Got Stopped Tonight...

[MediaWatcher]

Call me a sceptic, but the OP seems to remember every detail, of the encounter, far too clearly.. I suspect a lonely night with not much to do, so came up with this story.

[ChiangraiTony]

Call me a sceptic, but the OP seems to remember every detail, of the encounter, far too clearly.. I suspect a lonely night with not much to do, so came up with this story.

Actually I wasn't drinking so my mind was fairly clear. It was late and the baby was sleeping and wife at home so I had some free time to go get some dinner. As for knowing every detail, well actually I have been known to be very detailed so it's nothing new for me but thank you for pointing it out.

[mikiea]

Sounds like he wanted to practice his Engrish and you obliged.

The correct action would have been to ask, "Am I being detain or arrested, officer? If not, am I free to go?"

As far as having been in Thailand for five years without learning any Thai passed hello and thank you -- yes, they are right it is an outrage.

Would it be OK for a Mexican to move to your hometown in New York and not learn any English? Wait...don't answer that...

[BWPattaya]

Despite the topic being hi-jacked by those who wish to discuss drink drinving I would like to comment on the original post.

A couple of nights ago I was asked by a police officer where I was going. I was going home and told him so. No worries about drinking and dricing etc as I was walking to where my regular morobike taxi rider picks me up. He carried on speaking very good English and told me where he had come from, how long he had been a policeman etc. A few minutes later his senior officer came up, commented on my shoes, saying how much he liked them. The three way conversation was a mix of Thai and English, all very pleasant. The senior officer said he was going home and offered me a lift (I declined as I knew my taxi would be coming and I don't really want to be taking a police officer to my house).

At no time did I feel concerned or uncomfortable - but then again, I had nothing to hide.

Edited October 12, 2014 by BWPattaya

[BadBouy]

You did the crime (no helmet, paperwork) you paid no fine, but you had to do a little time practicing English with him. While it may be inconvenient look at it as an opportunity to make a positive acquaintance with a policeman, you never know it may work out in your favor in the future. The best way to get out of it would be to ask questions in return, Yes I have a wife and children... are you married and have children? If it goes on much longer invite him and his family to dinner, never hurts to have a policeman as a friend.

[FolkGuitar]

^^ perhaps the poster was greatly exaggerating his lack of sobriety

Hey everybody with half a spine.. Time to get fake offended!!!!

Such heroes

#dogpile

Perhaps. And perhaps he's been exaggerating his lack of sobriety in several other threads as well.

But I wonder what sort of personality needs to exaggerate something like this? Something clearly against the law, as well?

What sort of person needs to tell the world "Hey! I'm a law-breaker who doesn't give a damn about anyone other than myself!"

Proud of the fact rather than embarrassed by it. To me, that's strange.

It doesn't take courage to be offended. No more than it takes timidity to be cautions when stepping off the pavement after 10pm in Chiang Mai.

It only takes common sense.

There are too many drunk drivers on the road. If you are one of them, I can only hope that you realize it before you injure someone, and get some help for your problem. If you don't believe it IS a problem, that's half of it right there.

The outrage is delicious.

It's Sunday afternoon, chill out and have a beer.........

It's an internet forum not the Spanish inquisition.

Let's see if I've got this straight...

You repeatedly brag about driving drunk. This is the same as repeatedly stating that you don't give a damn about other people's lives or property.

Now you tell us that you are enjoying the fact that people are offended by your actions which endanger them. You actually call it 'delicious.'

Perhaps it would be better for us all if it were the Spanish Inquisition. It certainly would be a lot safer for everyone.

But it's possible that I'm missing something... I'm certainly willing to accept that I don't really understand the problem.

Would you please tell us WHY you think it's OK to endanger others? We won't even discuss the legal aspects of drunk driving. Those are a given. But how about the civic morality? Why do you feel you have some sort of right to risk the safety of complete strangers? It's obvious you feel this way, and I really don't understand how this can be possible. I'm not a heavy drinker. A bottle of rum can last me 4-5 months so I really don't understand the need to drink and then drive. Can you explain?

EDIT: No, please don't. I really don't want to hijack the thread, so let's bring it back to the subject of police stops. I just got wrapped around trying to understand the psychology behind the person who is willing to drive drunk, and forgot this isn't the thread for it. My apologies to everyone.

