Thai driving
- Pattaya News
Modified pickup truck too tall for flyover bridge gets stuck in Sattahip
A driver in Sattahip found themselves in a difficult situation when their modified pickup truck, which was too tall for a flyover bridge, became wedged underneath it. Kritsana Phueim admitted that he forgot his Isuzu pickup with a refrigerated unit installed in the bed exceeded the 2.5-metre height limit for the flyover bridge on Sukhumvit Road at the two-kilometre mark…
- Crime News
Prosecutors decide today if officer who fatally struck pedestrian will stand trial
Prosecutors will today decide whether to indict a police officer who fatally struck a pedestrian while riding a Ducati motorbike at speed. Norawich Buadokw was off duty and riding the un-licenced superbike when he hit Bangkok ophthalmologist Dr Waraluck Supawatjariyakul on a pedestrian crossing. The incident happened on Phaya Thai Road in the Ratchathewi district of the capital on January…
- Road deaths
Calls for campaign to teach drivers to stop at red lights (yes, really)
The secretary-general of the Medical Council of Thailand has called for a campaign to educate Thai drivers about the need to stop at red lights and pedestrian crossings. In a post on his Facebook page, Ittaporn Kanacharoen says drivers need to be taught about the rights of pedestrians and the need to give way at zebra crossings and red traffic…
- Road deaths
Officials tightening traffic rules, new penalties expected in July
A draft amendment to the Land Transport Act has received approval by the House Committee on Transport, according to an MP from the Chartthaipattana Party. Nikorn Chamnong, who chaired the panel, says the amendment seeks to increase fines for traffic offences and could be enacted by July. The amendment now goes before the Senate, which is expected to approve it…
- Road deaths
Calls for tougher punishment for drivers ignoring pedestrian crossing rules
Road safety advocates are demanding tougher punishment, including manslaughter charges, for drivers who fail to observe pedestrian crossing rules. According to a Bangkok Post report, 30 members of various road safety networks gathered at Government House to file a petition with Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon, who chairs the national committee on road safety policy and prevention. The move is in…
- Crime News
Police investigate driving speed of officer in fatal bike collision with pedestrian
Bangkok police investigating the speed of a “big bike” involved in a fatal collision with a woman on a zebra crossing say they expect to reach a swift conclusion. Dr Waraluck Supawatjariyakul, an ophthalmologist with the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University, died when she was struck by the Ducati bike as she used a zebra crossing on Phaya Thai…
- Road deaths
Death of Bangkok doctor on zebra crossing highlights danger of Thai roads – again
In the last World Health Organisation report into road deaths in Southeast Asia and Asia, it probably won’t come as a surprise to learn that Thailand came top. According to the 2018 report, the kingdom had an average of 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people. This compares to 26.4 in Vietnam and 23.6 in Malaysia, followed by Myanmar (19.9), Cambodia (17.8),…
- Crime News
Police officer charged in fatal big bike collision with pedestrian enters monkhood
A police officer who hit a woman with his Ducati bike as she was on a zebra crossing has been ordained as a monk. According to a Bangkok Post report, 21-year-old Narawich Buadok chose to enter the monkhood to make merit for the killing of Dr Waraluck Supawatjariyakul last Friday afternoon. The Bangkok ophthalmologist was mown down as she was…
- Crime News
Police officer charged following death of Bangkok pedestrian hit by speeding bike
A Thai police officer has been charged with multiple offences after his speeding Ducati bike collided with a Bangkok doctor on a zebra crossing. The charges, filed by Phaya Thai district police, include reckless driving and not stopping for pedestrians at a zebra crossing. Dr. Waraluck Supavatjariyakul died after being hit by Naravich Buadok’s bike as she crossed Phaya Thai…
- Road deaths
333 lives lost on Thailand’s roads over end-of-year holiday period
While the government frets over the Omicron variant, 333 people died in road traffic accidents during Thailand’s so-called “7 dangerous days” during the end-of-year holiday. The official figures, reported by Nation Thailand, were released by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. The department says there were 2,707 road traffic accidents reported between December 29 and January 4, with 2,672…
- Thailand News
First 5 days of Songkran see more than 3,700 motorists booked for drink-driving
Over 3,700 motorists have been charged with drink driving offences during the first 5 days of the Songkran holiday. Witthawan Sunthornkajit from the Department of Probation says that between April 10 and 14, 3,741 motorists received suspended sentences for driving under the influence. 1,648 of those were on April 14, the highest number for the 5-day period. The worst-offending provinces…
