Thai man claims he fell asleep before car ended up on wall in Bangkok

A Thai man claimed he fell asleep while driving before his car ended up on top of a barrier wall of an off-ramp to Rama IV Road in Bangkok yesterday.

The car’s rear ended up on top of the off-ramp’s restraining barrier, while the front was smashed into the expressway. The driver, Atthapol Yolsophon, sustained minor injuries, and rescuers rushed him to a nearby hospital.

Atthapol said he fell asleep seconds before turning into the off-ramp, according to police. Police said no other vehicles were involved in the accident.

The space between the off-ramp and the expressway was so small that the car didn’t fall into the area below. Police had to use a crane to remove the car from the spot, Nation Thailand reported.

Thai officials are desperately trying to make the kingdom’s roads safer. This week, officials implemented a new points system in which drivers get a certain number of points deducted for various driving offences.

The new points system proved to be a challenge for over 500 drivers on the first day of its implementation. The new system came into effect on Monday, and 540 drivers in the country had points deducted.

According to the spokesperson of the Royal Thai Police Major General, Archayon Kraithong, the top three offences that got points deducted were:

1. Using vehicles without proper vehicle tax or proof of tax (233 drivers)
2. Using vehicles that had no driving license plates (81 drivers)
3. Driving over the speed limit (63 drivers)

The new points system aims to improve traffic law compliance, reduce accidents, and improve road safety, according to the commander of the Highway Police Division.

The points system will be applied to every driver, but offenders will have a chance to reform depending on the situation. Points will be returned after one year, but if only six points remain, the driver can attend a training course to restore their points.