Edited October 12, 2014 by FolkGuitar

[GlobalCtzn]

Big checkpoint near my house on the middle ring road last night.

Got stopped at about 11:30, in my car.

Had had many drinks, was certainly over the limit but not quite paralytic.

All very polite and friendly.

No big deal.

They are looking for drugs, I think.

Too many posters on here make an issue of nothing.

Admitting to driving drunk on a public forum and seem to think nothing of it since they did not arrest you. You sir are a menace to each and every one of us who shares these already dangerous roads with you. Words cannot express the utter disdain I have for you and those like you! You do realize that your CHOICE to drive intoxicated puts peoples live at risk right? Utterly pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Loptr]

I hate it when a thread is hijacked way off topic. Its about his traffic stop and lessons learned. Not about languages spoken.

The Force pedantry is strong on this thread...

[PJcm]

-snip-

Would it be OK for a Mexican to move to your hometown in New York and not learn any English? Wait...don't answer that...

It is SO much easier for a Mexican to learn English or for an NES to learn Spanish than it is for an NES to learn Thai!!

I don't hear tones real well any more and I give up.

English and Spanish are both Latin derivative languages and have a similar sentence structure and even some words that are easy to remember. Neither is tonal. They share the same alphabet.

I can speak some Spanish (Mexican actually) just from being around it some, but I'll never learn Thai.

Thais who are tone deaf speak their own language with no difficulty, English is not a Latin based language as Spanish is, English comes from Low German and a large part of the vocabulary is French from the Norman Invasion of Britain. Mexican is not a language, Spanish is the language, now if you said Mexican Spanish that would be correct, but redundant. As a 37 years resident who speaks Thai fluently and a New Yorker I can tell you this. Take the time to learn the language it really isn't that difficult, If you are lazy and don't want to do it, fine but then face the criticism and stop blaming in on tones, Own up to your laziness and shortcomings.

[Emster23]

I think you did fine. I would be more than happy to engage with them on conversational topics to put both parties at ease. Think of hostage negotiations and such. I was a bit surprised they asked some follow up questions, as it goes against conversation rules as outlined in fun book "Siam Smiles". The longer they can talk and see you are not drunk, trying to prove your superiority, treat them with respect as a fellow human, the more likely you are to get off with a warning.

[SeaVisionBurma]

An 'absurd generalisation' has been removed, along with a reply quoting it. Apologies to the person who made the reply, but they both had to go.

Keep it civil and on topic thanks

[carter1882]

The correct action in this case is to divert the conversation towards football, the English premiership if course. Ask the officer which team he supports , tell him yours and say next time they play lets watch together. May i go now? This of course requires the Thai language. PM me if you would like to know my rates.

[philw]

Big checkpoint near my house on the middle ring road last night.

Got stopped at about 11:30, in my car.

Had had many drinks, was certainly over the limit but not quite paralytic.

All very polite and friendly.

No big deal.

They are looking for drugs, I think.

Too many posters on here make an issue of nothing.

Admitting to driving drunk on a public forum and seem to think nothing of it since they did not arrest you. You sir are a menace to each and every one of us who shares these already dangerous roads with you. Words cannot express the utter disdain I have for you and those like you! You do realize that your CHOICE to drive intoxicated puts peoples live at risk right? Utterly pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Globalctzn , you have a choice also.

Shelter in your condo because the reality is there are drunks out there.

Care to explain whose lives I put at risk ?????

Justify your comment, perhaps ??

And to Guitarboy, this is Chiangmai, not Japan or an American enclave.

Chiangmai rules apply.

The outrage is amusing and still tasty.

[RickyJB]

Why a helmet under the seat? You should be smarter than that!

i had been driving around phuket for about 3 or 4 hours and got to the beach road in Patong, foolishly i took off my helmet, put it under the seat and slowly drove along the road looking for somewhere to park my bike...then right at the bottom of bangla road , cop blew his whistle and pulled me into the side of the road...no luck, but what annoyed me more was that about 10 other farangs were pulled over, while hundreds of thais not wearing a helmet just drove bye and not even a glance from the cops...

