Wondering Why So Many Farang Drink And Drive In Thailand

[neverdie]

I see Thai's here in Pattaya riding around all the time with the driver wearing a helmet while holding a baby with none. All the while they are weaving in and out of traffic....

Okay, they don't make helmets for babies.....this has been discussed many times. If you fit a helmet that isnt the correct size to a baby not only is it useless for protecting the cranium it also can increase the chance of injury.

So, what do you expect the thais to do, buy a car, make them walk?

Good point. At least they could wear a bike helmet? Same as I see that farang doing who is clipping around 100km down Suk!

I saw a lady driving a scooter last week. One hand holding the baby, the other steering with a large bag hanging off the handle bars. And she was weaving in and out of traffic. Crazy.

I don't doubt all of that other crazy weaving driving, it happens everywhere. Last night I nearly had a head on with a thai guy riding a motorcycle with 4 children passengers......he was riding on the wrong side of the road & looking over his shoulder rather than in the direction he was travelling. It never ends, it will never end.

anyway, we are off topic (He was possibly pisssed as well)

[sokal]

The western world has taken up a trend of demonising those who behave in a way counter to the politically correct.

Drunken driving is a very minor offense IMHO

Very silly post.....glad you think about it that way, now try and tell all those people that have lost loved ones to IDIOT DRUNK DRIVERS.

Thats right, IDIOT DRUNK DRIVERS, NOT SMART DRUNK DRIVERS. I am not talking about driving completely hammered, I am talking about being legally over the limit which is not much. Just take the back roads and drive carefully, no big deal. I am not a 16 year old with bottle of Jack Daniels behind the wheel, those are the guys that kill people.

[sokal]

I drink and drive in Thailand because the laws are practical and I can do it responsibly.

You are an idiot of the highest order. You say that you can drink and drive RESPONSIBLY, you've got to be having a lend of yourself (again ).

Common, get your hand off it. When you've killed a child or other innocent person because you were drunk and driving, you will know about it.

The people that get in accidents are usually alcoholics, they are drunk every time they get behind the wheel, they are idiots. Responsible people that just had a few beers at a barbecue on the weekend do not kill people. I bet you have been driving over the limit without even realizing it before. Everyone drinks and drives, lets all be honest. Cops and firemen drink and drive, I seen it in a study.

[sokal]

i have been caught, nothing some money cant solve. Why are you trying to westernize Thailand and turn it into a nanny state ?

You are right This Is Thailand

A nanny state is a state where you are protected against yourself.. I could not care less if you killed yourself with a car while drunk. But i care if you take friends or family of mine with you.

That is not a nanny state because it is not protecting you against yourself but protecting others against you.

Do you drink ?

How often to you go out ?

You can honestly say that you have never ever driven over the pissy little legal limit before ?

[StreetCowboy]

The western world has taken up a trend of demonising those who behave in a way counter to the politically correct.

Drunken driving is a very minor offense IMHO

Very silly post.....glad you think about it that way, now try and tell all those people that have lost loved ones to IDIOT DRUNK DRIVERS.

Thats right, IDIOT DRUNK DRIVERS, NOT SMART DRUNK DRIVERS. I am not talking about driving completely hammered, I am talking about being legally over the limit which is not much. Just take the back roads and drive carefully, no big deal. I am not a 16 year old with bottle of Jack Daniels behind the wheel, those are the guys that kill people.

You could have an accident sober, while driving down the back roads, and a kid runs out in front of you. If you've had a pint or two, who's to say whether you'd have killed them when you're sober? What do you think is an acceptable level of risk for other people's children?

SC

[StreetCowboy]

I drink and drive in Thailand because the laws are practical and I can do it responsibly.

You are an idiot of the highest order. You say that you can drink and drive RESPONSIBLY, you've got to be having a lend of yourself (again ).

Common, get your hand off it. When you've killed a child or other innocent person because you were drunk and driving, you will know about it.

The people that get in accidents are usually alcoholics, they are drunk every time they get behind the wheel, they are idiots. Responsible people that just had a few beers at a barbecue on the weekend do not kill people. I bet you have been driving over the limit without even realizing it before. Everyone drinks and drives, lets all be honest. Cops and firemen drink and drive, I seen it in a study.

I think its a good idea to rehearse all these ideas so that you can deliver them to the magistrate or the coroner with a straight face.

We're none of us perfect, but some of us are striving to improve, and some of us are embarrassed or ashamed of our short-comings, and don't seek to justify them by saying "other people are worse". At least I'm not Attilla the Hun...

