Drunk-driving criteria expanded
People under age 20 and holding temporary driving licences will henceforth be charged with drunk driving if found to have more than 20 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood or the equivalent.
The measure – aimed at curbing drunk driving and lowering Thailand’s near-world record road fatalities – was published in the Royal Gazette on Wednesday as the 21st ministerial regulation under the Land Transport Act 1979.
Police testing motorists for alcohol consumption are authorised to file a charge of driving under the influence if blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is above 20mg/100ml or the equivalent.
The same charge can also be filed if the motorist is under 20, cannot produce a driver’s licence, is carrying a temporary, suspended or revoked licence, or has a licence to operate a vehicle of a type other than the one being driven and for which substitutions are not permitted.
In other cases, drunk-driving charges await motorists who exceed the legal BAC limit of 50mg/100ml.