Got Done Drink Driving On Sunday Night

[krisb]

4 cans in 4 hours would put you wqay past the 0.005 limit. You were drunk. I hope you do not do it again.

4 cans is jack <deleted> in 4 hours. No way that would put you over unless its the 1st time you drank.

Oh well, taxi it next time.

[Dorothy1985]

"I got the first blow thing where it just says negative or positive, it said positive so they pulled me over to the side with all the other drivers. ..... I mean I got lucky it was only 2K."

As far as I'm concerned a positive breath test should result in a blood test, and a positive blood test should result in the immediate cancellation of your licence, a large fine and a mandatory 6-month jail sentence.

There can be no excuse for driving whilst intoxicated.

yeap pity they dont hand down the same sentance on judgmental self righteous pompus nitwits as well...

So it looks like you support drunk driving?

drunks do usually have a different perspective from normal responsible people.

[Scully]

How big were the cans ?.

[theslime]

4 cans in 4 hours would put you wqay past the 0.005 limit. You were drunk. I hope you do not do it again.

its .05 and I doubt you would be over the limit with 4 cans

[Semper]

Should I just told them to F off next time? What would you do?

I would have paid the 2K, just like you did. Excellent choise, compared to a guy in CM who got caught (for the second time). He was fined a few K, but refused to pay and told them to fcuck off and started an argument with them. Guess what, they called for a pick-up to have him transported to the station. The pick up arrived and to avoid the night in jail, he had to pay them 5 times more.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Semper

[loong]

Try this calculator. More accurate. http://www.rupissed.com/ Could have been over.

I used this calculator for me and with 4 cans medium strength it put me right on the limit.

Then I realised that the can size in the caulator is 375Ml, whereas normal can size in Thailand is 330Ml. So I entered 4 stubbies (345Ml) and the result was 0.037

[harrry]

4 cans in 4 hours would put you wqay past the 0.005 limit. You were drunk. I hope you do not do it again.

its .05 and I doubt you would be over the limit with 4 cans

http://www.police.wa.gov.au/LinkClick.aspx?link=When_to_stop2005.pdf&tabid=987

gives an official pdf with the calculations.

Anyway I work it out 4 cans of full strangth beer gives over the imit in 4 hrs. may be a little over or a lot but over.

And I am not a sanctimonius b....I used to drink and drive with full weekend keg parties in my young days. Now I have seen some of what it can do and the huge reduction in accidents as a result of the controls in Australia. THe low limit is one in which you are slightly impaired, not fully drunk but not with full judgement and reactions. It is the legal limit and in itself I do not consider that dangerous except that if you geet caught doing that you have only yourself to blame.

[Semper]

4 cans in 4 hours? Over .05? I highly doubt it.

That's 1 can per hour. But we have to take op's word for it.

Of course. Based on the facts given, and accepted, he was not over the limit.

Depends on how much he was drinking the day before....

Edit. And no offence intended to the op.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Semper

[BlackPuddingBertha]

yeap pity they dont hand down the same sentance on judgmental self righteous pompus nitwits as well...

The next time you read about someone being killed in a car crash caused by the other driver being self-righteous, do let us know.

It may be some time.

[cdnvic]

I don't want to see any more insults thrown around. Stick to the facts of the topic and keep the judgments of each other out of it.

[whybother]

4 beers in 4 hours? Most people would be over that the next morning after a big night out. There is no way the OP would have been over the limit, particularly by the time he was actually tested.

In Australia, they used to say 3 beers (285 ml) in the first hour and 1 every hour after that and you would be under the 0.05 limit.

[harrry]

4 beers in 4 hours? Most people would be over that the next morning after a big night out. There is no way the OP would have been over the limit, particularly by the time he was actually tested.

In Australia, they used to say 3 beers (285 ml) in the first hour and 1 every hour after that and you would be under the 0.05 limit.

