IT IS NOW AN OFFENCE TO USE THE MOBILE WHILE DRIVING,HAD TO COME I SUPPOSE

and the punishment/fine/penalty will be.......

i thought it was already

but i do enjoy seeing 3 people on a scooter while the rider is on a the phone

and the punishment/fine/penalty will be.......

give the Cop 2000 bt, isnt that the going rate to paying them off

2000 baht seems to be the fine for bangkok,should be here 200 baht,500 baht if you or a farang friend caught without wearing a seatbelt in a car.

My wife was caught a few weeks ago, she was asked for 200bht, she flashed her id, he let her go without payment.

On-call drivers to be targeted

In three months, drivers using a mobile phone without a hands-free device will face a fine of Bt400 to Bt1,000. Published on November 15, 2007


The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday approved an amendment to the Land Transport Act, which will go into effect 90 days after publication in the Royal Gazette.


The NLA committee vetting the bill had attached a notice to it saying the partial prohibition would cover many motorists especially those in big cities with heavy traffic.


It said a public relations campaign was needed for better understanding of the law and for easier enforcement by police. An equipment budget should be prepared for police to implement the new regulation.


The committee also urged moving towards an outright ban on all mobile phone usage while driving. Since traffic jams and road accidents cost the economy dearly, the government should improve and update the whole Land Transport Act and have the national police authorities adjust traffic police operating procedures for faster and better enforcement of road rules.


No one debated the bill, so the NLA president called for a show of hands, and it passed with 57 votes.


Police Colonel Jiradej Prommobol, deputy commander of the Traffic Police Division, said enforcement would start within 90 days of the law being published in the Royal Gazette.


He said police would start arresting motorists who spoke on the phone while on the wheel upon sight.


However, he admitted that it would be difficult to make arrest given the fact that cars would move fast and it would be hard to notice what motorists were doing inside their vehicles especially if the vehicles were installed with dark films.


"We will ask the next government to install high-tech cameras to capture motorists violating the law to help traffic police when they perform their duties in the future," Jiradej said.

The Nation

The Law is as good as enforcement, smokeing ban, helmet law. same same only diff.

(more tea money for the BIB)

Royal Thai Poleet spokesman wrote:
Royal Thai Police Spokesman Police Lieutenant General Pongpat Pongcharoen stated that the Royal Thai Police will be requesting funds to purchase photo cameras to assist police in collecting evidence of transgressors of the land transport act. Police will use the cameras to snap shots of people in their cars if they see them breaking the law, which they state will promote fairness for both citizens and officers.

Police Lieutenant General Pongpat stated that the cameras will be purchased in anticipation of projected arguments that may occur from motorists who protest that they were using mobile phones. The police spokesman also said there may be more study done into other forms of technology that will assist in the upholding of the law.
http://www.royalthaipolice.go.th/

Hope they get a good quality turn-on-shoot-and-go cameras.

I see references (like 'behind the wheel', 'hard to see what motorists are doing inside their vehicles') that seems to imply that this law is not intended for motor cyclists.
OK I know that it is difficult to use a phone when you are wearing a helmet ( ), but if an officer stops someone on a bike, without a helmet, using their phone... is the fine now 200 baht for no helmet plus a 400-1,000 baht for the phone, or just 200 for no helmet as before????

just simply do what some phone-user-whilst-driving-drivers do in the Uk now ,still use the phone but constantly look out for officers of da-lurr in the near distance and not pay attention to whats going on around you or place your hand fully over the communication equipment as though you are resting you hand on the side of your head,.... best just go buy a bluethooth attachment so you can walk around the supermarket with it still on your ear lol.........just another law to be broken in los.

So no helmut,pi$$ed and using the torasup, riding with a busted rear light, no hab license and over taking whilst speeding on the pavement and carrying 2 others should add up to a few baht.

but will this only be for actualy holding the Phone, or will a headset be the same offence???

in most places it is legal if you use a headset or atleast it is harder to tell if your breaking the law

Bad things can happen while driving a car...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=499514&in_page_id=1770