Caught Drink Driving In Thailand And Put In Prison

[Para]

Ohhh and here we go

Quotes from OP

"once it was my turn to be sentenced the judge layed down my punishment in Thai and I could see in the police mans face it was no good, 32 days in pattaya special prison"

There goes your "factual" theory of your points 1, 2 and 3

"after the prison sentence we went to the provincial court with the police man and he talked to clerks and the judge said no you can't go home for maybe 6 or so months,"

And there goes the rest of your theory's

Good idea to read first before posting , especially if you do not want to be making blind assumptions making one look stupid(as you so eloquently put it)

Yep mate you could very well be correct I could be some kind of 2 bob mug making blind guesses to look important or maybe I have been talking to him constantly on PM all day yesterday and today and the reason for the holes in his first post was because he had left it up to a thai contact to deal with who never explained anything rather than use a lawyer in the first place. Who knows.........

Edited March 23, 2013 by Para

[Lobber]

Could this be a troll?

[Para]

Lemoncake here's a suggestion just so you can post to the board I am full of crap.

Send him a PM saying some guy going by the name of Para is posting stuff like he knows what he is talking about regarding your case whats the deal?

Then based on your assumption he will say he has never heard of me I am full of rubbish and you can post the PM reply from him on this thread showing the whole world what a mug I am.......

[Para]

Could this be a troll?

It could very well be. Lets leave it to Lemoncake to find out the truth and let everyone know hey?

[Sayonarax]

LOL, Well connected.. you got taken to school boy. Don't let the door hit your arse on the way out!

[Scottythai]

I don't think you will get much help on here or any other forum because most folk have never heard of such a harsh sentence being imposed for DUI so have no experience they can refer to. You'll always get goody goody two shoes types who've never broken a law in their life and get their kicks from rubbing salt into a wound.

It would appear they've decided to make an example of you but a reputable lawyer would be of more service than the armchair critics of TV. Hope it works out for you.

Do me a favor fly out and meet my uncle who lost his wife as she crossed a road and was hit by a drunk and tell him that please.

[Sayonarax]

I rather be drunk and drive home slowly and safely with a proper helmet on my head than jump on the back of a moto taxi wearing a paper helmet (or no helmet as most falangs seem to think nothing can happen when you are the passanger) driving like he's at the Imola race track and who just finished a bottle of hong thong with his mates... Hard to kill someone at 5am riding safely at 30km/, the BIB better start to crack down on the people with broken head lights and break lights, driving against incoming traffic helmetless at 100km/h

I always thought they was apart of game, because i keep running them down for 100 points.

[richard_smith237]

Really unsure why so many are jumping on the drink driving wagon.

OP clearly stated he was not, he had a beer and did not wait for 20 mins and hence the reason for reading to be over the limit.

True or not, i do not know, but the rest of his story just does not make much sense, especially with "well connected" people being involved as OP claims

Didn't the Op blow 200mg per 100ml of blood... the legal limit is 50mg per 100ml of blood.. So the Op blew 4 x the legal limit. BUT, as the Op states it was within 20 mins of having a drink...

I've had some fun with a breathalyser at a bar before, it took plenty of drink to take me over the limit. It showed that I was under the limit only after a number of beers and spirits.

Is it really possible for one beer to take you 4 times over the limit if you are tested in less than mins after drinking it ? Perhaps, I think so anyway.

It does appear as though the Op was dealt with very harshly and even unfairly. I think even the 'hang 'em high' brigade (of which I'm also a member when concerning genuine DUI cases) may be sympathetic to the Op if the facts as stated are correct... i.e. just one beer and tested 5 mins after drinking it, not permitted a blood test for a more definitive result.

That said. A number of people on this thread are suggesting that DUI is not so serious... this baffles me, DUI is a proven killer, we all know the potential results and we all know how easy it is to avoid. DUI is a choice. When choosing to DUI the offender is making a choice that he is aware he can hurt or kill someone but doesn't care for the consequences. He thinks he is 'different' from those thousands before him who made the same choice with tragic consequences.

Some have compared DUI to other crimes... But DUI is not a crime of intention.. (i.e. while DUI the offender doesn't desire to hurt someone), but, the DUI offender shows that he doesn't care if he 'might' hurt someone and thats why I (and the law) sees DUI as a serious offence, DUI is a crime of

So... The Op might not have been DUI. Yes, he was treated very harshly and unfairly. This topic has since developed and meandered into an interesting discussion on the rights and wrongs of DUI. I find it perplexing that there are still so many who fail to recognise the seriousness and potential of driving while under the influence of alcohol or any other impairment.