- Thailand News
Speed limit on Thailand’s highways increased to 120 kilometres an hour
It’s official – the maximum speed limit on 4-lane highways in Thailand has been increased to 120 kilometres per hour, with the new regulation published in the Royal Gazette yesterday. Previously 90 kilometres per hour, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob says the increase in the maximum speed limit is aimed at improving the flow of traffic in line with conditions, while…
- Road deaths
1 dead, 1 injured, 2 businesses damaged in 6-vehicle collision in eastern Thailand
A collision involving 6 vehicles in the eastern province of Chon Buri has left 1 man dead, 1 woman injured, and damaged 2 businesses in the vicinity. The Pattaya News reports that the incident occurred in Si Racha, with traffic disrupted for several hours after the event. It’s understood the driver of a large trailer truck lost control of the…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya driver injured after falling asleep at the wheel, plunging into ditch
A driver asleep at the wheel of his car has broken both legs after the vehicle ended up in a ditch in the Banglamung area of Pattaya. The Pattaya News reports that 33 year old Nattaphon Sukmanat had to be cut out of the vehicle before being rushed to hospital for surgery. The local police force was notified of the…
- Pattaya News
Angry passenger attacks motorbike driver following collision in Pattaya – VIDEO
An angry motorbike passenger involved in a collision that injured 3 in Pattaya has attacked the driver for crashing. The Pattaya News reports that 3 people have been injured after a motorbike drove into road barriers at an intersection on South Pattaya Road. Emergency workers arrived at the scene to find a damaged motorbike and the injured driver and his…
- Road deaths
1 woman dies, another injured, after motorbike collides with truck in Chon Buri
An 18 year old student has died, and another has been injured, after a collision between their motorbike and an 18-wheel truck in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The incident happened in the district of Panat Nikhom, with rescue workers and police arriving on the scene to find the damaged motorbike and truck, on a road that is currently…
- Road deaths
Driver killed after car hits barrier, plummets off Bang Na Expressway
A 30 year old man has died, after the car he was driving crashed into a barrier and then plunged off an expressway, landing on its roof on the road below. Nation Thailand reports that the incident occurred on the Burapha Withi (Bang Na) Expressway, in the central province of Samut Prakan, just after midnight last night. The man has…
- Transport News
Speed limit on Thailand’s highways to be increased to 120 kilometres an hour
The government has approved an official increase in the upper speed limit on Thailand’s national and rural highways, with the aim of improving traffic flow. The new maximum speed limit of 120 kilometres per hour has been confirmed by spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul, after the Cabinet approved a draft regulation proposed by the Transport Ministry. If you’ve ever driven on a…
- Road deaths
139 killed, 653 injured, as Thailand’s holiday weekend sees surge in road accidents
The Ministry of Transport has confirmed that hundreds of road traffic accidents have taken place over Thailand’s holiday weekend. 139 people have died and 653 have been injured in the course of the 4-day holiday, which was introduced to boost domestic tourism. The Pattaya News report that 455 car accidents have been recorded, with nearly 79% of them being caused…
- South Thailand News
Motorist escapes with minor injuries after train ploughs into car in Chumphon
A 36 year old amulet trader has had a lucky escape and is recovering in hospital after the car he was driving was hit by a train in the southern province of Chumphon. Kamol Srikhong, from Trang, escaped with only minor injuries following the collision, which occurred at an unguarded level crossing at around 10.30pm last night. The Bangkok Post…
- Chiang Mai News
5 injured in Chiang Mai collision after driver falls asleep at the wheel – VIDEO
5 passengers in a public transport vehicle have been injured after a pickup driver fell asleep at the wheel and slammed into them. Nation Thailand reports that the collision occurred on San Kampaeng Road in the northern province of Chiang Mai. Rescue workers had to use specialist equipment to free the passengers, who were trapped in the bus. They managed…
- Road deaths
2 dead, including 15 month old boy, in traffic accident in north-east Thailand
A man and a 15 month old boy have died, while an 11 year old child has been injured, in a collision between a 10-wheeler truck and a motorbike. The Bangkok Post reports that the collision happened last night, in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The 55 year old truck driver, Thongpoon Buakkhunthod, says he was travelling on the…
- Road deaths
Burmese worker killed, 11 injured, in Chon Buri truck collision
