Dash Cam Can Really Save You Cash Cam

[kendo]

I know we already Have a thread dedicated to makes models and specifications etc but i just want to share this experience with the forum.

Yesterday we done our annual ten and a half hour, road trip from Hua Hin up to our house in Kap Choeng near the Cambodian border.

Our mini van driver Toy is a good friend of ours and speaks good English. He had this dash cam running so i asked him a few questions as i have never seen one before it cost 1,000 Baht with a 4GB SD card included can record for three hours on a continuous loop and play back.

He told us that he had purchased in Bangkok but they can be bought for the same price in the Grand Market Hua Hin. He's been using his device for one year and hasn't paid a two hundred baht driving violation fine since to the BIB.

We almost got stopped the first time and he pointed to the camera and we were waved on through. The second time we were stopped and the (camera is windscreen mounted with a ball and cup joint) he turned the camera on the cop, he was asked where we were going and please drive safely and off you can go.

Now i was gobsmacked at this, as this road trip we have done many times over the years and always end up getting tea money extracted from us at least once and often twice, the BIB don't like being filmed applying their powers of extraction.

My stepson tells me you can get them even cheaper at Chong Chom Border Market so if i get a chance at the weekend to go up there i am going to buy one to take home with me.

Just remember the dash cam can really save you cash!

[jingjoe]

I paid 280bht and have a real licence,drive a registered car, drive at a responsible speed without overtaking like i am suicidal and have never paid "tea money" in 5 years of driving around thailand.

[Bristolian]

^^ you need to visit BKK more often

[usual suspect]

If they're on sale in HH Kendo-lad I think I will get one there..got one from Lazada about 2yrs ago & it was working fine,
then one day it literally frazzled itself..smoke everywhere!
Please rember folks..every time you see bad driving in front of you your verbal comments are recorded..same if the MiB
pull you in..think of your statement prior to you slowing down..555!
May ask my son to 'invest' in one while he's out shopping.

[Big Boy]

I drove to Pattaya a week and a half ago. I didn't bother to mount my dash cam .

I had loads of time so, stuck to the speed limit, and drove with care. I pulled up to the first booth to collect my transit card. As I pulled forward to the window, the lady in the booth clocked my Farang face, and shouted to the BIB who was sat with his back to the booth, facing away from me.

He immediately jumped and walked to the passenger window, writing something on his clipboard. My SatNav was stuck to the windscreen, and he made sure it didn't have a camera before saying anything.

When he got to my wife, he pointed to the 4 numbers he had just written on the clipboard, and said he had received a report that a car with this number (no letters) had been driving in the hard shoulder, which everybody knew was a blatant lie. He asked to see my licence, which I passed to my wife.

He then said that I had to pay a fine, which is normally 2,000 Baht, but if I paid within 7 days I would only be charged 500 Baht, and he duly wrote a ticket, whilst under a barrage of abuse from the Thais in the car. I don't know much Thai, but I certainly recognised the words they were calling him. He handed the ticket to my wife and started walking away. The git still had my licence.

There was then a long very heated discussion about me not driving anywhere without my licence (his mate would probably waiting at the next toll booth and want to see my licence). I wasn't budging. He said I could pick my licence up on the return trip - no way.

Eventually, somebody suggested we pay him there and then, just to get him to part with my licence. His entire attitude changed, and he started smiling. He made my wife sign the ticket, which he then tore up, and accepted payment.

I learnt 2 lessons here:

1. Never drive through Bangkok without switching my dashcam on.

2. Never hand my licence over to a Bangkok BIB, because they will hold it ransom. Incidentally, numerous Hua Hin BIB have requested my licence, and it has never been an issue.

