

 

they do.  they are meticulously trained and very good at memorizing stuff. 

they just need to drive slower.  

 

[Get Real]

2 hours ago, onemorechang said:

Thailand needs to teach it's children how

to behave,   then in 30 years time you may see the results.

The adults now in Thailand,   are a lost cause on the roads.

Selfish,  Dangerous , murderous  , just to mention a few.

 

 

 

I really like the way you think and your comment. I mean if the reality was that simple, wow!

Like you state it here it could only be children teaching children, or am I wrong? Just because the adults in Thailand now, the teachers in this case, are a lost cause.
How are people that´s already a lost cause gonna be able to create any change anything more than to a more negative factor?

You know, I know what you mean. The period of time and what has to happen is totally correct. It´s just that the great plan already fell before it jump up the first step.

[debate101]

We'd be erroneous to ascribe purely altruistic motives to this new program as if the decision makers actually cared about the welfare of the public. The question, then, is who profits?

[worgeordie]

Until new drivers take the test on the roads,to show they can

drive in everyday conditions,cannot see any change,sit in an

office looking at videos,been able to parallel park,hill start,

and 3 point turn,in the test area,should not mean you are

capable of driving on the road with other traffic.

regards worgeordie

[smedly]

Driving lessons - written tests and practical tests give people a basic foundation for driving on public roads, after that it is about behavior, common sense, abiding by the rules and being punished when you don't, most people from the west go through practical training and tests before they get a driving licence, they are then subject to proper law enforcement making sure they abide by the rules and are punished when they don't. Driving safely is ultimately down to the person in control of the vehicle, you can only teach so much, after that it is their responsibility and the responsibility of law enforcement to make sure they are abiding by the rules.

 

I would be willing to wager that the people responsible for most of the many accidents we have observed recently  in the Thai media knew they were doing something wrong but simply didn't care, I see people all the time using mobiles while driving, we have drunk driving - careless driving - speeding - total  disregard for road signs speed restrictions and road markings, they all know the rules but don't care and the result is total carnage, no amount of testing or training will change that

 

Law enforcement and a long road safety campaign on primetime TV will eventually change the mentality

 

Thais  do not like to follow rules they think they know better so the only way is to force them too

[marquess]

Another genius idea from the Men from the Ministry! I wonder if I can renew my license now even though it is due to be renewed in Nov next year? so  as to avoid all the bullhead bureaucratic nonsense that this is definitely going to engender. 

[fruitman]

 

On the beamer i see a policeman giving handsignals to roadusers...Why do the policemen never give these signals in BKK? I never understand what they want me to do.

[jaltsc]

2 hours ago, onemorechang said:

Thailand needs to teach it's children how

to behave,   then in 30 years time you may see the results.

The adults now in Thailand,   are a lost cause on the roads.

Selfish,  Dangerous , murderous  , just to mention a few.

 

 

 

Teach the children? Who is qualified to teach anything that resembles responsible behavior? What you are going to have is old idiots teaching young idiots. Of course, they will never consider importing educators from countries that have relatively safe driving habits. That would put Somchai, the driving teacher, out of a job. As soon as he gets out of the hospital after getting drunk and crashing his car into an oncoming truck, as he was driving on the wrong side of the road. The driver of the truck wasn't so fortunate. Now his family has to spend the little money they have left on more powerful amulets to ensure better luck the next time they get behind the wheel. 

[onemorechang]

20 minutes ago, Get Real said:

I really like the way you think and your comment. I mean if the reality was that simple, wow!

Like you state it here it could only be children teaching children, or am I wrong? Just because the adults in Thailand now, the teachers in this case, are a lost cause.
How are people that´s already a lost cause gonna be able to create any change anything more than to a more negative factor?

You know, I know what you mean. The period of time and what has to happen is totally correct. It´s just that the great plan already fell before it jump up the first step.

You got to start somewhere .

The young are the future of Thailand.

Not the old dogs who refuse to learn new tricks.

 

 

[smedly]

6 minutes ago, marquess said:

Another genius idea from the Men from the Ministry! I wonder if I can renew my license now even though it is due to be renewed in Nov next year? so  as to avoid all the bullhead bureaucratic nonsense that this is definitely going to engender. 

just say you lost it and need to renew

[marquess]

Thanks Smedly, will I still get five years and will I need a copy of the existing one? 

[DILLIGAD]

Not ridiculous. They are simply acknowledging the real state of affair - that presently, a large % of those holding driving licenses paid bribes for them and are actually not qualified to drive.

So how will putting it out to the private sector help that?

It will get worse IMO.


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[darksidedog]

Nice to see some initiative on road safety, but making getting a driving licence harder is not the cure all for the problem of awful driving.

Firstly, it isn't going to address the fact that large numbers of people here don't even have one.

Secondly, there are many, many idiots out there, teaching them for longer isn't going to stop them speeding, or driving crazy.

The real problem is a total failure by the police to enforce road rules, or tackling poor driving.

Everyday we all see dangerous driving, but when do we ever see the cops doing anything about it.

Until they stop with the team money stops and stop people for real offences, the death rate will stay where it is.

