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

[blackthorn2005]

Strange that this is from the Director of the Disease Control Department!

[creck]

Hey , the 2 and 5 thing has to do with the King Rama,so cool out fellas!...

What a load of old c**p

It was enacted after some of his comments. You should really take care what you say.

[how241]

just like they banned blue plastic high powered watercannon . you still see people usingthem everywhere

Yes, true. I've seen them being used on 2nd Road.

[Thai at Heart]

Just heard a story that all 8 wheel trucks and larger will be off the roads from Sunday onwards. Nice of them to let my company know today. How the hell are the markets and supermarkets going to get stocked?

[how241]

Traffic accidents? .. Has anybody ever seen a highway police stopping and giving somebody a ticket for:

not using an indicator when turning or using indicator when not turning?

driving and parking on wrong side of the road?

parking near/on intersections and other clearings?

not having lights at night?

overtaking when not safe?

crossing the continuous line?

not wearing seat-belts?

talking on mobile phone when driving?

Hmmm .. maybe they could start from "trying" to enforce some of the existing rules before adding the new ones? But of course .. talk is cheap.

If the law is unenforceable people both ignore it and scorn it and the law then becomes an ass. Either have laws and enforce them or don't bother. It would have also been interesting to have the dates of the booze ban in the article which assumes everyone knows the dates. C'mon TV you can do better journalism than this

There are plenty of laws in USA, UK and other countries that aren't enforced. So why pick on Thais? Every country ignores some laws.

True. Why pick on the Thai's, as if our home countries are so perfect.

[steenasger]

The only efficient way to reduce alcohol consumption is to increase the price, by increasing the government tax on alcoholic drinks (triple the tax or so). That would help the state cuffers and the people as well.

[belg]

this is a call to everybody to start making your own stockpile, for the heavy drinkers that is...

about all the deaths, how much were motorcycle people, sober and get extreme cold water (with or without ice) in their face, lost control and smacked to death ?

[robia6]

Traffic accidents? .. Has anybody ever seen a highway police stopping and giving somebody a ticket for:

not using an indicator when turning or using indicator when not turning?

driving and parking on wrong side of the road?

parking near/on intersections and other clearings?

not having lights at night?

overtaking when not safe?

crossing the continuous line?

not wearing seat-belts?

talking on mobile phone when driving?

Hmmm .. maybe they could start from "trying" to enforce some of the existing rules before adding the new ones? But of course .. talk is cheap.

Good Point. In particular, driving cars at night with no lights on riles the life out of me..........maybe they think it uses up gasoline!!

[robia6]

The only efficient way to reduce alcohol consumption is to increase the price, by increasing the government tax on alcoholic drinks (triple the tax or so). That would help the state cuffers and the people as well.

I take it you don't drink

[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.

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.

I have and it is why I avoid all crowded places if possible. The genes are missing the â€spatial awareness†code. Lol.

[Fishface]

Traffic accidents? .. Has anybody ever seen a highway police stopping and giving somebody a ticket for:

not using an indicator when turning or using indicator when not turning?

driving and parking on wrong side of the road?

parking near/on intersections and other clearings?

not having lights at night?

overtaking when not safe?

crossing the continuous line?

not wearing seat-belts?

talking on mobile phone when driving?

Hmmm .. maybe they could start from "trying" to enforce some of the existing rules before adding the new ones? But of course .. talk is cheap.

Good Point. In particular, driving cars at night with no lights on riles the life out of me..........maybe they think it uses up gasoline!!

Far too much to ask of them, I would be delighted if they just drove on the left.--or right just make it national so we all know whats going on.

[laurentbkk]

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.

and does it work ?

[lovetotravel]

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

Completely untrue. Drink driving convictions are up over the last decade. In the UK they're at an almost all time high. 9,590 drink drive convictions in 1966 and 83,975 in 2006. So not really coming down drastically are they? Just think about it. These 83,975 were the ones that are caught. There are probably millions who drink drive without getting caught.

Drunk driving convictions are up because the laws are tougher. And more cars are on the roads. I guess the better statistic would be how many deaths/accidents are due to drinking and driving, and have they gone down due to tougher penalties. If you research this, you will find the answer is YES. Tougher laws equate to less accidents, fatalities and injuries. Drunk driving is just one aspect of how to reduce accidents, better overall safety laws are the answer. Which of course, require a professional police force. Which we don't have here.

I do know my friends back home take these draconian laws seriously. If you get caught over the limit, loss of license and around 10k in fines/attorney fees is the impact. It's a big deal and sure gets your attention. Here, your off with a 500B fine, or so.

http://abcnews.go.co...=1#.T31aWNlKE40

WEDNESDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- State laws that require police officers to immediately suspend a person's license when he or she fails an alcohol breath test save hundreds of lives each year, conclude University of Florida researchers.

