Cabinet okays draft on new trial procedures involving traffic cases
A cabinet meeting on Tuesday approved in principle a draft of the Trial Procedures for Traffic Cases Act, with the aim to set up a specific justice division to process traffic cases instead of going through criminal trials, deputy government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek said on Tuesday.
The act also aims to allow the court to try traffic law violators without the police having to issue a ticket first in such violations as running a red light or speeding over the limit, she added.
Ratchada said the draft is in response to increasing traffic law violations, mostly due to motorists lacking understanding and discipline on the roads.
“Some motorists are not afraid of the legal punishment for traffic violations as the current law enforcement is not efficient enough,” she said.
“Many tickets have been issued but only a few people have actually paid the fine as there were no specific procedures for when violators oppose the charges or ignore the fine.”
Ratchada pointed out that currently if a violator ignores a traffic ticket, officials need to file a criminal case, which usually takes a long time to process.
The draft divides traffic cases into three categories and designates different trial procedures for each.
One is traffic violations with specific punishment, such as driving without a licence or during licence suspension, running red lights and exceeding the speed limit. Under the new act, violators of these laws will not be issued a ticket or fined by police, they will instead be ordered to report to the investigation officer, who will schedule a court hearing.
Another category covers violations of the Motor Vehicle Act, Land Transport Act, or Highway Act, excluding violations that result in damage to other people or property. Police will fine violators of these laws, or have the investigation officer schedule a court hearing in case they oppose the charge or refuse to pay the fine.
The third category comprises other serious offences not included in the previous two categories, such as driving under the influence, in which violators will be tried under criminal procedures.
The Trial Procedures for Traffic Cases Act also allows the court to impose additional punishment beside the punishment stipulated in each law, to be implemented on a case-by-case basis, such as suspending or revoking a driver’s licence, making violators perform community service, or making them undergo traffic law training, Ratchada added.