 

 

[smedly]

9 minutes ago, marquess said:

Thanks Smedly, will I still get five years and will I need a copy of the existing one? 

as far as I know you will get 5 years from your last or next birthday, might be worth looking at a thread on here were someone has done this for a lost or stolen licence

[smedly]

Lets look at this from different perspective

 

Suppose for a moment we take 50 typical Thai drivers of various vehicles and send them to the UK for 12 months and hand them the keys

 

Considering that the Thai rules and laws are very similar to the UK  -

 

How many of them will have become much better behaved drivers or had their licence revoked after 12 months, I have a pretty good idea what the answer is.

 

So not stopping there   -

 

Bring them all back to Thailand - will they all be better drivers here or simply go back to their old ways, I know the answer to this too and I also know why

 

 

[soalbundy]

They are going to need more officials for this and more room, where i renew my license it is already crowded, i doubt much will come of this,storm in a tea cup.

[mikebell]

Today there's a story about Insurance and Drink Driving.  Why not invalidate the insurance of those with no licence?  I say this because two boys hit my car whilst I was waiting to turn right at a U-turn.  The driver had no licence but my insurance company has paid for their medical bills + compensation for their suffering.  Meanwhile the boys who rammed into me at 90 kmsph tried to sue the farang for 7 MILLION.  I have been without a car for 4 MONTHS whilst incompetent mechanics bugger about with it.  Never take Thannachart Insurance as offered free by Honda.

Their garage phoned me up to say the car was ready hoping I wouldn't notice the window film and LEATHER upholstery was pitted by sparks from their cutting & grinding tools.

[ToS2014]

I would begin by having mandatory failure of those caught sleeping or playing on their cell phones during the current course....instead of increasing the length.  To me, it just appears to increase the nap and Facebook time.

[JayBird]

This won't help.

The training material is sufficient.

What's required is strict enforcement with high penalties.

 

Also how is the average person going to afford the two or three days off work to sit the lecture?

 

This could lead to unlicensed and uninsured drivers who continue to drive in an unsafe manner.

[Happyman58]

2 hours ago, uchibenkei said:

I come from Ontario, Canada.  It has the lowest speed limits and highest number of speed traps in North America. Put more cops on the road.  Once the police see how lucrative enforcing traffic laws can be, they'll love it.  Thai drivers might smarten up once it starts costing money to drive poorly.

You know you are right In Australia booking drivers has become big business We are talking millions of dollars here. Its a wonder the Thai police have not caught onto this. I think now the government In Queensland where i come from looks at booking car drivers as a revenue collector There we call the police Revenue Raisers. They hide behind the script of Road safety. But honestly here they really need to start booking drivers Thai drivers have no respect or patience on the roads Plus they dont even know the road rules Has anyone seen a Thai driver trying to park a car? It is just hillarious  Why because they never been shown how to do it properly. In Australia if you cant park a car properly you dont get a license 15 hours wow that is easy It took me 12 months to get my P license in Australia  I had to go to driving school and be with on L Plates for year (Learners Plates means you can only drive car under supervision of Licensed driver) But then again i have seen police here drive through red lights not give way so what chance are the rules ever going to be changed.

[smedly]

56 minutes ago, JayBird said:

This won't help.

The training material is sufficient.

What's required is strict enforcement with high penalties.

 

Also how is the average person going to afford the two or three days off work to sit the lecture?

 

This could lead to unlicensed and uninsured drivers who continue to drive in an unsafe manner.

again you are missing it, it is not about sitting through a video

 

This is about going through a driving school for lessons and sitting the written  test and passing a driving test just to renew your licence, it is quite frankly one of the stupidest things I have ever heard of being suggested in Thailand, yes there is bad driving here but this won't fix it

 

The irony is that just to renew your Thai driving licence you are going to be given driving lessons  by someone far less qualified to drive than you are and have to pay for it lol

[agudbuk]

I think it unlikely there will be any significant improvement in Thai driving until a minimum training period of 10 hours on road and a 30 minute on road driving test is introduced for new drivers.

 

[smedly]

there is of course the possibility that foreigners holding a licence from certain approved countries who already have driving credentials will avoid any of this as is the case right now

[jesimps]

Only two things needed, enforcement and deterrent.

Unfortunately both impossible with Thailand's corruption levels.

[lvr181]

9 hours ago, tracker1 said:

<deleted> 15 hour training session to renew a driving licence ! looks like there will be more unlicenced drivers then there is already. A brilliant Thai Initative a better idea would be to have all drivers and riders licenced and taught to drive correctly !!!!!!!

You could not make this up. Just another knee-jerk re-action 

[soalbundy]

Make it harder to get a license and fewer will bother getting one which means fewer will bother getting insurance as it will be invalid anyway. I see more motorbikes on the road.

[farcanell]

7 hours ago, smedly said:

 

and as already suggested above, you improve road safety through proper law enforcement and heavy punishment for those caught, concentrate on the top known issues like using mobile devices - drunk driving etc etc, also run a series of short educational road safety videos on prime TV

Lol.... it wouldn't take long to grab a few videos for the "what not to do" catergory!

[connda]

People with simply drive without a license and pay the 400 THB fine when stopped.  There is no teeth in Thai motor vehicle laws.