.....

The Florida team found that state laws that require immediate suspension of a driver's license for failing an alcohol breath test had a deterrent effect on drunk driving and saved 800 lives from fatal crashes each year.

And this report which shows traffic fatalities at their lowest levels since 1949. Due to a variety of factors, including seat belts, better highway standards, etc:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/PR/NHTSA-05-11

Traffic Fatalities in 2010 Drop to Lowest Level in Recorded History

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the number and rate of traffic fatalities in 2010 fell to the lowest levels since 1949, despite a significant increase in the number of miles Americans drove during the year.

"Last year's drop in traffic fatalities is welcome news and it proves that we can make a difference," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Still, too many of our friends and neighbors are killed in preventable roadway tragedies every day. We will continue doing everything possible to make cars safer, increase seat belt use, put a stop to drunk driving and distracted driving and encourage drivers to put safety first."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) early projections, the number of traffic fatalities fell three percent between 2009 and 2010, from 33,808 to 32,788. Since 2005, fatalities have dropped 25 percent, from a total of 43,510 fatalities in 2005. The same estimates also project that the fatality rate will be the lowest recorded since 1949, with 1.09 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down from the 1.13 fatality rate for 2009. The decrease in fatalities for 2010 occurred despite an estimated increase of nearly 21 billion miles in national vehicle miles traveled.

JPEG attached:

http://www.centuryco.../AIDF-Rates.gif

[laurentbkk]

Traffic accidents? .. Has anybody ever seen a highway police stopping and giving somebody a ticket for:

not using an indicator when turning or using indicator when not turning?

driving and parking on wrong side of the road?

parking near/on intersections and other clearings?

not having lights at night?

overtaking when not safe?

crossing the continuous line?

not wearing seat-belts?

talking on mobile phone when driving?

Hmmm .. maybe they could start from "trying" to enforce some of the existing rules before adding the new ones? But of course .. talk is cheap.

Good Point. In particular, driving cars at night with no lights on riles the life out of me..........maybe they think it uses up gasoline!!

Far too much to ask of them, I would be delighted if they just drove on the left.--or right just make it national so we all know whats going on.

I think the problem is more complex .... Thais know if the police stop them for any of those mistakes , they an give 1 or 200 baht and that will be ok ... so why changing mentality when a simple bank note makes all the difference .Impunity is the worse ..corruption of police is the key ...

[chrisinth]

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.

That is the way I read it as well with a couple of differences. I believe theselling time rules apply to retail outlets; licensed premises can sell during these times if they want.

All major stores such as Tesco, Big C, Tops, Makro, 7-11 etc comply, but have added their own rules that if you buy in bulk, they will still sell (not sure what the minimum requirement is).

These rules/serving times were introduced to deter minors from purchasing alcohol, in a country where it is law that everyone carries their ID. Would it not have been simpler to ask for said ID and check the age as is done in most normal countries instead of introducing the above b0ll0cks?

[louse1953]

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.

W hy not check ID.Why inconveniance everybody else.

[Thai at Heart]

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.

That is the way I read it as well with a couple of differences. I believe theselling time rules apply to retail outlets; licensed premises can sell during these times if they want.

All major stores such as Tesco, Big C, Tops, Makro, 7-11 etc comply, but have added their own rules that if you buy in bulk, they will still sell (not sure what the minimum requirement is).

These rules/serving times were introduced to deter minors from purchasing alcohol, in a country where it is law that everyone carries their ID. Would it not have been simpler to ask for said ID and check the age as is done in most normal countries instead of introducing the above b0ll0cks?

The rule wasn't added to help the large retailers, it was because technically the wholesale companies would find it difficult to make invoiced deliveries in the afternoon. It is a nonsense law which is selectively enforced and does absolutely nothing to reduce alcohol consumption. it just makes it bloody impossible to plan an impromptu barbecue. Although I do notice that they have finally taken booze out of gas stations. Just a little logic is present once in a while.

[yeeowww]

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?

Ask Thaksin... it was yet another of his idiotic attempts to become more "Western", just as he was the one who implemented the 1 A.M. closing of bars. Also, who can forget his imbecilic idea of closing gas stations after 10 P.M. so no one would go cruising. I'm still waiting for his promise to make everyone rich after 6 months in office. The amount of stupidity from this man and his followers is staggering.

[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.

and does it work ?

...what do you expect??? The corner shop always sells booze and zigs to everbody. And there is no law enforcement.

