Police Want To Arrest Passengers Of Drunk Drivers

[george]

Police want to arrest passengers of drunk drivers as well

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok's police are calling for passengers of drunk drivers to be punished as well, while seeking jail terms for drivers who are repeat offenders.

"Such measures should reduce the number of road accidents," Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lt-General Viroj Jantarangsi said Friday.

He said the passengers should face arrest for condoning drunk driving because they had agreed to let the drunk driver give them a ride.

Viroj said police would also ask the courts to send repeat drunk drivers to jail, especially if they were caught while still under probation from a previous drink driving offence.

Police stations across the capital had been instructed to set up 112 more checkpoints for drink driving, he said.

"We will take comprehensive details of drunk drivers upon their arrest. If they repeat the offence, we will propose that they are given a jail term," he said.

He said the Don't Drive Drunk Foundation would recruit media members into a mobile team that will be dispatched to cover drunk-driving arrests.

"Some drivers refuse to take the alcohol test when intercepted by police. In most cases they have been arrested before and hardly cooperate with police, so the media presence should help us a lot. These drivers are afraid of getting themselves in the news," Viroj said.

--The Nation 2005-11-05

[taxexile]

refusal to take the test should lead to an automatic guilty verdict.

[Thaipwriter]

refusal to take the test should lead to an automatic guilty verdict.

Totally disagree with this.

Regards

Rio F.

Salford

Manchester

[bangkapiboy]

That's a very good idea. But I've been dumb and ridden with drunk drivers. I felt so stupid.

[Greer]

It may sound like a good idea, but I don't think it can work.

It would have to be made into an offense to be in a car with a drunk driver, but that means that it requires an unqualified opinion on the part of the passenger as to the blood-alcohol level of the person driving - don't forget that being over the legal limit doesn't always mean that you are obviously drunk - so how is the passenger supposed to know?

What if you are picked up from home or some venue by someone in their car.

How are you supposed to know if they have had anything to drink, and if they have, whether they are over the limit?

This concept is completely unrealistic - well meaning perhaps, but in real danger of infringing someones rights or liberties.

A passenger cannot always be in a position to tell if the driver is over the limit, even if they know that person has been drinking, which it is very possible they may not.

[Joey Boy]

"We will take comprehensive details of drunk drivers upon their arrest. If they repeat the offence, we will propose that they are given a jail term," he said.

Another good idea would be to start locking people up for mowing down pedestrians on their first offence

[thongdee]

my english is to bad , I don't think I understand this topic , lol

[taxexile]

It may sound like a good idea, but I don't think it can work.

it means you better be careful when getting into a taxi at night too.

[jaapfries]

It may sound like a good idea, but I don't think it can work.

It would have to be made into an offense to be in a car with a drunk driver, but that means that it requires an unqualified opinion on the part of the passenger as to the blood-alcohol level of the person driving - don't forget that being over the legal limit doesn't always mean that you are obviously drunk - so how is the passenger supposed to know?

What if you are picked up from home or some venue by someone in their car.

How are you supposed to know if they have had anything to drink, and if they have, whether they are over the limit?

This concept is completely unrealistic - well meaning perhaps, but in real danger of infringing someones rights or liberties.

===================================================

Yes; I totally concur with this semi-legal opinion. In fact, I would even go one further and would be very interested into discovering as to which specific law the authorities would be able to use to charge passengers in a vehicle, operated by an individual who is found to be legally "drunk".

If the crime was different, a comparable law could be viz. "aiding & abetting" or "accesory to" something . . . . I can't see that the current legal systems would "legally" allow the police to arrest these passengers; but then again "If you don't vote for the right party in this country ("dereliction of voting-right") , there's no telling what they can "legally" do to you . . . . . . . . . . ahem ! ? !

[carlthailand]

It may sound like a good idea, but I don't think it can work.

It would have to be made into an offense to be in a car with a drunk driver, but that means that it requires an unqualified opinion on the part of the passenger as to the blood-alcohol level of the person driving - don't forget that being over the legal limit doesn't always mean that you are obviously drunk - so how is the passenger supposed to know?

What if you are picked up from home or some venue by someone in their car.

How are you supposed to know if they have had anything to drink, and if they have, whether they are over the limit?

This concept is completely unrealistic - well meaning perhaps, but in real danger of infringing someones rights or liberties.

A passenger cannot always be in a position to tell if the driver is over the limit, even if they know that person has been drinking, which it is very possible they may not.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It makes perfect sense to me. TiT.

[mouse]

I am all for getting drunk drivers off the road, but, by arresting passengers I think that they are going a little overboard. Next thing you know Bank patrons will be arrested if they do not intervene in a Bank Robbery!

