Motor Expo 2026

Sanit Phromwong Director-General of the Department of Land Transport, revealed that most road accidents are caused by inappropriate driving behavior. The Department of Land Transport, as the agency overseeing and promoting road safety, has initiated the Sure Driving/Smart Driver project to elevate the quality standards of drivers, equipping them with safe driving skills and knowledge, reducing road accident problems, and lowering the statistics of road fatalities in Thailand, in line with the government and Ministry of Transport's policy, which will adjust the criteria for issuing driver's licenses to be more stringent. 

• Adjust and increase training content for new driver's license applications (temporary type)

From the original 4 hours to 5 hours, by adding more content on actions in case of an emergency and safe driving.

The new curriculum will be implemented starting January 1, 2017, onwards, including cases where individuals have already received a temporary driver's license but their original license has expired for more than 1 year, they must undergo training according to the new curriculum.

More than 500 personnel acting as instructors from the Department of Land Transport, driving schools certified by the Department of Land Transport, and government agencies that have signed memoranda of understanding for theoretical training with the Department of Land Transport, have all completed training to build knowledge and understanding of the teaching guidelines for the 5-hour curriculum. They can fully, efficiently, and uniformly convey this knowledge to driver's license applicants nationwide.

• For the updated curriculum, the content includes

(Laws on motor vehicles, laws on highways, and laws on land traffic) 1 hour 30 minutes, safe driving 2 hours, driving awareness and etiquette 1 hour, and actions in case of an emergency, assistance, and first aid 30 minutes. The increase in training hours aims to instill a safety consciousness in road use. With proper knowledge and understanding of driving rules, road accidents will consequently decrease. 

Furthermore, the Department of Land Transport has also provided additional options for people who may find it inconvenient to attend training with the Department of Land Transport during official working hours. They can choose to attend training at driving schools certified by the Department of Land Transport or government agencies that have an agreement with the Department of Land Transport, under the same curriculum. They can then present their training certificate as proof to undergo physical fitness tests, written tests (E-exam), and driving tests at all provincial land transport offices nationwide.

In issuing driver's licenses to the public, the Department of Land Transport operates on the concept of producing quality drivers who prioritize the safety of themselves and other road users. This is primarily something that must originate from the drivers themselves. The intensification of the curriculum is merely one tool to enhance knowledge in correct driving
and instill awareness. The crucial part lies with the drivers, who must be aware of safety and practice it diligently, concluded the Director-General of the Department of Land Transport.