Random breath testing at Thapae Gate next to McDonalds

[uptoyoumyfriend]

while i think is a good thing to keep drunks of the road it is clearly aimed at foreigners again coming from spicey i guess .

the worst drunks i noticed on bikes were thais however.

[alfieconn]

UP TO DATE INFORMATION

if you drive past Thapae Gate at night after drinking you are a COMPLETE IDIOT

Now moving onto what the current penalties are since I know 2 people even after being told dont drive by Thapae were caught and thrown into jail Bail is

20,000 Baht (will be returned

First Guy #1 Got 6000 baht fine and nothing more spent 24 hours in the slammer

2nd guy got 6500 baht fine and 20 hours community service and 6 month driving ban

The cops are the wors offender for drink driving and the best way is if you worry about it just use the back streets and steerl clear of Thapae Gate they are ALWAYS THERE LATE AT NIGHT so use ya noggin and learn how to bypass using the back streets.

And for those that will say I am condoing Drink driving nope I am just being a realist in a country where everyone from the small policeman right up to the judge that will be the one to lay down your punishement they all do it and get away with it so why not just do the same as them and avoid the issue.

Nothing to do with being a realist but anyway

well done, someone who follows your advice could just go and kill someone tonight

[georgemandm]

UP TO DATE INFORMATION

if you drive past Thapae Gate at night after drinking you are a COMPLETE IDIOT

Now moving onto what the current penalties are since I know 2 people even after being told dont drive by Thapae were caught and thrown into jail Bail is

20,000 Baht (will be returned

First Guy #1 Got 6000 baht fine and nothing more spent 24 hours in the slammer

2nd guy got 6500 baht fine and 20 hours community service and 6 month driving ban

The cops are the wors offender for drink driving and the best way is if you worry about it just use the back streets and steerl clear of Thapae Gate they are ALWAYS THERE LATE AT NIGHT so use ya noggin and learn how to bypass using the back streets.

And for those that will say I am condoing Drink driving nope I am just being a realist in a country where everyone from the small policeman right up to the judge that will be the one to lay down your punishement they all do it and get away with it so why not just do the same as them and avoid the issue.

So you are saying because the cops do it you should , are you stupid or what , so if the cop jump to his death you will , wake up , don't drink and drive and if you get caught som nam nar to you brain dead .

[WinnieTheKhwai]

As an aside, where I'm from I get fined 6000 baht just for driving 19 km/h too fast on a highway.

(Doesn't involve arrest though. Mostly because that would mean 'work' for the police.)

[Bill Miller]

Here's my two cents.... I noticed a similar setup along On Nuch 17 near my apartment building in Bkk....... they were not stopping taxis with passengers. Do I need to supply anything further ?
The only time I was eligible for arrest was on my birthday this past January, and I was only at risk as I stumbled up the stairs from the Karaoke bar to my room at the hotel in Chiang Mail. I vaguely recall having assistance from a couple of lady friends who made sure I got to the correct room.

[rosco14]

In Udon Thani breath testing is more prevalent. I got tested and was just under the limit. Warning bells for me. I know of a farlang who was caught and had a 10000b fine and a night in jail. Ouch.

[true blue]

there was a road check and blow in the bag at 1am in nimman rd outside warm up on sunday

[PeCeDe]

Has nobody heard of taxi's, or am I missing something? P.S. if you throw up in a taxi, just give them an extra couple of hundred and the driver will clear up the mess instead of you.

Edited February 25, 2015 by PeCeDe

[Tokay]

The penalty is you might kill someone.

Not everyone drinks to excess and drives

Spoken like a true alcoholic.

The problem is, most everyone thinks they are sober enough to drive.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Has nobody heard of taxi's, or am I missing something?

Yes; it's the Chiang Mai forum. It's not about Bangkok.

[thefactoryoutlet]

1 night in jail and 20000 thb,

but your life if you hurt someone I love.

[PeCeDe]

Has nobody heard of taxi's, or am I missing something?

Yes; it's the Chiang Mai forum. It's not about Bangkok.

Does Chang Mai not have taxis?

[dave2]

re

There is a McDonalds at Taepae Gate?

yes .. its under the imm hotel !

Is there still a Bar Beer Center on the west side? Are some of the bars still open till 7 am?

there is , but ive not been in it for years

dave2

[Papayabokbok]

RBT = Royal Breath Test?

Really Bad Timing! RBT

[northernjohn]

The penalty is you might kill someone.