I do not know why I am even sounding off, I am asleep when all this happens.

[pepsi666]

look its easy, If you think the driver is drunk, dont get in the car/taxi, lets face it you have a choice, its your life, and if you arent in the car with a drunk driver, you dont get nicked, christ its not hard to figure out

And on the topic of human rights and personal freedoms, does any victem of a drunk driver have any rights ? way I see it any person who drives drunk has foregone any rights he had, he is now in charge of a lethal weapon (assume its your wife/child/brother/sister/father/mother gets hit by a drunk driver will you really be worried about his human rights and personal freedoms ?)

Bangkok traffic is bad enough without drunk drivers, but hey, its your city, do what you want with them

[p_brownstone]

It may sound like a good idea, but I don't think it can work.

it means you better be careful when getting into a taxi at night too.

And boarding quite a number of inter-city buses too, I would think!

Patrick

[richard10365]

I've known military commanders to punish soldiers for this as far back as the late 80s. It is effective as a deterrent. As far as I know, military commanders are still doing this.

Edited November 5, 2005 by richard10365

[Xeque]

Making a reasoned decision as to whether your driver is pi**ed is, I suppose, one that the late Princess Diana had to make

[Xeque]

And whilst i'm thinking about it..... how about you decide your driver is smashed halfway between the Chonburi and Si Racha turn-offs from the motorway. You're going to vacate the taxi there?

Tourists who've been to a show somewhere come back to find their coach driver's done a couple of tabs of Yaabaa or he'shad a couple of toots during a long and boring wait. You arrest the whole lot of them??

I suppose for private vehicles it might work but there are a whole lot more considerations here.

[stevespiral]

Police want to arrest passengers of drunk drivers as well

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok's police are calling for passengers of drunk drivers to be punished as well, while seeking jail terms for drivers who are repeat offenders.

"Such measures should reduce the number of road accidents," Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lt-General Viroj Jantarangsi said Friday.

He said the passengers should face arrest for condoning drunk driving because they had agreed to let the drunk driver give them a ride.

Viroj said police would also ask the courts to send repeat drunk drivers to jail, especially if they were caught while still under probation from a previous drink driving offence.

Police stations across the capital had been instructed to set up 112 more checkpoints for drink driving, he said.

"We will take comprehensive details of drunk drivers upon their arrest. If they repeat the offence, we will propose that they are given a jail term," he said.

He said the Don't Drive Drunk Foundation would recruit media members into a mobile team that will be dispatched to cover drunk-driving arrests.

"Some drivers refuse to take the alcohol test when intercepted by police. In most cases they have been arrested before and hardly cooperate with police, so the media presence should help us a lot. These drivers are afraid of getting themselves in the news," Viroj said.

--The Nation 2005-11-05

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is this some kind of joke??? or maybe a ploy to get the police a bigger bribe so that their wages can stay at a pittyful amount.

When was the last time anybody remembers being arrested for drink driving in Thailand???

[stevespiral]

What about custodial sentances for paying for votes when it come to election fraud ???? don't think that that will happen, do you?

[OxfordWill]

Exactly as Taxexile said - half the time you only realise the taxi driver is soused once you're on the highway already.

[Upcountry]

In the US they say "friends don't let friends drive drunk".

The new law might lend weight and give friends a strong excuse for taking that seriously.

There is also a trend in the US, and elsewhere, to designating a driver when someone in the party must drive. Yes, it can spoil the party for some, but let's face it, if we make light of drunk driving we ignore how dangerous it is.

Luckily, in urban areas such as BKK, etc., taxis are an alternative, but in rural/suburban areas it's not true.

A law like this is controversial, and will take time to shake out (points above well taken, such as how does a drunk passenger know the driver aint drunk!), but in the end it puts the responsibility an all of us to be aware of our own safety and that of innocents our driver may encounter on the road home.

I haven't head of a law like this in the US or elsewhere, is it a trend?

I think it's a good one - especially if breathalizers are made available in bars, etc.

My two pints worth.

UC

Edited November 5, 2005 by Upcountry

[godforhire]

I doubt that if both the passengers and the driver are pissed any of them can make a good judgment call.

[Axel]

it means you better be careful when getting into a taxi at night too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Taxi? I would ask my friends with the police car, to switch on the red light and hurry up. But than, usually the guys inside these patrol cars are only supposed to be sober.

[RDN]

Ridiculous idea. TIT.

