Fines for breathalyzer warnings from Thonglor police?

[louse1953]

Accurate or not, I was wrong. I've been through many checkpoints sober and never had a problem or asked for anything before. The ironic thing is they should be setting these checks in the small towns but of course there's no money to be made there.

That's right,only the rich and bigotted live in Bangers.

[louse1953]

Friend of mine in Pattaya b'lysed after a day on the beers and a collision turning right in his SUV (correctly) with Thai m'cyclist attempting to pass on the right of the vehicle! Needless to say way over and back to beach road main police station

Told to go outside smoke cigarette/have fresh air

no good still over

Put two 'straws' into machine for a 'duplex' blow

still no good

After whispered negotiations and the passing of 10K cash the BIB blew into it!!!! and exclaimed 'Now OK insurance good' and everyone went back to business

Corruption when it suits your friend.

[Tmymaimee]

I don't think they were targeting foreigners as they usually take taxis around Sukhumvit. All the drivers I saw stopped were Thais. The fine here for over the limit is 20,000 baht and 1 night in jail. One friend always drinks and she never learns. Been stopped and fined many times and she's very well off and connected; makes no difference.

I had the option of not paying and going to the station instead. In the big picture, 5000 baht is nothing and I'm just lucky I wasn't involved in an accident and then tested.

[jxe63]

I read this with great amusement from all responders.

There are two types of testing equipment used used by the majority of Police Jurisidictions worldwide including Asia.

Firstly the Lion Breath Testing Instrument - a positive reading (over the prescribed limit - usually a greater concentration of alcohol in the blood and essentially for the layman over 0.05%) advances you to an official test using more accurate instrument usually being the Draeger Alcotest Analysis Instrument. The difference is one costs about $5k the other $15k..

Equally, both are accurate as long as calibrated annually which is pretty much a legal requirement in any Policing jurisdiction with a calibration certificate to be produced in any court.

As their names indicate one is a testing instrument the other an analysing instrument.

The 2nd instrument is the only Instrument that is accepted by any court - world wide as it provides the following:

1. a self testing component that automatically tests that Instruments accuracy before the caught/responsible driver must blow into the instrument - if it is not accurate it will not proceed.

2. The details of the Operator (Police Officer), details of the caught responsible driver, and location, time and date of the test/analysis is captured ensuring - essentially points of proof pertaining to the offence.

3. A final self test of the instrument after the caught responsible driver has blown into the instrument to verify the instruments accuracy or not.

4. A print out of the above information herein, that can not be changed or altered after input.

The amount of blood alcohol concentration is individual to every person. Meaning that it depends on your size; how often you drink; what you drink; how well you dispell/disperse that alcohol naturally. NO calculator will provide this information and should be used as a general guide only. A blood test is the only way to accurately capture your blood alcohol concentration withing 12 hours of that session.

There is NO way to beat a breath testing instrument using straws, holding ones breath; breathing lightly or heavily; drinking water before hand - laughable.. The only way is by instrument failure or by another person providing a sample of breath for the caught responsible driver..

I recall only 1 responder to this topic and a follower providing an appropriate response. Regardless where you come from or where you now call home, if you plan to drink DON'T drive. I highlighted this topic with "responsible" driver but those that do drink and drive are anything other than responsible. Your putting your life, and those around you at risk for your choices being wrong.

There are defenses that allow for excuse provisions relating to driving whilst over the limit and usually in defense of a life or a life threatening situation but the process remains the same if caught and should only be raised in court with supporting evidence.

BY seasoned posters within this site making suggestion and condone the behaviours of both the responsible driver and some Thai Police I say this, anyone that equally as much offers a bribe or agrees to pay a bribe to ANY Police Officer for their wrong doing in the first instance deserves Gaol/Jail. You are also advocating and promoting corrupt behaviour that can be stamped out or minimized.. You being caught for drink driving is a blessing to get you off the streets.. As if there are not enough bad drivers in Thailand. You don't deserve to hold a licence if you drink and drive.

I have visited and lived in numerous Asian countries; stopped many times whilst driving merely for being foreign but have never been asked to pay anything, nor given a reason to be subject of a traffic infringement (fine) for any offence. After checking vehicle registrations and licence I was always allowed to go freely. On principle I would never pay any person and would challenge their system every time but thats me..

[Regyai]

I read this with great amusement from all responders.

There are two types of testing equipment used used by the majority of Police Jurisidictions worldwide including Asia.

Firstly the Lion Breath Testing Instrument - a positive reading (over the prescribed limit - usually a greater concentration of alcohol in the blood and essentially for the layman over 0.05%) advances you to an official test using more accurate instrument usually being the Draeger Alcotest Analysis Instrument. The difference is one costs about $5k the other $15k..

