20% more drunk drivers this New Year's holidays
Nearly 5,000 drunk drivers were sentenced to community service or probation this New Year's holiday, an increase of more than 20 per cent over last year, the Probation Department announced yesterday.
From December 27 to January 2, there were 4,956 drunk-driving cases prosecuted – 867 more than a year ago, Probation Department chief Ruenwadee Suwanmongkol said.
About 68 per cent of the convicted drunk drivers were company workers aged 30 to 38. Bangkok had the most cases at 398, followed by Maha Sarakham at 289 and Surin at 243.
Ruenwadee said a new law punished drunk drivers as well as passengers with open alcohol containers in moving vehicles, with jail terms of six months and/or a fine of Bt10,000.
