Three Thais arrested in Japan for reckless driving

[sometimewoodworker]

I'm interested to know how they can charge 3 for wreckless driving, when only one was at the wheel.

One can be charged for accompanying a drunken driver, but three can't be in possession of the wheel at the same time, unless they had a different agenda when driving.

Because under Japanese law if you have a driving licence then even as a passenger you will also be committing a driving offence if the driver of the vehicle has more than 20mg per ml blood acohol.

For an example a driver who is over the limit will usually get a fine of ¥400,000 (฿125,000) the fine for passengers in the vehicle is about half that for the driver. Reasoning being that if you have a driving licence it is your responsibility to ensure the driver isn't over the limit.

While you may not agree with the law you either comply or don't drive in japan.

Japan has a very high incidence of drunkeness but very low level of drunk driving and almost no public drunk violence.

[uptheos]

Japanese jails are clean and safe. But, they have very tight and tough daily routine. Every movement and task must be executed perfectly. Even to do common things like to take a shower is like to do a Japanese Tea Ceremony.

It's a nice place to learn discipline.

Should be quite disciplined after 15 years, then they can go home and be role models.

[ratcatcher]

Japanese jails are clean and safe. But, they have very tight and tough daily routine. Every movement and task must be executed perfectly. Even to do common things like to take a shower is like to do a Japanese Tea Ceremony.

It's a nice place to learn discipline.

Did they serve you sake or Coke with your evening sushi and rice?

[bangon04]

Hope they get more than a 500 baht fine and a slap on the wrist, which is what they might have expected in Thailand.

not only 500bath fine , in thailand you would have to go prison to, im 110% dont speak bullshit,

not if they have Pu Yai family......then they would always get away with it in Thailand

[sometimewoodworker]

I forget the exact conviction rate for people that are charged with crimes but I do know it is well over 90%. The japanese will not charge a person for a crime unless there is an overwhelming amount, hence the high conviction rates. There will be NO payoffs for these guys. They will pay dearly for this all of them. First they must make a direct restitution to all the families of the victims. This is a "im sorry" fee and I imagine in upwards of at least $30000 US. That has nothing to do with the fines, court costs etc. Japan is no joke when it comes to drunk driving and especially in regards to people being injured.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

You are a bit behind the times, the I'm sorry fee is upward of $300,000, ฿10,000,000.

$30000 US would be about 1/3 the amount chaged to the family of a person jumping infront of a train in Tha Kanto (Tokyo) region

[2fishin2]

I forget the exact conviction rate for people that are charged with crimes but I do know it is well over 90%. The japanese will not charge a person for a crime unless there is an overwhelming amount, hence the high conviction rates. There will be NO payoffs for these guys. They will pay dearly for this all of them. First they must make a direct restitution to all the families of the victims. This is a "im sorry" fee and I imagine in upwards of at least $30000 US. That has nothing to do with the fines, court costs etc. Japan is no joke when it comes to drunk driving and especially in regards to people being injured.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

You are a bit behind the times, the I'm sorry fee is upward of $300,000, ฿10,000,000.

$30000 US would be about 1/3 the amount chaged to the family of a person jumping infront of a train in Tha Kanto (Tokyo) region

The fee I quoted is ONLY the initial gomenasai fee when the accused goes to see the family. This has to come out of an accusers pocket and not covered with insurance. This is not the 3.5 million plus yen that will be the minimum insurance payout.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[elzach]

Dangerous any where they drive. Uh oh, doesn't matter who their daddy is, they are in Japan.

You mean it`s only Thais that drive recklessly, meaning there are no exceptions and they all have the same traits. I guess that you consider yourself as a model driver wherever you go and consider that your basic mentality is well above the Thais.

I am not trying to defend these people in anyway, but to me you come across as arrogant and just another Thai basher.

Ask Thais what THEY think of Thai drivers.

[sometimewoodworker]

I forget the exact conviction rate for people that are charged with crimes but I do know it is well over 90%. The japanese will not charge a person for a crime unless there is an overwhelming amount, hence the high conviction rates. There will be NO payoffs for these guys. They will pay dearly for this all of them. First they must make a direct restitution to all the families of the victims. This is a "im sorry" fee and I imagine in upwards of at least $30000 US. That has nothing to do with the fines, court costs etc. Japan is no joke when it comes to drunk driving and especially in regards to people being injured.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

You are a bit behind the times, the I'm sorry fee is upward of $300,000, ฿10,000,000.