3 beers is three standard drinks,,,,three glasses not cans

[NanLaew]

Will the OP be taking on soutpeel's excellent advice given on the 2nd page? Is there any real value or kudos in being able to 'work' the drink-driving laws and their questionable enforcement in LOS?

[BlackPuddingBertha]

I used this calculator for me and with 4 cans medium strength it put me right on the limit.

Then I realised that the can size in the caulator is 375Ml, whereas normal can size in Thailand is 330Ml. So I entered 4 stubbies (345Ml) and the result was 0.037

"A can of beer" in Thailand could be 330ml of some lite brew at under 3% alcohol, or it could be 500ml at 6.4% alcohol.

So 4 cans could be just 40ml of alcohol or 130ml of alcohol or anywhere in between, which makes quite a difference.

Hence my belief that a blood test should be applied following any positive breath test, or even a suspicion of such.

Edited December 11, 2012 by BlackPuddingBertha

[frankold]

If it was one of the yellow breath test sticks they are a setup. There is a button for fail - red and another button for pass - green. After you hand over the cash and blow again he'll push the button for a pass - green and you are on your way

[cdnvic]

4 beers in 4 hours? Most people would be over that the next morning after a big night out. There is no way the OP would have been over the limit, particularly by the time he was actually tested.

In Australia, they used to say 3 beers (285 ml) in the first hour and 1 every hour after that and you would be under the 0.05 limit.

Depends on the size of the person consuming it. On average the liver can clear about one standard drink per hour, but everyone is a bit different. Size and metabolism varies.

[whybother]

4 beers in 4 hours? Most people would be over that the next morning after a big night out. There is no way the OP would have been over the limit, particularly by the time he was actually tested.

In Australia, they used to say 3 beers (285 ml) in the first hour and 1 every hour after that and you would be under the 0.05 limit.

3 beers is three standard drinks,,,,three glasses not cans

I think they talked about "standard drinks".

285 ml of a 3.5% alcohol drink is 0.8 standard drinks. 4.8% is 1.1 standard drinks. http://www.mac.sa.go...ndard_drink.php

3 standard drinks in the first hour. 1 every hour after that.

A standard drink an hour wouldn't put you over the limit.

edit: and yes, they talked about differences for men and women. I'm assuming the OP is male, and is probably of at least average size.

Edited December 11, 2012 by whybother

[evadgib]

i'm curious as to the reliabilty/calibration of the equipment.

I also doubt if the Thai victims seen heading to the ATM by the OP were returning with THB 50k each in their pockets!

[richard_smith237]

A mate of mine in the UK driving in the morning after a night out (which ended before midnight).

Was stopped and breathalised, was over the limit and taken to the station for processing. He was blood tested and still over the limit and charged. Upon completion of his processing he was breathalised again, was found to be under the limit and was free to drive - Just a short time (an hour) can sometimes make all the difference, legally.

He was banned from driving for a year (I'm not sure of his fine).

In Thailand the initial test 'the wand' simply checks for the presence of alcohol. If alcohol is present guilt of being over the legal limit is not (should not be) assumed. I'm guessing this is where the BIB start to take advantage.

As far as I understand it the next step is to undergo a breathalyser test on a more detailed and hopefully calibrated machine.

I'm not sure if Thailand also relies on a blood test as often the 'guilty suspects' are simply bundled together until the end of the night.

IMO: 4 cans over 4 hours is not enough to be over the legal limit and while not perfectly responsible I wouldn't call the Ops behaviour irresponsible.

I'm also assuming that when he suggests that he might tell the BIB to F$%K off next time, he means that he'll be a little more stubborn and see how that plays out. I suspect that he may have got away with no fine at all as he was not proven to be over the limit. It was only proven that he had alcohol on his breath.

Edited December 11, 2012 by richard_smith237

[trainman34014]

Drink at home with friends, cheaper all round.

[FritsSikkink]

I know I got off lucky, but I really question the methods of testing for alcohol.

