Nearly 3,500 vehicles impounded for drunk driving in first three days of Songkran break

[TumblinDice]

Really?  All new drivers have a lock out blow your bac checker.   
 
Anyway kudos to Thailand for trying and I do believe it takes education in the school level and 25 years of relentless enforcement

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.


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[edwinchester]

In the UK about 50,000 drivers are charged with drunk driving in a year.

If this figure of 200,000 arrested in just 3 days in Thailand is correct then I for one am at a loss to understand the total disregard of the law....it truly is staggering.

[bruceamstutz]

5 hours ago, fish monger said:

Now charge the motor bike owners 5,000 baht and the car owners 10,000 baht, to get their vehicles back...! Drive the point home...!

 

It should be double that amount for Cars and Bikes.....Let them walk or take public transportation for a few weeks..... 

[ableguy]

9 hours ago, gandalf12 said:

Why would a pillion rider face charges? Surely the person in charge of the motorcycle would if found to be drunk. Does this mean if you are drunk and get a taxi home you can be charged???

The pillion rider must wear a helmet too, it's the law .

[ableguy]

3 hours ago, momtaz said:

why these ridiculous accidents became as a yearly custom?

taking hundreds of lives and many of them are innocents just got killed because of the reckless driving of drunk guys,

imposing harder restrictions and punishment may help to reduce these catastrophic fatal events.

It will never happen , your average worker does not make enough money to pay a heavy fine  or to pay for a license or insurance, it's the whole country to blame for keeping the lower class down.

[Ulic]

200,000 people charged with DUI in the first 3 days of Songkran. Truly Amazing Thailand.

[Graemej100]

9 hours ago, gandalf12 said:

Why would a pillion rider face charges? Surely the person in charge of the motorcycle would if found to be drunk. Does this mean if you are drunk and get a taxi home you can be charged???

 

It didn't say anything about pillion passengers being charged for alcohol offences. Ever heard of no motorbike helmet?

[williamgeorgeallen]

7 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

200,000 people!

 

I'm sorry but what the <deleted>!

 

200,000...that is beyond belief. 

does anyone believe this? cops prefer to collect cash fines. 

[wakeupplease]

How many Thais how many Farangs, then you will find out who the piss-heads are, and it begins with (T)

[johncat1]

200,000 people charged with drinking and driving including pillion passengers ( bizarre !!!) yet only  3,460 vehicles seized  ? So does this mean once they were  charged they were allowed to drive away ?

[wakeupplease]

200,000 people charged with drinking

 

Its the only way to forget the repression I guess but dam stupid, but where are we b4 I forget?

[johncat1]

6 hours ago, Graemej100 said:

It didn't say anything about pillion passengers being charged for alcohol offences. Ever heard of no motorbike helmet?

I wasn't aware pillion riders had to wear helmets, most do not  

[selftaopath]

12 hours ago, The Man Who Sold the World said:

Enforcement, enforcement, enforcement, provided enforcement continues, the lessons will be learned.

 

Thailand, twenty-five years ago, the person wearing a motorcycle helmet was the exception to the rule, today, helmets are worn, all because of enforcement, 

 

USA thirty years ago, seat belts were rarely worn optional. Today, not buckling up is the exception to the rule ... enforcement, enforcement, enforcement...

 

Forty-five years ago in the USA I frequently rode in the back of my Dad's pickup, today, never happens... enforcement, enforcement, enforcement...

 

Thirty years ago, Thailand, bamboo scaffolding was the norm, no fall protection at all... Today... a rarity.

 

Thailand is on the right path. Addressing safety issues and concerns, slowly, consistently, almost doggedly... and, this will work...

 

As stated in an earlier post - give credit where credit is due...

 

Thank you for your post. I would love to give credit where credit is due. Where might I consistently find enforcement in Thailand. Actually where can I find any consistency - except in corruption?

