British man apologises after drifting car near Songkran event
Police are seeking to revoke the driving licence of a British man who was caught drifting a car during Songkran celebrations in Hat Yai district of Songkhla province on April 12.
Viral footage shared on Thai social media showed a red vehicle drifting on a concrete area near the Songkran event site close to Black Bridge in Hat Yai district.
Some witnesses said the driver had earlier been praised for giving way to an emergency vehicle, but he later drew criticism for the drifting. People attending the festival were reportedly confused by the incident.
Officers from Hat Yai Police Station later identified the driver as a 55 year old British man. Police tracked him to a house in Bang Klam district, Songkhla.
The man admitted the offence and told police he wanted to do something fun during Songkran. He said he did not intend to cause trouble for motorists or the public and added that he loved Thailand. In a video released after his arrest, the British man apologised to locals for his actions.
Police said the location was not a public road, but it was close to the festival venue, where large numbers of people gathered. Officers said the act could have endangered the public, leading them to charge him with driving without regard for safety or causing inconvenience to others.
Under Section 43(8) of the Land Transport Act, the offence carries a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 baht, a prison term of up to three months, or both.
Police also forwarded the case to the Department of Land Transport to request revocation of the man’s driving licence.
In a similar case in Phuket last year, two foreigners were fined for reckless and dangerous driving after viral footage showed them drifting a pickup truck in a car park outside a convenience store in September.
Another case was reported in Chon Buri in October last year, when an Icelandic man was arrested for drifting a rented pickup truck around Bang Saen Roundabout in the rain.
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