Ban On Booze As Emergency Services Brace For Accidents: Songkran Festival

[rfukata]

"According to a recent Suan Dusit poll, nearly 90 per cent of people are worried about travelling in Songkran for fear of accidents"

what are you talking about, you should be worried everyday about traveling and driving on roadways in Thailand.

[bdenner]

Been in Thailand an average of 11 months per year over 11 years and it's the same old rhetoric each and every holiday period. Won't believe any of the governments nonsense until it really happens. This is just another 'piss and wind' comment by some low life bureaucrat wanting media attention for what ever reason.

[geriatrickid]

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That does make sense. In terms of intention, it's unenforceability is a different issue. It just means if we're shopping at Tesco and want beer and it's 4 o'clock we have to go somewhere else to get it.

We live in Port Moresby, where I work. But we have a residence in Thailand and spend an increasing amount of time living there. Not upset at "missing" Songkran.

I'd be more worried about PNG residents going on one of their rampages.

[supersombat]

It isn't so much about driving under the influence of alcohol as it is about driving while Thai that causes these tragic fatalities each Songkran. We need driver's education to be a mandatory course in high schools! Alcohol simply compounds problem of the lack of driving skills.

[Markaew]

you want to reduce death on roads ? easy ............. send the people to DRIVING SCHOOL , in those schools you learn how to respect other drivers, road safety , to read what road signs means etc .... unfortunately it seems the 15,000 dead per year in this country is not enough as nothing is really done to fight road accidents., ban on alcool ? pffffffffffffff a total joke as they did it how many time before and it doesnt work. ....

Be careful what you wish for. Sent the tgf to driving school. She got in their car and started to adjust the mirrors. She was told she should not use them as she should only worry about what was in front of her, not behind or to the side. Needless to say, end of driving school.

That is absolutely true! I have a Thai friend that told me only look forward when driving and if you hit something or someone then don't stop.

[petedk]

I believe the thinking behind that rather porous law was to prevent alcohol being sold to minors during the hours they are returning from school. It was a blanket law that supposedly orders all liquor outlets to not sell alcohol between 1400hrs and 1700hrs.

All major stores such as Tesco, Big C, Tops, Makro, 7-11 etc comply. The small "mom & pop" stores in every soi usually do not, because they either know the buyer or need the sales.

Personally I have never been refused a beer purchase at several small shops in my area during those 'restricted' hours.

The law inconveniences tourists, and the adult population who may be shopping at that time of day. It causes a huge loss of revenue to these larger companies.

You mention "LOGIC" I assume you live in Thailand? If you do, you know the answer.

Yes, the major supermarkets have some kind of "timelock" on their cash registers . They can't scan in between those hours. What I don't understand is that if you buy more than ten liters of alcohol then the scanner works. Maybe it's not blocked but a warning sign comes up.

So, if it's to prevent school kids from buying alcohol why don't they ban sales all weekend?

Why uphold the ban on sales on Saturday and Sunday betweek 14.00 and 17.00?

Anyone wanting to drink at Songkran can buy alcohol at other times. If they want to drink while driving they can buy alcohol at other shops away from the motorways.

Instead of banning the sale of alcohol they should enforce the drink-driving laws but that would mean too much work and too little tea money.

[yumidesign]

What's with that weird rule where they can't sell booze between 2 and 5 in the afternoon? What was the logic behind that?

eeeer logic its not a Thai cultural thing don't you know, some nasty western notion. as far as i know it was introduced to stop students drinking all afternoon. go figure

[lujanit]

The really weird thing about this ban on alcohol sales between 1400 and 1700 is that you can buy alcohol legally from the major outlets during this period provided you buy at least 10 litres. Go to a Makro store between these hours and see for yourself. So 2 x 5 litre wine casks, or a couple slabs of beer and you are not breaking the law!

