E-tickets have been rolled out for motorists, who in line with the technology-driven Thailand 4.0 era, can now pay their traffic fines at bank ATMs.
However, the demerit-based points penalty system -- another sweeping change which the Department of Land Transport (DLT) hopes to introduce -- will have to wait, despite the fact that e-ticketing would be a natural fit with the technology which will underpin it. After many delays, police and the DLT say it will now come into effect in April next year.
E-tickets equipped with barcodes, which came into effect on Dec 17, let motorists pay fines for minor offences at Krungthai Bank ATMs with barcode readers on them, as well as the bank's mobile app. Traffic authorities hope the E-tickets will also key a key driver of the much-heralded demerit-points based penalty system, introduced overseas and widely discussed in the industry for a couple of decades.
However, that impetus is still some way off as the department has yet to buy the software which will underpin it, and in fact is still making key decisions about how to implement it. This includes how many points motorists should be assigned, and how many should be deducted for various offences.
In the initial period, e-tickets are being issued in the jurisdictions of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) and Provincial Police Region 1, 2 and 7, in charge of the Central Plains, East and the western Central Plains respectively, police deputy spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen said. During this period, tickets will be issued for traffic offences in which officers do not seize offenders' licences, such as parking vehicles in no-parking zones or places that obstruct traffic.
If officers decide to temporarily seize driving licences and issue tickets, offenders still need to pay the fines at police stations or designated areas within seven days, in line with the Land Traffic Act, Pol Col Krissana said. This is because DLT staff still cannot gain access to Royal Thai Police (RTF) digital database to get information on traffic violators. Kamol Buranaphong, DLT deputy director-general, said digital processing of all penalties including licence suspensions, which will eventually take place under the penalty point system, will have to wait for now.
Local authorities have been hoping to use the demerit point system for decades. Widely used in many countries such as Britain, Japan and Singapore, drivers are given a score which is deducted when they violate traffic laws. Drivers who are given many traffic tickets might lose so many points their licences are suspended or even revoked.
Mr Kamol said the department is in the process of buying the software enabling the DLT to gain access to the police database, and it should be in place by September next year. "After our software is ready, we can begin talks with the RTP about the penalties for traffic violators to be enforced under this system," he said.
RTP deputy commissioner-general Chiraphat Bhumichitr said police are examining the legal details. "Although we are going to use a point-based deduction system for violators, the RTP's legal division is still discussing the starting amount of points to be given to each licence holder," he said.
They are also discussing the appropriate time frame for licence suspensions such as 60 days for a first suspension and 90 days for a second suspension. Pol Maj Gen Chiraphat said drafting regulations for the demerit point system would take time because it will be used nationwide. "Once these rules are enforced, penalties will be harsher, especially for those who are caught driving without licences," he said.