As for drink driving, when i was younger and dumber,and full of it , i took that chance of driving home the 3 or 4 miles into the countryside, quite often , and ended up wrapped round a fence , and 1 night being chaced by the police, went through a red light , trying to get away., pulled over in front of me and i was bundled into the cop van.....i learned my lesson then... not only did i hurt myself but it could have been someone else i hit...nowadays , its taxis or tuk tuks every time i want a few drinks...cheaper in the long run , and wont cause loss of life (unless the bleedin tuk tuk driver is drunk ;-) )

[RickyJB]

The correct action in this case is to divert the conversation towards football, the English premiership if course. Ask the officer which team he supports , tell him yours and say next time they play lets watch together. May i go now? This of course requires the Thai language. PM me if you would like to know my rates.

getting stopped many times heading to Patong by their normal daily road stops, and usually turns into a conversation about football...confuses the cops when they see my british passport, danish license, and i have a scottish football team tattoo on 1 arm, a danish and german football teams "friendship" tattoo on the other with a wolf wearing boxing gloves...lol this usually makes the cop forget what he stopped me for

[puukao]

It is interesting how submissive we become when stopped by police in a foreign country. They know we will be circus clowns for them, and without proper understanding of laws and language we will continue to be clowns. In your home country, I'm sure it's totally different. 100%. I think it's a little sad that we move to another country and change so drastically. I had to do it in Cambodia, and I know it felt wrong getting questioned at the border and delayed so they can try to separate me in order to use an atm or something ridiculous.

anyhow, no harm no foul. glad everything worked out. let's say you are there another 20-years, i know taking some thai classes would help. maybe speak with the wife on a deeper level, who knows. i don't mean the OP, just everyone in general. i won't retire in thailand, but if i do in a country with a different language and laws, i certainly will become knowledgeable in both.

[thairastawoman]

Cannot stand these monkeys anymore, luckily that they are scared to see my car and namecards in my wallet...

[Don Aleman]

Women and wimps always get a pass.

[FolkGuitar]

Big checkpoint near my house on the middle ring road last night.

Got stopped at about 11:30, in my car.

Had had many drinks, was certainly over the limit but not quite paralytic.

All very polite and friendly.

No big deal.

They are looking for drugs, I think.

Too many posters on here make an issue of nothing.

Admitting to driving drunk on a public forum and seem to think nothing of it since they did not arrest you. You sir are a menace to each and every one of us who shares these already dangerous roads with you. Words cannot express the utter disdain I have for you and those like you! You do realize that your CHOICE to drive intoxicated puts peoples live at risk right? Utterly pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Globalctzn , you have a choice also.

Shelter in your condo because the reality is there are drunks out there.

Care to explain whose lives I put at risk ?????

Justify your comment, perhaps ??

And to Guitarboy, this is Chiangmai, not Japan or an American enclave.

Chiangmai rules apply.

The outrage is amusing and still tasty.

No need to 'shelter in one's condo.' If the police don't stop you, Darwin will. Let's just hope that happens before you kill or maim some innocent people.

As to your questioning whose lives you put at risk... That is just really, really sad, but it explains a lot. I mean, it REALLY explains a lot...

I'm sorry that you got upset when I said you were lower than pond scum. I apologize. I thought you already knew.

In a previous post you mentioned how the police were so nice to drive you home when you were too drunk to do it yourself. You said 'they were taking care of you, to make sure you got home safely.' It never, for even a moment, dawned on you that they were making sure that everyone else on the roads got home safely by getting you off the road... This too explains a lot about why you continue to drive drunk. You just don't give a damn about anyone but yourself.

And regarding the rules in Chiang Mai, drunk driving is against the law here. Not just in Japan or America. Or the UK, for that matter. Pretty much everywhere. And for good reason, too.

That's the rules in Chiang Mai. Like it or not.

Hopefully the Army will be able to instill some discipline in the police, and see to it that they enforce the laws already in effect, and get drunks off the road. Judging by your responses, you are clearly unaware of how your actions affect others, just as a child would be, and require adult supervision to see to it that you behave in accordance with the rest of society. And if not, be jailed for non-compliance.

Nanny State? Hey... clue.... You need a nanny. You do not function as an adult. Until you do, we need laws to protect the rest of us from people like you.

[elektrified]

Big checkpoint near my house on the middle ring road last night.

Got stopped at about 11:30, in my car.

Had had many drinks, was certainly over the limit but not quite paralytic.

All very polite and friendly.