[Phronesis]

Nice little earner for your connected friend.

He probably made 40 to 50k THB from his split.

[NewlyMintedThai]

Breathalyzers measure alcohol in the blood, not in your mouth.

The guy was smashed, no way around it.

[Chopperboy]

rene123, on 22 Mar 2013 - 11:25, said:

rixalex, on 22 Mar 2013 - 11:19, said:

Now i know why Thai people avoid eating beef.

I knew that buffalo was strong, but not that strong.

Every day there are drunks that kill people on the roads and highways. Let this be a lesson to those that pay no attention to the laws of the country.

Not to mention all the sober reckless drivers that kill people on the road.

I got rid of my driver when I realized i could drive better with a bottle of Scotch in me!

Not that I do that these days.

[Para]

Breathalyzers measure alcohol in the blood, not in your mouth.

The guy was smashed, no way around it.

Really?

SOURCE -

Alcohol intoxication is legally defined by the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level. However, taking a blood sample in the field for later analysis in the laboratory is not practical or efficient for detaining drivers suspected of driving while impaired (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI).

Urine tests for alcohol proved to be just as impractical in the field as blood sampling. What was needed was a way to measure something related to BAC without invading a suspect's body.

Principle of Testing

­Alcohol that a person drinks shows up in the breath because it gets absorbed from the mouth, throat, stomach and intestines into the bloodstream. Alcohol­ is not digested upon absorption, nor chemically changed in the bloodstream. As the blood goes through the lungs, some of the alcohol moves across the membranes of the lung's air sacs (alveoli) into the air, because alcohol will evaporate from a solution -- that is, it is volatile. The concentration of the alcohol in the alveolar air is related to the concentration of the alcohol in the blood. As the alcohol in the alveolar air is exhaled, it can be detected by the breath alcohol testing device. Instead of having to draw a driver's blood to test his alcohol level, an officer can test the driver's breath on the spot and instantly know if there is a reason to arrest the driver. Because the alcohol concentration in the breath is related to that in the blood, you can figure the BAC by measuring alcohol on the breath. The ratio of breath alcohol to blood alcohol is 2,100:1. This means that 2,100 milliliters (ml) of alveolar air will contain the same amount of alcohol as 1 ml of blood.

[metisdead]

Lemoncake here's a suggestion just so you can post to the board I am full of crap.

Send him a PM saying some guy going by the name of Para is posting stuff like he knows what he is talking about regarding your case whats the deal?

Then based on your assumption he will say he has never heard of me I am full of rubbish and you can post the PM reply from him on this thread showing the whole world what a mug I am.......

Posting of PM's on the forum is in violation of forum rule:

20) Not to post personal messages from other members, whether in full or in part.

Be advised not to do that.

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[Para]

Lemoncake here's a suggestion just so you can post to the board I am full of crap.

Send him a PM saying some guy going by the name of Para is posting stuff like he knows what he is talking about regarding your case whats the deal?

Then based on your assumption he will say he has never heard of me I am full of rubbish and you can post the PM reply from him on this thread showing the whole world what a mug I am.......

Posting of PM's on the forum is in violation of forum rule:

20) Not to post personal messages from other members, whether in full or in part.

Be advised not to do that.

Wasn't aware I apologize.

How about posting the gist of the reply?

[metisdead]

^ Just as long as it is not a direct quote should be ok.

[Para]

^ Just as long as it is not a direct quote should be ok.

Thank you.

My ego certainly isn't that fragile I need affirmation but there is a reason he has not replied to any posts so no one is getting any answers and this thread is really going no where.

[lemoncake]

Ohhh and here we go:rolleyes:

Quotes from OP

"once it was my turn to be sentenced the judge layed down my punishment in Thai and I could see in the police mans face it was no good, 32 days in pattaya special prison"

There goes your "factual" theory of your points 1, 2 and 3

"after the prison sentence we went to the provincial court with the police man and he talked to clerks and the judge said no you can't go home for maybe 6 or so months,"

And there goes the rest of your theory's

Good idea to read first before posting:thumbsup: , especially if you do not want to be making blind assumptions making one look stupid(as you so eloquently put it)

Yep mate you could very well be correct I could be some kind of 2 bob mug making blind guesses to look important or maybe I have been talking to him constantly on PM all day yesterday and today and the reason for the holes in his first post was because he had left it up to a thai contact to deal with who never explained anything rather than use a lawyer in the first place. Who knows.........

So.... According to you, you have been in contact with OP but you do not know him?!

