Crackdown On Drunk Drivers; Strict Law Against Drunk Driving

[jackr]

liquor will become three times cheaper thanks to the Asean free trade agreement

About time... alcohol is way overpriced in this country when comparing wages and the price of a meal.

[ScienceGuy]

<sarcasm>Hey great! I'm so glad Thailand is becoming more like the country I escaped from. At my weight, I'd be classified as a drunken murderer after 2 drinks(BAC=0.05%), be fined, and go to jail. Hey why not make it 0.01% and catch anybody who has any alcohol in their system whatsoever?

Ever since I came to Thailand I've noticed an increasingly imposing legal system. No beer sales at certain times... Fines for smoking in places, bars closing early, helmet laws, etc.

It seems like all the people who ruined the US with their laws have come to Thailand to do the same. They enjoyed the freedom to drive drunk, stay out all night, etc. and now they are making it a crime.

I guess it won't be long before everything is illegal, there's a cop on every corner, and cameras in every soi. Way to go Abhisit et al! Thanks for bringing the NWO to Thailand.

</sarcasm>

[Robbie Dye]

..... along with the drivers' licence being suspended for six months or forever for repeat offenders.....

Yeah, right!! That'll stop some of the scummy vermin animals who drive on these roads!!

So we can learn that it is clearly better not to have a licence! That would be logical?

[jfchandler]

May I ask...

Who from The Nation newspaper do I take with me next year when I go to my local 7/11 and ask for my "three times cheaper" discount on liquor "thanks to the Asean free trade agreement."

I hope the newspaper is planning to offer a money-back guarantee on their faulty reporting and/or translating.

And by the way, how do you have "a law" that's only enforced in one police station's jurisdiction. And where did this "law" come from???

[Wiggy]

I'm OK as I never drink and drive anyway - I keep spilling it!

[Lesnw63]

So if I get pinched i'll only be looking at a fine of between 5k and 20k and a loss of licence, awesome........

In reality though, I bet if i get caught it will cost me significantly more.

Why on earth would you get caught? Or are you one of the idiots that has to be avoided on the roads as you drive drunk with not a care in the world for the safety of others, like me for instance?

[JustinCredible]

This is now the norm in Korat. Every night their are numerous alcohol checkpoints with breathalyzers in hand. If over the .05 limit you are arrested and booked into jail, with a court hearing within 48 hrs.

Barry

The same in Khon Kaen. I have 3 friends who have had the pleasure of a night under lock and key, a fine of 8k - 12k and either community service or giving blood. It's been going on up here for months.

Edited December 3, 2009 by JustinCredible

[PhilHarries]

Gawd the cynics on this forum are so predictable and tiresome. Cheers to the BIB.

You might have the nick wimpy but do you need to be terminally niaive as well?

Yes, it's a great idea and far better than banning alcohol altogether and targetting the responsible drinkers with the idiots. But, unless you hadn't noticed, in Thailand laws tend to get enforced preferentially. So if the drunk driver is the son of a hi-so he is preferentially let off but anyone else gets done preferentially according to his/her ability to pay.

It's good to hear from some replies that the BiB do actually have breathalysers, at least that is a step in the right direction.

[mahtin]

Gonna have to educate the BIB first, they could be some of the worst offenders.

True.

Couple of years ago I hosted a "picnic" lakeside at Pattaya 2 (Khon Kaen). There was a BiB in the party who insisted on sitting next to me, and he was carrying a gun although off duty and in plain clothes. He even offered me the weapon after a lot of drinks. I declined. Seems my wife's cousin was his mia noi At the end of the afternoon, totally wrecked, he staggered off to his car, fell in, and drove off with a cheery wave.

Earlier this year my wife told me that the policeman had died and that her cousin had found herself a farang

[StasD]

Drivers will pay more to polismen. That will be the main result

[jensonmcm]

When is someone going to start up a site called "ThaiCrackdown.com" ? There would be no shortage of fresh weekly content.

[mythBuster]

How interesting, "The law is currently tried out", so one law for one police district and one who is passed by parliament for the rest of us.