Equally, both are accurate as long as calibrated annually which is pretty much a legal requirement in any Policing jurisdiction with a calibration certificate to be produced in any court.

As their names indicate one is a testing instrument the other an analysing instrument.

The 2nd instrument is the only Instrument that is accepted by any court - world wide as it provides the following:

1. a self testing component that automatically tests that Instruments accuracy before the caught/responsible driver must blow into the instrument - if it is not accurate it will not proceed.

2. The details of the Operator (Police Officer), details of the caught responsible driver, and location, time and date of the test/analysis is captured ensuring - essentially points of proof pertaining to the offence.

3. A final self test of the instrument after the caught responsible driver has blown into the instrument to verify the instruments accuracy or not.

4. A print out of the above information herein, that can not be changed or altered after input.

The amount of blood alcohol concentration is individual to every person. Meaning that it depends on your size; how often you drink; what you drink; how well you dispell/disperse that alcohol naturally. NO calculator will provide this information and should be used as a general guide only. A blood test is the only way to accurately capture your blood alcohol concentration withing 12 hours of that session.

There is NO way to beat a breath testing instrument using straws, holding ones breath; breathing lightly or heavily; drinking water before hand - laughable.. The only way is by instrument failure or by another person providing a sample of breath for the caught responsible driver..

I recall only 1 responder to this topic and a follower providing an appropriate response. Regardless where you come from or where you now call home, if you plan to drink DON'T drive. I highlighted this topic with "responsible" driver but those that do drink and drive are anything other than responsible. Your putting your life, and those around you at risk for your choices being wrong.

There are defenses that allow for excuse provisions relating to driving whilst over the limit and usually in defense of a life or a life threatening situation but the process remains the same if caught and should only be raised in court with supporting evidence.

BY seasoned posters within this site making suggestion and condone the behaviours of both the responsible driver and some Thai Police I say this, anyone that equally as much offers a bribe or agrees to pay a bribe to ANY Police Officer for their wrong doing in the first instance deserves Gaol/Jail. You are also advocating and promoting corrupt behaviour that can be stamped out or minimized.. You being caught for drink driving is a blessing to get you off the streets.. As if there are not enough bad drivers in Thailand. You don't deserve to hold a licence if you drink and drive.

I have visited and lived in numerous Asian countries; stopped many times whilst driving merely for being foreign but have never been asked to pay anything, nor given a reason to be subject of a traffic infringement (fine) for any offence. After checking vehicle registrations and licence I was always allowed to go freely. On principle I would never pay any person and would challenge their system every time but thats me..

Spoken like a true conformaton (I suspect you actually stand by all that twaddle)

trust you checked that there where sufficient rules for you to adhere to before posting

.

[KKr]

since blood content of alcohol reduces by some 50 % every hour in a healthy person, two glasses of wine (or equivalent) the first hour and one drink every hour after should keep you within the limit.

Best bet though, get a taxi.

Even within legal limits in laboratory tests people are reacting slower after drinking.

[bander]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

2 drinks and you blew over.

you should not drink if you plan to drive.

Tell that to the Thai's, or ask the BIB who pull you over if he can take a blow in the breathalyzer

[ericthai]

Do the Thai Police let you hold the breath tester when being tested or do they hold it?

Unless you are pot-less skint does it matter?

Why pay 5K if you can cheat the system?

What??? Dont DRINK AND DRIVE!!!

[ericthai]

I read this with great amusement from all responders.

There are two types of testing equipment used used by the majority of Police Jurisidictions worldwide including Asia.

Firstly the Lion Breath Testing Instrument - a positive reading (over the prescribed limit - usually a greater concentration of alcohol in the blood and essentially for the layman over 0.05%) advances you to an official test using more accurate instrument usually being the Draeger Alcotest Analysis Instrument. The difference is one costs about $5k the other $15k..

Equally, both are accurate as long as calibrated annually which is pretty much a legal requirement in any Policing jurisdiction with a calibration certificate to be produced in any court.

As their names indicate one is a testing instrument the other an analysing instrument.

The 2nd instrument is the only Instrument that is accepted by any court - world wide as it provides the following:

1. a self testing component that automatically tests that Instruments accuracy before the caught/responsible driver must blow into the instrument - if it is not accurate it will not proceed.

2. The details of the Operator (Police Officer), details of the caught responsible driver, and location, time and date of the test/analysis is captured ensuring - essentially points of proof pertaining to the offence.

3. A final self test of the instrument after the caught responsible driver has blown into the instrument to verify the instruments accuracy or not.