[selftaopath]

11 hours ago, TumblinDice said:

Here's an idea. Once these guys are busted for DUI's (if they survive), a hefty fine, loss of driving privileges for one year (standard in Canada for 1st offence plus a criminal record) & mandatory installation of "ignition interlock system" for two years. All new drivers required to have one & every new bike sold to those younger than 30 years have as a required standard. Maybe that will hit it home??


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But don't we see recidivism is a cash cow. Just let it continue along with the pocket money. Who really cares about the deaths of innocents? Not those in-charge and definitely not the police. 

[selftaopath]

8 hours ago, edwinchester said:

In the UK about 50,000 drivers are charged with drunk driving in a year.

If this figure of 200,000 arrested in just 3 days in Thailand is correct then I for one am at a loss to understand the total disregard of the law....it truly is staggering.

Humnnnnnn knowledge of the law? Humnnnn I doubt it. Hell most people around here don't have a legal operators license for anything. Their operating techniques are appalling and confusing. 

[superal]

4 hours ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

does anyone believe this? cops prefer to collect cash fines. 

All of the posts here make logical sense to us farangs but you have to stop and consider that this country relies on corruption at all levels of society as is the norm for many other Asian countries  . Police salaries are not great but are boosted  and subsidised by other means . Its the way that things work here and has done for a very long time . Only difference from the western world is that corruption here is mostly open and not concealed . 

              As for the drink driving it is not uncommon for Thai men to have their first tipple in the early morning and continue throughout the day just topping up . It is not seen as out of the ordinary and is taken for granted by many and is almost part of their culture . I am sure you have seen Thai guys drinking from an energy drinks bottle that actually contains lo cal bought from the  mama papa shop . When there is a fatal accident and drink is involved millions of baht change hands . Thats how the system works here ,  unless you know better .  Gotta take off your western hat cos things aint gonna change soon .

[wgdanson]

17 hours ago, gandalf12 said:

Why would a pillion rider face charges? Surely the person in charge of the motorcycle would if found to be drunk. Does this mean if you are drunk and get a taxi home you can be charged???

If you ride pillion on a motorcycle knowing that the driver is drunk, you should be prosecuted for aiding and abetting. same as in a car.

[StevieAus]

14 hours ago, brownknees said:

If all drivers lost their licence ,job and liveihood then it might sink in.If cops sat next to a bar with a big car park it would be easy to breathalyse all drivers and put them all in the cells for the night,just like other countries do.Third world country indeed!!!!!!

I would suggest that you check the definition of " Third world country" it has nothing whatsoever to do with living standards or laws.

I think you may be surprised as I was recently.

[Beats56]

Education is needed like this video.

[StevieAus]

21 minutes ago, superal said:

All of the posts here make logical sense to us farangs but you have to stop and consider that this country relies on corruption at all levels of society as is the norm for many other Asian countries  . Police salaries are not great but are boosted  and subsidised by other means . Its the way that things work here and has done for a very long time . Only difference from the western world is that corruption here is mostly open and not concealed . 

              As for the drink driving it is not uncommon for Thai men to have their first tipple in the early morning and continue throughout the day just topping up . It is not seen as out of the ordinary and is taken for granted by many and is almost part of their culture . I am sure you have seen Thai guys drinking from an energy drinks bottle that actually contains lo cal bought from the  mama papa shop . When there is a fatal accident and drink is involved millions of baht change hands . Thats how the system works here ,  unless you know better .  Gotta take off your western hat cos things aint gonna change soon .

Totally agree the posters on this site seem to have forgotten that corruption exists in their own countries.

Having lived in both the U.K. And Australia I can recall many cases of both police officers and politicians going to jail and they receive decent renumeration for the work carried out.