I dont really care about the 2K as its nothing, I think some of you are not that bright and miss the point totally which is kind of strange. Is this place full of halfwits or what?

Don't know but there are a lot of drivers who drink too much here.

Edited December 11, 2012 by FritsSikkink

[loong]

Althoughj I wouldn't do it, I reckon that I could drink 4 cans in 4 hours and still drive a lot better than the average driver here

[Tafia]

People seem to be getting confused.

The op was not breathalised.

The first blow just confirms alcohol on your breath, there is no measure of how much has been consumed.

The OP is correct the next step if alcohol has been detected should have been the Breathalyser itself which would determine if he was over or under the limit, this it seems was not done.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Tafia

[rene123]

Despite the police attempt at bribery, the OP got off relatively light. In Canada, 4 beers in 4 hours would definitely be over the limit and the original bribery attempt of $1600 would be closer to the truth. And, you would have a record and probably a suspension of your license, and an increase in your insurance rates.

[cdnvic]

In Canada, 4 beers in 4 hours would definitely be over the limit

Again, it depends greatly on the person's size and metabolism, and there is no uniform blood alcohol limit among Canadian provinces, where the legal limit varies from 50 to 80mg.

[Chittychangchang]

If you blow into a breathaliser having consumed 1 mouthful of alcohol or garggled with mouthwash very recently you can give a positive test. A blood test would have shown the OP to be way, way under the legal limit.

Just the police making easy money again.

Good post by the OP for highlighting how the police operate.

For the record i've had 6 large Chang and passed the test, my trick was to have a quick hit on a cig wich diffuses the test.

For the record drugs carn't be compared to drink, that's why there is no "hang em high brigade".

[impulse]

The world back home is full of folks that got booted from countries where they "disagreed" with local law enforcement. I haven't been in Thailand long enough to know how prevalent that is here.

I have no issues with the OP, the situation he was in, or how he dealt with it. Fortunately, it seems to have worked out for him.

But I do think the standard "your results may vary" disclaimer would be appropriate. A different checkpoint, a different cop, a different night, a different town, even a different colored OP, and it could have all gone south in a hurry.

He could have easily found himself in a holding cell waiting to be arraigned for the yaba they "found" in his back pocket. Or with a one way trip to the airport with a red stamp in his passport, or with a DUI charge that would be the kiss of death with most large employers.

Negotiate all you want with the police. But do it with respect and a with a smile on your face... And that's not just in Thailand.

Edited December 11, 2012 by impulse

[I Like Thai]

"I got the first blow thing where it just says negative or positive, it said positive so they pulled me over to the side with all the other drivers. ..... I mean I got lucky it was only 2K."

As far as I'm concerned a positive breath test should result in a blood test, and a positive blood test should result in the immediate cancellation of your licence, a large fine and a mandatory 6-month jail sentence.

There can be no excuse for driving whilst intoxicated.

There was no positive result !

The first blow just confirms alcohol on your breath, there is no measure of how much has been consumed.

Possible drunk driver is offered the option of buying his way out of doing the test.

The OP is correct the next step if alcohol has been detected should have been the Breathalyser itself which would determine if he was over or under the limit, this it seems was not done.

I think you left one step out of the process. I added it to your post in bold.

[stiggy]

Enjoy a beer or two then driving when under the limit as the OP states fair enough, sounds like the BIB where just trying it on.

Driving if clearly drunk as many in Thailand do, stupid selfish and dangerous.

Fines vary greatly an ex a33hole neighbour of mine actually killed a man when drunk driving.As he was not a well to do Thai that he killed he was allowed to pay 10k to go home and sleep it off, before coming in next morning to be officially tested.

On the other end of the scale a friend who had 2 beers and was stationary in his car was T boned by a drunk Hiso. Initially jailed and the made to pay 0.5 million bht in fines to avoid a real sentence.

[Mosha]

_{When he used broken English, you should have gone to French}

Edited December 11, 2012 by Mosha