How about you just don't drink and drive, regardless of whether you think you'll get caught or not?

.

Judgmental, aren't we?

Where did he say he had been drinking?

He didn't he just asked what the penalties might be.

Why so defensive?

[northernjohn]

I am all for large penalties for drink driving, but at the condition that the limit is an acceptable amount. I am not sure, but I heard two beers here is enough to be over the limit; is that true? I would think that is not exactly a threatening amount to have in the system; like being sleep deprived or using a cell phone would be more dangerous.

The limit where I come from was .08 depends on your size and how soon

after the last drink the test is given. for a large person probably no problem.

When I was in the hospital as a result of falling asleep at the wheel no alcohol

or drugs what so ever in my system. I wound up in a room with a RCMP member.

For those of you who don't know they are the national police department in

Canada. He told me that they had just as many accidents from people

falling asleep as they did drinking.

Edited February 25, 2015 by northernjohn

[Bill Miller]

Has nobody heard of taxi's, or am I missing something?

Yes; it's the Chiang Mai forum. It's not about Bangkok.

• Taxi Meter Chiang Mai

  Tel. 053 279291 or 053 271242

• Taxi Lanna Co., Ltd.

  Tel. 053 922142 or 053 922152.

• Taxi Chiang Mai

  Tel. 053 262878 or 053 241955

[kbelyeu]

Not a problem for me as I am always home before 10pm.

Kurt

[ThaiPauly]

Avoid that area at all costs after 12am

Only if you have been on the piss, otherwise you have nothing to worry about.

I am in favour of these checks, I just wish there were more of them and in different locations. ANYTHING to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries we see on the roads here.

Licenses should be revoked for anyone convicted of drink driving.....but only in my dreams I suppose.

They don't call 2am "Blood Hour" for no reason, that's when the majority of serious accidents occur according to an article I read in Citylife some time back.

I do however admit to being a bit of a former hypocrite, when I arrived in CM 11 years ago I used to think nothing of D/D ing, but now older and wiser I NEVER do it, but I do worry about being out at night, driving home sober and being hit by a drunk driver as happened to a friend of mine a few years ago, he was on a bike, late at night and was killed. It's only when the drunks are made to suffer that things will improve, helmet enforcement would help save lives nearly as much as the drunk driving but once more in my dreams.

So I'm tucked up in bed by 10pm most nights.....I may well be a bore, but I want my young grandchildren to know me better before my time comes. Anyway I enjoy rising early, life has changed for me as I have aged and my priorities have changed during that time, a nice meal out and home by 9.30 before the mayhem begins is the norm now for me.

But talking of helmets, approximatey 7,000 children were killed in Thailand last year as a result of being passengers on bikes without helmets that were involved in accidents. I can't recall which forum I read this on, but it was somewhere on the TVF forum.

[godonnet]

Ok... the limits in Thailand seems totally reasonable. 0,5 seems fine. That´s what our limit was some years ago. Then at partys we could have a "driving beer". I see some people have reported the fines from their countries so I will publish mine.... Its kind of harsh:

Limit is 0,2

Measured 0,2 to 0,5: Ticket: 1 month salary, usually no jail, drivers license revoked up to 1 year

Measured 0,5 to 1.0: Ticket: 1,5 month salary, community service, drivers license revoked at least 1 year

Measured 1,0 to 1,5: Ticket: 1,5 month salary, community service/prison, , license revoked at least 1 year

Measured above 1,5: Ticket: 1,5 month salary, Prison, Lincense revoked at least 2 years.

This means that your ticket is according to salary... We regularly hear about people getting $12 000 in fines and more.... I´m from Norway, btw.

Edited February 25, 2015 by godonnet

[Briggsy]

When posters state legal limits of alcohol above which you are not permitted to drive, please state,

1) the units e.g. mg/ml, fl.oz/lb

2) blood alcohol level or breath alcohol level.

"I tested .08" has no meaning particularly to posters who use a completely different system of units.

[WarProfiteer]

I also know someone caught recently at the gate. Offered 20K chance at bail. Court case set for the next business day. Fine from the judge was 6500 baht.

The fine wasnt the big issue... it more just the hassle of sitting there on display at the gate, then going to the lock up, sitting there in the cell with one open toilet which a drunk Burmese laborer used hourly to stink up the area. The person said they wont take their chances on driving affter a big night out again.