$30000 US would be about 1/3 the amount chaged to the family of a person jumping infront of a train in Tha Kanto (Tokyo) region

The fee I quoted is ONLY the initial gomenasai fee when the accused goes to see the family. This has to come out of an accusers pocket and not covered with insurance. This is not the 3.5 million plus yen that will be the minimum insurance payout.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

I'm well aware of the fact that it is not covered by insurance and if you have a Japanese licence and actually watch the video when you renew it (I have 7 or 8 times) you will know the gomenasai fee is more likely to be 10 to 30 million and will be refused if it's not thought to be enough.

[emilymat]

I wouldn't be surprised to see attempts by Thailand to extradite these three on the basis they are wanted here on some previous charge?. There would be little or no chance of success in such a venture but..................who knows the power of money and influence? My scepticism knows no bounds now.

[elzach]

Japan opened the floodgates for similar incidents and crime a couple of years ago by allowing visa-free entry/visa-fee-free entry/visa duration increase for Chinese, Thai and other nationals. Their reasoning was to boost tourism after the 2011 tsunami. However, there's always a price (hidden in the short-term) to pay.

[Time Traveller]

What's next, protests at the Japanese Embassy and a call to boycott Japanese goods ?

Bound to be some nut who will suggest it.

No the nuts will be protesting at the American embassy. Somehow they will find away to blame America for everything bad that happens

[Beetlejuice]

Dangerous any where they drive. Uh oh, doesn't matter who their daddy is, they are in Japan.

You mean it`s only Thais that drive recklessly, meaning there are no exceptions and they all have the same traits. I guess that you consider yourself as a model driver wherever you go and consider that your basic mentality is well above the Thais.

I am not trying to defend these people in anyway, but to me you come across as arrogant and just another Thai basher.

Ask Thais what THEY think of Thai drivers.

Or ask Thais what they think of farang drivers in Thailand.

Many that like to dominate the roads with their extravagant big vehicles who consider all other road users as irritating obstacles and the farang motorcyclists that believe the legal requirement to wear a helmet does not apply to them and who must, at all costs, go faster than anyone else.

Fair enough that the said Thais in Japan are incompetent and deserve tough justice if found guilty, but this does not give reason to say that all Thais are bad drivers, otherwise this becomes just another Thai bashing thread.

[ourmanflint]

Hope they get more than a 500 baht fine and a slap on the wrist, which is what they might have expected in Thailand.

not only 500bath fine , in thailand you would have to go prison to, im 110% dont speak bullshit,

Sure thing!

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/729594-thai-truck-driver-who-knocked-down-and-killed-british-couple-fined-just-l18/

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[atyclb]

The driver didn't flee the scene?

I observed a driver in Japan trying to walk away after a collision. The crowd that formed chased, subdued and roughed him up a bit until the constables arrived. Very sobering indeed.

after the tsunami they created a makeshift "lost and found" so others could reclaim their belongings. thailand there exist pockets of integrity and morality. in japan there exists sporadic pockets of low integrity/morality. drunk drivers do cause death and/or serious injury to innocent people.

[DogNo1]

I'm not sure what food is served in Japanese prisons but it's certainly not sushi. That's comfort food in Japan. When driving in Japan, one must be VERY, VERY aware of bicycle riders who can suddenly turn in front of you while talking on their cell phones, especially the high school students. You must always be ready to stop instantly. That's the reason why many Japanese drivers hesitate as they turn. A bicyclist can come from behind you and suddenly turn and cross in front of you. Bicyclists do not wear flashy colors and it can be difficult to spot them when it's dark and/or raining. A colleague was dismissed from his job as a professor at my university because he hit and killed a bicyclist. Insurance will take care of damage if nobody is injured in an accident but it becomes much more serious when someone is injured. In Japan, it's advisable for people who are not familiar with the driving conditions to take public transportation.

[DogNo1]

I don't think that Japanese would be offended by being called sushi eaters. Anyway, under Japanese traffic laws, responsibility for an accident is usually shared. If you and the other driver were both moving, then you will share responsibility. If you run into somebody who is stopped dead, then you would bear 100% responsibility unless the other car were to be improperly parked, etc.

[Friendly Stranger]

I don't think that Japanese would be offended by being called sushi eaters. Anyway, under Japanese traffic laws, responsibility for an accident is usually shared. If you and the other driver were both moving, then you will share responsibility. If you run into somebody who is stopped dead, then you would bear 100% responsibility unless the other car were to be improperly parked, etc.

