More Than 3,600 Drunk Drivers Caught And Punished

[webfact]

3,600 drunk drivers are punished

By Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai

The Nation

Published on January 6, 2010

More than 3,600 drunk drivers were caught and punished during this New Year's seven dangerous days as stricter

policing succeeded in reducing accident fatalities by 5.45 per cent.

Probation Department director-general Charnchao Chaiyanukit said yesterday that 3,638 drunk drivers were put on probation and required to serve 10-40 hours of community service, such as looking after those injured or disabled by drunk driving accidents.

Bangkok had the most drunk drivers at 483 cases.

The offenders would also be ordered to attend temple sermons on the dangers of drinking and asked to donate blood to help accident victims.

Arrests of drunk drivers had increased over last year because more checkpoints were set up and traffic laws were strictly reinforced, he said.

The decrease in road carnage over the New Year break proves that strict law reinforcement leads to effective prevention of road accidents, he said.

Authorities would continue the get-tough approach for the six-day Songkran festival in April, he said.

Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul said road casualties throughout the New Year holidays were down from last year. According to running statistics kept by the Road Safety Centre, deaths dropped by 5.45 per cent or 20 cases to 347, injuries by 6.82 per cent or 280 cases to 3,827, and accidents by 7.58 per cent or 290 cases to 3,534 from December 29-January 4.

The figures beat the government's goal to lower the holidays' road casualties by at least 5 per cent.

The southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat had the most accidents at 125 cases and the most injuries at 146 persons, while Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima had the most deaths at 12 each.

On Monday alone, 38 people were killed and 264 injured in 245 road accidents throughout Thailand, Chaovarat said.

The northeastern province of Yasothon, which had held the record of zero road accidents and casualties, unfortunately saw three accidents on the campaign's last day, in which one person was killed and two injured.

Most road accidents throughout the seven-day period resulted from drunk driving at 40.5 per cent, followed by speeding at 20.1 per cent and reckless driving at 14.15 per cent.

About 83 per cent of the accidents involved motorcycles and 67.5 per cent took place at night. A total of 4,587,332 vehicles were stopped at checkpoints and 449,673 motorists were arrested for breaking traffic laws.

About 33 per cent failed to carry a driver's licence and 31 per cent failed to wear a helmet while driving motorcycles.

Chaovarat said he was satisfied with the campaign results and vowed that the ministry would continue promoting road safety.

Some academics have argued that the real road casualty figures might be higher, but they could be checked, he said, adding that he believes they were 90 per cent accurate, leaving a 10-per-cent margin for error.

-- The Nation 2010-01-06

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[brahmburgers]

Interesting if true. A few days ago, there was a threat of putting drunk drivers in jail for a year. Now we hear of a bunch of 'community service' requirements and such. Well, something's better than nothing.

Because there's inclination to lessen numbers (it saves face) and it's impossible to gauge how many drunks are behind a steering wheel, the actual # of drunk drivers could well be tens of times the reported stats.

[slapout]

If Chaoravat believes the figures are 90% accurate, the reductions in all categories would negate the reduction figures that are being put out to heard the success of the measures implemented over the holidays. What happened to the transport tojail for drunk drivers as was mentioned? As a note, a friend of mine went to the police station on New Years eve regarding a traffic accident. He said The desk Sgt. (or whatever they are called) on duty, was so drunk he fell down when he stood up behind the desk.

[animatic]

Well I drove the bike through Nakhon Si Thammarat morning of the 2nd, on a visa run.

Glad I did it early and not after the lunch time drinking phase.

I was still getting passed in utterly moronic ways on the 3rd, but took the inland route.

I wished I had had alternate travel arrangments, but taking a mini-van

on this weekend was just too scary a prospect. Sorry no amulet on a 'lucky' driver

will help me out when he assumes the oncoming car is sober and logical on such a weekend.

[snowflake]

33% did not wear a helmet??? HUH??? Down here in NST the number is more like 80% not wearing a helmet...

Funny that the police stood outside the disco... They pulled all people over before they left and if they were drunk they sent them on a different route back home... (go figure) guess that they did not want that high numbers...