4. A print out of the above information herein, that can not be changed or altered after input.

The amount of blood alcohol concentration is individual to every person. Meaning that it depends on your size; how often you drink; what you drink; how well you dispell/disperse that alcohol naturally. NO calculator will provide this information and should be used as a general guide only. A blood test is the only way to accurately capture your blood alcohol concentration withing 12 hours of that session.

There is NO way to beat a breath testing instrument using straws, holding ones breath; breathing lightly or heavily; drinking water before hand - laughable.. The only way is by instrument failure or by another person providing a sample of breath for the caught responsible driver..

I recall only 1 responder to this topic and a follower providing an appropriate response. Regardless where you come from or where you now call home, if you plan to drink DON'T drive. I highlighted this topic with "responsible" driver but those that do drink and drive are anything other than responsible. Your putting your life, and those around you at risk for your choices being wrong.

There are defenses that allow for excuse provisions relating to driving whilst over the limit and usually in defense of a life or a life threatening situation but the process remains the same if caught and should only be raised in court with supporting evidence.

BY seasoned posters within this site making suggestion and condone the behaviours of both the responsible driver and some Thai Police I say this, anyone that equally as much offers a bribe or agrees to pay a bribe to ANY Police Officer for their wrong doing in the first instance deserves Gaol/Jail. You are also advocating and promoting corrupt behaviour that can be stamped out or minimized.. You being caught for drink driving is a blessing to get you off the streets.. As if there are not enough bad drivers in Thailand. You don't deserve to hold a licence if you drink and drive.

I have visited and lived in numerous Asian countries; stopped many times whilst driving merely for being foreign but have never been asked to pay anything, nor given a reason to be subject of a traffic infringement (fine) for any offence. After checking vehicle registrations and licence I was always allowed to go freely. On principle I would never pay any person and would challenge their system every time but thats me..

You talk like you know but seems you dont. When I was young and stupid in the USA I was arrested for drinking and driving. They only tested me one time. So your comment that they test you again is not always true as you say this is how it is all over the world.

Also guess you been lucky to never been asked for money from Police in Asia. Been living and working in Asia for more than 20 years. Had the police in the Philippines and Thailand want money when I broke no laws. The one office actually told me he wanted coffee money. I have tried not to pay and then they take you to the station and lie that you were speeding and then abusive, your word against theirs and they win. However I have meet some very good police that do their job correctly and with respect so you have good and bad, just the luck of the draw when you get stopped.

[spidermike007]

I have heard they are extorting as much as 40,000 baht for being over 0.05 in Pattaya. Happens towards the end of the month, when the hefty monthly payments on the massive police villas are due. Is this true? Sounds like an incredibly amount. I was told this by an ex-pat who lives in Pattaya, and has friends who have been nabbed. I guess this would act as a bit of a deterrent.

[HeavyDrinker]

Simple deterrent. Stop thinking you're smarter than the Thai coppers and you can 'beat the system'. You can't. Don't drink and drive. spend a few baht on a taxi or motorcycle taxi. There are enough 'millionaires' on this forum that a cab home after a few drinks should be within financial reach.

[mortenaa]

Simple deterrent. Stop thinking you're smarter than the Thai coppers and you can 'beat the system'. You can't. Don't drink and drive. spend a few baht on a taxi or motorcycle taxi. There are enough 'millionaires' on this forum that a cab home after a few drinks should be within financial reach.

How would that "millionaire" be able to show his newly purchased Benz on the weekend then? Why does every hip nightclub have a valet service? Drinking and driving will be a part of Thai culture for many years to come I'm afraid..

[DavidMavec]

I went out with my girlfriend in BKK and had one drink a few months ago. They made me blow in a rod shaped device and it tested positive for alcohol but they said it was not possible to see how much alcohol I had drunk, just that I had drunk alcohol. They were clearly looking for money as they had this laminated card that was a warning in English about drinking and driving. They told me I could either pay money now or go to some detention place and get a breathylyzer that counted percentages there, meaning that I would be arrested if I blew over.

My girlfriend and I argued with the police for quite a while; I had only one drink and I was not drunk at all. Very much doubt I would have been over the legal limit, unless it's an unreasonably low limit. They were quite aggressive in the way they spoke to me and my girlfriend but finally, they let me go. It was quite scary but lessons learned are 1) not to drink anything at all and then ride my motorbike 2) get plastic surgery so I look Asian as this was clearly a case of fleece the farang.

[losworld]

The breathalyzer is the biggest cash cow for the BIB ever watch and see. Need 5000 baht in a hurry go for a ride down the street find a farang coming from a bar and pull him over. Bingo!!!!

Departments will be clamoring for these portable machines.

[Tmymaimee]

The breathalyzer is the biggest cash cow for the BIB ever watch and see. Need 5000 baht in a hurry go for a ride down the street find a farang coming from a bar and pull him over. Bingo!!!!