I am very interesting to know how this holds up in court, although the same principle is followed of course for red andyellow shirted people who are also treated differently.

[Foggy Bottom]

"The law will be strictly enforced during the holiday period." So, what happens at other times?

And I can't yet work out what 3 times cheaper means....

Currently booze is cheap for the BiB - they set up roadblocks and fine drivers a couple of times each month, and the pocket money pays for the booze.

So this can be read two ways -

either they will be tripling the number of days they set up road blocks

or

they will up the B200 to B600

ergo for the BiB, booze will become three times cheaper ... for the rest of us there will be no change in price

[Dukeleto]

Booze 3 x cheaper will just transalate in profit margin 3 x larger! Only people smiling will be the vendors.

[Jonathanpattaya]

So, is it now all about law enforcement?

I have my doubts somehow.

[Fabdial]

Does anyone know that police use also faked breathalyzer?

A friend of mine who cannot drink alcool because his body doesn't support any alcool, has been tested positive with 3g of alcool!!!

He refused to pay anything because he never drinks alcool. They didn't pursue him as he could show his medical statement.

You are now aware they are already abusing of the law against Drunk Driving.

Edited December 3, 2009 by Fabdial

[mortenaa]

i totally agree on strict laws for drunk driving. maybe now i won't drink and drive anymore....

Hehe..

So have they provided the BIB with breathalysers?

Or we still down to one unit at Din Daeng on a Saturday night.

I'm all for it.

Come on, is it April 1st. Booze going down in price.

It will never happen.

I have been stop quite a few times the last year of police equipped with breathalysers..

[Sherlocke]

A ridiculously draconian law which will be imposed not by the government but by the police who will of course not be able to act impartially.

It will be impossible for Thailand to change overnight from being a country with "liberal" DD laws to one with some of the most draconian in the world -

People will be unfairly convicted and any law carrying a mandatory" fine/sentence is liable to create all sorts of problems.

as ever this is some idea cooked up without any forethought whatsoever and as such is domed to failiure

[Sherlocke]

A ridiculously draconian law which will be imposed not by the government but by the police who will of course not be able to act impartially.

It will be impossible for Thailand to change overnight from being a country with "liberal" DD laws to one with some of the most draconian in the world -

People will be unfairly convicted and any law carrying a mandatory" fine/sentence is liable to create all sorts of problems.

as ever this is some idea cooked up without any forethought whatsoever and as such is domed to failiure

[andygunther]

Its about time...

I hope it will have some effect too.

[pisico]

12000 a year, that is a truly astonishing figure, I hope they actually bother to apply the law rather than see it as another chance for a bribe.

That is nothing compared to Brazil. In that country, 55,000 die every year on the roads (almost as many Americans who died in 13 years in the Vietnam war) as the result of being Brazilians. They drink all day, they dance and sing Samba and even get it on while driving. Over there the horn is one more collision avoidance device. Traffic in any city in Brazil is infernal and louder than a bad Mariachi band. I know this only too well after living there for 4 years in Ipanema and Barra da Tijuca, two high end beaches. True that the roads here in Thailand are not up to par with the population and/or number of vehicles. But traffic here, in spite of being intense and somewhat chaotic, it is nothing like it is in the States where Road Rage is typified by flipping of the bird, four letter word insults and gun fire. Let's count our blessings and take it in stride. No Road Rage, I am all for that.

Pisico

[mortenaa]

Does anyone know that police use also faked breathalyzer?

A friend of mine who cannot drink alcool because his body doesn't support any alcool, has been tested positive with 3g of alcool!!!

He refused to pay anything because he never drinks alcool. They didn't pursue him as he could show his medical statement.

You are now aware they are already abusing of the law against Drunk Driving.

I think this has been going on for long. Especially police close to nightspots. I denied testing a couple of times by police I could tell they were just after my money. So I paid tea-money just to get away.

[JulesMad]

Hopefully this "new" law is for motorbikes as well... Or maybe it is even for every traffic participant (even pedestrians!)

