Motor Expo 2026

The Department of Land Transport clarifies! The issue of amending the law to increase penalties for offenses related to driver's licenses is still awaiting submission to the Cabinet for approval before being sent to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA). It is confirmed that it has not yet come into effect in any way. 

The Department of Land Transport has undertaken the revision of two laws, namely the Motor Vehicle Act B.E. 2522 and the Land Transport Act B.E. 2522, by merging them into a single act. This aims to enhance the efficiency of controlling and regulating vehicle use, elevate vehicle structural safety standards, and standardize transport operations. The law's details have been improved to serve as a more effective tool for controlling and regulating driver behavior, including increasing penalties for drivers who commit offenses. This is to ensure drivers are aware of and strictly adhere to traffic laws, and is a crucial part of reducing accidents and loss of life and property for the public. Currently, “the Draft Land Transport Act B.E. ....” is awaiting submission to the Cabinet for approval before being sent to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) for consideration and subsequent enactment into law. 

For details in “the Draft Land Transport Act B.E. ....”, amendments are proposed to increase penalties for offenses related to driver's licenses, as follows: 

Section 64 Driving without a license 

- Currently, the penalty is imprisonment for not more than 1 month, fine up to 1,000 baht.

- As for the new Draft Act, it proposes to increase the penalty to imprisonment for not more than 3 months, fine up to 50,000 baht. 

Section 65 Driving during expired, suspended, revoked, or confiscated license 

• - Currently, the penalty is a fine not exceeding 2,000 baht.

- As for the new Draft Act, it increases the penalty to imprisonment for not more than 3 months, with a fine increased to a maximum of 50,000 baht. 

Section 66 Driving without displaying a license

- Currently, the penalty is a fine not exceeding 1,000 baht. 

While the Draft Act proposes a maximum fine of 10,000 baht, which will bring it into line with the context of public administration, control, supervision, and law enforcement, making it suitable for the current situation.
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The Department of Land Transport continues to strictly implement the Motor Vehicle Act B.E. 2522 and the Land Transport Act B.E. 2522, and other relevant current laws, for orderliness and safety on the roads. This includes rigorous and serious enforcement of legal measures for detection, or the adoption of technology to help control and regulate driving behavior, especially for all types of public transport drivers. Offenders are pursued and punished to the maximum extent of the law in all cases, sent for training to build service consciousness, and their offense history is recorded, with data linked from all agencies to keep it updated, in order to check for repeated offenses and to implement measures for suspending and revoking driver's licenses in cases of repeat offenses. However, increasing the intensity of law enforcement is merely one tool. The crucial part lies with the drivers, who must be aware of safety and seriously put it into practice.