Police Crackdown On Drink Drivers

[andyandythai]

Royal Thai Police: Motorists caught drink driving over the New Year's holiday will be jailed immediately up to a year in a bid to reduce road accidents.

51 deaths from road accidents nationwide reported on 2nd day of 7 dangerous New Year's holiday days, raising the total number to 91.

After reading a few reports that police are cracking down on drink driving and anyone over the limit of 50 milligrams of alcohol in their blood would be immediately arrested and jailed - Has anyone seen or even ecxperienced this in Samui yet?

Would be interesting to see if this action will be taken here too?

[smokie36]

The annual fundraiser is fast approaching.

[screamingeagle]

On Samui, if you're a farang, they breathalyze you and, if over the limit, 10,000 Baht into the BIB's charity fund!!!

Never heard of anything else!

Edited December 31, 2009 by screamingeagle

[ptpirate]

I see they have set up in readiness in Bophut, at the traffic lights. I asked in the Cooler Bar thinking it was about helmets but he said no, it's for drink driving over the new year.

Knowing what I'm like on the piss, I say it will be taxi time tonight!

[draggons]

Going by the 40 killed on the first day of the holidays it's not working too well.

[ScubaBuddha]

Is this term "drink driving" really the way it's said or a typo? I thought it was "drunk driving". ??

[animatic]

Working tonight, drinking light anyway.

Never been Breathalysed on Samui in many years here.

Bound to happen sometime i suppose, but then again I am not

appearing like a nutter on the road at any time.

[animatic]

Is this term "drink driving" really the way it's said or a typo? I thought it was "drunk driving". ??

Seems the Brits use Drink Driving, versus Americans using Drunk Driving

Or the more offical sounding catch-all

"Driving while under the influence of alcohol."

Semantics, not typos.

So .05 is the Official Thailand limit....

most seem over .5 most nights of the week.

Edited December 31, 2009 by animatic

[dom samui]

Absolutely 0.5 kg/blood liter.

[Credo]

I'll have to see this to believe it. Thais aren't big on punishment, especially rather harsh punishment, especially if you are little repentant. A deep wai, but not so deep you fall down, may get you a wave by.

It's not so much about coming up with an unusually harsh punishment, it's about getting them off the road and people learning they are serious. But it's a crackdown and next week it will be back to normal.

[Ayutthaya69]

hi all and happy new years so if you go out for driink just used moto taxi or taxi or tuk tuk more safe tonight me and me wife going eat and drink so whee going bye moto taxi and come back by moto taxi 2 so have a good night tonight Phom Yak Mao mak mak hehe sawat dee pii mai khrup took kon

[Brunus]

hi all and happy new years so if you go out for driink just used moto taxi or taxi or tuk tuk more safe tonight me and me wife going eat and drink so whee going bye moto taxi and come back by moto taxi 2 so have a good night tonight Phom Yak Mao mak mak hehe sawat dee pii mai khrup took kon

Do you think moto taxi drivers, tuk-tuk drivers and taxi drivers will be sober tonight?

[dman961]

I thought it was 10 days. That what the wife told me.

All the best...

[Boater]

On Samui, if you're a farang, they breathalyze you and, if over the limit, 10,000 Baht into the BIB's charity fund!!!

in phuket, it can sometimes be 30 - 40 K !

[473geo]

Is this term "drink driving" really the way it's said or a typo? I thought it was "drunk driving". ??

'Drunk driving' implies you're not fit to drive while drunk........

'Drink driving' implies you are not fit to drive after taking in drink (over the prescribed limit, you may not be drunk)

I think drink driving, or driving under the influence......more accurate

Whatever the label.....driving with any alcohol in your system is dangerous.

[SeanMoran]

I thought I might have worked it out last night - how my blood/alcohol level changes after a few beers. There was a breathalyser unit stationed right there in the carpark of these apartments, and the restaurant I planned to visit was only 50m up the road, so I drank two cans of Chang Lite over around 90 minutes before going to dinner, (on foot), and had a bottle of Chang Classic with my mu yung tim and khao nio over around 45 minutes, in the hope that I might return after dinner and request to blow in the bag if they were not too busy at the time, so as to determine what my level would be after what amounts to around 1.5 bottles of full-strength Chang over three hours.