[timewilltell]

The mentality has its roots in a patronage society where the laws are there but are treated with contempt. The reason being that those who have a support system good enough - the Red Bull heir for example - can act with abandon and escape punishment. Those that have no supporters are going to get busted if the police want to whether they are guilty or not unless they can pay themselves out. And so where is the point of being law abiding because behaviour factors little in punishment and people accordingly just do as they please. That and an astoundingly poor level of education coupled with a police force that seems ambivalent to crime unless the victim is towards the top of the hierarchy, and you have the ingredients for what we see every songkran 

[Keesters]

I notice the ratio of take action:seized for motorcycles and four-wheel vehicles differs vastly.

 

Motorcycles = 1:33

4-wheel vehicles = 1:77

 

Seems to me that police were favoring 4 wheel drivers to continue on their journey while motorcyclists were left to walk.

 

 

 

[Dellboy218]

38 minutes ago, superal said:

All of the posts here make logical sense to us farangs but you have to stop and consider that this country relies on corruption at all levels of society as is the norm for many other Asian countries  . Police salaries are not great but are boosted  and subsidised by other means . Its the way that things work here and has done for a very long time . Only difference from the western world is that corruption here is mostly open and not concealed . 

              As for the drink driving it is not uncommon for Thai men to have their first tipple in the early morning and continue throughout the day just topping up . It is not seen as out of the ordinary and is taken for granted by many and is almost part of their culture . I am sure you have seen Thai guys drinking from an energy drinks bottle that actually contains lo cal bought from the  mama papa shop . When there is a fatal accident and drink is involved millions of baht change hands . Thats how the system works here ,  unless you know better .  Gotta take off your western hat cos things aint gonna change soon .

Here unfortunately, before they even look at a booze bottle, the average driver considers it ok to use the whole road, no matter what traffic is coming, overtake on blind corners,  In fact they are unable or perhaps unwilling to go around corners on their own side of the road, the steering seems to be too much for them.   I watched one guy outside my village cut a right angled bend that much he crashed into an electricity pole on the other side of the road.  Take that mindset and add alcohol!  They maybe legally drunk according to a machine but how much of that accident was down to their driving ability or mindset I wonder!

Edited April 16, 2017 by Dellboy218

[StevieAus]

14 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Many years ago, (I don't know how long) the British police forces began their annual Christmas and New Year anti drink driving campaigns. These more or less follow a similar pattern to what we are seeing here now. At first they were resented, but gradually the public got the message.

 

The aim of these campaigns was not primarily to catch drunk drivers, but to deter them in the first place. If a driver knew there was a good chance they might get caught, they were less likely to drink in the first place. And they have been very successful.

 

Campaigns such as this, coupled with heavy penalties, year long suspensions and a whopping big insurance premium at the end of that suspension, have been the main deterrents that brought drink-driving deaths and injuries  down from nearly 31,500 in 1979 to 3,200 in 2014. (deaths in the same period came down from 1,640 to 240)

 

Note the timescale. It took 35 years.

 

This country has a long way to go, but, at least, they recognize the problem and are making the effort.

 

At least give them some credit for that.

Exactly as occurred in Australia with the same result these days you would be mad to drink and drive as they conduct random breath testing at all times of the day there have been many cases of people getting caught going to work the next morning with alcohol still in the system

[Keesters]

12 hours ago, TumblinDice said:

Here's an idea. Once these guys are busted for DUI's (if they survive), a hefty fine, loss of driving privileges for one year (standard in Canada for 1st offence plus a criminal record) & mandatory installation of "ignition interlock system" for two years. All new drivers required to have one & every new bike sold to those younger than 30 years have as a required standard. Maybe that will hit it home??


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Only motorcycle riders under 30 get drunk then. Get real.

 

 

 

[TumblinDice]

 
Only motorcycle riders under 30 get drunk then. Get real.
 
 
 

My point being they seem to be the most inexperienced, unaware, uneducated, immature, ignorant & oblivious of the consequences of drunk driving.
Try to think outside of the bubble your in.


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[4MyEgo]

15 hours ago, possum1931 said:

What happens to all these vehicles and motorbikes that are impounded. What exactly does impounded mean? Do the owners not get them back or what? I sure hope they don't.

