Motorists and passengers now face stricter penalties if they violate traffic laws, according to an order just issued under the sweeping powers of Section 44 of the interim charter. Aimed at curbing road accidents in the prelude to the Songkran holiday that normally sees horrendous road casualties every year, a set of legal measures was included in the Section 44 order announced in the Royal Gazette which took effect immediately.
According to the published order, traffic authorities now have the authority to immediately move any car found parked in a prohibited area. The owner of the car is required by the land transport law to pay the costs.
The same order also requires car drivers to fasten their seat belts and ensure his or her passengers do the same. Those who fail to pay traffic fines on time will not be able to complete their annual car tax payments. Passenger vans are required under the same order to have a maximum number of passengers of 12.
The seat belt regulation will in the beginning apply to only new cars that are already equipped with seat belts for all seats, he said, adding that as for old cars and pickup trucks, the Department of Land Transport (DLT) is considering whether to begin enforcing the same law for them some time before the Songkran festival. In the case of taxis, both the driver and passengers will be required to jointly pay a fine if a passenger is caught failing to fasten his seat belt, he said. Those who are served with traffic tickets must make payment of the fine within 15 days, or they will be unable to complete their annual car tax payment, Pol Lt Gen Witthaya said.
The DLT and the police have already linked their databases, meaning that the department now knows who fails to pay traffic fines on time. If the fine is not paid, the owner will be given only a temporary certificate for car tax payment that will expire in 30 days until the fine is paid, he said. A driver will be given 15 days to appeal, starting from the day he or she receives a letter with a fine, according to the same Section 44 order. But if traffic authorities affirm that the traffic ticket is correct, the case will be forwarded to police investigators who will then consider bringing the case to court. Since last September, only 11% of about 680,000 traffic tickets issued have been paid.
– Bangkok Post