Beware if you have a Red Lic. Plate

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Undaunted
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Beware if you have a Red Lic. Plate

Post by Undaunted »

Police in Pattaya are now enforcing old laws that ban vehicles with red number plates from being diven between the hours of 6PM and 6AM...and can only be driven in the province they were issued in....1000bht fine!
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Re: Beware if you have a Red Lic. Plate

Post by Gaybutton »

Did you find that out the hard way?
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Re: Beware if you have a Red Lic. Plate

Post by Undaunted »

No my friend did and he said the police were so accommodating that they let him pay them directly. :roll:
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Re: Beware if you have a Red Lic. Plate

Post by gerefan »

Initially I was going to say that this is a load of rubbish.
However on reading it up,it is true.
Why no night driving...well one site suggested it is because most new vehicles get stolen after dark so by banning night driving it it easier to spot stolen vehicles. TiT!
Anyway next visit I must ask my motor bike renter as sometimes I get bike with a red plate.
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Re: Beware if you have a Red Lic. Plate

Post by mahjongguy »

The whole red plate system is a big scandalous mess. It's long been a way to avoid paying excise tax on expensive cars, and often to cover vehicle theft. Many of the red plates you see are counterfeit anyway.

This recent enforcement isn't just a whim. It's meant to put the squeeze on current offenders while the government decides how to throw out the whole system and start over.

In California and many other states, car dealers keep a certain number of state-provided plates in stock. They sell them to the new vehicle purchaser and notify the state of the new registration. They also have a small number of "dealer plates" assigned to them which can be used for test drives and other temporary uses. Of course, this convenient system only works because the related laws are strictly enforced.
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Re: Beware if you have a Red Lic. Plate

Post by Gaybutton »

mahjongguy wrote:The whole red plate system is a big scandalous mess. It's long been a way to avoid paying excise tax on expensive cars, and often to cover vehicle theft. Many of the red plates you see are counterfeit anyway.
I think that may depend on the source of the plate. When I bought my car, the Toyota dealership issued me a red plate until my "real" plate came in. As I recall, that took about a week or so.

Nobody told me that it is illegal to drive at night with a red plate. I guess I was lucky. I was never stopped, but I did drive at night.

Anyway, I doubt the Toyota dealership would be issuing red plates illegally.
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Re: Beware if you have a Red Lic. Plate

Post by mahjongguy »

Gaybutton wrote:" When I bought my car, the Toyota dealership issued me a red plate until my "real" plate came in. As I recall, that took about a week or so.
-snip-
Anyway, I doubt the Toyota dealership would be issuing red plates illegally.
That is the way it's supposed to work. The problems mostly involve second-hand dealerships, and those who deal in grey-market vehicles.
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Re: Beware if you have a Red Lic. Plate

Post by Gaybutton »

gerefan wrote:Initially I was going to say that this is a load of rubbish.
In my opinion, what goes on with the red plates is a load of rubbish. I can't make sense out of the logic (or lack thereof) of it. If it is illegal to drive a car with the red plates, what do they expect people to do, buy a car or motorbike but not drive it for a week or so until you can get a legal plate? When you drive it just to get it home from wherever you bought it, are you doing so illegally? And when the legal plate does become available, don't you have to drive somewhere to get it? What do you have to do, take a taxi?

And if it is ok to drive with a red plate during the day, I haven't seen anything that makes sense to me about it not being ok to drive with a red plate at night. How do you like that - a virtual curfew on new cars and motorbikes. If you're out to dinner, visiting a friend, shopping, going to a movie, or whatever, better make sure you're home before dark. The antithesis of Dracula . . .

Haven't they heard of temporary plates? I mean legitimate temporary plates?

However, agree with it or not, that's how it's done in Thailand. Just another item for my "I Don't Get It" list.
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Re: Beware if you have a Red Lic. Plate

Post by Undaunted »

G.B.the current wait for a white plate is approx. 90 days.
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Re: Beware if you have a Red Lic. Plate

Post by odd »

I was 'caught' driving my red-plated new car on the elevated road from Chonburi to Bang Na-at the toll booth. They insisted the plates were 'copy' plates and took my license. I had to collect this from a police station near the Port. Whilst at the Police Station I telephoned the dealer and informed them of the problem and told them I expected them to pay the fine-this they did. So not only are you not allowed to drive at night you must also remain in your province.

A large number of red plates are fake as the dealers are too mean to buy the in sufficient quantity.
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