Drunk Thai drivers sent to morgue for punishment
Since April this year, motorists caught with drink in Thailand have had to visit the mortuary as a new alternative punishment. The government wants to scare drunk drivers in this way.
According to the World Health Organization, Thailand is one of the most unsafe countries in the world for traffic. It is second in the list of countries with the highest number of road fatalities. Every hour, an average of two people die and 160 people are injured.
Drunk drivers who visit the morgue as punishment are shocked: “I now see that I can end up like this if I keep drinking and driving. When we drink we don't see the danger. Well now,” says one of them. Since April, drunk drivers have been sentenced to such a working visit.
Thai road victims doubt whether the alternative punishment will help much. Krissana, who is in a wheelchair after a collision with a drunk driver, wants harsh punishment: “There should be more checks and not just during holidays. I want the government to take tougher action against drunk drivers.”
In recent months, some 1700 drivers who were caught drinking have been sentenced to a visit to one of Thailand's mortuaries.
Source: NOS.nl
Compulsory visits to a morgue as an alternative to punishment would therefore mean that no punishment would be imposed under these circumstances. A bad thing in my view. Driving with an alcohol content that is too high always deserves to be punished. Especially when there are deaths.
Would the perpetrators be really impressed if they were forced to visit a mortuary? Every day there are horrific photos of victims in traffic, shootings and so on in the newspaper. Children grow up with this and often don't even blink when seeing these kinds of images.
Here in the Netherlands I have sometimes shown those kinds of images to acquaintances, they literally went over the neck. Sometimes I even have the idea that the Thai get a kick from those kinds of images.
I want that too, visit a mortuary in Thailand.
So all I have to do is have a drink and just drive around.
Always wanted to visit but never got to.
In other words, I don't think it works.
A month = 30 days or 30 Sundays or so – have it helped in a rehabilitation clinic, I once heard in NL. Then you will see the real consequences.
I quote: “Drunk drivers who visit the morgue as punishment are shocked: “I now see that I can end up here like this if I keep drinking and driving. When we drink we don't see the danger. Well now,” says one of them.
Look and there are now 2 of the problems.
1. The drunk driver does not think of others, but of himself, according to the statement of one of them.
2.And then…. When we drink we don't see the danger.
Taking responsibility for the life and well-being of others, including that of your loved ones, is something that people don't think about.
A punishment should certainly be given, as a bonus then a visit to a mortuary, maybe locked up in the morgue without light for a while, just like these irresponsible people turn off the lights for others for good, then the ghosts of all those dead can manifest , that is a good punishment for a Thai?
Tackling it hard, taking away a car or motorbike, whoever owns it, taking away a driver's license,
imprisonment, it cannot be dealt with harshly enough.
Nico B
“Tackling hard, buying a car or motorbike, whoever owns it”
Then a lot of people will not (want to) lend their vehicle, and rental companies will not be happy with your proposal.
Unless the owner knows that the driver was intoxicated…But who is SO crazy?
Of course it will then be difficult to rent out and borrow, so they can. The fact that it then becomes difficult to rent out or lend does not have to stand in the way of the tough approach. On the contrary, it is precisely this argument that makes it difficult to enable the hard approach on a broad scale, because the owner category is different but difficult to really tackle.
I also know from my own observation that people borrow and give, while the lender knows that the borrower has been drinking. Do not forget that in Thailand it is not at all abnormal that people participate in fast traffic while drinking too much.
A hard hit in the wallet helps a lot more than a month in prison or a limited fine and no longer lending to a drunk, since the risk of loss of the loaned brings social control.
Nico B
Dear NicoB,
The bonus you mention in your penultimate paragraph is DEFINITELY a punishment for a Thai.
A Thai is terribly afraid of ghosts.
Have you ever encountered a police officer in the pitch dark without his comrades?
In Thailand you should never have the misfortune of having to ask the police for help at night in the dark.
The police also drive themselves drunk. Remind me of a fairly senior official visiting my wife's relatives in Bangkok. Shitfaced! He grabbed my hand like 100 times Hoow aare youuuuu! As he left, he tumbled against the window. Like a Thai window with pieces of insert glass about 10 cm wide. Several broken. He headed for his pickup. Cautiously I inquired whether that was justified. Uncle Cop: I'm the police. I do what I want. And he drove off. Seems to have ended well.
Alternative punishments do not work and will never lead to a general behavior change.
Drunk drivers take 1 month for the first vehicle detection. And declare the vehicle forfeited the 2nd time. Only then will you see a difference in mentality.
They have to help with post-mortem and clean things up, such as blood and possibly. limbs and the like. Still better than sitting in a cell with 50 men or more, I think.