Drivers will need to improve their behavior if they want to keep their licences, under Road Traffic Act amendments approved by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Friday.
Lawmakers voted 138-1 to approve the bill, with three abstentions.
Once it is published in the Royal Gazette and becomes law, the bill will amend the Road Traffic Act BE 2522 (1979). Its main focus is on additional punishment for reckless drivers.
Under the new system, every driver will start out with 12 points on their licence, but points will be deducted depending on the severity of traffic violations. Similar systems are used in many countries.
For example, running a red light will cost one point and failure to give way for an emergency ambulance will cost three points.
Once a driver’s points reach zero, his or her licence will be suspended. To get it back, the driver will have to attend training.
The Royal Thai Police will issue a regulation on point deductions after the bill becomes law. But the regulations must be discussed in public hearings first.
One controversial point in the draft bill was whether car rental service providers should be fined or punished if their customers cannot pay after being caught for a violation.
The NLA finally agreed that the vehicle rental company must inform police and supply them with evidence within 30 days if a client is found violating traffic laws. Failing to do so means a firm will have to pay five times the maximum fine on behalf of their client.