Personally I've been here for years and dont do big nights out any more. I know they do frequent stops there at the gate when it's late, mostly to catch the Spicy crowd. So the whole thing is best avoided... or if you must go down there, use a tuk-tuk or taxi to go home. Plenty of them around...

[FolkGuitar]

The fine wasnt the big issue... it more just the hassle of sitting there on display at the gate, then going to the lock up, sitting there in the cell with one open toilet which a drunk Burmese laborer used hourly to stink up the area. The person said they wont take their chances on driving affter a big night out again.

Wonderful! The system actually works!

[mikeoxwelling]

The penalty is you might kill someone.

How about you just don't drink and drive, regardless of whether you think you'll get caught or not?

"Errrrrrrrr"

[Berkshire]

The fine wasnt the big issue... it more just the hassle of sitting there on display at the gate, then going to the lock up, sitting there in the cell with one open toilet which a drunk Burmese laborer used hourly to stink up the area. The person said they wont take their chances on driving affter a big night out again.

Wonderful! The system actually works!

Yes it does. And the fact that it's gotten a bunch of the alcoholics on TV all hot and bothered is definitely a good thing.

[stonycan]

If you wouldnt drink and drive at home .why try in thailand.i wouldnt risk even 2 beer in canada.licence gone 5000 dollar fine

[WinnieTheKhwai]

If I didn't need to drive home I would probably start drinking too much.

[BB24]

People dont stop smoking because it is going to kill them. Most stop smoking when they are 'forced' to because they age and realise it IS going to kill them, or they stop when they suddenly realise that smoking is doing them harm so why continue as it will only bring on the inevitable, or they realise one/both of those things early and dont start (or stop early), or something happens to someone who did smoke and they wake up and realise that they always knew it was true (smoking kills - eventually).

The reason there are so many irate anti-drink and driving on TV people making comments, is because they fall into one of the above anti-smoking type catagories. For those of you who think that drinking and driving is OK, I would like to let you know that you are merely thinking like a smoker who doesn't want to give up - yet - or hasn't found a reason - yet. Driving when drunk does kill - eventually - unless you are very lucky.

However, having said that, Chiang Mai is a 'disaster' for anyone who likes a drink and has to get home - because there are very few taxis here and they charge rip-off fares. As someone said, this is not Bangkok where there are heaps and they charge on a meter (usually) - I once waited 45 mins for a cab here and it cost me 350 baht for a 20 min drive - now I plan ahead. So - for those who didn't plan to have a 'big night' but have found that they have had one, the key is to have a 'Plan B' - what to do if I get pissed (how to get home or where to sleep). And therein lies the problem - thinking ahead - for some.

For those looking for certainty with regards to how much one can drink before being over the limit, then there are two answers. On average blokes can have 2 drinks in one hour and then 1 drink every hour to stay under the limit. However with a large meal in there, and if a regular drinker, and if not a genetic 'fault', some people can consume 1-2 more drinks than that and stay under the limit. Second answer is to buy a blood alcohol tester and keep it in the car - cheap and easy - no idea where to get here, as I don't drink much anymore.

Genetics - Quote: Alcohol is broken down through the work of 3 enzymes. Research shows that different people can have variations of the gene that produces these enzymes. The differences in these enzymes mean that some people metabolize alcohol differently from others. For instance, different levels of alcohol metabolizing enzymes cause facial flushing, nausea, and a rapid heartbeat in many people with East Asian heritage — making drinking unpleasant even when only moderate amounts are consumed. The NIAAA says that genetic differences in these enzymes may help to explain why some ethnic groups have higher or lower rates of alcohol-related problems.

What to do about SEAs who have 2 drinks and are pissed?

I dont know. To lower the blood level to catch them would mean many Farangs having 2 drinks in 24 hours would be over the limit.

Maybe ban anyone in Chiang Mai under 5' 8" owning a big 4WD/UTE

[SoiBiker]

If you're too cheap to spend a few dollars on a cab, maybe you should just stay home?

[PeCeDe]

If you're too cheap to spend a few dollars on a cab, maybe you should just stay home?

You are so right SoiBiker... Twenty years from now maybe everyone will have gotten the message. If you're going to have a drink take a taxi to your favourite establishment (hopefully you're still sober at that point, and know the consequences, e.g death, families destroyed etc. who cares about fines and imprisonment, it's the lives you have destroyed, including your own that matter) Then it's either walk, roll or take a taxi back, because your car, bike isn't a choice, it's not there.