[MHM]

Quite a big police presence in Kanchanaburi, often active & walking about

[steelepulse]

Community service is a far different punishment than what the BIBs hand out to foreigners in Phuket where the stories are that the BIBs were demanding up to 30K.

[nowork114]

I presume that the 3,600 figure does not include the drunken and driving local mafia / hi-so / on and off duty cops and army ... Might be interested to know how many caught in real and how many punished ... I'd say it would be around 10,000 to 3,600 ...

[PoorSucker]

Community service is a far different punishment than what the BIBs hand out to foreigners in Phuket where the stories are that the BIBs were demanding up to 30K.

Need a work permit to do community service.

[sibeymai]

33% of drivers stopped could not produce a driver's license. Are we to assume then that 30% of drivers are unlicensed ? Would explain a lot given the apparently low standard of those who bother to obtain a license.

Edited January 6, 2010 by sibeymai

[SweatySock]

Local police at the checkpoint in our village said "Drunk driver, no problem only 200 baht".

Mind you, they were only being paid 200 baht for a 12 hour shift!!!!

[d0om4gloom]

The missing stat here is how many of those deaths and injuries are due to head injuries that might have been avoided if a helmet was being worn ? Ok so a large number were motorcycles and 33% didn't wear a helmet but without that final stat how can you really know the best way to target this problem ?

Targetting drunk drivers has a well proven track record but targetting people who dont wear a helmet or don't have a license is an unknown and might be a complete waste of time

[SeanMoran]

Targetting drunk drivers has a well proven track record but targetting people who dont wear a helmet or don't have a license is an unknown and might be a complete waste of time

I've been dropping down to the police tent most afternoons all through the seven dangerous days that just came to a close, and as openmindedly as I am trying to perceive the procedures apparent to an outsider, I'm still not entirely certain of the intended objective/s. Whether they be to reduce accidents, to be seen to reduce accidents, and/or to reap a small profit over the new year holiday? I guess it was a mixture of all of those as well as providing a few fair warnings to school kids sans helmets and one or two nabbed for riding along the rhs verge (as is standard practice along this stretch of road).

What struck me as the greatest double-standard of all was that almost any four-wheeled vehicle was generally waved straight through the witches hat line at speeds between 40-80 and sometimes higher, while every motorbike got pulled over, except those that were wise enough to simply turn off at the side street and ride around the roadblock by around 50 metres.

With this helmet situation, one other strange rule seems to me about the requirement for the rider to wear an helmet, but not the pillion passenger/s. If those on the bike get hit by some menace in a Mercedes on the road, then surely the rider has the most chance of managing a least fatal reaction with the handlebars and a controlled fall/roll, whereas anyone unlucky enough to be a pillon passenger on a two-wheeled vehicle at the mercy of a madman in a car is most likely just a sitting duck, with little active control over the outcome of an attack by a rogue automobile, if any at all.

Last night and today, peace has returned to the thanon outside, and all I can say after seven days hardly using my bike except for a few trips to the local minimart in the mornings, is that I am glad those seven dangerous days are finally over. Hopefully normal life can resume again this coming weekend.

[sokal]

I hope Thailand doesn't become too westernized with stuff like this.

[Deez]

I hope Thailand doesn't become too westernized with stuff like this.

Yes they should allow anyone to drive drunk with no regard for anyone else on the road. Genius

I suspect your tune would change if a drunk driver rammed into you head on

[SeanMoran]

I suspect your tune would change if a drunk driver rammed into you head on

It was actually a sober driver that rammed into me head-on four years ago. If she had been drunk, maybe the outcome would have been better for me afterwards, rather than the mai-pen-rai, he's a foreigner, too bad, should not have come to Thailand to have the accident? Either way, the front end of a car at 100km/h hurts just as much no matter what the driver has in their blood.

[geriatrickid]

and asked to donate blood to help accident victims

WOW. I hope this was just a statement taken out of context. I don't know if blood from drunks is such a good think. Issues with disease like hepatitis etc.

I hope Thailand doesn't become too westernized with stuff like this.

