Chonburi’s Land Transport Department confirmed that heavy fines proposed under a new driving law are still under review.
The Transport Ministry was forced to pull the penalties proposed under the combined Land Transport Law and Vehicle Law amid objections from Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and outrage from the public.
While Thailand has the worst road-death rate in the world, the draconian penalties proposed by the Land Transport Department don’t fit the seriousness of the offenses, the prime minister said.
Under the new law, the DLT had intended to raise the fines for driving without a license, driving with an expired or suspended license, or not being able to provide a license on request from the current 1,000-2,000 baht to as much as 50,000 baht.
Fines currently are set by police writing the tickets. The new law would have courts decide the penalty, a move seen as a step toward not only improving road safety, but cutting corruption.
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