News Forum - German tourist complains about 5,000 baht traffic fine

[Thaiger]

A German tourist is questioning a 5,000 baht traffic fine for riding a motorbike through the Chalong Underpass in Phuket when he saw no traffic signs indicating that it was illegal. The tourist was riding northbound through the tunnel on his way to visit the Big Buddha viewpoint on Monday when he was pulled over by …

The story German tourist complains about 5,000 baht traffic fine as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

[Grumpish]

Sounds a bit like the time I got fined 2000 baht for littering (guilty, although how the police officer found my particular cigarette end amongst the piles of rubbish left by the street vendors I will never know), and given a piece of paper to sign that was entirely in Thai, which, when someone translated it for me, said that I had been fined 200 baht. Maybe there was an administration fee that someone forgot to mention?

[Giltee]

5000 to 2000 straight away suggests  the moneys going into the cops pocket. For something like that you have a right to refuse unless ticketed and can demand that you’ll pay the fine at the police station. Then you’ll find the fine vaporises with a warning. Refuse to pay and what can they do, take you to the station? Then as a farang you have the right to a lawyer

[Pinga]

100% that the fine is not 5000 or even 2000 baht. Probably 1/10th of that. 

[Leo]

15 hours ago, Pinga said:

100% that the fine is not 5000 or even 2000 baht. Probably 1/10th of that. 

The real fines are what the Thais pay. If I remember correctly, the fine for not stopping at a zebra crossing (where lives are at stake) is/was 500 baht.

[Condo]

I bet lunch was 2000bt....

I saw a sign that bikes can't go through....but not sure why though especially at night when traffic is light.

They love the tourists over there on bikes must be a nice earner....from the bike renters that don't care if you have a licence or not to the cops that wave the locals through while stopping the white riders.

[Pinga]

On 2/23/2023 at 5:54 AM, Leo said:

The real fines are what the Thais pay. If I remember correctly, the fine for not stopping at a zebra crossing (where lives are at stake) is/was 500 baht.

Yep. I've seen some fines in Bangkok for driving without a license - 500 baht. No helmet? 500 baht. Fines in Phuket may be higher - but there's definitely tourist-prices vs real-prices.