Motorcyclist Chases Down Foreign Hit-and-Run Driver in Phuket

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod, dash-cam below courtesy of Phuketinsta.

 

Phuket residents are praising a local good Samaritan who chased down a foreign motorist involved in a hit-and-run incident. The incident occurred on January 12, at 13:30 on Thepkrasattri Road, Thalang district.

 

Dash-cam  footage shared by Phuket Times captured the moment a white Hyundai Creta,  cut in front of a motorbike while attempting to turn into a PT petrol station. The car collided with the motorbike, causing it to topple over.

 

When the motorcyclist approached the car for accountability, the driver fled the scene, heading towards Thalang intersection and turning onto Don Chom Thao Road. The pursuit ended when local police from Cherng Talay Police Station intercepted the driver on Ban Don-Cherng Talay Road, where they detained him for further investigation at Thalang Police Station.

 

The pursuit was led by Mr. Teerawut, a local motorcyclist, who witnessed the incident while riding with a friend. “I saw the car swerve and hit the bike, which was in the left lane. After the crash, I honked and called out for the car to stop, but the driver ignored me,” he explained.

 

Deciding to take action, Teerawut and his friend chased the car for several kilometres. The driver even came close to hitting their motorcycle during the pursuit. “I knocked on the car window and shouted for him to stop, but he didn’t,” he added. The chase finally ended when the car became stuck in traffic, preventing further escape.

 

While following the suspect, Teerawut contacted the police, who promptly arrived and arrested the driver. No details of the driver have been disclosed by authorities.

 

After ensuring the driver was apprehended, Teerawut returned to check on the injured motorcyclist but found they had already gone to Thalang Hospital. Upon visiting the hospital, he learned the victim had either been discharged.

 

The story quickly went viral after being posted online, with many netizens commending Teerawut’s bravery and sense of justice. Comments included:

 

• “You’re a true hero! Wishing the motorcyclist a speedy recovery.”

• “Phuket has become chaotic since the visa exemptions began. Foreign drivers need to respect our rules.”

• “The authorities should crack down on reckless driving by foreigners and ensure stricter vehicle rental regulations.”

 

-- 2025-01-13

 

 

 

 

[watchcat]

42 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

Comments included:

 

 

• “Phuket has become chaotic since the visa exemptions began. Foreign drivers need to respect our rules.”

 

I hope they included the Thai drivers. But the comment is fair enough.

[Briggsy]

Whilst the foreigner was definitely the major contributor to this accident and deserves to be prosecuted for careless driving, the motorcyclist who was knocked off was

 

i. undertaking

ii. riding on the hard shoulder (normal in Thailand but the foreigner may not have expected that)

iii. certainly riding too fast for traffic conditions, possibly over the speed limit

iv. was definitely slow in beginning braking showing he was not paying attention

v. seemed to brake rather gently with his foot out rather than an emergency stop which was what was required

 

The motorcyclist will justifiably claim it was the Hyundai driver's fault but it is clear to me that he can learn lessons here, particularly regarding undertaking, excessive speed and awareness of both turnings and the movement of other vehicles.

 

I am glad it looked like serious injury was avoided.

 

[Gottfrid]

2 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Whilst the foreigner was definitely the major contributor to this accident and deserves to be prosecuted for careless driving, the motorcyclist who was knocked off was

 

i. undertaking

ii. riding on the hard shoulder (normal in Thailand but the foreigner may not have expected that)

iii. certainly riding too fast for traffic conditions, possibly over the speed limit

iv. was definitely slow in beginning braking showing he was not paying attention

v. seemed to brake rather gently with his foot out rather than an emergency stop which was what was required

 

The motorcyclist will justifiably claim it was the Hyundai driver's fault but it is clear to me that he can learn lessons here, particularly regarding undertaking, excessive speed and awareness of both turnings and the movement of other vehicles.

 

I am glad it looked like serious injury was avoided.

 

Looks to me, that the foreign driver, was in the wrong lane for making the turn. Also, I can not see any blinkers on.

Please do not talk about that people are driving on the hard shoulder as something wrong. They do that in all Asia, and it is we, the foreigners, that must adjust our driving to theirs. Not the other way around. To add to the faults, the foreign driver also tries to flee.

