motor cycle lights at night

[GEOFFREY]

hi all
in England their is an organisation called light up and be seen 
its to help prevent accidents happening where people drive with no lights and canot be seen by other drivers
as i am sure you are all aware people in buriram are not to keen on using lights of a night
and police do not seem to be bothered
i just wondered as an organisation of expats is their anyone who knows  a government official
that could help hi light to the community the benefits of driving with lights of a night so as to prevent accidents

ps to all that have read about my problems to obtain a residency for selling a car
my friend has just brought a car in chang my yesterday and  today obtained his residency cert in khon ken
and re registered it in his name in 40 min in at dlt thier must just be buriram geoff

[urleft]

Geoffrey,

No insult intended here, but is English your first language?  It does not appear so with your either all capital letters or all lower case. 


I have remarked to the TW about lights, pointing out to her that when raining cars should turn on their lights, you can see scooters better when raining than cars. 

And yes, Thais seem to be very reluctant to turn on their head lamps at dusk.  It seems the auto lamp feature for rain and night has not made it as a standard accessory on Thai Vehicles.   

But then Thai vehicles also have the feature where you can take your key leaving your vehicle in neutral, which is not a US capability.

[Sofa_King]

Geoffrey..all motorbike's here in Thailand are made to have their lights on all the time ,you can't turn them off. You only have a choice of high or low beam.

If you have seen motorbike's with no lights, then it is down to the lack of maintenance, not because people like riding around with their lights turned off or forgot to turn them on.Trying to explain general motorbike maintenance to most Thais is like trying to tell a newborn baby not to mess it's diaper ...it's point less   

TBO..I wouldn't waste your time,things out here are different and although many expats think that maybe they could make a difference .......  I can assure you that they can't , because Thais know best .!! 

[GEOFFREY]

thank you for your comments regarding lights
i am a aware that the problem is a lack of maintenance and maybe education regarding the importance of lights
i am also aware its easy to sit back and do nothing
had i done so i would have taken good advise from dlt and immigration and gone  back to rayon so as to sell my car at my expense
it was much better for them to get rid of a problem pass the buck
my thoughts where that police seem to like stopping people and giving them a small fine for what ever
where they to stay out a bit later and remind car owners as well as other vehicle owners
by imposing a small fine maybe the same as they do with c/ helmets it might help educate people and save lives

So is there any one who knows where the Police chief resides and does anyone know a good English Thai translator
that could suggest to him how much extra revenue he could make
 most Thai people like money i could be a good incentive for him to help save lives

Re kind comments with English being my first language and use of capitals grammar  etc

i am first to admit i did not like English grammar at school still Dont
 lazy changing up and down shift lock
i have managed over the years and have 2 company's  in England
Where i have people wright letters for me and pay them
not so in Thailand
 if any one would like to post on expats for me in correct grammar
i will be happy to buy some beer for them
with the greatest respect for all that like grammar

 kindest regards Geoffrey

[Sofa_King]

You're a good laugh Geoffrey ...can't wait for your next post 

[davureborn]

Oh dear, welcome to Thailand.
I have had five wee small hours-visits to the local hospital taking family members that had fallen off their motorbikes, none of them wore helmets, which is also a pet gripe of mine. I could stop helmetless driving inside of a week if I really wanted to. The police very obviously don't really want to. I have seen three people laying on the road with pools of blood around their helmetless heads, presumably dead.
You just have to assume that there is going to be a motorbike without lights heading directly at you, likewise buffalo, elephant etc.
Visit the local police chief? How much cash do you count on taking with you? He will be tickled pink to have a foreigner offering him advice.
I believe that I have noticed a slow increase in the number of cars that use their headlights in poor visibility over the years, so now you have the situation where you see a car coming towards you at a distance of two kilometers but not one that is much nearer but has no lights.

[Starman]

Geoffrey..all motorbike's here in Thailand are made to have their lights on all the time ,you can't turn them off. You only have a choice of high or low beam.

If you have seen motorbike's with no lights, then it is down to the lack of maintenance, not because people like riding around with their lights turned off or forgot to turn them on.Trying to explain general motorbike maintenance to most Thais is like trying to tell a newborn baby not to mess it's diaper ...it's point less   

TBO..I wouldn't waste your time,things out here are different and although many expats think that maybe they could make a difference .......  I can assure you that they can't , because Thais know best .!! 

On the flip side of that, it is illegal to drive a car with the lights on when it is not dark.

The only problem now seems to be how to define "dark".

[urleft]

On the flip side of that, it is illegal to drive a car with the lights on when it is not dark.

The only problem now seems to be how to define "dark".

I read CoCo's traffic law document and do not recall seeing that "it is illegal to drive a car with the lights on when it is not dark". 

Please provide the specific law. 


And dark is defined as not being able to see clearly beyond 150 meters:Section 11 [/font](500B)[If  it  gets  dark  and  you  cannot  see  clearly  more  than  150m,  you  must  turn  on  the headlight.]