No big deal.

They are looking for drugs, I think.

Too many posters on here make an issue of nothing.

Admitting to driving drunk on a public forum and seem to think nothing of it since they did not arrest you. You sir are a menace to each and every one of us who shares these already dangerous roads with you. Words cannot express the utter disdain I have for you and those like you! You do realize that your CHOICE to drive intoxicated puts peoples live at risk right? Utterly pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Globalctzn , you have a choice also.

Shelter in your condo because the reality is there are drunks out there.

Care to explain whose lives I put at risk ?????

Justify your comment, perhaps ??

And to Guitarboy, this is Chiangmai, not Japan or an American enclave.

Chiangmai rules apply.

The outrage is amusing and still tasty.

You put the lives at risk of each and every driver (and their passengers/families) on the road at the same time/same vicinity you were. You must know that???

Chiang Mai rules?

"The outrage is amusing and still tasty." You are sick. You belong in jail. You drunk.

[yannyoun]

you are lucky , no helmet in Chiang Mai is 400 baht

[Konini]

you are lucky , no helmet in Chiang Mai is 400 baht

Or a broken head

[maynard420]

Sounds like he wanted to practice his Engrish and you obliged.

The correct action would have been to ask, "Am I being detain or arrested, officer? If not, am I free to go?"

As far as having been in Thailand for five years without learning any Thai passed hello and thank you -- yes, they are right it is an outrage.

Would it be OK for a Mexican to move to your hometown in New York and not learn any English? Wait...don't answer that...

I would pay money to see your moronic azz say this to a Thai cop, it works a little bit in the U.S. but not here, obviously you think you are genious and right all the time, you must be a Brit or an Auzzie, good luck in the future with the cops, I hope I see a picture or video of you where the boys are doing a Rodney King on you.

Peace.

WB.

[maynard420]

Sounds like he wanted to practice his Engrish and you obliged.

The correct action would have been to ask, "Am I being detain or arrested, officer? If not, am I free to go?"

As far as having been in Thailand for five years without learning any Thai passed hello and thank you -- yes, they are right it is an outrage.

Would it be OK for a Mexican to move to your hometown in New York and not learn any English? Wait...don't answer that...

What a pant load that is.

I agree with your actions 100% bud, never get upset with the police, but if they carry on to much it is always smart to ask them to bring in your wife or GF or BF for some other people in the thread, this jerk off <deleted> talking trash about not being able to speak Thai is way out of order, I have lived here 13 years and have taken Thai language courses and i am still able to only speak 40%, so that <deleted> can fo back to where he came from, you are all good bud, I hope you have a great night.

Jeremy.

[norstatin]

Big checkpoint near my house on the middle ring road last night.

Got stopped at about 11:30, in my car.

Had had many drinks, was certainly over the limit but not quite paralytic.

All very polite and friendly.

No big deal.

They are looking for drugs, I think.

Too many posters on here make an issue of nothing.

Admitting to driving drunk on a public forum and seem to think nothing of it since they did not arrest you. You sir are a menace to each and every one of us who shares these already dangerous roads with you. Words cannot express the utter disdain I have for you and those like you! You do realize that your CHOICE to drive intoxicated puts peoples live at risk right? Utterly pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Globalctzn , you have a choice also.

Shelter in your condo because the reality is there are drunks out there.

Care to explain whose lives I put at risk ?????

Every man, woman, child, and living creature in this highlighted area.

Edited October 12, 2014 by norstatin

[iainiain101]

The idea that a westerner can come here and think he/she can get away with it, just because they can't do so back home, is all a bit rich for my blood. And folks seem to confuse matters also, just because there is corruption in Thailand doesn't mean to say the place is totally lawless and the people are void of all standards and morals, go talk to some middle class Thai's and ask them what they think about drink driving and the 25,000+ people who get killed on the roads every year, they're amongst the first to want to change all of that.

Is it really that many? I knew the number was high, but that's almost obscene. The per capita number must be equally frightening if that is the figure.

Figures range from 24k to 28k:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Road-death-toll-in-Thailand-among-highest-in-the-w-30202066.html

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/688565-thailand-ranks-the-worlds-third-in-highest-road-fatalities/

So if you take a middle figure of 26,000 road deaths per year, divide it by 365 days and you get about 71 people per day. Way too many.