"Everyone drives drunk, your honour, and if the child had been wearing lights on his bike I might not have murdered him. And if I'd not had the four tins of Singha, I might have been able to save his life by using the brake pedal in time."

SC

[sokal]

I drink and drive in Thailand because the laws are practical and I can do it responsibly.

You are an idiot of the highest order. You say that you can drink and drive RESPONSIBLY, you've got to be having a lend of yourself (again ).

Common, get your hand off it. When you've killed a child or other innocent person because you were drunk and driving, you will know about it.

The people that get in accidents are usually alcoholics, they are drunk every time they get behind the wheel, they are idiots. Responsible people that just had a few beers at a barbecue on the weekend do not kill people. I bet you have been driving over the limit without even realizing it before. Everyone drinks and drives, lets all be honest. Cops and firemen drink and drive, I seen it in a study.

I think its a good idea to rehearse all these ideas so that you can deliver them to the magistrate or the coroner with a straight face.

We're none of us perfect, but some of us are striving to improve, and some of us are embarrassed or ashamed of our short-comings, and don't seek to justify them by saying "other people are worse". At least I'm not Attilla the Hun...

"Everyone drives drunk, your honour, and if the child had been wearing lights on his bike I might not have murdered him. And if I'd not had the four tins of Singha, I might have been able to save his life by using the brake pedal in time."

SC

your throwing in normal people with the alcoholics again

[needforspeed]

I find those kind of people totally repulsive in a country where public transport and taxi's are so cheap. I mean maybe they just drink so much that they can't afford a taxi.

Seems that you don't have any idea about costs off driving a car in Thailand

[robblok]

I find those kind of people totally repulsive in a country where public transport and taxi's are so cheap. I mean maybe they just drink so much that they can't afford a taxi.

Seems that you don't have any idea about costs off driving a car in Thailand

The variable costs of a car are still less then a taxi. I am not talking total costs here.

[sarahsbloke]

In Thailand the most common driving offence over the 'New Year' period was ..............

Driving without a Licence

There were about 67,000 people stopped and booked for that offence (one assumes all Thai)

I would be a little more concerned about the risk of being hit by a drunk driving 'white man', if a few more people in the country had a licence to drive.

My last gf had no licence (after driving for 20 years), but she did go and get one after I did.

My wife has no licence (also after driving for 20 years)

I am currently refusing to buy a car unless she gets a licence first.

Edited March 28, 2010 by sarahsbloke

[robblok]

In Thailand the most common driving offence over the 'New Year' period was ..............

Driving without a Licence

There were about 67,000 people stopped and booked for that offence (one assumes all Thai)

I would be a little more concerned about the risk of being hit by a drunk driving white men, if a few more people in the country had a licence to drive.

My last gf had no licence (after driving for 20 years)

My wife has no licence (also after driving for 20 years)

I am currently refusing to buy a car unless she gets a licence first.

Still your remarks about drunk driving don't cut it yes there are other dangers too.

Anyway the tests are too easy here i remember getting my motorcycle license here... almost impossible to fail. Though a few did fail.

[needforspeed]

I find those kind of people totally repulsive in a country where public transport and taxi's are so cheap. I mean maybe they just drink so much that they can't afford a taxi.

Seems that you don't have any idea about costs off driving a car in Thailand

The variable costs of a car are still less then a taxi. I am not talking total costs here.

Doesn't work that way, the variable cost off a Taxi is the totall price minus the 35 Bath so still cheaper

[robblok]

I find those kind of people totally repulsive in a country where public transport and taxi's are so cheap. I mean maybe they just drink so much that they can't afford a taxi.

Seems that you don't have any idea about costs off driving a car in Thailand

The variable costs of a car are still less then a taxi. I am not talking total costs here.

Doesn't work that way, the variable cost off a Taxi is the totall price minus the 35 Bath so still cheaper

It does work that way.. you got the car already so then only the variable costs count for that single ride. In general you have to look at all the costs but if your looking at a single ride deciding if your going to do that (extra) ride or not you look at variable costs.

[needforspeed]

I find those kind of people totally repulsive in a country where public transport and taxi's are so cheap. I mean maybe they just drink so much that they can't afford a taxi.

Seems that you don't have any idea about costs off driving a car in Thailand

The variable costs of a car are still less then a taxi. I am not talking total costs here.

Doesn't work that way, the variable cost off a Taxi is the totall price minus the 35 Bath so still cheaper

It does work that way.. you got the car already so then only the variable costs count for that single ride. In general you have to look at all the costs but if your looking at a single ride deciding if your going to do that (extra) ride or not you look at variable costs.

Lucky for me you dont work as a accountant for my company:

You got the car already but this are costs this costs need to be divided by number off miles you driving with your car, add the variable cost by miles.