I have read so many different things about this.

In South Australia they send the vehicles to the wreckers after the drivers have been found guilty as charged for (wreckless driving) in a court of law and crush the vehicles and sell them off as scrap metal, perhaps some kind of law similar to that to take these drivers off the road would be a start for drunk and wreckless driving, after all, these are legal weapons being used, in a very nonlegal way. 

 

Then once they have established that law, they can then work on the festive Songkran season getting the clowns that are throwing water off the main roads, they throw water into motorcycle riders faces and cars front windscreens, I swear that if it wasn't for my total awareness last night, sighting water on the road in a particular spot with no one in sight, then all of a sudden coming out of the bushed/hedges and throwing water onto my front windscreen totally blocking what view of the road that I had at 6.25pm when it was almost dark, could have ended my life as a two story coach/bus was heading towards me on the other side of the road, fortunately for me I kept my line and put on the wipers, however, I am fully aware of how easy it is for these non driving drunken clowns to cause an accident as it is for drunken clowns driving to cause an accident.

 

Songkran IMO should be limited to back streets and anyone found to be throwing water into motorcycle riders faces or cars front windscreens should be jailed, all to easy for me to say ban it, wouldn't want to be sounding like a party pooper 555

[Moonlover]

27 minutes ago, StevieAus said:

Exactly as occurred in Australia with the same result these days you would be mad to drink and drive as they conduct random breath testing at all times of the day there have been many cases of people getting caught going to work the next morning with alcohol still in the system

I do believe that there has been a lot of healthy inter-action between the police forces of the UK and yours in Australia and New Zealand on this and a number of other issues. It has often been noted that what happens in the UK in one year happens 'down under' the following year! 

 

You mention random testing. This also occurs in UK along with random 'surprise' roadside check points. These have proved to be very effective.

 

And that is something the Thai police really need to learn. Stop setting up road blocks in the same place, at the same time every day! Drivers very quickly learn the places to avoid if they have issues. Catch them off guard by adding variety.

 

They have a long, long way to go, but they're learning.

Edited April 16, 2017 by Moonlover

[NoshowJones]

5 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

In South Australia they send the vehicles to the wreckers after the drivers have been found guilty as charged for (wreckless driving) in a court of law and crush the vehicles and sell them off as scrap metal, perhaps some kind of law similar to that to take these drivers off the road would be a start for drunk and wreckless driving, after all, these are legal weapons being used, in a very nonlegal way. 

 

Then once they have established that law, they can then work on the festive Songkran season getting the clowns that are throwing water off the main roads, they throw water into motorcycle riders faces and cars front windscreens, I swear that if it wasn't for my total awareness last night, sighting water on the road in a particular spot with no one in sight, then all of a sudden coming out of the bushed/hedges and throwing water onto my front windscreen totally blocking what view of the road that I had at 6.25pm when it was almost dark, could have ended my life as a two story coach/bus was heading towards me on the other side of the road, fortunately for me I kept my line and put on the wipers, however, I am fully aware of how easy it is for these non driving drunken clowns to cause an accident as it is for drunken clowns driving to cause an accident.

 

Songkran IMO should be limited to back streets and anyone found to be throwing water into motorcycle riders faces or cars front windscreens should be jailed, all to easy for me to say ban it, wouldn't want to be sounding like a party pooper 555

To enforce the rules that you mention, would mean a lot of hard work, and that is not in the police mindset, except at tea money time.

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

I do believe that there has been a lot of inter-action between the police forces of the UK and yours in Australia and New Zealand on this and a number of other issues.

 

You mention random testing. This also occurs in UK along with random 'surprise' roadside check points. These have proved to be very effective.

 

And that is something the Thai police really need to learn. Stop setting up road blocks in the same place, at the same time every day! Drivers very quickly learn the places to avoid if they have issues. Catch them off guard by adding variety.

 

They have a long, long way to go, but they're learning.

"They have a long, long way to go, but they're learning".  Are they??