A massive campaign to strictly control alcohol and ban its sale in gas stations across the country will kick off next week in a bid to raise awareness about the danger of drink driving during Songkran, Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi said yesterday.

 

He said provincial health office chiefs would be asked to check petrol stations across the country for alcohol sales.

 

The ministry would warn gas station owners still selling alcohol to comply with the law, then any offenders who break the law would be prosecuted.

 

Under the Alcohol Control Act, service station owners and grocery shops located in gas station compounds are banned from selling alcohol. Those who violate the law face a fine of Bt 10,000 and up to six months jail.

 

Selling alcohol is also banned in schools, hospitals, dormitories, temples and government offices.

 

Manit said he would also prohibit department stores from selling alcohol to customers in gift baskets. If people wanted to include drinks in gift baskets they must buy and put them in themselves.

 

Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said he would study the possibility of issuing a ministerial regulation to control the advertising of alcohol products in newspapers, magazines and broadcasting.

 

While the law was passed last year, a National Alcohol Policy body chaired by the prime minister and the National Alcohol Control panel chaired by the health minister, have yet to meet to draw up plans, policies, etc, to limit alcohol consumption and advertising.

 

Manit, who oversees alcohol control, said committees at provincial levels had not been completed. Some 44 provinces had yet to set up alcohol control groups. But when they were organised a national debate would be held on alcohol issues.

 

According to a health ministry report in 2006, some 31 per cent of the population - 16 million people - drink alcohol. Nine million consume alcohol on a regular basis.

 

During the last New Year holiday - from December 30 to January 4 - 335 people were killed and some 3,810 injured in 3,549 road accidents. Police estimate 28 per cent of these accidents were caused by drunk drivers.

 

-- The Nation 2009-02-11

This sounds like a great new source of tea money for the BIB. I wonder how many gas stations will now start selling alcohol now that it is against the law .

Who comes up with these brilliant ideas? Here's another item for my "I Don't Get It" list. Gas station convenience stores won't be able to sell liquor. Is whoever the person is who came up with this proposal blind? There are more 7-Elevens, Family Marts, and other local convenience stores in Thailand than Carter's has Liver Pills. Even in the rural boondocks there are 7-Elevens all over the place, and most of them have nothing to do with gas stations. Maybe I'm wrong, but it sure seems like a strange idea to me.

This will do nothing to deter one from buying nor drinking on the road as you say GB, but it does put focus on the problem of driving while intoxicated.

 

Anything that changes the national habits of driving while intoxicated or on the cellphone is welcome to me.

In many respects not much different what I may find in the USA. Some states allow liquor sales at gas stations while in others it is not possible to find a drink without a GPS. Where I live you cannot buy a bottle of beer at a beer store but can only buy a case. Wine can only be bought in a wine and liquor store but no beer. It goes on and on. In Bangkok I could not buy a beer at a 7/11 after midnight but any time of night or day in Pattaya.

But as shebavon says, anything that curtails dwi is welcome.

But as shebavon says, anything that curtails dwi is welcome.

I agree, but with one slight change. Anything that works and curtails DWI is welcome. I doubt this is it.

Anything that works and curtails DWI is welcome. I doubt this is it.

 

Also agree that it will never work - basically because of the tax structure on alcohol here. It's amazing that hard liquor like whisky, gin, vodka etc. is taxed at a rate that is either less or virtually the same as that on beer and wine. As long as hard liquor is so cheap relative to liquor with a much smaller alcohol content, nothing will curtail DWI - alas.

 

nothing will curtail DWI - alas.

I agree. People who think a great idea is to drink and drive will manage to find a way to drink and drive, even if they can't buy their booze at a gas station.

Let's not lose sight of the value that just focusing public attention (by changing the rules of the road) to the danger of DWI has. While this policy certainly is not flawless, it does do just that, and will probably save some lives in the process.

 

When I was a kid there was a drinking age of 18, loosely enforced and varied from state to state, with no rules against DWI.

 

Now we have a national drinking age of 21, with universal DWI laws, though still varied by states.

 

The national debate is whether or not to return the drinking age to 18. On that issue I am in agreement.

I know that I would never drink if people just stopped putting booze in my gift baskets.

I know that I would never drink if people just stopped putting booze in my gift baskets.

You are right Slackersam. I would never screw again, if only the public health department would quit giving out free condoms. It is all their fault!

 

And if they never gave me tissues I'd never have a cold again!