Edited March 28, 2010 by needforspeed

[bonobo]

I lost my high school g/f to a drunk driver.  As a volunteer emergency medical technician,  100% of the traffic fatalities to which I rode were caused by drunk drivers, even if the person killed was not drunk.  So call me a sermonizer, but pardon me if I give no countenance to drunk drivers.

I dam_n Thai drunk drivers and expat drunk drivers alike.  But the OP's question concerning expat drunk drivers is valid.  Most of us come from countries where drunk driving is both a legal and social bugaboo.  So why is it OK for someone who would not drive drunk in his or her home country feel free to do it here?

It is not racists, implied or otherwise, to write that expats "know better."  An Issan rice farmer "knows better" than a Des Moines insurance salesman than to flood his fields too much or too little.  It all depends on to what we have been introduced.  And the emphasis against drunk driving are far greater in most western nations and Japan than what is here.  Enforcement certainly is more lax here.

Frankly, it is criminal to drive while drunk, whether you get caught or not.  Sure, you can probably have a beer and then drive the 3 km to your home without a problem.  But when that small child darts unexpectedly in front of you, would you really be able to react with the same degree of effectiveness to avoid that child had you been completely sober?

The argument that it costs less to pay off a cop than to take a tuk-tuk is specious.  The reason we should not drive drunk is not to avoid a hefty fine, it is to not kill someone.  Period.

[StreetCowboy]

8>< SNIP ><8 Nested quotes deleted

Lucky for me you dont work as a accountant for my company:

You got the car already but this are costs this costs need to be divided by number off miles you driving with your car, add the variable cost by miles.

If you can't afford a couple of hundred baht for a taxi, then maybe you need to look a little harder at how much you spend on drink, and decide what's important to you.

For me, the safety of other road users is worth a couple of hundred baht of your money, and that's a price I'd gladly pay.

SC

[bonobo]

It does work that way.. you got the car already so then only the variable costs count for that single ride. In general you have to look at all the costs but if your looking at a single ride deciding if your going to do that (extra) ride or not you look at variable costs.

Lucky for me you dont work as a accountant for my company:

You got the car already but this are costs this costs need to be divided by number off miles you driving with your car, add the variable cost by miles.

The purchase price of the car is already a sunk cost.  

[robblok]

Lucky for me you dont work as a accountant for my company:

You got the car already but this are costs this costs need to be divided by number off miles you driving with your car, add the variable cost by miles.

The thing is what you are saying is correct if you were selling your product now you are using the service for yourself. In this case you calculate only the extra variable costs. (sure when you got the car you checked if it would make sense and for that you used fixed and variable costs)

I can find some examples problem is i have to find it on english websites while i got the data from old school books when i was young.

But this is not a lesson in economics and i am diverting my own topic that is a bad thing.

[robblok]

I lost my high school g/f to a drunk driver.  As a volunteer emergency medical technician,  100% of the traffic fatalities to which I rode were caused by drunk drivers, even if the person killed was not drunk.  So call me a sermonizer, but pardon me if I give no countenance to drunk drivers.

I dam_n Thai drunk drivers and expat drunk drivers alike.  But the OP's question concerning expat drunk drivers is valid.  Most of us come from countries where drunk driving is both a legal and social bugaboo.  So why is it OK for someone who would not drive drunk in his or her home country feel free to do it here?

It is not racists, implied or otherwise, to write that expats "know better."  An Issan rice farmer "knows better" than a Des Moines insurance salesman than to flood his fields too much or too little.  It all depends on to what we have been introduced.  And the emphasis against drunk driving are far greater in most western nations and Japan than what is here.  Enforcement certainly is more lax here.

Frankly, it is criminal to drive while drunk, whether you get caught or not.  Sure, you can probably have a beer and then drive the 3 km to your home without a problem.  But when that small child darts unexpectedly in front of you, would you really be able to react with the same degree of effectiveness to avoid that child had you been completely sober?

The argument that it costs less to pay off a cop than to take a tuk-tuk is specious.  The reason we should not drive drunk is not to avoid a hefty fine, it is to not kill someone.  Period.

You should become a writer you always know how to put it in good words.

[sarahsbloke]

The argument that it costs less to pay off a cop than to take a tuk-tuk is specious. The reason we should not drive drunk is not to avoid a hefty fine, it is to not kill someone. Period.

Of course you should also

1) have a driving licence

2) Insurance

3) Obey the speed limit

4) Obey traffic signals

5) Give way when driving onto a main road

etc., etc.

In a country where many have/do none of these to pick out drunk driving by a minority group (foreigners) is plainly silly.

