Drunk drivers in Thailand may face stiffer penalties

[Will B Good]

The only real deterrent would be to impound the car they are driving for 12 months and pay for its storage......even if it is their brother's/cousin's etc........that would make them think twice

[IvorBiggun2]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

Right the standard excuse of expats i drive better drunk then Thais do sober. Its not like i have not heard that one before.

Are you putting words into my mouth? I never said anything like that.

[IvorBiggun2]

34 minutes ago, Watchit said:

I prefer the old days in Thailand

Those days are still here. I once went to a Loy Kratong event where a drunken Thai guy fell off his motorcycle. The police officer that was preventing traffic from going into the event picked him up, put him back on his bike, and then pushed him to go on his way.

[Photoguy21]

21 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Fine up to 20,000 baht... I know a few people who paid more in total when they seemed to be getting serious about it, about 3 or 4 years ago in Pattaya. Why did that stop?

Probably because it required effort to enforce.

[novacova]

23 hours ago, ozz1 said:

Thailand is one of the few countries that doesn't have random breath tests I guess if they did the jail's would be full

New Year’s Eve cm , drove up to a police checkpoint santitham/siphum area breath test and the police box was full of mostly foreigners yammering and whining ????????????. No money, go to jail situation. I laughed because it makes me feel good to see stupid get busted for illegal.

[zzaa09]

5 hours ago, Will B Good said:

The only real deterrent would be to impound the car they are driving for 12 months and pay for its storage......even if it is their brother's/cousin's etc........that would make them think twice

Highly unlikely. As prospective and habitual drunk drivers will always find a way - any vehicle will do. 

Suspending their license or impounding their vehicle will do little to deter. 

The only real practical resolution would be to remove them from society - long term prison stretches might suffice.

[josephbloggs]

2 hours ago, novacova said:

New Year’s Eve cm , drove up to a police checkpoint santitham/siphum area breath test and the police box was full of mostly foreigners yammering and whining ????????????. No money, go to jail situation. I laughed because it makes me feel good to see stupid get busted for illegal.

Yep. Twice in the last two months I have been through very professional blocks in Bangkok. No escape. Every single driver in every lane breathylised, and permanent cameras set up capturing everything - capturing the tests, and also set up at the desk for processing people caught.  No idea what the punishments are / were.  I have been here a long time but seems they are finally getting serious about this. Long may it continue.

[blackshadow]

9 hours ago, robblok said:

I feel people who drink and drive should be prosecuted as murderess if they kill someone with their car while drunk and driving. (same goes for other drugs of course)

are you talking about a female who comits murder??

[blackshadow]

surely headline should read WILL FACE STIFFER PENALTIES !!!

[IvorBiggun2]

1 minute ago, blackshadow said:

surely headline should read WILL FACE STIFFER PENALTIES !!!

Jails are chock a block. No space so they get sent home until a space can be found..

[blackshadow]

1 minute ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Jails are chock a block. No space so they get sent home until a space can be found..

t i t ehhh!!!

[jacko45k]

17 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

Probably because it required effort to enforce.

There was certainly good money in it...... 

[zyphodb]

21 hours ago, Kenchamp said:

Stiffer penalties means higher bribes needed to escape justice.

Most farang in the Pattaya area know that 200000 gets you off there and then under most circumstances. 

And take note. I did not say i agree with this state of affairs

I think you added a zero, as far as I know the going rate is 20,000 not 200.000

[Henryford]

Merc and BMW drivers of course are exempt. Just a wai will do.

[robblok]

12 hours ago, blackshadow said:

are you talking about a female who comits murder??

Non native speaker here with a bad spellcheck please forgive me its still early in the year ill do better. But at least i dont drink and drive.

[Boomer6969]

My friend's wife loves "stiffer penalties".

[hotchilli]

On 1/1/2023 at 1:43 PM, snoop1130 said:

Deputy Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said that, under the amended traffic law, once convicted of drunk driving an offender faces a maximum one-year prisonsentence and/or a fine of between 5,000 and 20,000 baht for the first offence.

And they expect this to change attitudes?

[Photoguy21]

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

There was certainly good money in it...... 

But mostly at the end of the month, the rest of the month doesnt count for much

[Liverpool Lou]

17 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Yep. Twice in the last two months I have been through very professional blocks in Bangkok. No escape. Every single driver in every lane breathylised, and permanent cameras set up capturing everything - capturing the tests, and also set up at the desk for processing people caught.  No idea what the punishments are / were.  I have been here a long time but seems they are finally getting serious about this. Long may it continue.

Where in Bangkok were these checkpoints and at what times?

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Where in Bangkok were these checkpoints and at what times?

Both were on Pattanakarn but in different places. Around 10.30pm and 11pm.

[richard_smith237]

On 1/2/2023 at 7:33 AM, Watchit said:

I prefer the old days in Thailand where you could do what you liked.

Many a night i didn't know how i got my bike home. Even used to get waved at by the cops as i rode pass the bar they were in. 

So does any antisocial selfish fool who has no regard for anyone else....