Road death toll reaches 209 during first 4 days of New Year holiday

[Ulic]

1:30 am riding back to Jomtien on my scooter. Traffic was fierce for the 7km ride to my condo. Rode

by 4 accidents. I am sure the numbers will spike significantly once the Jan.1st figures are included.

[fareastguy]

Well, there is only one way.

Revamp the BiB and re-write the fines. I am dreaming but the following comes to mind:

Drunk driving at THB 5'000 in the first case; car stays put until a) fine is paid and driver is sober.

Second time THB 20'000; car stays put for two weeks and until fine is paid.

Third time same as second time but a mandatory jail term of a week.

Forth time - car gets impounded for a month and the fine is THB 50'000; two weeks jail.

All this is not rocket science but I guess it needs a death in each and every family having a drunk driving member until the message reaches home. How sad!

Sorry to dis-agree, I don't think this will work as it just isn't a strong enough message:

Should be something like this: (IMHO)

During designated holiday periods NO FINES!

#1 1st time automatic 6 months ban, car impounded for 6 months, insurance increased by 50%

#2 2nd time automatic 1 year ban, car impounded for 1 year, insurance increased 100%, re-apply for driving licence.

#3 3rd time automatic 2 year ban, 6 months in jail, car crushed, insurance increased 150%, re-apply for driving licence.

#4 4th time automatic 5 year ban, 2 years in jail, car crushed, insurance increased 200%, counselling for drink problem, re-apply for driving licence.

#5 5th time 5 year jail term and life time ban.

Outside of designated holiday period 1st offence= 20,000 baht fine then followed by the next highest penalty applies.

Should the offender drive while off the road then the next highest penalty automatically applies!!

[Colabamumbai]

you can't really blame the cops for the populace's deep belief in reincarnation and therefore not so worried about death, more concerned with enjoying themselves and living in the moment regardless of the consequences...

you really don't know nothing about thailand.I guess only barstool stories about how thailand being a bad country etc.Now go back to soi 6.

Sober up. I do not see the poster talking about this being a bad country. What the poster says is not far off the mark.

[jamhar]

I'm on a bus tonight or tomorrow night for a trip north.

Gotta admit that i dont have a "warm and fuzzy" feeling about catching the redeye back

[NoshowJones]

Most deaths due to drunk driving or speeding. Two problems that could be cleaned up with stringent law enforcement, but we know the deal there. The Royal Thai Police need to be completely overhauled. Until the day the police actually start enforcing existing laws we will read similar headlines year after year.

I know this will upset a small minority of posters, but I hope all those drunken drivers who are dead rot in hell, and anyone who is "drunk" and drives, notice I'm using the word drunk here. I hope they die on the road also. the more drunken drivers who die, the less innocent sober drivers, and passengers will die. If I lack compassion here, then that's just too bad. I stand by every word.

I sit with 8-10 farangs every afternoon, all drive home drunk.

all complain about Thai drivers.

(I drink tea)

I sit with a few Farangs regularly also, and they all have a drink then drive home, I don't know if they would fail a breath test back home, but none of them are actually drunk. On one occasion, only about three weeks ago, one of them got drunk, he left his car and got someone else to drive him home and pick him up again the next day, and there is a couple of them whos wife drives them. I only once saw a Farang obviously drunk who drove himself home, and I never spoke to him again, in fact he came to all our meetings, and never appeared any more as his drunken antics caused him to get a sore face from one of my friends, and eventually he had no friends left. He died not so long ago.

[boomerangutang]

magic protective amulets must be out of batteries, they dont seem to work (anymore?)

There are many Thais who make money from hocus pocus, so they don't want the Thai populace realizing that amulets and metaphysics is a giant ruse designed to bilk money. Certain monks in particular make decent amounts of money in the hocus pocus biz. They're safe though, because Thai people are indelibly fixated on believing in ghosts and spirits - and nothing we or anyone else can say - will dent that blind allegiance. Indeed, Thaksin, while PM, took frequent r-t plane trips from Bkk to C.Mai just to consult star gazers. Those same shysters who probably told T that killing people extrajudiciously (and cheating on taxes) was fine, according to orbits of planets.

[BirdsandBooze]

you can't really blame the cops for the populace's deep belief in reincarnation and therefore not so worried about death, more concerned with enjoying themselves and living in the moment regardless of the consequences...

you really don't know nothing about thailand.I guess only barstool stories about how thailand being a bad country etc.Now go back to soi 6.

'He doesn't know nothing' means he does know something - and he's quite right about the Thai populace.

Well it's a well known fact most of TV users are hating everything what's related with thai in any means.Saying that thais don't care about death it just moronic but understandable.Most of the foreigners don't speak thai thus can't understand everything that's going on,believe me those who can speak are seeing the country on whole new level.

Seeing that most of the farangs don't even know difference between bar girl and normal girl says everything.Ones who marry with bar girl and than complain how she stole his money and "every thai girl" is the same are the best lol.Ah farangs,education doesn't worth shit sometimes

You sound very much like one of that small band of Thaier than Thai farangs who have been here only five minutes, have a tiny vocabulary of pidgin Thai of which the locals haven't a clue what you're uttering, and yet feel qualified to be a self appointed spokesman for the population.