He has posted an incorrect chain of events and allowing you to rectify it?

Where he says he was sentenced, in fact he was not?

Where he said after the time served, is also in fact incorrect?

Where he says he had 1 and was not drunk, is in fact totally wasted?

Where he says no accident in fact means there was?

Is there anything else i missed?

is it normal for OP not to get his story right? In his own language?

Is it also the norm for you to post on someone else's behalf who you do not know?

[Johnniey]

Could this be a troll?

It could very well be. Lets leave it to Lemoncake to find out the truth and let everyone know hey?

You seem to be taking this all very personally as if you were in fact the OP.

[Para]

Could this be a troll?

It could very well be. Lets leave it to Lemoncake to find out the truth and let everyone know hey?

You seem to be taking this all very personally as if you were in fact the OP.

What I am taking personally is being alluded to being a liar. The OP hasn't posted any replies so everything is simple speculation and assumption all I am trying to is give answers to questions. Evan in the PM's I have had with the OP the story has changed as he is learning and understanding more.

I have already suggested Lemoncake PM him for confirmation but all he has done is post another lot of assumptions. I'm giving you a golden chance to prove Lemoncakes assumption I am full of c_ap and have no idea what I am talking about.

I certainly don't have to post and this thread can carry on till a Mod gets bored and closes it and no one will be any the wiser. What I will do now is leave this thread alone till Lemoncake makes contact with the OP.

As for me being the OP in disguise LMFAO why would I even think about that. That aside there is a Mod watching this thread who has also been involved in some of the PM's.

Ignorance is bliss and the truth hurts.

Edited March 23, 2013 by Para

[DLock]

Never happened...not at least the way the OP states.

I do particularly enjoy the "connections" that couldn't get him off a DUI.

When will people realize that "connections" in Thailand are worth nothing. They just add to the cost and help facilitate the scam.

Numbnuts may be in a "special" prison indeed. He's clearly special.

[Para]

Never happened...not at least the way the OP states.

I do particularly enjoy the "connections" that couldn't get him off a DUI.

When will people realize that "connections" in Thailand are worth nothing. They just add to the cost and help facilitate the scam.

Numbnuts may be in a "special" prison indeed. He's clearly special.

1. Absolutely correct BUT he posted what he thought had happened which he has since learned that what he was told isn't the way it was hence the massive holes in the story.

2. Agreed!

3. Sadly I dont think they ever will. Its easy to 'buy' a policeman's 'help' thats till you are in the crap and really need him. Where is he? At home with his phone off. We are and always will be a commodity to them.

4. No comment!

[bangsaenguy]

There must be more perfect people posting on TV than any other forum.

[Para]

There must be more perfect people posting on TV than any other forum.

+1

[Thanet]

You're highly connected friend knows a policeman? He is either not a friend or not highly connected if he can't get you off a dui. It would be easy to kill someone ATTEMPTING to drive at that level of intoxication. You deserve to do some hard time. If you are an alcoholic, which is highly likely, this might change your life for the better by showing that your drinking/life is unmanageable. Good luck.

We all know that drunk driving is irresponsible and reckless. That said, the OP told us that his last drink was only a couple of minutes before he was breath tested. He may not have been over the limit had the cop waited for the requisite 10-minute period, so perhaps we should back off on the holier-than-thou lecturing, which is pointless, obvious and boring to read.

To the OP - thanks for sharing your story, which highlights how much trouble you can get into these days for drinking and driving in Thailand, and also that you can still get into trouble, even if you are under the limit, due to incompetent policemen testing you without enough waiting time after your last drink.

[wolf5370]

I saw this experiment on TV once (in the UK). They took four men and systematically got them drunk - beer by beer - with playground driving tests and reaction tests between.

The obvious happened, as they got drunk they all (to differing degrees) became worse drivers and had lower reaction response - to the point that eventually one guy run over a dummy on a zebra crossing (it was stationary) - and another drove between two dummies on the same crossing. All the men were about 20-30 give or take. Then they did the same test with men over 70 (I think - senior citizens at least, but I think plus 70 because from then, In the UK, eyesight on reaction tests are required every few years) - the reaction times and ability to follow the drive line and stop (crossings and lights) was similar to the men after 4 pints (twice the then legal limit) - these men were sober! Only men were tested so that gender (alcohol tolerance) does not confuse.

It shows that it is likely that an average 30 year old male after 4 pints of beer is no more unsafe than the same average pensioner sober, on the road. A drunk pensioner, well, that's another story...