They'd packed up and gone by the time I returned. Not much good testing it out tonight as I'm already on my third can of Chang Lite for the afternoon and it's not even 16:00 yet.

Does anyone have a rough guestimate on the number of bottles (1.0-1.5-2.0 etc.) of 6.1% alcohol beer a 75kg man can drink over a set number of hours without risking a year in jail?

PS:

Whatever the label.....driving with any alcohol in your system is dangerous.

ie. driving is dangerous.

Edited December 31, 2009 by SeanMoran

[Thailand]

The main problem with drinking and driving is that you spill most of it.

[richieudon]

I haven't read any of these posts but want to vent my anger a little

My wife has just returned from the local market which is 2 km's from our house

There are two police road blocks to check for drink drivers on the stretch back to our house.

She was poodling along on a motorbike with our 4 year old daughter and noticed a car coming towards her but swerving from left to right all over the road.

This happened virtually on the police road block. My wife pulled off the road in fear of her life and stopped at the police roadblock.

The police stopped the car and my wife was curious as to what would happen to the driver..

All that happened was he was told to not drive the car and his passenger then got in the driver's seat and drove off.

The guy driving was absolutely blind drunk!

Was it good will by the BiB?

Or was he one of those types "above the law?" after all "it was a shiny new pick up truck"

This guy would definitely have killed someone or himself and the BiB did nothing!!

I find it quite outrageous.

Note. My wife said no money changed hands either....maybe he was off duty???

[richieudon]

The annual fundraiser is fast approaching.

I saw Farang being breathalised on Koh Samui on channel 7 news this morning...

[britadders28]

I see they have set up in readiness in Bophut, at the traffic lights. I asked in the Cooler Bar thinking it was about helmets but he said no, it's for drink driving over the new year.

Knowing what I'm like on the piss, I say it will be taxi time tonight!

They have been there for years and ive never seen them stop anybody!!!

I was told they are just watching???

We came of a moped right in front of them and all they did was laugh!!!

[SeanMoran]

The police stopped the car and my wife was curious as to what would happen to the driver..

All that happened was he was told to not drive the car and his passenger then got in the driver's seat and drove off.

The guy driving was absolutely blind drunk!

I jumped to conclusions a couple of weeks ago, and had the idea that the BiB were out to get me.

What I see now after a few conversations with some more well-informed blokes around here, including a fairly experienced looking cop who I reckon I can trust, is that the system here is not like back in Australia where I come from, where most cops are out to fine me $150 and throw me in jail for driving at 61km/h in a 60 zone, in the left lane in peak hour traffic.

Here, the highest imperative of the police, so I have been told once verbatim, is to KEEP THE PEACE.

Surely the most peaceful solution to the problem that the wife saw was to swap drivers so that nobody broke the law any further and everyone has an happy new year. I could not say for sure, because I wasn't there, and neither were you, but there might have been some memorable loss of face to help the recalcitrant drunkard to adjust his manners, without causing more trouble?

It's about peace, so I write to the sound of whistles and what would seem to be gunfire going on down in the carpark at the temporary police tent for dealing with drunks behind the wheel or handlebars.

Peace, and a happy new year in Thailand to all.

[SabaiBKK]

I haven't read any of these posts but want to vent my anger a little

My wife has just returned from the local market which is 2 km's from our house

There are two police road blocks to check for drink drivers on the stretch back to our house.

She was poodling along on a motorbike with our 4 year old daughter and noticed a car coming towards her but swerving from left to right all over the road.

This happened virtually on the police road block. My wife pulled off the road in fear of her life and stopped at the police roadblock.

The police stopped the car and my wife was curious as to what would happen to the driver..