[Johnnie99]

you can't really blame the cops for the populace's deep belief in reincarnation and therefore not so worried about death, more concerned with enjoying themselves and living in the moment regardless of the consequences...

you really don't know nothing about thailand.I guess only barstool stories about how thailand being a bad country etc.Now go back to soi 6.

'He doesn't know nothing' means he does know something - and he's quite right about the Thai populace.

You are so wrong on so many points in your short comment, it would take an essay to correct your ideas.

[Emdog]

"Stringent laws don't stop Americans from drink driving, why do you think it would stop the Thais and the Farangs that drive here whilst alcohol impaired ?"

So your solution is enforce no drunk driving laws since not 100% effective? Are there stats regarding how many arrested for drunk driving in Thailand? None? Therefore, with such low numbers there is no drunk driving problem here? Seems similar "logic" to me. I have a friend who was in fender bender with drunk Thai. The police had stopped the drunk earlier in the day, but since he had no money, they let him go.... to go run into another car. Wonderful law enforcement (sic) strategy.

[Emdog]

"Stringent laws don't stop Americans from drink driving, why do you think it would stop the Thais and the Farangs that drive here whilst alcohol impaired ?"

So your solution is enforce no drunk driving laws since not 100% effective? Are there stats regarding how many arrested for drunk driving in Thailand? None? Therefore, with such low numbers there is no drunk driving problem here? Seems similar "logic" to me. I have a friend who was in fender bender with drunk Thai. The police had stopped the drunk earlier in the day, but since he had no money, they let him go.... to go run into another car. Wonderful law enforcement (sic) strategy.

[little mary sunshine]

Motorbike stays parked for 3 more days !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tomyumchai]

sorry to butt in on the bitch fight but i rode up from koh chang yesterday on my 650 and was quite disappointed not to see any accidents the whole way back to naklua. it got quite busy on the 36 but i still managed 135kph most of the way by riding BANZAI style. i guess my 9 lives must be running low now...........oh hum....

[atlbravosfan]

you can't really blame the cops for the populace's deep belief in reincarnation and therefore not so worried about death, more concerned with enjoying themselves and living in the moment regardless of the consequences...

you really don't know nothing about thailand.I guess only barstool stories about how thailand being a bad country etc.Now go back to soi 6.

rubbish, you obviously know little about Buddhism, now go back to your seat in Soi 6

Not really Buddhism... more like Brahmanism.

[Tomtomtom69]

"Stringent laws don't stop Americans from drink driving, why do you think it would stop the Thais and the Farangs that drive here whilst alcohol impaired ?"

So your solution is enforce no drunk driving laws since not 100% effective? Are there stats regarding how many arrested for drunk driving in Thailand? None? Therefore, with such low numbers there is no drunk driving problem here? Seems similar "logic" to me. I have a friend who was in fender bender with drunk Thai. The police had stopped the drunk earlier in the day, but since he had no money, they let him go.... to go run into another car. Wonderful law enforcement (sic) strategy.

The Thai police could really learn something from the Vietnamese police. No matter how little money someone has, if say a motorcyclist is pulled over for an infraction such as not wearing a helmet, then there will be a certain minimum amount payable. Of course, much like in Thailand the amount is negotiable, but usually for such infractions about 200,000 Dong or around 320 Baht will be requested. With good bargaining power this could be reduced to 150,000 Dong or so, but probably not much less. If the rider has no money at all, guess what happens? The police will IMPOUND their motorcycle, which is why they all come with big trucks parked at the location(s) they pull over offending vehicles. There is little chance of recovering the bike if payment is not made within a certain period afterwards, and I would imagine the amount could be increased in such cases. Letting people go, especially if they are drunk speaks volumes about the incompetence of the police here. If the driver was drunk and has no money, logically they should go to jail!

The lack of law enforcement here is one more reason I always laugh whenever a Thai recommends ways of avoiding the police - for example not to speak Thai with them. I refuse to listen to such advice - I speak fluent Thai so I'm not going to act stupid and pretend not to, which wouldn't help I think. The fact is that almost every time I have been pulled over in the past few years I've been able to nicely talk my way out a fine (usually I would be pulled over for speeding) and there is absolutely nothing to fear from the police here. The police here are generally very nice, but it would help if they started enforcing the law a bit more. While Vietnamese police actually strike fear in the hearts of motorists, Thai police aren't the least bit scary because you can drive in almost any matter you want and nothing will happen to you save for the possibility of a small fine.

Drive past a police car on the expressway at 200km/h? No problem, if there's not too much traffic in front that will be the main problem, certainly not the police. Even if you are caught, all you need to do is pay the measly fine of max. 1000 Baht. Doesn't matter how many times you speed, your licence will never be taken away from you. Even if it were, you could still drive without one and pay a fine for not possessing one if you get caught.

Compare that to China - in theory a driver not in possession of a Chinese driver's licence can be detained for up to 15 days if caught driving without one!

Ah..the beauty of driving in Thailand - a country where you can drive any way you want.