Let's not lose sight of the value that just focusing public attention (by changing the rules of the road) to the danger of DWI has.

I don't think the average Thai is ignorant of, or needs to be reminded of, the dangers of drinking and driving. I don't think that's the problem. I also don't think banning liquor sales at gas stations is going to solve a thing. I think the authorities are taking the wrong approach. I believe that anyone who really thinks those kinds of tactics are going to stop the drinkers is living in Fantasyland. The drinkers are going to find their liquor elsewhere.

 

What I believe the authorities ought to do is to start a campaign to convince people to have a designated driver.

In most of Europe they sell booze at gas stations and the DWI rate is much lower than that in America.

In most of Europe they sell booze at gas stations and the DWI rate is much lower than that in America.

Maybe that's because there are fewer Europeans . . .

Maybe that's because there are fewer Europeans . . .

 

Nice try! But there are about 731 million Europeans according to various websites. Mind you, if you include Central and South America . . .

Mind you, if you include Central and South America . . .

Why would I include Central and South America? I don't think Slackersam had Europeans living in Central and South America in mind when he wrote his post.

Drunk driving on motobikes is bad enough.

 

Even worse is drunk people throwing buckets of water at drunk people riding motobikes.

 

That's the height of craziness.

 

 

I don't think Slackersam had Europeans living in Central and South America in mind when he wrote his post

 

Point taken

Drunk driving on motobikes is bad enough.

 

Even worse is drunk people throwing buckets of water at drunk people riding motobikes.

 

That's the height of craziness.

AMEN to that.

AMEN to that.

The part that makes me angriest is that most of those drunks throwing water at motorbikes are drunken farang. Pattaya has an ordinance against that. If you are driving a motorcycle and somebody throws water in your face, you can have them arrested. The problem is not really the 19th of April, the day the whole city is crazy. You might as well assume you'll be doused that day. However, on the days leading up to Songkran, as most of you know, a lot of water splashers are out there as much as a week in advance. If any of them throw water while you're trying to drive a motorbike, that's when you can do something about it.

 

Two years ago there was an incident in which a farang was throwing water on people and he had actually put a strong acid in the water. He injured a young Thai boy with it. He was arrested and there was plenty of publicity about it, but I never did see any follow-up as to what eventually happened to that farang. My guess is he had to pay plenty to get out of it.

 

Be careful of nuts like that. It's just incredible to me that some idiots out there actually enjoy doing something that can really hurt others. I don't know what brain malfunction people like that have, but fortunately those kinds of incidents are isolated and rare.

 

Splashing people with ice water is also verboten in Pattaya. Last year nobody tried to douse me with ice water and I didn't see anyone splashing people with it. That doesn't mean it didn't happen at all, but there was certainly quite a lot less of it last year.

 

In any case, you can expect some sporadic water splashing to take place beginning about April 12. It will increase a little each day until April 19, the main water splashing holiday in Pattaya.

 

By the way, there is a simple way to avoid getting doused on those days if you ride in a baht bus. Sit up front with the driver.

By the way, there is a simple way to avoid getting doused on those days if you ride in a baht bus. Sit up front with the driver.

 

I have a better idea how to avoid being doused. Come up to Chiang Mai where it is a more traditional holiday oriented to families, only celebrated for three days, and a wonderful experience.

I have a better idea how to avoid being doused. Come up to Chiang Mai where it is a more traditional holiday oriented to families, only celebrated for three days, and a wonderful experience.

 

 

Perhaps you meant that sarcastically? April 13th to 15th in Chiangmai is nutzo time especially if you are anywhere near the moat surrounding the old city. The road around the moat is absolutely jammed with traffic (all revelers) with many drivers having the wheel in one hand and a beer or whiskey in the other. And both sides of the road contain revelers trying to nail anything trying to drive by. (But I still still think it's great fun). If you're in Chiangmai and want to stay dry during those days, simply don't go outside between 11AM and about 7PM.

. If you're in Chiangmai and want to stay dry during those days, simply don't go outside between 11AM and about 7PM.

 

I must have missed most of that as I made the parties at night

Seriously, I rent a car and I do not remember having any problem, but then I am on Huey Kaew most of the daytime. However, I do remember 50,000 farmers jamming the roads, making it very hard to get anywhere.

Saw a guy in a nice T-shirt on Silom yesterday. It said -

 

God made Grass

Man made Alcohol

Who would you Trust?

 

- the guy was nice, too