[yumidesign]

"According to a recent Suan Dusit poll, nearly 90 per cent of people are worried about travelling in Songkran for fear of accidents"

what are you talking about, you should be worried everyday about traveling and driving on roadways in Thailand.

yes this is true but statistically its much more dangerous around the days of songkran. i will not be driving at all during this period, or catch public transport. never do

[Markaew]

It isn't so much about driving under the influence of alcohol as it is about driving while Thai that causes these tragic fatalities each Songkran. We need driver's education to be a mandatory course in high schools! Alcohol simply compounds problem of the lack of driving skills.

Have you walked in the MRT and BTS? Thais drive the same way they walk. Education would never help these people. I'm convinced it's genetic.

[edwinchester]

Pretty hard to enforce this since those who do the enforces are the problem. Checkpoint with a tent on the side of the road with the guys sitting or standing doing nothing! Next year they will be talking about the same thing and doing the same nothing. But thanks for trying anyway.

What do you mean doing nothing? The guys near us have a nice widescreen tv to keep them occupied.

[david555]

What's with that weird rule where they can't sell booze between 2 and 5 in the afternoon? What was the logic behind that?

where is the logic ? there is NO logic ...

no they have logic !...... but unfortunately it is a THAI logic

[jalansanitwong]

The enforcement of alcohol laws is laughable. Every main soi and some smaller ones have a 'ya dong' kiosk.

The vendor dispenses unregulated moonshine booze out of old whisky bottles lying around on the soi or out of people's rubbish bins.

Its the cheapest way to get drunk expecially for students.

Who controls it ?.... The police of course. Usually 4,000 baht to the BIB every month. Alcohol laws in TIT are a joke.

Edited April 5, 2012 by jalansanitwong

[petedk]

It isn't so much about driving under the influence of alcohol as it is about driving while Thai that causes these tragic fatalities each Songkran. We need driver's education to be a mandatory course in high schools! Alcohol simply compounds problem of the lack of driving skills.

Have you walked in the MRT and BTS? Thais drive the same way they walk. Education would never help these people. I'm convinced it's genetic.

haha Have you noticed how they stop and watch the steps in fear as they get on the escalators?

Maybe the BTS sould put a red light near the entrance to the escalators and then they wouldn't stop.

[petedk]

"According to a recent Suan Dusit poll, nearly 90 per cent of people are worried about travelling in Songkran for fear of accidents"

what are you talking about, you should be worried everyday about traveling and driving on roadways in Thailand.

yes this is true but statistically its much more dangerous around the days of songkran. i will not be driving at all during this period, or catch public transport. never do

They should do as other European countries do. Set up checkpoints and really punish anyone caught driving under the influence of alcohol.

Banning or restricting sales simply doesn't help.

[madmitch]

There is no ban on booze and everything is basically as normal.

Another example of sensationalist headline writing by the TV team.

But I suppose it has more impact than "Licensing hours to be enforced during Songkran".

[jerrysteve]

I will drink to that. Got my 12 bottles of Absolute Gin, couple dozen bottles of soda water, and a large basket limes...so there isn't any need to travel anywhere.

And quite frankly on these holidays when many Thais are going up country, BKK is a much better place to behav. Hell you can go to a movie and almost the entire theater to yourself.

[harada]

They are pretty serious about it in the south. I've seen a few signs of fines handed out at the 711s.

We can only hope for a total alcohol ban from Apr6-16 in Pattaya!

Best suggestion Ive heard yet

[laobali]

you want to reduce death on roads ? easy ............. send the people to DRIVING SCHOOL , in those schools you learn how to respect other drivers, road safety , to read what road signs means etc .... unfortunately it seems the 15,000 dead per year in this country is not enough as nothing is really done to fight road accidents., ban on alcool ? pffffffffffffff a total joke as they did it how many time before and it doesnt work. ....

Be careful what you wish for. Sent the tgf to driving school. She got in their car and started to adjust the mirrors. She was told she should not use them as she should only worry about what was in front of her, not behind or to the side. Needless to say, end of driving school.

Couldn't resist this one. The 'vanity' mirror is on the passenger's sun visor only. She was probably adjusting the mirrors so she could see herself while driving!