Drunk driving may be an offence in your country of origin now, but it wasn't always so, I can remember when police in the UK just asked drunk people to drive home slowly (this was in the late 1970s). If you are from Norway, paying a girl for sex anywhere in the world is a criminal offense punishable by jail.

Slightly off topic

I was once stopped by a policeman in the UK for speeding. 'What would you have done if a small child ran out in front of you' he said, 'What! at 2 am in the morning' was my reply. Common sense goes a long way to stopping traffic accidents.

Edited March 28, 2010 by sarahsbloke

[robblok]

The argument that it costs less to pay off a cop than to take a tuk-tuk is specious. The reason we should not drive drunk is not to avoid a hefty fine, it is to not kill someone. Period.

Of course you should also

1) have a driving licence

2) Insurance

3) Obey the speed limit

4) Obey traffic signals

5) Give way when driving onto a main road

etc., etc.

In a country where many have/do none of these to pick out drunk driving by a minority group (foreigners) is plainly silly.

Drunk driving may be an offence in your country of origin now, but it wasn't always so, I can remember when police in the UK just asked drunk people to drive home slowly (this was in the late 1970s). If you are from Norway, paying a girl for sex anywhere in the world is a criminal offense punishable by jail.

Slightly off topic

I was once stopped by a policeman in the UK for speeding. 'What would you have done if a small child ran out in front of you' he said, 'What! at 2 am in the morning' was my reply. Common sense goes a long way to stopping traffic accidents.

Use your brain and the common sense you claim to have..

Thai visa is an EXPAT forum.. populated by... FOREIGNERS so its not so silly that the topic is about foreigners who should know better. You are trying to defend drunk driving at all cost .. i have no idea why you are trying that.

It also was not always against the law to have sex with young children.. does that make it good now ? Sometimes things change for the better and we learn new things about the risks of things.. Now we know how much alcohol affects how you drive. Also in the 1970's it was a whole less crowded on the road then now.

[sarahsbloke]

Today hasn't been a total loss, I have managed to learn how to use the 'Ignored Users' feature of the forum.

Some people just can't be polite. BUt they might want to use the same option on me.

[bonobo]

The argument that it costs less to pay off a cop than to take a tuk-tuk is specious. The reason we should not drive drunk is not to avoid a hefty fine, it is to not kill someone. Period.

Of course you should also

1) have a driving licence

2) Insurance

3) Obey the speed limit

4) Obey traffic signals

5) Give way when driving onto a main road

etc., etc.

In a country where many have/do none of these to pick out drunk driving by a minority group (foreigners) is plainly silly.

Silly?  You equate drunk driving with driving without insurance?  Sorry, but I don't see your rationale at all.  Driving without insurance affects finances.  Driving while drunk kills people.  I sort of put them in different boats.  You could just as easily say that "picking" on murder is silly when so many people shoplift.  

Drunk driving is not that same as any of the other things you listed.  And as I wrote before, I dam_n drunk driving by anyone, Thai or expat.

[StreetCowboy]

The argument that it costs less to pay off a cop than to take a tuk-tuk is specious. The reason we should not drive drunk is not to avoid a hefty fine, it is to not kill someone. Period.

Of course you should also

1) have a driving licence

2) Insurance

3) Obey the speed limit

4) Obey traffic signals

5) Give way when driving onto a main road

etc., etc.

In a country where many have/do none of these to pick out drunk driving by a minority group (foreigners) is plainly silly.

Silly? You equate drunk driving with driving without insurance? Sorry, but I don't see your rationale at all. Driving without insurance affects finances. Driving while drunk kills people. I sort of put them in different boats. You could just as easily say that "picking" on murder is silly when so many people shoplift.

Drunk driving is not that same as any of the other things you listed. And as I wrote before, I dam_n drunk driving by anyone, Thai or expat.

Driving without insurance was a poor example to pick from that list - insurance is not a bureaucratic inconvenience like tax or licenses; it is a risk transfer so that you are able to cover your liabilities to the parties that you injure. Without it, people that you hit will be left destitute as well as crippled...

SC

[Lancashirelad]

Not read the thread but my simple answer to the OP's questions is: "Because they are stupid and/or unaware of the law."

Edited March 28, 2010 by Lancashirelad

[bonobo]

The argument that it costs less to pay off a cop than to take a tuk-tuk is specious. The reason we should not drive drunk is not to avoid a hefty fine, it is to not kill someone. Period.

Of course you should also

1) have a driving licence

2) Insurance

3) Obey the speed limit

4) Obey traffic signals

5) Give way when driving onto a main road

etc., etc.