You mean an efficient and effective program that reduces injuries and fatalaties? Golly gee, that would be horrible wouldn't it?

[richard_smith237]

I suspect your tune would change if a drunk driver rammed into you head on

It was actually a sober driver that rammed into me head-on four years ago. If she had been drunk, maybe the outcome would have been better for me afterwards, rather than the mai-pen-rai, he's a foreigner, too bad, should not have come to Thailand to have the accident? Either way, the front end of a car at 100km/h hurts just as much no matter what the driver has in their blood.

Surely you can't be serious with that comment?

Being drunk increases the chances of someone being involved in an accident. With more drunk drivers on the road statistically you are at greater risk of getting involved in the type of accident you have just described.

[gharknes]

I suspect your tune would change if a drunk driver rammed into you head on

It was actually a sober driver that rammed into me head-on four years ago. If she had been drunk, maybe the outcome would have been better for me afterwards, rather than the mai-pen-rai, he's a foreigner, too bad, should not have come to Thailand to have the accident? Either way, the front end of a car at 100km/h hurts just as much no matter what the driver has in their blood.

I think Deez point was that the probability of it happening is much much higher if people are allowed to continue to drive whilst drunk, I would have thought this a prospect you would rather avoid considering your experience, please let us all know if it happens again - that is of course if you can still use your finger.

[SeanMoran]

Surely you can't be serious with that comment?

Being drunk increases the chances of someone being involved in an accident. With more drunk drivers on the road statistically you are at greater risk of getting involved in the type of accident you have just described.

Completely serious. I am not referring to chances or statistics or dreams or hearsay, but reality, truth, real scars that I see in the mirror everyday. Enough of the risks, for this was the real life collision, head on as was mentioned in the earlier post.

Sadly for me, she wasn't drunk, and I wasn't conscious after the smash, so nobody ever asked me what happened, and I got the blame. Can you see how it might have been better for justice if she WAS drunk? A bad driver sober will run a higher risk of causing a collision on the roads than a good driver after two or three beers and a blood/alc level of 0.06 or 0.08. I just happened to have the bad luck of encountering a bad driver sober on that night that changed my life, and she isn't the only one in this country.

[brahmburgers]

....I am glad those seven dangerous days are finally over. Hopefully normal life can resume again this coming weekend.

The cynic in me wants to call out: 'normal life' in Thailand is 83% as crazy as life during New Year's and Songkran holidays. Normal, in Thailand, means an average of over 30 hwy deaths daily. I get your drift Sean, I just had to jump up and down on your mention of the word 'normal.'

[SeanMoran]

....I am glad those seven dangerous days are finally over. Hopefully normal life can resume again this coming weekend.

The cynic in me wants to call out: 'normal life' in Thailand is 83% as crazy as life during New Year's and Songkran holidays. Normal, in Thailand, means an average of over 30 hwy deaths daily. I get your drift Sean, I just had to jump up and down on your mention of the word 'normal.'

Thanks mate. Quite true what you say and I did look back in hindsight and wonder on whether I'd used the right word in that...

I guess what I miss was the time back four years ago when I lived here in this very same room in the very same apartments and could have a couple of light beers in moderation in the afternoon before a shower and off on the little Suzuki I used to have for a meal at the restaurant up the road about half a kay, and a bottle of Chang Lite over around an hour (in moderation) and then my best friend who was essentially the manager of that restaraunt (after closing) might head down to Maptaphut or into Rayong on our bikes for a bit of live music sometimes, or at least a quick stop off at the usual karaoke bar to say hello to the ladies who worked there and buyh a drink or two for themselves and ourselves, once again in moderation (over another hour for half a bottle or around one 330ml can's worth) and then, taking our own lives in our handlebars (and nobody elses' on the little motorbikes), cruise on home after a pleasant evening to sleep.

Now, my mate has gone back up to Nong Khai and I can't take the risk of going out to dinner on the Honda but remain stuck here in this blasted village night after night because the risk has become too great! Not the risk of being hit by yet another car with a blind sober driver, but the risk of stumbling onto a traffic police stop and ending up in legal trouble. Nothing more than that.