Here in HDY we have roadside gas stations. They sell 97 octane gas or smuggled in from Malysia for 30THB/litre. Guess who does fill up their motorcycles as well at those stations? Right, the local police. Almost 1000 km away from Bangkok we have "minus law enforcement". May be somebody knows a better term.....

[lovetotravel]

...what do you expect??? The corner shop always sells booze and zigs to everbody. And there is no law enforcement.

Here in HDY we have roadside gas stations. They sell 97 octane gas or smuggled in from Malysia for 30THB/litre. Guess who does fill up their motorcycles as well at those stations? Right, the local police. Almost 1000 km away from Bangkok we have "minus law enforcement". May be somebody knows a better term.....

Or buy more than 10 liters and you can get booze anywhere. Great excuse for me stocking up!

[thaigold]

The US banned alcohol - and guess what? They got the Mafia. They banned cannabis and got the deadly Mexican cartels. Lesson: You have a buyer; you'll get a seller. Set in stone.

[sirchai]

"We also have 14,189 ambulances, 1,128 boats, 101 helicopters, and seven planes for the purpose,"

"We have already drawn up a plan to base our teams at crucial spots. We hope we will be able to reach patients needing medical help within 10 minutes for at least 80 in a hundred cases being reported to us,"

Not even the monkey police could do that.

Similar to the tablets. Not long and Thais can fly on a broom.......

101 helicopters must be in Roi-Et, <deleted>.....

Edited April 5, 2012 by sirchai

[Grumbles]

Traffic accidents? .. Has anybody ever seen a highway police stopping and giving somebody a ticket for:

not using an indicator when turning or using indicator when not turning?

driving and parking on wrong side of the road?

parking near/on intersections and other clearings?

not having lights at night?

overtaking when not safe?

crossing the continuous line?

not wearing seat-belts?

talking on mobile phone when driving?

Hmmm .. maybe they could start from "trying" to enforce some of the existing rules before adding the new ones? But of course .. talk is cheap.

you forgot tail-gating - the speed & lack of concentration + tail-gating = the cause of most of these accidents

[rakman]

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.

Your TGF is ahead of the class. Some early learners will get mirror fixation and be too distracted to look ahead.

[Ferangled]

Traffic accidents? .. Has anybody ever seen a highway police stopping and giving somebody a ticket for:

not using an indicator when turning or using indicator when not turning?

driving and parking on wrong side of the road?

parking near/on intersections and other clearings?

not having lights at night?

overtaking when not safe?

crossing the continuous line?

not wearing seat-belts?

talking on mobile phone when driving?

Hmmm .. maybe they could start from "trying" to enforce some of the existing rules before adding the new ones? But of course .. talk is cheap.

you forgot tail-gating - the speed & lack of concentration + tail-gating = the cause of most of these accidents

Very true and it becomes nigh on impossible to keep the correct stopping distances with people consistently swerving to fill any and every gap you leave to gain a perceived space or two in traffic.

I see road accidents here pretty much daily, not because of drunk driving but because of a complete lack of driver awareness & basic driving skills. I'd hazard a guess that many drivers here are so bad that they could only improve when drunk or possibly asleep. If anyone here has taken the Thai driving test you will understand one of the reasons why...

Bring in real driving tests and strict, enforced penalties for driving without them and let the booze flow! Let's face it, it will be anyway regardless what ban is announced but not enforced...

[MAJIC]

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. ....

Thais learn nothing. They go through the motions to get their licenses and pass the test, then it's back to wreckless driving, and get out of my way, I'm coming thru. Half the village bkes are not registered, and many of the drivers don't have valid licences and insurance.

The ban on alcohol means nothing. They stock up ahead or have made their own moonshine to drink. Does the helmet law work./...NO. Does the use of cell phones in cars and bikes work...NO. The other day I had to follow down a soi where a girl was driving her bike with one hand, using her phone with the other hand, and trying to balance a very small child on her lap. Normal for her kind.

Normal yes,it's explained away as "Freedom" but the Baby doesn't have a choice!

[swerver]

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?

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

They were trying to get the police and government officials to go back to work after lunch, instead of drinking all afternoon.

HIT THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE HEAD.

[Fishface]

Well I dot know about you but this lawlessness was what attracted me here in the first place.

What would be the point of fining a Thai that had no money, take his bike off him?--then he cant work or feed his family, they don't have social security, free houses etc

10 days in uk generally clears my head.

[Ferangled]

10 days in uk generally clears my head.

That's one hell of a hangover... a day is usually sufficient for me after the best/worst session!

[NoshowJones]

They should try and ban all these idiots that throw water at travelling vehicles and motorbikes.