Chutima Kunnang, a saleswoman from Nakhon Phanom, deserves a mention in future histories of Thai culture. The 28-year-old also deserves a small thanks from the nation at large. She didn't know it, but when police stopped her car in Bangkok last week, she made history. Chutima was the first person arrested under a new law that requires vehicle operators suspected of drink driving to either take a breathalyser test on the spot, or be detained for more thorough medical checks that might prove the suspicion to be true.
And that was not the only accomplishment of Chutima's routine stop by suspicious traffic police at a checkpoint on Narathiwat-Ratchanakarin road. She was held overnight by police. The next morning, she was taken to the Bangkok South Municipal Court. She admitted she had been drinking before she got behind the wheel. A judge heard the evidence and sentenced her on the spot.
She received a three-month prison sentence. It was suspended for a year because it was her first offence — and the first offence by anyone in the country. During the year, she must prove she took part in two acts of community service, when she reports to the Department of Probation every three months. She also loses her driver's licence for six months.
While Chutima's case is the first of its kind, it must be hoped that many others will follow. The amended law which requires a breathalyser test or arrest is certainly harsh. The only question the country should ask, however, is if it is harsh enough. Drink driving takes a terrible toll — hundreds of deaths and thousands of affected families and friends each year. So far, all efforts aimed at making people give up drink driving voluntarily have failed. It's actually past time to mix in a lot of tough love with the slogans and education programmes.
The human tragedy of the trail of deaths and destruction caused by selfish people who drink and drive cannot be measured. Numbers, however, tell a part of the sad story. With the long holiday weekends of Songkran and May Day fast approaching, it is worth reviewing a few.
In 2012, after a loud campaign against drink driving, self-styled "holidaymakers" played a major role in killing 320 people on the nation's roads and streets. The lead-up to the 2013 Songkran holiday saw the government pretend to get tough. A campaign ordered 4,600 drink drivers to do community service after they were caught. Partly as a result, the death toll during the "seven deadly days" of the Thai New Year actually increased, with more than 3,000 serious accidents taking 321 lives.
Last year was no better, with yet another increase in holiday road deaths. The new law was passed shortly thereafter — one of the last parliamentary acts before the coup, as it turned out. Last New Year's Eve, the blow-or-detain law took effect. After a period during which officers were trained up, Chutima was the first to feel its effect, and should certainly not be the last.
Drink driving's toll is both a national scandal and a tragedy. Police at all levels have joined the public for decades in winking at this most selfish of roadway crimes. Drink drivers endanger themselves and their families. But these inconsiderate people also put the lives of others at risk with every metre they drive.
Responsible and thoughtful people will call a taxi or a friend when they have had a drink too many. Those too selfish or arrogant should pay a price to remember.