I was told before NYE by a fairly well informed and intelligent bloke who probably knows the truth about the situation here that the police are afraid that if a farang has an accident and dies in this village then it will look bad for them. How is that for blame the victim? I've ALREADY HAD my flippin'm accident, and now they just want to ruin the little bit of life I came back here after all these years to live properly like it was before when things were wholesome and good, (mostly). I guess that was what I meant by 'normal' although I understand that it will take more than a few posts on a web forum to explain the nature of that prior normality to those who were not there at the time. It takes a lot of imagination and some training in Ju-Jitsu to work it out happily.

[samuitone]

I thought they initially said they'd bang 'em up

[SeanMoran]

I thought they initially said they'd bang 'em up

The same fellow who I discussed this matter with two days before NYE, not police but I presume fairly well connected and honest in advising me like an uncle might say to a nephew with good intentions, told me that here in the village, the most incarceration I could expect might be a night in jail while I sobered up, and that they'd be good enough to take care of the motorbike for me whilst I was inside, although that holding fee might span quite a few baht the next morning.

I could risk the chance of an untimely night in a lockup of caught out fair and square on the way home, but the uncertainty on what the holding fee on a 25,000 baht motorbike might come to was enough to keep me on foot throughout new year.

I have no idea as to whether many drinkers ended up on remand after last week, but reckon that they would have had more civilised ways of dealing with such things around here. Over the few days I was watching the traffic police outside these apartments, from down there at the little restaurant by the road with camera and quite okay to be observing things I gather, there was nobody dragged off to jail, but dozens of blokes pulled up and ordered to park their motorbikes (and a couple of pickups that I noticed) and sit for half an hour nursing a cup of coffee before being released to go home.

As much as I have been too scared to hop on my Honda after lunchtime ever since these seven days of danger began, I can't fault that as good civilised conduct by the traffic police here, and assume things would not have resulted in a prison sentence if I had arrived home one night on the bike with a blood/alc level slightly over 0.05. They seem like reasonable sorts of blokes in the way they handled the traffic this past week, and I reckon I could have gone out a few nights in moderation and probably had no major trouble.

[Kimera]

The missing stat here is how many of those deaths and injuries are due to head injuries that might have been avoided if a helmet was being worn ? Ok so a large number were motorcycles and 33% didn't wear a helmet but without that final stat how can you really know the best way to target this problem ?

Targetting drunk drivers has a well proven track record but targetting people who dont wear a helmet or don't have a license is an unknown and might be a complete waste of time

Impossible to say due to the poor quality of the helmets available here ! and of couse you need to include all the under age drivers

[sokal]

I hope Thailand doesn't become too westernized with stuff like this.

Yes they should allow anyone to drive drunk with no regard for anyone else on the road. Genius

I suspect your tune would change if a drunk driver rammed into you head on

we still have huge problems in the west with drunk driving, the only difference is the lawyers are getting rich here.

[sokal]

I suspect your tune would change if a drunk driver rammed into you head on

It was actually a sober driver that rammed into me head-on four years ago. If she had been drunk, maybe the outcome would have been better for me afterwards, rather than the mai-pen-rai, he's a foreigner, too bad, should not have come to Thailand to have the accident? Either way, the front end of a car at 100km/h hurts just as much no matter what the driver has in their blood.

Surely you can't be serious with that comment?

Being drunk increases the chances of someone being involved in an accident. With more drunk drivers on the road statistically you are at greater risk of getting involved in the type of accident you have just described.

Not true, there is no statistics on how much successful drunk driving goes on, the ratio could be the same as sober driving.

[richard_smith237]

I suspect your tune would change if a drunk driver rammed into you head on

It was actually a sober driver that rammed into me head-on four years ago. If she had been drunk, maybe the outcome would have been better for me afterwards, rather than the mai-pen-rai, he's a foreigner, too bad, should not have come to Thailand to have the accident? Either way, the front end of a car at 100km/h hurts just as much no matter what the driver has in their blood.

Surely you can't be serious with that comment?