During the 'dangerous' driving holidays like New Year and Songkran the newspapers publish daily statistics of deaths, and they are not usually far above these averages or can even be less. Hence they are probably safer days to be driving.

Is this due to the increased police presence, or the fact that most of the drivers are so drunk that they actually drive better?

[chiang mai]

The idea that a westerner can come here and think he/she can get away with it, just because they can't do so back home, is all a bit rich for my blood. And folks seem to confuse matters also, just because there is corruption in Thailand doesn't mean to say the place is totally lawless and the people are void of all standards and morals, go talk to some middle class Thai's and ask them what they think about drink driving and the 25,000+ people who get killed on the roads every year, they're amongst the first to want to change all of that.

Is it really that many? I knew the number was high, but that's almost obscene. The per capita number must be equally frightening if that is the figure.

Figures range from 24k to 28k:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Road-death-toll-in-Thailand-among-highest-in-the-w-30202066.html

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/688565-thailand-ranks-the-worlds-third-in-highest-road-fatalities/

So if you take a middle figure of 26,000 road deaths per year, divide it by 365 days and you get about 71 people per day. Way too many.

During the 'dangerous' driving holidays like New Year and Songkran the newspapers publish daily statistics of deaths, and they are not usually far above these averages or can even be less. Hence they are probably safer days to be driving.

Is this due to the increased police presence, or the fact that most of the drivers are so drunk that they actually drive better?

An interesting observation, I'd never looked at the Sonkran death toll in relationship to national daily averages but yes, you're right. Perhaps it's down to increased awareness or indeed, increased policing, maybe a combination of both. I also think that a part of that picture has to do with increased wealth in Thailand, more people have new cars than in years gone by and as a result they drive more cautiously than if they were in a beat up old pickup.

But I remember around ten years ago when those numbers were very different during Sonkran, the five day toll was around 1,100 at one point, if memory serves so whatever they are doing is working.

[stoli]

Sounds like it went well, and yes, he was certainly wanting to use his English. Good for him, and your patience. As far as your not speaking Thai after 5 years, I can understand his question there. I know, most of my friends here state "I don't need to learn Thai, they all speak English". Yes, if you only live in the middle of a tourist area, and don't go into the outlying areas. I truly believe that most Americans have a problem with Mexicans in the states because most Mexicans just live with their friends, and don't feel the need to learn the English. They are wrong. Their life in the U.S. would be so much better for them if they learned English, and your life will be better here if you learn Thai. It shows respect.

[Sparkles]

The road toll could be considerably reduced if they would have police vehicles actually on the highways, and by ways, making arrests/fines for irresponsible driving.

The practice of just setting up check points at holiday times is totally ineffective.They need a visible presence on the roads.

Speed cameras are a cash cow for many countries but they do actually make people think twice about speeding,especially if the fines are substantial.

Max speed signs are also in short supply and how many motorists would actually know the speed limit on the road they travel on,if there is one.

[philw]

Big checkpoint near my house on the middle ring road last night.

Got stopped at about 11:30, in my car.

Had had many drinks, was certainly over the limit but not quite paralytic.

All very polite and friendly.

No big deal.

They are looking for drugs, I think.

Too many posters on here make an issue of nothing.

Admitting to driving drunk on a public forum and seem to think nothing of it since they did not arrest you. You sir are a menace to each and every one of us who shares these already dangerous roads with you. Words cannot express the utter disdain I have for you and those like you! You do realize that your CHOICE to drive intoxicated puts peoples live at risk right? Utterly pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Globalctzn , you have a choice also.

Shelter in your condo because the reality is there are drunks out there.

Care to explain whose lives I put at risk ?????

Every man, woman, child, and living creature in this highlighted area.

Thanks for the map, i didn't realise Chiangmai is so big.

Those Mexican beers with the lemon wedge thingy at the Goodview must somehow cloud ones vision.....

Thank you all for the ( light or is it slight ? ) entertainment and I will stop now.

Of course driving under the influence is quite properly a serious and criminal offence which I do not condone in any way.

Fact is though, there are a lot of drunk drivers out there.

Thank you all for your sanctimonious outrage.

A pleasure to witness.

sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous/ˌsaNG(k)təˈmōnēəs/

adjective

1. making a show of being morally superior to other people.