The Thai police have checkpoints all over the island. Some places have a checkpoint almost everyday, such as Chalong Circle headed south toward Rawai and Nai Harn, Phuket Town and north of Patong on the beach road headed to Kamala. There are others as well in changing locations. The police are looking for tourists on motorbikes. Don’t try to not look like a tourist, the police (and everyone else who lives here) will know. However, there are some things you can do to smooth the process of getting on your way.
Talk as little as possible. Even if you know “some” Thai, now is not the time to test your skills. You can (if properly pronounced) greet the officer in Thai, but from then on, speak English. This tells the officer that he is going to have speak English as well. Smile and be courteous. As much as you may think that something is unfair, try to simply respond honestly to their questions. If you don’t understand something they say, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” BTW, the passenger should probably remain silent unless asked something.
They will ask to see your International Driver’s License. **If you don’t have one, get one in your home country.** Have it with you at all times. If you have an IDL, both passengers are wearing helmets and you are not (or appear to be, i.e. you smell like you just left a reggae bar) under the influence of an intoxicating substance, they will probably let you go your way.
If you and/or you passenger is not wearing a helmet, be prepared to pay some money. If you don’t have enough cash to pay, they will direct you to a nearby ATM. And if you can’t get money from the ATM, you didn’t plan your trip properly. At Chalong Circle the ATM is right next to the police station. My rule #1 with dealing with police is: Avoid going to the police station. Things rarely go well from there. BTW, I say rarely because I had what could have been a harrowing experience in the Chalong Police Station which resolved itself so amazingly well. In a case, having enough cash with you to pay a fine can keep you from having to go to the station.
If you don’t have an IDL, be prepared to pay some money. See the paragraph above.
Also regarding Chalong Circle: There is a tunnel that goes under the circle and straight south to Rawai and the beaches. It is for cars and trucks only. Although it might be tempting to bypass the snarl of traffic at the circle, DO NOT use the tunnel on a motorbike, or a big fine awaits you on the other side.
You might be asked to show the “green book” (registration) and stamps showing that the road tax has been paid. If you are renting the bike, this probably won’t be a problem, but if for some reason the tax has not been paid, pay the fine. It’s usually not very much.
Even if you have helmets and an IDL, there are a couple of things you can do to lessen your chances of getting stopped.
Wear a shirt. Did you know that it’s illegal to ride a motorbike shirtless in Thailand? It is seldom enforced, but if the cops have a choice to stop two motorbikes and the driver of one is shirtless, that’s the one they will probably stop. The same goes for a passenger wearing a swimsuit.
If you are driving and you passenger is using a phone to take pictures or look at a map and you see a stop coming up, have your passenger put their phone away and have their hands empty. TBH, phone use by a passenger may not seem like a big distraction to the driver, but it is. The fact that they are talking to you alone is a distraction. The driver should put the safety of the passenger first and do all they can to keep the both of you safe. A PO seeing the passenger taking videos, all thought not illegal, will increase you chances of getting stopped.
People will probably go different ways on this one, but this is my feeling: wear a mask while driving. Yes, it may not make much sense from a Covid protection standpoint. But, take a look around and notice how many Thai people are wearing masks. They wear them out of respect for each other. And they wear them because most visitors aren’t. If the cops have a choice to stop two motorbikes and on one of them, the people are wearing masks, all things being equal, the will stop the ones without masks. Besides, wearing a mask protects your face for road debris and helps a bit when you have to drive behind a smoky truck, which happens often. But, it’s your call.
You may have noticed that I haven’t said how much you might have to pay for the above infractions. That’s because it is seldom the same. It will vary depending on the officer, the area and…you. The best thing to do is to be respectful and honest to the officer…and don’t screw up.
Lastly, if you plan to be here more than three months, get a Thai drivers license. When I get stopped, which I occasionally do, all I do is flash my Thai DL. They look at it, look at me (smile!), then hand it back and say “Thank you”. That same license can be use in place of your passport when you take a domestic flight, check into a hotel and might even get you a resident’s discount for some destinations.
[Chalong Circle at Night](https://i.redd.it/whqpe1igpm2a1.gif)