Departments will be clamoring for these portable machines.

Ah...no...I was the only farang driver and there were a number of Thais stopped who were over the limit and looked more than a little concerned. I didn't see anything like you describe.

[thaicookingchef]

The fine for people who drive drunk should be a bullet...

[Dogmatix]

Was recently stopped by a lone policeman with a flashing sign blocking one lane just after turning left from Thonglor into Sukhumvit. He produced a cheap breathalyzer of the type you can buy on Amazon for about US$20 and told me to blow into it. I couldn't see it clearly and thought it was one of the type without a blow pipe that I have seen Bkk police with before. But it turned out to have a small blow pipe which he aggressively forced into my mouth and told me to blow. Without any bleeping signal of the type I have come across before he immediately said it was over and showed me a reading of 0.115 which for all I know could easily have been there before he shoved his equipment in my mouth. At first I thought that meant it was OK as it meant I was only 0.1 vs the limit of 0.5. The similar machine I have at home is calibrated in that way. I had just had two small Heineckens over two hours and accepted that that might have put me just over 0.5 but over double the limit seems unlikely. Of course the BiB don't have any rules about about waiting for mouth alcohol to subside and certainly no machines that can distinguish it, as US police have. I have passed several breathalizers in Bkk after having two beers, sometimes surprisingly with nil readings, although usually having stopped drinking at least an hour earlier.

OK I know I deserve to have been shot or something for having had even a whiff of a cork before getting behind the wheel but I took my punishment like a man but I was left wondering whether the machine would have read the same even if had only been drinking Coca Cola or what would have happened if the cop had breathed into it himself. Certainly developed countries would let a policeman conduct breathalyzer tests with a kids' toy like that, or if they did, it would not be accepted as evidence in court. It is also odd that he was alone, as if he was moonlighting to get some extra cash, or even another police precinct or a fake cop. When I have been stopped before in Bkk there was a more senior cop sitting at a table and re-testing everyone who failed the first cop's test with a larger machine, about the size of the original clunky mobile phones. Anyway flame away and enjoy yourselves moral majority guys.

Edited August 18, 2014 by Dogmatix

[millwall_fan]

Thailand is becoming more and more like the West every year.

[kblaze]

Was recently stopped by a lone policeman with a flashing sign blocking one lane just after turning left from Thonglor into Sukhumvit. He produced a cheap breathalyzer of the type you can buy on Amazon for about US$20 and told me to blow into it. I couldn't see it clearly and thought it was one of the type without a blow pipe that I have seen Bkk police with before. But it turned out to have a small blow pipe which he aggressively forced into my mouth and told me to blow. Without any bleeping signal of the type I have come across before he immediately said it was over and showed me a reading of 0.115 which for all I know could easily have been there before he shoved his equipment in my mouth. At first I thought that meant it was OK as it meant I was only 0.1 vs the limit of 0.5. The similar machine I have at home is calibrated in that way. I had just had two small Heineckens over two hours and accepted that that might have put me just over 0.5 but over double the limit seems unlikely. Of course the BiB don't have any rules about about waiting for mouth alcohol to subside and certainly no machines that can distinguish it, as US police have. I have passed several breathalizers in Bkk after having two beers, sometimes surprisingly with nil readings, although usually having stopped drinking at least an hour earlier.

OK I know I deserve to have been shot or something for having had even a whiff of a cork before getting behind the wheel but I took my punishment like a man but I was left wondering whether the machine would have read the same even if had only been drinking Coca Cola or what would have happened if the cop had breathed into it himself. Certainly developed countries would let a policeman conduct breathalyzer tests with a kids' toy like that, or if they did, it would not be accepted as evidence in court. It is also odd that he was alone, as if he was moonlighting to get some extra cash, or even another police precinct or a fake cop. When I have been stopped before in Bkk there was a more senior cop sitting at a table and re-testing everyone who failed the first cop's test with a larger machine, about the size of the original clunky mobile phones. Anyway flame away and enjoy yourselves moral majority guys.

no flame, but you are leaving out crucial details; specifically how much you had to pay? did you settle right then and there?

[Thighlander]

In Chiang Mai, it's pay 20,000 bail money, or go to jail for the night, and appear before the judge the next day and get a fine of about 2500 THB. 20,000 refunded. most people would be dead with a BAC of .4........

A car on Sukhumvit is probably about the fifth best way to get around. Bar hopping in a car, and driving? Downright arrogant and stupid. There is a fair chance that you would be in an accident that's not even your fault......things could really go downhill from there.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Thighlander

[thairastawoman]

Hello,

What is the official fine if going to police station ?

And do they use fake breathalyzers ?

Where can we buy a real good one to test before driving ?

Thanks.