New upper speed limit increases to 120 kilometres per hour on some Thai motorways

From yesterday, the speed limit for all traffic will now increase to 120 kilometres per hour. The change covers at least four highways in Thailand as a pilot program. The announcement was made by the director-general of the Highways Department and is already published in the Royal Gazette.

There’s been a few false starts on the raising of the national speed limit in the past, partly due to the government focussing on the Covid pandemic in the country. Last year the official upper limit was changed 120 kph but wasn’t for all types of vehicles.

It is envisaged that the new maximum speed will eventually roll out across all motorways across the country. All the arteries listed are 4-lane highways or motorways.

The motorways include…

• Highway No 9 (Kanchanapisek), from Bang Khae to Mahasawat.

• Highway No 35 (Rama II), from Na Kok to Phraek Nam Dang.

• Highway No 4 (Phet Kasem) from Khao Wang to Sra Phra.

• Highway 4 (Phet Kasem) Khao Wang to Sra Phra.

The new upper speed limit doesn’t cover all sections of the main arteries and new speed limit signs are being located along the routes to alert drivers where the new stretches of 120 kilometre per hour limits are in place.

Drivers who violate Thai speed limits may be liable to a punishment. Currently offenders can be fined up to 1,000 baht for their first speeding offence. But mostly drivers are fined 500 baht for an on-the-spot fine. Of course all drivers must carry a valid Thai driving license or an equivalent International Driving Permit.

The new official speed limits won’t change very much as the older speed limits of 90 and 100 kilometres per hour were mostly exceeded by the majority of drivers anyway.

And for the full designation of the speed limit locations on these four motorways, Thai PBS World has published a detailed description…

• Highway No 9 (Kanchanapisek), from Bang Khae to Mahasawat between 23+500km-31+600km in-bound and out-bound.

• Highway No 35 (Rama II), from Na Kok to Phraek Nam Dang between 56+000km and 57+300km in-bound and out-bound; between 58+800km and 68+200km in-bound and out-bound; between 69+950km and 73+800km in-bound and out-bound; between 75+000km and 76+800km in-bound and out-bound; between 78+250km and 78+690km in-bound and out-bound and between 79+110km and 80+600km in-bound and out-bound.

• Highway No 4 (Phet Kasem) from Khao Wang to Sra Phra between 160+000km to 167+000km in-bound and out-bound.

• Highway 4 (Phet Kasem) Khao Wang to Sra Phra between 172+000km to 178+000km in-bound and out-bound and between 178+750km and 183+500km in-bound and out-bound.

If you don’t have, or need, a Thai driving license, click HERE.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World