[Fishface]

1,128 boats!!! I don't believe them.

[Asiacat]

Wouldn't it simply be easier to ban Songkrraan or at least zone it restricting it to pedestrian areas?

No festival is worth the lives of a few hundered people and the knock on effect it has to thousands of relatives and friends of the deceased.

It is crazy and wouldn't be allowed to happen in the west.

[sparebox2]

The Emergency people will have to depend on booze to help them to face all those unsightly accident rescue mission.

[Unkomoncents]

The really weird thing about this ban on alcohol sales between 1400 and 1700 is that you can buy alcohol legally from the major outlets during this period provided you buy at least 10 litres. Go to a Makro store between these hours and see for yourself. So 2 x 5 litre wine casks, or a couple slabs of beer and you are not breaking the law!

Yep. That's a great point. The article also talks so seriously about the drunk driving toll but doesn't account at all for the fact that you can just stock up beforehand. Every year, someone says the government is going to get serious about the alcohol ban, right before they ban it! It's like a brazen warning system for all those who want to avoid problems with buying booze and then hopp on their motorbikes after getting a buzz on. I honestly believe they're warning the people who read (more less educated) so that they don't get pissed off during Songkran when they can't have a glass of wine with dinner at Emporium (or a bottle of whiskey with family).

Edited April 5, 2012 by Unkomoncents

[DowntownAl]

you want to reduce death on roads ? easy ............. send the people to DRIVING SCHOOL , in those schools you learn how to respect other drivers, road safety , to read what road signs means etc .... unfortunately it seems the 15,000 dead per year in this country is not enough as nothing is really done to fight road accidents., ban on alcool ? pffffffffffffff a total joke as they did it how many time before and it doesnt work. ....

Be careful what you wish for. Sent the tgf to driving school. She got in their car and started to adjust the mirrors. She was told she should not use them as she should only worry about what was in front of her, not behind or to the side. Needless to say, end of driving school.

Well, start at the beginning then. First send the driving school instructors to driving school - somewhere. A friend of mine sent his kid to a driving school in Canada. The instructor told her that when she entered an intersection with the intentions of turning left, that she should turn her steering wheel all the way to the left to show the oncoming drivers her intentions. When I pointed out that if she were rear-ended, her car would be pushed into the oncoming traffic for a head on collision, after the rear-end collision, he blinked a few times and took her out of that school. Incompetence happens everywhere.

Edited April 5, 2012 by DowntownAl

[fxe1200]

What's with that weird rule where they can't sell booze between 2 and 5 in the afternoon? What was the logic behind that?

where is the logic ? there is NO logic ...

The "logic" was to make it more difficult for schoolboys and schoolgirls, to buy booze within the time window when they are released from school and the arrival home.

[lovetotravel]

Best way is application of very tough penalties. Like they do in the US and Europe. Drunk driving is down drastically there.

[sparebox2]

What's with that weird rule where they can't sell booze between 2 and 5 in the afternoon? What was the logic behind that?

where is the logic ? there is NO logic ...

The "logic" was to make it more difficult for schoolboys and schoolgirls, to buy booze within the time window when they are released from school and the arrival home.

These boys and girls don't go straight home.

Infact they don't go home until after 2am, when the establishment are closed.

[nong38]

I think a more appropriate headline would have been..."Authorities talk about enforcing existing laws on the sale of alcohol".

What an excellent idea, do we have that law in place at the moment, anybody know?

[JSPS]

What's with that weird rule where they can't sell booze between 2 and 5 in the afternoon? What was the logic behind that?

That's when you're supposed to be napping.

[bangon04]

Been in Thailand an average of 11 months per year over 11 years and it's the same old rhetoric each and every holiday period. Won't believe any of the governments nonsense until it really happens. This is just another 'piss and wind' comment by some low life bureaucrat wanting media attention for what ever reason.

Accidents? If the drunk drivers don't kill you, the ride in the "ambulance" probably will. The lucky ones survive as far as the hospital (which are quite good at keeping crash victims alive - must be all the practice)