I live next to a traffic police station, across the road is a bar/restaurant (typical Thai open air place) and a 7-11. There are crashes weekly. Often drunken Thais get in their cars and swerve off down the road. Cars skid in and out of the 7-11, taking cones and crossing grass verges as they do - especially after midnight. It would take the cops little effort to catch DUIs simply by checking people outside 7-11 and the bar as they try to get in their cars - this would put a stop to it, but probably ruin the bar In the process. I have never seen the cops drink there - I do sometimes, but then I walk - even during the festivals (Loy Kratong/Song Kran/New Year) when tents go up, ambulances and extra cop cars are stationed, and outside watchers sit (having a BBQ and drinks) watching cars swerve by at twice the speed limit - no one is ever stopped unless they crash, drive into the ditch/stream, etc (assuming they don't run off - which happens about 20% of the time - I can see it all through the window from my desk).

A few days ago there were two Thais, a man about 35 and a girl around 20, fighting in the middle of the road - loud screaming at each other and the odd smack - their van was stopped in the carriage way (its a very busy/fast road) - this went on for more than 30 minutes - the cops came out as far as their doorway and watched, then went back inside - cars were swerving out the two - the girls was almost hit once and was sprawled out in the opposite carriageway for a while. Anywhere else in the world, the cops would have told them to be on their way, at least - the guy at least was obviously drunk (he alternated from drivers seat to passenger seat - the girl had been driving until he dragged her from the car screaming).

[wolf5370]

You're highly connected friend knows a policeman? He is either not a friend or not highly connected if he can't get you off a dui. It would be easy to kill someone ATTEMPTING to drive at that level of intoxication. You deserve to do some hard time. If you are an alcoholic, which is highly likely, this might change your life for the better by showing that your drinking/life is unmanageable. Good luck.

We all know that drunk driving is irresponsible and reckless. That said, the OP told us that his last drink was only a couple of minutes before he was breath tested. He may not have been over the limit had the cop waited for the requisite 10-minute period, so perhaps we should back off on the holier-than-thou lecturing, which is pointless, obvious and boring to read.

To the OP - thanks for sharing your story, which highlights how much trouble you can get into these days for drinking and driving in Thailand, and also that you can still get into trouble, even if you are under the limit, due to incompetent policemen testing you without enough waiting time after your last drink.

I wonder - do they have to do a blood test also, like in many western countries, or is the breath test evidence enough? I remember when they brought them in years ago, there were many false positives due to things such as mouth wash and over the counter cold remedies etc.

[chuang]

There must be more perfect people posting on TV than any other forum.

[Tomtomtom69]

Thank for sharing. Hopefully it acts as a warning to others.

Sadly, I don't think it will.

I agree. However, this is the first time I've read something confirming the Thais CAN and DO get serious about drink driving, accident or not. I always thought it was a case of "let's put up a DUI checkpoint and breath test everyone, then collect a bit of money or give a slap on the wrist if they test positive" but this post confirms you CAN get into deep trouble when it comes to drink driving, even in Thailand. And rightly so I believe - for too long this country's drink driving and road traffic rules in general have NOT been effectively enforced. You have been able to do whatever you want and usually get away with it. Hopefully this will soon change - indeed, given the amount of money that can be made at least by fining offenders, not to mention bail etc. I don't for the life of me understand why the Thai police has been so lenient over the years to begin with (fining everyone makes money!!) Put up checkpoints everywhere and soon you'll not only be rich, but drivers will start to change their behavior! Edited March 23, 2013 by Tomtomtom69

[Tomtomtom69]

I rather be drunk and drive home slowly and safely with a proper helmet on my head than jump on the back of a moto taxi wearing a paper helmet (or no helmet as most falangs seem to think nothing can happen when you are the passanger) driving like he's at the Imola race track and who just finished a bottle of hong thong with his mates... Hard to kill someone at 5am riding safely at 30km/, the BIB better start to crack down on the people with broken head lights and break lights, driving against incoming traffic helmetless at 100km/h

Maybe but surely not every public transport operator (taxi driver, moto driver etc.) is intoxicated when you want to go home? This country has public transport everywhere and I mean everywhere even in the most isolated places, it's simply amazing - it's hard to explain to Thais that back home we only have buses, trains and taxis and in isolated places, your only option for transport is a car - there is simply nothing else. Here in Thailand even in the middle of nowhere in say Tha Song Yang, Tak province you could find a Songthaew to take you down to Mae Sot and once there, you have motorcycle taxis etc. so there's little excuse for not finding someone to take you home after a drinking session, no matter where you are in the country. Edited March 23, 2013 by Tomtomtom69