Drunk drivers in Thailand to face more testing

The Royal Thai Police are introducing more options for testing drunk drivers, including more timely hospital testing. The new measures were endorsed by the Thai Cabinet yesterday, says deputy government spokesman Kharom Polpornklang.

The measures are in line with Sections 5 and 142 of the Land Transport Act and have been reviewed by various government departments, including the Justice Ministry, the Public Health Ministry, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Court of Justice.

Kharom adds that while there has been no change to the legal limit for alcohol, which remains at 0.05% (50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood), the authorities can now test other body fluids, such as urine, in addition to the alcohol breath test and blood test.

In the event that police suspect a driver is intoxicated and refusing to be tested, officers can legally make the assumption he/she is drunk and press charges accordingly. If a driver is arrested, he or she must be sent to hospital for alcohol testing within 3 hours.

According to Kharom, before the new regulations come into effect, they will be reviewed by the government’s legal adviser, the Council of State.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post