All passengers must now fasten their seat belts regardless of where they sit in a vehicle or face fines of up to THB2,000.
The updated Road Traffic Act that came into effect yesterday requires those seated in the back to also buckle up – something that had only been required of those seated in the front. The police said they will enforce the new law – something that will strike many longtime traffic observers as unlikely.
But one taxi driver this morning said that, for now at least, there’s been some enforcement so far.
“Police are fining passengers, so it’s my job as a driver to warn them to put on seatbelts,” taxi driver Suchart Saenghirun said.
He supports the move.
“These new regulations make travel safer, but officers should enforce them strictly and correctly,” he added. “If people don’t wear them, then they should be fined…
