Following our report that the government is considering charging passengers in vehicles with someone who is driving under the influence of alcohol, we can reveal that even more tougher measures are being proposed.
Anti-drink driving networks are calling for a court to specifically handle cases relating to traffic-law violations. They have also demanded harsher penalties for drink drivers who cause deaths.
Representatives of the Victims of Drunk Driving and the Campaign against Dangers of Alcohol Consumption networks handed a letter to the Justice Ministry to ask it to increase measures to combat drink-driving.
The deputy permanent secretary for justice accepted the letter and agreed with calls for tougher laws against drink drivers.
Relatives of victims killed in drink driving-related accidents, including a four-year girl who succumbed to injuries in a road accident in Rayong last month, also went to the ministry.
The networks have also called for traffic laws to be amended so drink driving causing death is on par with an act of premeditated murder, rather than an act of recklessness.
Added to that they feel that pubs, bars and other places that sell alcohol to those who cause road accidents should also be held responsible. (This is certainly taking things too far in our view.)
The suggestion is among several proposals in a study on traffic problems conducted by the Thailand Research Fund.
Figures show a monthly average of 72 road accidents are caused by drink driving .
They also show that more than 26,000 people are killed in road accidents each year — 35%-40% at the hands of drink drivers — whilst more than 200 billion baht-worth of damage is caused by motoring accidents every year.
The deputy permanent secretary for justice said he agrees with a proposal to amend the laws to mete out harsher punishment to drink drivers. He believes a drink driving case is equivalent to attempted murder, a topic which will certainly be debated strongly.
(With thanks to the Bangkok Post)