The Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) on Monday began seeking arrest warrants for motorists who haven’t paid Bangkok traffic fines.
The policy to arrest fine-dodgers came after many motorists simply ignored the fines, meaning they were likely to continue violating traffic laws, the MPB said.
“This could lead to loss of life and property, as well as damage to the country’s image,” said MPB deputy chief Pol Maj-General Jirasan Kaewsang-ek.
Thailand’s roads are among the most dangerous in the world, with an average of around 60 people killed in traffic accidents each day. Lax enforcement of traffic laws and fines is cited as a major reason for the high death toll.
Under the new policy, motorists who fail to pay fines before the deadline on the ticket will be sent a police non-compliance warning to pay up within 15 days
Traffic fines can be paid at police stations, counters with Police Ticket Management (PTM) logo, post offices nationwide, and via Krungthai Bank’s e-payment channels.
“Violators who fail to pay the fine within 15 days of non-compliance notice will be issued with a summons [to visit a police station],” Jirasan said.
“If a violator ignores the police summons two times, police will request an arrest warrant from the relevant district court.”
They must then attend the police station that issued the warrant and pay the ticket plus fine for missing the payment deadline.
Jirasan said officers will be able to arrest fine-dodgers nationwide as warrants will be recorded in the police database. The charge would be dismissed once violators obey the police summons and pay the fine.
He added that people can check police e-tickets issued to them at https://ptm.police.go.th/eTicket/#/.
“We would like to ask people to comply with traffic laws in a bid to reduce accidents and other traffic problems,” he said.
For more information, call the Metropolitan Police Traffic Control Centre’s 1197 hotline or visit Facebook @1197Callcenter and Twitter @Traffic_1197.
