BTW - I'm not impressed with the "lawyer" advertising his own web site or the rather misleading advice.

Thailand is a signatory to the relevant treaties concerning Driving licences for foreigners. so technically most people DON"T need an IDP - (that's IDP not L)
However enforcement is patchy, corrupt and inconsistent.

Whereas you are certainly better off with an IDP - (it is an "international Driving PERMIT - not licence)....it isn't actually the law - you need a licence that has a photo

Many police will ask for an IDP because they "know" about them - they might even ask for a couple of hundred baht if you don't have one.
They might ask for that regardless of whether you have committed a diving offence or not! so it is BETTER to have one but not legally required.

There have also been instances where car hire companies have claim invalid insurance without an IDP - even though they rented you the car without asking for one - all of this is very shady and you can avoid it by using a reputable brand car rental.

After a few months in Thailand you are obliged to get a Thai licence too., but this is not normally a concern for holidaymakers.

It seems a lot of these shenanigans are getting less common as both the public and police are becoming more aware of the reality and even the law.

I seldom get stopped these days and even more rarely get asked for money. however I still keep a couple of hundred baht handy, as I certainly don't want to open a wallet full of cash in front of an officer who is asking for cash.

the last time it happened I counted the money out in 20 baht notes very carefully in full public view, by 120 baht they declared that was enough! Drove away all smiles.

Always good to have an IDP, saves a lot of hassle if your main license is lost, stolen or retained by a corrupt police officer. It only costs £5 in the UK.

Paying bribes just perpetuates the problem and encourages corruption. I have driven a lot in Thailand, never been asked for a bribe and would pay it if I was asked.

Khunwilko, I reported that lawyer's post as spam as soon as I saw it, so glad it's been removed. And very good advice on the IDP. Thank you again. We've obtained these for our last two trips to Japan where they are required for foreigners wanting to drive, I'm not sure the last one is still valid but if not we'll just get another one, very cheap as Crellston says.

Yes -I thought it was spam too

Make sure you get a "proper" IDP.......there are loads of unaccredited ones available online.

Fines - some people think they are paying fines when stopped in road blocks - a lot of this isn't actually an official fine....and just look at the "offence" - usually highly subjective.
If you suspect you are being asked for a fine illegally, you could question it. he officer might back down .....or it could mean spending the rest of the day in the local police station and when you realise that you might even be spending the night there you will happily pay the penalty which now may be accompanied by some official-looking paperwork........the "fine" of course will be a bit more by now.

As I said I've covered about half a million kilometres in Thailand and have been asked for "fines" about half a dozen times.

Currently the practice is becoming less blatant partly at last because so many people have dash cams and phone videos.
However being issues a ticket at a road block isn't actually proof of a traffic offence and if you ever have recourse to use the receipt you are likely to meet a blank wall.
I would say that just about every time I was stopped by a solitary officer over the years, the "alleged" traffic offence was non-existent and made up on the spot by the officer. Even one time with a a speed camera I'd question the accuracy of the instrument - of there is no way in Thailand you (especially a tourist with limited time) can question or check the calibration or even the ability of the officer to operate it - assuming they were operating it at all. In fact taking any questionable matter up with the police is pretty much out of the question for a visitor.

There are now an increasing number of automatic speed cameras around the country - these are less likely to be subject to corruption - it's hard to bribe a camera!
So any tickets/fines will subsequently be deducted from your deposit/credit card by the company.
Traffic law enforcement in Thailand rarely involves the courts - decisions, prosecutions judgments and solutions are all meted out by the police - often on the spot and usually involve a fee for the police's troubles.

Because of this, In the event of a collision or more serious incident the first thing to do is call the insurance company.......Know where the number is and KEEP THE NUMBER HANDY!!
Within minutes the company will send a rep to the scene. These chaps will act as an intermediary between you and other parties and most importantly the police. This is VITAL.
For a start he/she will handle to insurance legalities including your BAIL BOND - so you won't end up in a cell.

Recovery - you might also check if your insurance has roadside recovery - this is also very useful for things like flat batteries and unexpected stoppages...most car hire companies should have it and my solitary experience of this service was good - quick response and quick solution

Thank you, really appreciate all these extra tips!

Just wanted to follow up and say that our self-drive segment worked out really well. Driving was easy, not a single stress point, beautiful roads and scenery, traffic not at all scary even as we exited from Bangkok Airport, and we loved having a car for the Khao Yai area and especially for Ayutthaya. (We booked a guided excursion for our visit into the KY National Park itself). Would definitely drive in Thailand again, was a great experience.

Jolly good show! - How did you get on with navigation?

I think people are terrified of the traffic around Bangkok and navigating through it.....perhaps you could share your experiences?

So 10/10 then!

I'm impressed that the rental staff were open enough to tell you that the satnav was a waste of time. They are expensive addition and if they don't work they only get customer complaints.
I have several navigation apps on my tablet but I seldom use any of them except Google.
I drive alone mostly and find the phone is too fiddly, so I have a tablet mounted where I can see it at a glance......... probably illegal but a lot safer than squinting at a phone; you need a co-driver for that.
Over the years, I've noticed that the signage around the airport has go a lot better....they sill have a really annoying habit of posting a road name rather that a destination, but they're getting better....who knows we may even get the right name above the right lane soon!

So 10/10 then!

I'm impressed that the rental staff were open enough to tell you that the satnav was a waste of time. They are expensive addition and if they don't work they only get customer complaints.
I have several navigation apps on my tablet but I seldom use any of them except Google.
I drive alone mostly and find the phone is too fiddly, so I have a tablet mounted where I can see it at a glance......... probably illegal but a lot safer than squinting at a phone; you need a co-driver for that.
Over the years, I've noticed that the signage around the airport has go a lot better....they sill have a really annoying habit of posting a road name rather that a destination, but they're getting better....who knows we may even get the right name above the right lane soon!

Yes, and when we agreed not to take it (they got it out and we could see it was ancient), they took the price off the rental agreement too.

Glad to hear the driving went well we drove around northern Thailand and found it a great place to have our own car! Glad you had a smiler experience.