In a country where many have/do none of these to pick out drunk driving by a minority group (foreigners) is plainly silly.

Silly? You equate drunk driving with driving without insurance? Sorry, but I don't see your rationale at all. Driving without insurance affects finances. Driving while drunk kills people. I sort of put them in different boats. You could just as easily say that "picking" on murder is silly when so many people shoplift.

Drunk driving is not that same as any of the other things you listed. And as I wrote before, I dam_n drunk driving by anyone, Thai or expat.

Driving without insurance was a poor example to pick from that list - insurance is not a bureaucratic inconvenience like tax or licenses; it is a risk transfer so that you are able to cover your liabilities to the parties that you injure. Without it, people that you hit will be left destitute as well as crippled...

SC

And just who does that make it a poor example to pick from the list?  I am fairly sure I am cognizant of what insurance is.  And I still contend that driving drunk is a far greater sin than driving without insurance.  Driving drunk causes accidents.  Insurance mitigates some of the effects of accidents.  Although if a person is killed by a drunk driver, all the insurance in the world won't do him or her a bit of good.

[neverdie]

Thats right, IDIOT DRUNK DRIVERS, NOT SMART DRUNK DRIVERS. I am not talking about driving completely hammered, I am talking about being legally over the limit which is not much. Just take the back roads and drive carefully, no big deal. I am not a 16 year old with bottle of Jack Daniels behind the wheel, those are the guys that kill people.

The people that get in accidents are usually alcoholics, they are drunk every time they get behind the wheel, they are idiots. Responsible people that just had a few beers at a barbecue on the weekend do not kill people. I bet you have been driving over the limit without even realizing it before. Everyone drinks and drives, lets all be honest. Cops and firemen drink and drive, I seen it in a study.

Sokal,

I read and then re-read what you had written in your posts & I just can't believe it, I can't believe anyone with any level of education would honestly believe what you wrote. These have to be troll posts....but then again, I couldnt be sure. You have never written anything this INCORRECT before. Dumb, stupid, wrong. Sorry but you are just so wrong & we arnt talking about a matter of opinion here, we are talking about someone being completely incorrect.

[neverdie]

Slightly off topic

I was once stopped by a policeman in the UK for speeding. 'What would you have done if a small child ran out in front of you' he said, 'What! at 2 am in the morning' was my reply. Common sense goes a long way to stopping traffic accidents.

As bonobo has adequately responded to your drink driving tripe, I will just respond to this. You may think you have all bases covered by blowing out this cops small child scenario, of course your defence isnt going to help you in the millions of other scenarios where excessive speed will work against you. Speeding laws are simply that, there not something this is enforced during certain hours, unless of course your talking about speed zones with varying limits such as school zones.

[bonobo]

This thread came home to me today while driving home.  I was on a somewhat narrow soi with oncoming traffic.  Watching that traffic, I was totally surprised when a young boy of maybe 12 or so, riding a bike on the sidewalk alongside and talking to some other boys who were walking, suddenly jumped his bike off the curb and into my path.  Instincts took over as I slammed on my brakes.  I couldn't swerve because of the opposing traffic, so all I could do was try to stop, which luckily I did with literally 6 inches to spare.

To be honest, I really wasn't even aware of what I was doing.  It was all reaction.  Sure, I was already watching to oncoming traffic, but I hadn't a thought for the boy other than realizing that he was there.  After getting my heart rate back down, I thought of this thread.  Even if I had had only one drink before getting in the car, would my reactions have still been fast enough to avoid hitting him?  I am not so sure they would have been.

[William Osborne]

This thread came home to me today while driving home.  I was on a somewhat narrow soi with oncoming traffic.  Watching that traffic, I was totally surprised when a young boy of maybe 12 or so, riding a bike on the sidewalk alongside and talking to some other boys who were walking, suddenly jumped his bike off the curb and into my path.  Instincts took over as I slammed on my brakes.  I couldn't swerve because of the opposing traffic, so all I could do was try to stop, which luckily I did with literally 6 inches to spare.

To be honest, I really wasn't even aware of what I was doing.  It was all reaction.  Sure, I was already watching to oncoming traffic, but I hadn't a thought for the boy other than realizing that he was there.  After getting my heart rate back down, I thought of this thread.  Even if I had had only one drink before getting in the car, would my reactions have still been fast enough to avoid hitting him?  I am not so sure they would have been.

Funny you should say that, same thing happened to me a few days ago when some little scrote popped outside of a parked car in front of me cycling down the wrong side of the road.... nearly shat myself .... blame the parents really, leaving their younsters out and about on busy Sois ..

Edited March 28, 2010 by William Osborne