Being drunk increases the chances of someone being involved in an accident. With more drunk drivers on the road statistically you are at greater risk of getting involved in the type of accident you have just described.

Not true, there is no statistics on how much successful drunk driving goes on, the ratio could be the same as sober driving.

Don't common sense and research tell us that alcohol impairs our ability to function? Surely we or anyone else are at higher risk of being involved in an accident after consuming alcohol.

It's unmeasurable how many accidents are avoided through being sober, but if it were measurable, I'm sure it would be less.

Drink driving is just one aspect. Personally I would like to see far greater driver education - Driving carelessly, dangerously and antisocially is a pet peeve and I would like to see this dealt with more seriously here as I believe this itself probably causes more accidents than alcohol (but again is unmeasurable).

SeanMoran: That sounds like a terrible accident, it also sounds as though you were treated very unfairly. Fortunately all of those people I know are treated fairly when it comes to accidents etc.

But once again it goes to show that driver education and penalties for those driving carelessly might help avoid situations that you faced.

I'm not sure how far along the road to recovery you are, however, I wish you a full recovery nonetheless.

[ArthurPewty]

I think there is a peice of this headline missing.

It should read "3600 drunk drivers punished claims the Cheif of Police from his private boat moored close to his holiday home in Italy."

[SeanMoran]

SeanMoran: That sounds like a terrible accident, it also sounds as though you were treated very unfairly. Fortunately all of those people I know are treated fairly when it comes to accidents etc.

But once again it goes to show that driver education and penalties for those driving carelessly might help avoid situations that you faced.

I'm not sure how far along the road to recovery you are, however, I wish you a full recovery nonetheless.

Thanks for your kindness, Richard. I'm not sure how to explain the increase in superstitiousness that I have since that night. I guess I've come to believe a lot more in the vital importance of sheer good luck than I did before. It means a great deal just to get a blessing from someone, if that's the right sort of word. We all need all the good luck we can get, because it can run out faster than a car or bike runs out of benzine.

I agree fully about your notion on driver education, although I tend to look more towards the carrot approach than the stick, particularly here in Thailand, where the official rules of the road only apply when there're police in sight, while the unwritten rules of the tambon seem to take precedence as soon as the cops have retrieved the witches' hats and gone back to the station.

It is also fair enough to instigate a 'crackdown' on drink driving, as well as the token gesture about motorcycle helmets, (for one helmet won't save two or three broken necks when two tonnes of car runs over a family on a little Yamaha), and I realise that the public will not learn every different safety rule in one new year's holiday, so the traffic police have to start somewhere, and good on them, for a job well done as far as the publicity over the past long weekend, and hopefully, the chance that drivers and riders might think twice before getting in a car or bike after too many drinks.

I hope that over this coming year, there might be more publicity given towards what I tend to see as possibly the most important aspect of improving the rather poor safety on Thai roads, and while I must agree that sloshing down six bottles of beer and then getting behind the wheel of a pickup is a fairly effective way to kill oneself or more sadly a few innocent fellow road users, it's that common flaw I see almost everyday that worries me the most when I think of all the motorcyclists that are killed or injured everyday here.

It seems to be the disregard of the car drivers for the two wheeled machines, and no doubt they've got more chance of killing others with the dutch courage that comes with even a couple of Bia Singhas, it is so deeply entrenched into this society that it obviously goes on as the societal norm even without the booze factor. I know I sound a bit like a broken record the way I go on about this 'four wheels good, two wheels bad' problem, but I guess that's what I tend to see as the crux of the 83% motorcyclists or thereabouts that seem to make up the road toll. How many get knocked down by a car and how many find their own way to the hospital all by their own errors, I couldn't tell you, but I've now been in hospital twice, in 2548 and again in 2549, (the second one was something went through a red light on a Friday night and I was too stupid to look both ways before taking off on the green) and 100% of those two trips to the ICU involved a four wheeled vehicle driven by someone sufferring from motorcycle blindness.

If Thailand seriously wants to reduce the road toll. then it might help to educate car drivers to show a little more courtesy to motorcyclists, for we are in fact the majority here.