A pick-up truck carrying migrant workers has collided with another truck in the eastern province of Chon Buri, killing 1 and injuring 11. The victims are all thought to be Burmese nationals. The Pattaya News reports that the accident occurred in the sub-district of Nong Kangkok, with the dead man named as 35 year old Mr. Juan. The 11 injured…
- Road deaths
2 year old child among 2 killed in Chon Buri collision
2 people have died and another 4 have been injured in a collision between 2 vehicles in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The Pattaya News reports that one of the dead is a 2 year old girl. The incident, between a black sedan and a white pick-up truck, occurred in the Koh Chan district, in the north east of…
- Pattaya News
Woman and 2 children escape unharmed after car flips over in Pattaya
A woman who lost control of her car, making the vehicle flip over, has had a lucky escape, along with her 2 young children, who were unharmed in the incident. 36 year old Suweena Rodpan says she was driving in the rain, on Pattaya’s Sukhumvit Road, when she lost control of the car due to the wet surface. She subsequently…
- Road deaths
1 dead, 2 injured, as out-of-control construction truck ploughs into family car
A man has died, and his parents have been injured, after a construction truck lost control and ploughed into their car, crushing the vehicle and killing the 27 year old driver instantly. The Pattaya News reports that the truck also hit 5 other vehicles in the incident, which occurred in the Minburi district of Bangkok. The truck driver, named as…
- Thailand News
Officials deny plans to make elderly drivers re-take tests in order to keep licences
The Department of Land Transport says there are currently no plans to make elderly drivers re-take a test in order to keep their licences. The statement comes after rumours began to circulate that drivers over 70 and in possession of “lifetime” driving licences, would need to re-take both a driving test, as well as hearing and eyesight tests. Despite Thailand’s…
- Thailand News
Elderly drivers may need to take test in order to keep licence
A damning World Health Organisation says Thailand’s roads continue to be some of the most dangerous in the world, with an average of 22,491 road deaths a year. Now the Department of Land Transport is considering the introduction of a test for elderly drivers in possession of a lifetime licence. Lifetime drivers’ licences were issued up until 2003, when the…
- Pattaya News
Man dies after crashing bike into lighting pole in Pattaya
A man has been killed after he drove his motorbike into a lighting pole in the Pattaya sub-district of Nong Tamlueng. The Pattaya News names the man as 39 year old Tawee Sukkheng from the north-eastern province of Udon Thani. One witness, 27 year old Tanawin Yimyuan, says he was driving behind Tawee when he saw the bike hit the…
- Pattaya News
Speeding car in Pattaya flips and injures 5 teenagers – VIDEO
Pattaya police are investigating an incident in which a car flipped over on motorway 7, injuring five school-age occupants. The car’s driver was allegedly speeding and lost control of the vehicle on a bend, which flipped over and landed on its roof. Multiple emergency response units arrived at the scene to attend to the injured passengers. All the occupants are…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya driver blames wet weather after losing control and jamming truck under overpass – VIDEO
As European pop group Milli Vanilli once mimed, “blame it on the rain…” An 18 year old Pattaya driver says a wet road made him lose control of his truck, causing it to veer off the road and lodge firmly under a highway overpass. The Pattaya News reports that the incident took place around 4pm yesterday at an overpass on…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya youth arrested after crashing truck following earlier hit-and-run
Police in Banglamung, just outside Pattaya, have arrested the 18 year old driver of a pickup truck that crashed into a power pole, having already been involved in a hit-and-run incident with another vehicle. A report in The Pattaya News says police were advised of the incident and on arrival, found a damaged BMW vehicle that had been hit by…
- Central Thailand News
Long tailbacks in central Thailand following 10 car pile up
When social distancing doesn’t apply to cars… A 10 car pile-up in the central province of Nonthaburi yesterday caused a traffic jam that stretched for several kilometres, causing delays and blocking access to the road. A Nation Thailand report says the chain of collisions began when a car drove into the back of a truck transporting motorbikes. This then triggered…
- Road deaths
No “new normal” for Thailand’s deadly road toll
In what will come as no surprise to most, the death toll on Thailand’s roads has resumed its upward trend after a brief interruption during the Covid-19 lock-down. As restrictions are gradually lifted across the country, more people are back behind the wheel or the handlebars, and with that, the carnage returns on Thailand’s roads. In Phuket, a truck ploughed…