All that happened was he was told to not drive the car and his passenger then got in the driver's seat and drove off.

The guy driving was absolutely blind drunk!

Was it good will by the BiB?

Or was he one of those types "above the law?" after all "it was a shiny new pick up truck"

This guy would definitely have killed someone or himself and the BiB did nothing!!

I find it quite outrageous.

Note. My wife said no money changed hands either....maybe he was off duty???

what I also find outrageous is your wife driving a motorbike with your 4 years old .... THIS IS TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE ... your child should be taken from your custody by social services if there were any in Thailand

[Oberkommando]

Going by the 40 killed on the first day of the holidays it's not working too well.

That's only 5 over the daily average so must be having some effect.

[Oberkommando]

Surely the most peaceful solution to the problem that the wife saw was to swap drivers so that nobody broke the law any further and everyone has an happy new year. I could not say for sure, because I wasn't there, and neither were you, but there might have been some memorable loss of face to help the recalcitrant drunkard to adjust his manners, without causing more trouble?

100 yards down the road he could have ran over and killed a small child.

Don't worry though, I'm sure his loss of face is punishment enough.

[Maigo6]

Will be interesting to see how many Farangs are jailed over this holiday period.

Nearly every Farang I know that likes a drink and has a car or motorcycle drinks and drives on a regular basis.

Pattaya will have to build more jails for sure !!

[bdenner]

Pure effin bulls#it! It's 17:00 New Years Eve and I have just driven through 9 "road blocks" to get home from town (17km trip) up here in Isaan. Not stopped once all the BIB on the Lao Khow or whatever! Business as usual! Exactly the same as last year (and Song Kran) and the past 9 years.

[473geo]

I thought I might have worked it out last night - how my blood/alcohol level changes after a few beers. There was a breathalyser unit stationed right there in the carpark of these apartments, and the restaurant I planned to visit was only 50m up the road, so I drank two cans of Chang Lite over around 90 minutes before going to dinner, (on foot), and had a bottle of Chang Classic with my mu yung tim and khao nio over around 45 minutes, in the hope that I might return after dinner and request to blow in the bag if they were not too busy at the time, so as to determine what my level would be after what amounts to around 1.5 bottles of full-strength Chang over three hours.

They'd packed up and gone by the time I returned. Not much good testing it out tonight as I'm already on my third can of Chang Lite for the afternoon and it's not even 16:00 yet.

Does anyone have a rough guestimate on the number of bottles (1.0-1.5-2.0 etc.) of 6.1% alcohol beer a 75kg man can drink over a set number of hours without risking a year in jail?

PS:

Whatever the label.....driving with any alcohol in your system is dangerous.

ie. driving is dangerous.

Alcohol we all know can affect judgement.........

Thank you for providing such a current example......Happy New Year......

[Oberkommando]

Will be interesting to see how many Farangs are jailed over this holiday period.

Nearly every Farang I know that likes a drink and has a car or motorcycle drinks and drives on a regular basis.

Pattaya will have to build more jails for sure !!

I know a few too.

Coming from a country with a decent education and awareness of the problems of drunk driving they really ought to know better.

[tornado40]

I see they have set up in readiness in Bophut, at the traffic lights. I asked in the Cooler Bar thinking it was about helmets but he said no, it's for drink driving over the new year.

Knowing what I'm like on the piss, I say it will be taxi time tonight!

They have been there for years and ive never seen them stop anybody!!!

I was told they are just watching???

We came of a moped right in front of them and all they did was laugh!!!

I was in Samui back in October - on my click with helmet at one in the morning - got stopped at a checkpoint set up at the Bophut lights

I thought I'm in for it now - was asked ' where are you going' I said ' to a club' answered with ' have a nice evening'

Impressed by how polite they were

See what happens in February when I come back!

[ArthurPewty]

Don't drink while you drive. Don't even putt. Dean Martin.

Seriously though, if it is claim made by Thai authorities it is false or absurdly optimistic at best. Crack downs are fine, but not in place of regular policing.