[jingjoe]

^^ you need to visit BKK more often

actually now that i think about it,when i go to bkk i usually take the train or bus,same with visits to pattaya.the few times we have driven,i drive to the outskirts of bkk,and then i swap with my partner,she hates the way i complain constantly about the driving habits in the city.
Have been stopped regularly in hua hin and just show license and i am waved thru.
Maybe i have been lucky,i guess a $1000bht dash cam might be handy even in the event of an accident

[Big Boy]

The scenario I wrote about above was one that I had been warned about previously by friends, and several other friends confirmed it had happened to them at the same place.

Is it luck that you haven't been stopped there? Maybe not, it's not a way into the city I usually take - maybe you don't normally go that way anyway.

I agree 100% about Hua Hin BIB - been stopped many times, but never any hint of corruption. I felt apprehensive the first couple of times, but road blocks are just another part of driving in Hua Hin. If you are legal - absolutely nothing to worry about.

[PBbeacher]

I don't drive anywhere without the dash cam on. Usually have it set not to record audio as the typical soundtrack in my car when driving through town would make Roger Mellie blush.

[Big Boy]

My dashcam is my GoPro, which is used for many other things. I think maybe it's time to buy a cheap camera as stated in the OP.

[buksida]

I thought the army were cleaning all of this up. As far as I can see the cops have actually got worse since the coup.

I've been pulled twice recently on a stretch of road that I've driven a thousand times hassle free ... these "road blocks" are increasing in frequency.

[Big Boy]

I thought the army were cleaning all of this up. As far as I can see the cops have actually got worse since the coup.

I've been pulled twice recently on a stretch of road that I've driven a thousand times hassle free ... these "road blocks" are increasing in frequency.

I wouldn't disagree with the increase in frequency, but if they are pulling up wrong doers, then I applaud it. There are so many blatant law breakers, resorting to scams should be unnecessary. Maybe obvious law breakers aren't so prevalent at toll booths, so they have to use their imagination.

I actually don't get upset at the scams, in fact I normally laugh it off. They are demeaning themselves for such a small amount of money. There were 5 of us in my car, and all will testify that I couldn't have been driving more carefully that day. However, the lying BIB did absolutely nothing for his country's poor reputation.

In my example above, the guy was being smart, and didn't suggest we hand over cash. OK, with him holding my licence as ransom, it was pretty obvious to me what was going on, but in these situations I just keep quiet - let the Thais do the talking/abusing. When somebody suggested paying the guy, his facial expression turned into such a beaming smile, it was almost worth being scammed. Thailand certainly turned back into the land of smiles again for a few minutes.

[caller]

I thought the army were cleaning all of this up. As far as I can see the cops have actually got worse since the coup.

I've been pulled twice recently on a stretch of road that I've driven a thousand times hassle free ... these "road blocks" are increasing in frequency.

I got caught speeding the other week (guilty as charged m'lud) and I was worried as I was aware the generals had been clamping down on corruption.

One such scam in Korat that was actually reported on in the Bangkok Post, ended when a General of some sort turned up unannounced and saw Police with their ID removed just doing the usual, stopping bikes and pocketing the money, when lots of other offences were ignored. That was near to where I live and no such 'stops' have happened since.

The reason I was worried when stopped, was because at the time, I hadn't been able to transfer my new vehicle into my name (problems with residence certificate), only had a UK license and was on my own! So I thought I might be in a bit of bother. But I needn't have worried, the Police officer who approached me spoke very good English and simply said, "you have been caught speeding and you must pay a fine, 200 baht". I duly handed that over and was on my way, very relieved. He didn't ask to see my license or anything else.

I'm not so worried now as the car has been transferred into my name and I have a Thai driving license.

So, it seems to me that the well publicised attack on corruption, which granted, I benefitted from, is slowly receding into history.

[Big Boy]

You may have been speeding, but did they have any proof? If so, what was it?

[caller]

You may have been speeding, but did they have any proof? If so, what was it?

I didn't ask for any! The truck behind me got stopped as well. It is known that they sometimes have cameras along that stretch of highway, but normally further west.

[bsdk1960]

We have a camera in the front and in the rear,its also good to have if an accident occur to show prof if its the other persons fault.