District Court Judge Gets a Slap-on-the-Hand for Drunk Driving

A senior judge has been given a US$450.00 fine and a six-month suspension of his driving license after causing a traffic accident while drunk during the New Year in Northern Thailand.

A video clip shared on Facebook and Youtube on Dec 31 showed a driver crashing into a rescue operation vehicle in Chiang Mai province. The man told police officers that he was a senior judge.

According to the Office of the Judiciary, deputy chief justice Mr Charnsak Somprayot was indicted on charges of reckless driving, refusing to take a breathalyzer test, and failing to stop to help a damaged party.

According to the court, he violated the Land Traffic Act and was fined 29,000 baht for drunken driving. However, after he apologised and compensated the injured party, the court halved the fine and suspended his license.

Whether further action is taken by the Office of the Judiciary will be determined by the results of a probe by the Office of the Chief Justice Region 5. There will be an opportunity for the judge to appeal to the Appeals Court.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department director-general Boontham Letsukheekasem said on Wednesday that 333 people died and 2,672 were injured in 2,707 road accidents on the seven deadly days of the New Year holiday.

In comparison with last year, the total number of deaths, injuries, and accidents decreased considerably. However, many people chose not to travel over the New Year holiday due to the recent surge in Omicron cases.

There were 3,333 accidents, 392 fatalities, and 3,326 injuries in the New Year 2021.

A strenuous road safety campaign and the cooperation of motorists are credited with the decline, according to Mr Boontham. However, he never mentioned people staying home due to Omicron concerns.

There were 209 traffic accidents reported on Tuesday, the last day of the Dec 29-Jan 4 road safety campaign, resulting in 21 deaths and 202 injuries.