ok before you goody goodies chime in, i got stopped in Jomtien tonight, i had one small chang, i failed twice, cops says if i fail again it was the cop shop cell for the weekend  and maybe 20,000 fine, i was <deleted> livid, obviouly a rigged machine. next, but we can make this go away, go , to 7/11 get a drink, then the ATM get out 5000, drink the drink put money in it come back to police vehicle, hand over container. they had that off pat, i had no choice obviously. no way was i over by drinking half a pint of piss.

I don't believe you.

 

Signed,

A Goody Goody.

Way too elaborate I think.

About everybody who actually drank 5 beers will say: I had just one small beer

How much alcohol did you have in your blood according to the breathalyzer?

 

Don't drink and drive

If it is the same device which they commonly use in Thailand, usually called the 'wand', it does not measure a calibrated Breath Alcohol Content, but merely the presence of any alcohol on the breath.

 

So, IF anyone who has had a drink is asked to breathe on the same device it will trigger for the presence of Alcohol. This alone is does not mean you are over the legal limit. 

 

In triggering a 'positive' for the presence of Alcohol the Police then have cause to test you further with a calibrated Machine back at the station, or, if they have a calibrated machine present, they can test you further there. 

 

Of course, testing you at the station includes a great deal of inconvenience when they could test you there and then and see you on your merry way - but, thats just the way it is in Thailand. 

 

 

if they do a proper blood test at the station, or hospital,

then its not a problem.

myself im not taking any chances, i take a taxi.

Record your debacle next time...become a "youtube" sensation! 

Suitably concerned Goodies

As eating Durian just before being tested, can set off the machine, or using Listerine mouthwash, I doubt that there was anything wrong with the it. 

READ POST 5, IT IS NOT A BREATHALYSER as such, , driving for 55 years, never come across this never seen a PROPER  BREATHALYSER they were after my money all along , i was CONNED GOOD AND PROPER

29 minutes ago, mercman24 said:

READ POST 5, IT IS NOT A BREATHALYSER as such, , driving for 55 years, never come across this never seen a PROPER  BREATHALYSER they were after my money all along , i was CONNED GOOD AND PROPER

Yeah the cops are getting worse here, have had equal bad experiences this year in bangkok. Even cops trying to steal out of a bag of my mate.

 

I think the way forward is to suggest/insist on a blood test at a local hospital if you are in any doubt as to the accuracy of the machine used, does anyone believe that these machines are calibrated daily before use as they should be ?

3 hours ago, mercman24 said:

READ POST 5, IT IS NOT A BREATHALYSER as such, , driving for 55 years, never come across this never seen a PROPER  BREATHALYSER they were after my money all along , i was CONNED GOOD AND PROPER

Wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been drinking and driving, would it?

10 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been drinking and driving, would it?

Thailand has the same blood alcohol level as the EU which is 0.5 promille, nothing wrong with drinking a beer and driving.

Getting ripped off with a fake breath alcohol measuring device and jail time is however wrong, corruption is rampant.

 

You might as well say, if u didn't come to thailand you wouldn't have been ripped off.

 

1,2,3 and the thai apologist will storm this threaddddddddddddd...

Would the OP be quite as upset if he blew well over the limit but only had to pay a 5000 baht "fine" to drive away?

This tactic is used for all sorts of corruption. Make the process (any process) convoluted and inconvenient and then offer the option of paying cash to expedite it. 

 

The device was not "rigged". It was not a breathalyser just an alcohol detector. The breathalyser is at the station.

32 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

Thailand has the same blood alcohol level as the EU which is 0.5 promille, nothing wrong with drinking a beer and driving.

Getting ripped off with a fake breath alcohol measuring device and jail time is however wrong, corruption is rampant.

 

You might as well say, if u didn't come to thailand you wouldn't have been ripped off.

 

1,2,3 and the thai apologist will storm this threaddddddddddddd...

"...nothing wrong with drinking a beer and driving".

Really?  Some may disagree with you.

 

"You might as well say, if u didn't come to thailand you wouldn't have been ripped off".

Why? That would be illogical.  Disagreeing with drinking and driving is absolutely logical.

 

"1,2,3 and the thai apologist will storm this threaddddddddddddd…"

I'd love to see you back that up with a justifiable example of my defending Thais or Thailand with something irrational or wrong.  One, two, three... lets see something.

It's legal by law, that's why it's ok. He did nothing illegal.

He did not deserve to be ripped off by corrupt individuals.

Simple as that.

15 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

if they have a calibrated machine present

This made me chuckle a wee bit.

to the OP - where excactly have you been stopped?

11 hours ago, mercman24 said:

READ POST 5, IT IS NOT A BREATHALYSER as such, , driving for 55 years, never come across this never seen a PROPER  BREATHALYSER they were after my money all along , i was CONNED GOOD AND PROPER

You could file a complaint or could have refused to pay. Con is only as good as willing participant.

 

Not too sure what you were hoping to achieve by making this post, show that police are corrupt? well yeah, but what would you have said if you had 5 beers and were able to pay it off?

 

Also keep in mind, but i am not an expert, if you get tested immediately after having a drink, initial results would be not be favorable and further testing would be needed to determine the real levels of alcohol.

 

So again, you could have agreed to go down to police station for further testing or pay the bribe. 

 

When they do this checks on Pattaya Tai and 3 road, first you blow into a portable one, then if positive, they take you to a police booth and do another one on a big machine.