[/font]

[Starman]

The specific law as told to me by a policeman.

In Canada cars are fitted with lights that turn on when the engine is turned on, as with motorbikes here. I kn ow many Canadians that have been stopped by police here in Thailand and have been told to turn off their lights or face a fine as in line with Thai law.

As with many things here in Thailand, relying on definitions of the law as laid down in documents is not always wise.

Darkness to be defined as above is a perfect example. Now lets see how many people define "cannot see" and "150 metres" as the same.

Common sense says that most people don't need a law to decide when it is not safe to drive without lights. As when driving through a monsoon, for example. Unfortunately common sense is not always present.

You posted about fonts recently. Why don't you follow your own advise?

[urleft]

You posted about fonts recently. Why don't you follow your own advise?

Have you been at the beer already?  Show exactly where I posted about fonts, looks like alcohol is clouding your memory.  You can see the search results for Fonts below, don't see my name there.


And for some reason when I cut and pasted the specific law on headlights, the font came up unreadable and after 4 times of trying to fix it I I just used it as it was. 


Also you are basically saying you cannot prove that it is against the law in Thailand to drive with your headlights on during the day. 

[Starman]

FFS Urleft.

I have proved it already. I was asked to attend the police station by a guy who had been fined and did not understand why. I went there and was told that the driver had his lights on and it was daylight. I have since, as already explained, been told that this has happened to others too.

If you are so (read anything you wish) that you don't believe anything that is not on a link or a document then please feel free to go to the police station and ask. I will be happy to come and translate for you as I understand you can't speak Thai.

Indeed it was "caps" you were talking about not fonts, but a comment about typing styles none the less.

[iammike]

I can confirm what Starman is saying that you can get fined if driving with lights on during the day.

A couple of months ago, I drove from Krasang to Prakhon Chai via the 2208, my Car is equipped with Sensor that switches the Lights on when the car thinks it's too dark. And I got stopped at the (only) checkpoint. The BiB told me to turn of the lights as it wasn't dark yet (however my Car disagreed (biggrin) , but I didn't get a ticket.

[urleft]

FFS Urleft.

I have proved it already. I was asked to attend the police station by a guy who had been fined and did not understand why. I went there and was told that the driver had his lights on and it was daylight. I have since, as already explained, been told that this has happened to others too.

If you are so (read anything you wish) that you don't believe anything that is not on a link or a document then please feel free to go to the police station and ask. I will be happy to come and translate for you as I understand you can't speak Thai.

Indeed it was "caps" you were talking about not fonts, but a comment about typing styles none the less.

Instead of going to the police station how about you using your knowledge of Thai to show the Thai Law (in Thai is fine) with the section where it is illegal to drive with your headlights on during the day.  The Thai law document I used does not have that law, there is a disconnect somewhere.   

I can well believe that the Police say it is against the law, but that was not what you first stated. 

And if I had typed that part, you may have a valid point on typing styles, but I did not type it, I copied and pasted from this document:

http://thailaws.com/law/t_laws/tlaw0140_5.pdf

[Starman]

If you believe the police then there it is.

Are you going to ask iammike to show you the law or is personnel experience from him enough for your fickle mind?

I have offered you the opportunity to try to prove what I said as wrong.

Take it or take a hike.

[Sofa_King]

You're a good laugh Geoffrey ...can't wait for your next post 

OR

to see Staman's and  URLEFT's friendly post's to each other 

 

As for road safety in Thailand it's all about getting used to the Thai Driving style . After 15 years, I know when I'm out, someone on a Motorbike is going to turn right on a upcoming left turn and drive straight at me on the wrong side of the road.I know when turning left ,someone on a Motorbike is going to be coming down the inside left lane 50 meters before they want to turn right  on the wrong side of the road.I also know that Thai drivers are so unpredictable that it is best to drive to a speed that suits the road conditions ( which is a lot slower than I'd drive in the west)
The last time I was back in the UK I had forgotten how fast people drive but they have less accidents than they do it Thailand as the standard of driving is more predictable thus making it safer.There are laws and rules and most people abide by them...unlike here in Thailand where the only chance you have of getting stopped ( in a Rural area ) is at a Police Road block .So a majority of Thais only drive to the law or with a crash helmet on if they know there is a good possibility of them getting stopped...not as a matter of course like it should be .!  Most of the roads in Thailand are lawless, where it's survival of the Quick–witted !!
Also there are far more motorbikes here in Thailand than the west. How often do you see people riding motorbikes in the UK in shorts and T Shirts . Most Motorcyclists in the UK wear protective clothing like Jackets,gloves, boots and a Crash helmet , so any the accidents here is going to include multiple road rash injuries and head injuries for those not wearing a Lid  .
I still find it hard to believe that car drivers can get fined for driving with their lights on in day-light hours ( something I haven't heard of before, but I'm not saying it isn't true ) , but if you can get fined for not having your seat-belt on but it's OK to have 10+ people in the back of a Pickup then anything is possible I guess