Alcohol 3x cheaper?!?! I believe it when I see it

[12DrinkMore]

Can somebody hazard a guess why 12,000 deaths and 100,0000 accidents cost the State 240,000,000,000 Baht?

That amounts to over 2,000,000 Baht on average, seems a huge amount, or maybe they have just thought up a large enough number that the Thais have no idea how to comprehend and interpret?

They could also crackdown on underage riders of motorcycles, wearing helmets (if they were serious, then the schools could easily enforce a strict helmet law, no helmet and the bike stays in the school grounds), mobile phones and ramp up the requirements for the driving test.

[Fabdial]

Can somebody hazard a guess why 12,000 deaths and 100,0000 accidents cost the State 240,000,000,000 Baht?

That amounts to over 2,000,000 Baht on average, seems a huge amount, or maybe they have just thought up a large enough number that the Thais have no idea how to comprehend and interpret?

They could also crackdown on underage riders of motorcycles, wearing helmets (if they were serious, then the schools could easily enforce a strict helmet law, no helmet and the bike stays in the school grounds), mobile phones and ramp up the requirements for the driving test.

They could give also real driving lessons! Getting a driving license after a week of driving lesson (and even without any lesson) is also the reason of many accidents in this country!

[glennsup]

well, i guess we wll have to postpone songkran as more people die on the roads in 3 days than any drink drivers can kill

[Sparkles]

As if not having a license would ever stop anyone from driving here.

Exactly and we hear this rhetoric before every holiday weekend.They dont even enforce the wearing of helmets for motor bike riders and how obvious is that.People are still chatting away on phones while they are driving and the hospitals are still receiving thousands of casulties...driving in Thailand is ,in my opinion, one of the most dangerous places in the world.

[Spoonman]

One would think it would depend on how drunk, if there was an accident, from the way you talk, you must be quite a drinker

Where did i mention accident, i was working on the theory of being pulled over for a random breath test.

Why on earth would you get caught? Or are you one of the idiots that has to be avoided on the roads as you drive drunk with not a care in the world for the safety of others, like me for instance?

You dont have random breath tests in your home country ??

As for your idiot comment, well i think that best suits you, lets get back to the random breath test scenario, in Australia the police set up booze buses and pull in drivers, it dont take much to blow over the Oz limit of .05.

.05 is hardly falling over drunk causing erratic dangerous driving, what is the limit over here in which you would be deemed as driving under the influence ??

[Tigs]

Can somebody hazard a guess why 12,000 deaths and 100,0000 accidents cost the State 240,000,000,000 Baht?

That amounts to over 2,000,000 Baht on average, seems a huge amount, or maybe they have just thought up a large enough number that the Thais have no idea how to comprehend and interpret?

They could also crackdown on underage riders of motorcycles, wearing helmets (if they were serious, then the schools could easily enforce a strict helmet law, no helmet and the bike stays in the school grounds), mobile phones and ramp up the requirements for the driving test.

2M baht would be about right. The cost is determined by many factors, including total police and emergency time spent dealing with RTA's, the cost of 'productivity' and 'tax 'to the country, in many cases medical bills etc etc etc. The price of a death in the UK is about £5M per person, no sh*t.

Anyway as maths is not the strong point here then one solution to get an ambitious politician to call a stop to the whole thing is to give them the following Fact! Did you know that in the UK and USA approximately 33% of all road accidents are caused by drunk drivers! That means that 67% of road accidents are caused by sober ones! Therefore get everyone to drive drunk and you will cut down the accident rate by 67%! Lies Lies and dam_n statistics!

[Kimera]

Enforce the helmet law. A lot of head injuries are more than likely in those figures. See so many people just coming off their bikes.

Yesterday when I left my mooban, there were 2 police on a motorbike, they were headed the same way as me, once out on the main road 2 motorbikes, drivers not wearing helmets, passed right by the police and they didn't even bat any eye. Apparently the police only enforce the helmet law at check points only?

Have just made a U turn behind a m/c policeman the first oncoming m/c coming the wrong way towards him he stopped, how refreshing