Thanks for the clarification regarding how their law interprets this matter. About the posters' dig, even if not a big issue with the Japanese, it implies as such.

Edited August 18, 2014 by Friendly Stranger

[doctorproc156]

He wasn't drunk

Ahhhhh, a wonderful justification for the paltry fine for killing 2 innocents. It seems you are the deluded one. Either that or your glasses have a wonderful rose tint

It's not justification , it was a ridiculous punishment, but saying all drunk drivers that kill people in Thailand get off with 500 baht is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

[webfact]

JAPAN
Tokyo embassy probes fatal car crash involving three Thai citizens
The Nation


A still taken from a Japanese news programme shows the car and bicycle involved in the fatal accident.

BANGKOK: -- The Thai Embassy in Tokyo is looking into a car accident involving three Thais arrested for drunk driving that killed a young woman and seriously injured a man.

Japan's ANN News television station has reported that the 18-year-old high-school student and 20-year-old man were riding bicycles in Chiba prefecture when they were hit by the car carrying the three Thais, whose alcohol concentration was above the legal limit. The names and photos of the Thais were not revealed.

The Thai man suspected of having been the driver was still denying he was behind the wheel when the accident occurred. He was unable to produce an international driver's licence.

He was charged with driving without a licence and recklessness that caused death and injuries. If found guilty of driving under the influence, he could face a jail term of up to 20 years.

The report of accident has gone viral, with many netizens saying Japan should cancel free-visa privileges for Thais.

The Thai Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Japan's drunk-driving laws were severe. Even a passenger in a car driven by a drunk person who causes an accident could face a jail term of up to three years.

The ministry quoted the J-Campus website as saying that Japan is one of the top-ranked countries with high road safety, while pedestrians and drivers strictly follow the rules and regulations. These are the main reasons road accidents in Japan have been rapidly reduced.

According to traffic rules, a person lending his car to another person who is found guilty of drunk driving and causing death or injuries will face the same punishment as the driver.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Tokyo-embassy-probes-fatal-car-crash-involving-thr-30241223.html


-- The Nation 2014-08-19

[robertthebruce]

Sounds like spoilt prats, no one has confessed to driving the car ??? How childish and selfish is that.

Poor girl, so sad, hope the young man makes full recovery...

As for the Thai drivers, well , best not say what I am thinking...

[terryp]

According to traffic rules, a person lending his car to another person who is found guilty of drunk driving and causing death or injuries will face the same punishment as the driver.

WOW

[Payboy]

The "I dropped my hat Milud" defense may not work here, it seems.

[NongKhaiKid]

This could be a sobering, no pun intended, experience with no chance of a phone call resulting in a Chalerm like relative arriving and screaming ' do you know who I am ? " OR no call resulting in a call to the police resulting in the cell door opening.

of course depending on who the 3 are, or think they are, no lesson can / will be learned as it will be all the fault of the Japanese.

[doctorproc156]

Good, hope these idiots get locked up for the full amount of time

[BSJ]

I think the Japanese take the view that the passengers are culpable as well for not taking action to stop the driver driving dangerously or taking over the driving duties. In some state of the U.S.A. (I don't know about all) similar responsibilities of the passengers are expected.

[uptheos]

Drunk driving wherever it happens should be dealt with the full force of the law.

I hope the Japanese authorities show no mercy.

[Kalbo]

He wasn't drunk

Ahhhhh, a wonderful justification for the paltry fine for killing 2 innocents. It seems you are the deluded one. Either that or your glasses have a wonderful rose tint

It's not justification , it was a ridiculous punishment, but saying all drunk drivers that kill people in Thailand get off with 500 baht is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

So go address the issue with that poster then, and not me

[harrry]

Why were three arrested, surely only one was the driver.

In some jurisdiction all people who were involved in the commission of an offence can be charged...I guess by being in the vehicle, permitting the person to drive and failing to attribute responsibility could put them in that category.

[uptheos]

Why were three arrested, surely only one was the driver.

In some jurisdiction all people who were involved in the commission of an offence can be charged...I guess by being in the vehicle, permitting the person to drive and failing to attribute responsibility could put them in that category.

If you get into a car with a known drunk, you are complicit in an offence, albeit maybe a lesser charge,

[willyumiii]

I can not blame the poor Thais.

In Thailand, reckless driving is not only legal, it is considered a skill.

They just didn't realize that Japan was such a backward country!