Drink driving ban may be imposed during Songkran festival

[AlQaholic]

I don't understand, why is this even a subject? Drinking and driving has been illegal in Thailand for as long as I can remember, at any day and at any time. Stupid!

[Artisi]

Gosh, those cops must be exhausted manning those checkpoints. Better give them a 4 month rest.

Nah! after Songkram they can have the rest of the year off - nothing more to do.....

[thesetat2013]

What I can't understand is that if, and it is a very big IF, the police actually enforced all of the laws and made arrests and wrote tickets and really confiscated vehicles forever, the police would be RICH from the money collected from all of those things. 90% of drivers break traffic laws in one form or another. It is unimaginable the amount of money to be collected from the police really doing their jobs full time,

[Artisi]

Positive results? More accidents, injuries and deaths during the first 5 of 7 dangerous days.

Precisely - Though I suspect the nature of the beast is thus:-

The mere thread of action was not enough to the hardy Thai - and no one believed that the police would follow through with the publiciised threats.

...and thus this year everyone just drink-drived as before.

However, NEXT YEAR (following all the very visible arrests and vehicle confiscations) we would expect to see the big improvement in drink drive figures.

What is interesting is the 10:1 standoff rate of vehicles impounded versus people arrested - how were so many able to escape without their vehicles taken off them

Regarding the 10:1 impound rate, it was suggested in another forum that maybe another driver took over -( hopefully after being tested) this shouldn't happen, the vehicle should be impounded as the driver was DUI, otherwise the impact of the impoundment is lost.

[kiwikeith]

Total ban is good for Songkran does this mean zero tolerance or under the limit ok?

Keep the random breath testing going as a permanent thing would be a further step forward.

Lowering the speed limit to 100km max would be another, enforcing it would be ten steps further ahead, more merit would be gained by placing a zero alcohol tolerance on all drivers under 21 with serious penalties if caught, like confiscation of bikes and vehicles permanently.

Then a serious road safety campaign, televised permanently as it is in NZ with road warning signs may be another twenty steps forward, I hope Mr Prayut reads this.

Then again fining vehicles and bikes and slapping a sticker on them that can only be removed by police if their vehicles have no lights or other dangerous faults are repaired.

[wabothai]

See if I got this right??

So between campaigns, it is legal to drive drunk??

How do you explain Thainess to short time visitors??

lost a few friends explaining thainess.

[MZurf]

Despite all the years I've been living in Thailand I still hold out hope that sometime in the future a grown-up will lead the country....

[DaveinAsia]

Mai pen rai

[natway09]

What a stupid headline.

Drink driving should be BANNED AT ALL TIMES

[mancub]

Maj-Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd, spokesman of the Government .........claimed that the unprecedented measure had enabled authorities to seize illegal items such as illegal firearms .....

More of a concern to me than the driving "habits" here.

[torpedo1970]

So between these holidays it is OK to drink and drive.....

Amazing Thailand

TIT

[Thian]

So between these holidays it is OK to drink and drive.....

Amazing Thailand

TIT

Yes because then it's not that busy on the roads, so less chance of accidents.

[tuanku]

Perhaps something is lost in translation. I hope so because these press releases seem to confirm that those in charge of road safety are absolutely clueless.

The statistics, if they are to be believed, appear to confirm this too.

[NickJ]

I don't know......for me all it took was not seeing pictures of beer on any menus and maybe not being able to buy between 11am and 2 pm........Then again Im a simpleton....

[WhizBang]

Seriously?

There were MORE accidents and MORE fatalities this year and this is considered a success? Words fail me.

[WhizBang]

What a stupid headline.

Drink driving should be BANNED AT ALL TIMES

Amen to that. But TiT.

[oneday]

"...The government may impose drink driving ban during the Songkran festival..."

So I guess this means they approve of drink driving at all other times?

[wayned]

If they arrested over 23,200 for drunk driving, why did they only impound 2140 vehicles? It does not compute.

[NCC1701A]

at least the BIB know when they have to work. new years and Songkran.

[elgordo38]

NO!!

The heavier enforcement should be a permanent feature not just at the 'dangerous' times.

Indeed Crossy, i'm at a loss to understand why this new brainwave wasn't thought up decades ago and seemingly only piloted 5 days ago. It should be a permanent fixture although the number of cars being taken is shockingly low, almost looks like they're just being allowed on their way as they're more difficult to pull in

Maybe they did not have the manpower to seize and transport all the vehicles. The lack of manpower is a big issue here. To many chiefs and not enough Indians. I agree with Crossy they should have monthly or weekly UNANNOUNCED spot checks and also as z42 says this is not rocket science as a deterrent just good policing. I think the government was a bit overwhelmed by the success and thus are "thinking" about using it for Songkran. We my g/f and I pour water over the statue at Tops market and that is it for us none of the Baccanalian nonsense that takes place in the streets . The word Songkran sends shivers up and down my spine 3 days of pure hellish music across the street. Not the sweet lyrical Thai music I like but just bombastic bass pounding away. Bing, Dean and Frank where are you?

[maderaroja]

Let's hear it! Enforcement all year and everywhere!!! Enforcement all year and everywhere!!!

[DavisH]

And there thought that driving drunk was a law? So for these 2 holiday periods they will actually enforce that law. What about the rest of the laws and the rest of the year?

Also! If they were actually enforcing this law without prejudice to every person caught drunk driving! Then why did they only impound 2100 vehicles yet 23000 charges for drunk driving were made? Tea money collected maybe? It seems too many got through with only paying off the police and taking a ticket from them instead of impounding their vehicle like they were supposed to do.

I've no idea, but maybe there was a sliding scale for 'drunk driving'....but I would think that there may have been a second driver available (for a car) who was sober. Single drivers on bikes make have lost their vehicle. Would like to know how many hi class euro cars go impounded

[cbluck58]

Utter nonsense of course - they only impounded cars from people too skint to bribe them which is why the figure is so low- in a few weeks or so, we will no doubt have the annual debate on whether or not to close all the bars for Songkran - another round of nonsense discussion - it is of no consequence what laws they pass or what crackdowns they have if they are incapable of commanding sufficient respect to enforce the law and this lack of respect for the police is far and away from being a farang thing.

Reap what you sow...........

[Ks45672]

And there thought that driving drunk was a law? So for these 2 holiday periods they will actually enforce that law. What about the rest of the laws and the rest of the year?

Also! If they were actually enforcing this law without prejudice to every person caught drunk driving! Then why did they only impound 2100 vehicles yet 23000 charges for drunk driving were made? Tea money collected maybe? It seems too many got through with only paying off the police and taking a ticket from them instead of impounding their vehicle like they were supposed to do.

It was probably a combination of tea money and logistics...

Sometimes a checkpoint obly has 4 police....

If they to arrest someone and drive back to the station to book him and Park his vehicle that only leaves 3 men available...

Rinse and repeat....

How much room is there at the police station to park vehicles?

23,000 vehicles could block a town never mind a police station so maybe at some point they have to start fining them because the impounding is too impractical...

[Ulic]

I have my fingers crossed.

[connda]

Drink driving ban may be imposed during Songkran festival

Geez, that's what I thought. It's perfectly legal to drink and drive except on New Years and Songkran when it's banned. TIT.

[MaeJoMTB]

Let's hear it! Enforcement all year and everywhere!!! Enforcement all year and everywhere!!!

And let's hear,

'Back to the nanny state for you'

[AlQaholic]

Despite all the years I've been living in Thailand I still hold out hope that sometime in the future a grown-up will lead the country....

Mebe the whole country may one day enter adulthood......