[Guest endure]

look its easy, If you think the driver is drunk, dont get in the car/taxi, lets face it you have a choice, its your life, and if you arent in the car with a drunk driver, you dont get nicked, christ its not hard to figure out

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

First you'd have to have a legal definition of 'drunk'. Then, in order to to allow the courts to establish whether passengers were guilty of the crime of riding in a car with someone who is legally drunk you'd have to give passengers facilties to test drivers to establish whether those drivers were legally drunk or not. The law is slightly more complicated than you appear to think.

[RDN]

First you'd have to have a legal definition of 'drunk'. Then, in order to to allow the courts to establish whether passengers were guilty of the crime of riding in a car with someone who is legally drunk you'd have to give passengers facilties to test drivers to establish whether those drivers were legally drunk or not...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactly. Ridiculous idea.

[Guest endure]

A friend of mine was an ambulance driver in Europe, so I was aware of the law that anyone who is a professional driver is not allowed to have any alcohol in his blood even off duty. Despite 0.5 was the legal limit for drivers, he'd lose his job and driver's license if he had anything other than 0.0. I think on top of that he would get a penalty as well, but don't know specifics of that.

Anyhow, the law is a great idea, maybe not very practical, perhaps not even constitutional,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How can a law that's illegal be a good idea?

[francois]

lOS: load of stupid ... at least their governement

francois

[sriracha john]

Police want to arrest passengers of drunk drivers as well

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok's police are calling for passengers of drunk drivers to be punished as well.

He said the passengers should face arrest for condoning drunk driving because they had agreed to let the drunk driver give them a ride.

Why stop with the arresting the drunk driver's passengers?? Following this same logic, it's apparent they should arrest the bartender that made the drinks... the waitress that served the drinks... the club's bouncer at the door that saw the drunk get into his car... all the customers in the club that observed the driver getting drunk and failed to report him... all the drivers who followed behind the drunk's swerving car before he got stopped and failed to call police on their mobile phones... the drunk's parents for raising him in such a manner that he became a drunk driver... the obstetrics physician who delivered the drunk driver and failed to recognize he would grow up to be a drunk driver... etc. etc.

[udon]

Police want to arrest passengers of drunk drivers as well

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok's police are calling for passengers of drunk drivers to be punished as well.

He said the passengers should face arrest for condoning drunk driving because they had agreed to let the drunk driver give them a ride.

Why stop with the arresting the drunk driver's passengers?? Following this same logic, it's apparent they should arrest the bartender that made the drinks... the waitress that served the drinks... the club's bouncer at the door that saw the drunk get into his car... all the customers in the club that observed the driver getting drunk and failed to report him... all the drivers who followed behind the drunk's swerving car before he got stopped and failed to call police on their mobile phones... the drunk's parents for raising him in such a manner that he became a drunk driver... the obstetrics physician who delivered the drunk driver and failed to recognize he would grow up to be a drunk driver... etc. etc.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

and if you weren't in Thailand this would not have happened.

Sounds like an extra earner for the corrupt cops.

I'd certainly offer a grand to vanish & avoid arrest for being a pax..

[pakwan]

You people are so far off the mark with comments on this topic. Do you remember where you are? Have you not been here long enough to have an understanding of the hiarchal <-sp) structure in this country? Mommy, cousin, little sister/brother does not tell daddy, uncle, big sister/brother "No". How about the meeting your wife attends with her boss where they were knocking back a few whiskeys among the higher ups? Does she lose her job by telling him anything or just quietly get back in the car and pray for a safe ride home? Your thinking is very "Farang" which does and doesn't surprise me. "A friend of mine in Europe...", "The laws in America...", blah, blah, blah. This is not EU or AM, this is Thailand. Like most of the "New" laws, this too seems to be pointed at you and not Thais. A friend of mine was stopped and ticketed becuase he had an unlicenced moped in the back of his pick-up while driving on the tollway. "A": a moped doesn't need a license and, "B": it wasn't being driven anywhere but, "C" what can happen if you're a farang? I've been very lucky as I've made quite a few friends in high places through golf and teaching so I've been spared alot of these BS traps. It doesn't hurt either that my wife is the Education Coordinator for a very prominent law university with her MA in Political Law. There was 1 poster that suggested it may be a way to 'pad the pay' of police and I agree with that. The police here actually fight for the privilege of working in Pattaya (for example) because the kick-back is so high. This law would simply be a way to share the wealth. Please tell me you really don't EVER expect to see the headline: Maj. Gen. Whatshisface, his wife and two children were arrested while returning from a party to celebrate the marriage of his eldest dauther to ploitical appointee Blahblahblah for running over Joe Blow, the motorcycle taxi man". To quote a good friend of mine: "Life is a series of moments"