Where did he drive too quick? Seems to me, he have time to stop and survive the crash without injuries. What paying attention??? You should not need to pay attention to someone who crosses over 2 lanes when turning.

[sammieuk1]

Hopeful some education was handed out with a clenched fist 🤔

[chickenslegs]

No excuses for the Hyundai driver. That sudden left turn from the outside lane was bound to end in tears.

 

My guess is that he drove off fearing an assault, when the motorcyclist started marching towards him.

[Briggsy]

15 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Looks to me, that the foreign driver, was in the wrong lane for making the turn. Also, I can not see any blinkers on.

Yes, I agree. That is why I said "Whilst the foreigner was definitely the major contributor to this accident and deserves to be prosecuted for careless driving"

 

If the motorcyclist had driven more defensively, which he should have been doing as he was going too fast and doing 2 illegal manouevres, he may have avoided the accident.

 

If you read what I wrote I talked about learning from the experience. As a motorcyclist you are very vulnerable and you need to be aware of other people doing unexpected dangerous things as this Hyundai driver did. Undertaking on the hard shoulder at considerable speed is inherently dangerous and is not defensive driving. If the motorcyclist thinks it is fine to blast along in a straight line on the hard shoulder, irrespective of the traffic conditions, he is taking a considerable risk.

 

The lessons he should take away are

 

i. You cannot be seen from the outside lane if you are riding on the hard shoulder.

ii. You cannot see the outer lanes well if you are riding on the hard shoulder.

iii. Undertaking and riding on the hard shoulder are illegal. If you want to do them, take extreme care.

iv. Consider speed differential. i.e. how much faster am I going than the traffic flow.

v. Look there is a major turnoff to a petrol station. What is going to happen, cars going in or out? I should slow down.

v. Putting all these together he needed to consider that every time he undertook a car, he was effectively popping out from a blind entrance at speed. He could not see and he could not be seen.

 

In summary, the blame for the accident lies with the car driver but to say the motorcyclist did not take significant risk shows a lack of awareness of how to safely ride a bike in heavy traffic.

 

I have ridden bikes daily for almost 40 years and am still here to tell the tale.

[schultzlivgthai]

Drive a little faster, anytime you’re flying down the shoulder overtaking others you get what you deserve 

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

Yes, I agree. That is why I said "Whilst the foreigner was definitely the major contributor to this accident and deserves to be prosecuted for careless driving"

 

If the motorcyclist had driven more defensively, which he should have been doing as he was going too fast and doing 2 illegal manouevres, he may have avoided the accident.

 

If you read what I wrote I talked about learning from the experience. As a motorcyclist you are very vulnerable and you need to be aware of other people doing unexpected dangerous things as this Hyundai driver did. Undertaking on the hard shoulder at considerable speed is inherently dangerous and is not defensive driving. If the motorcyclist thinks it is fine to blast along in a straight line on the hard shoulder, irrespective of the traffic conditions, he is taking a considerable risk.

 

The lessons he should take away are

 

i. You cannot be seen from the outside lane if you are riding on the hard shoulder.

ii. You cannot see the outer lanes well if you are riding on the hard shoulder.

iii. Undertaking and riding on the hard shoulder are illegal. If you want to do them, take extreme care.

iv. Consider speed differential. i.e. how much faster am I going than the traffic flow.

v. Look there is a major turnoff to a petrol station. What is going to happen, cars going in or out? I should slow down.

v. Putting all these together he needed to consider that every time he undertook a car, he was effectively popping out from a blind entrance at speed. He could not see and he could not be seen.

 

In summary, the blame for the accident lies with the car driver but to say the motorcyclist did not take significant risk shows a lack of awareness of how to safely ride a bike in heavy traffic.

 

I have ridden bikes daily for almost 40 years and am still here to tell the tale.

Motorbike riders driving in the left lane will be forced off that lane onto the hard shoulder. That's where they're supposed to be driving.
The behaviour of the bike rider was very normal, he also didn't seem to be driving too fast.

"He could not see and he could not be seen." is nonsense. 

[Dr B]

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

Yes, I agree. That is why I said "Whilst the foreigner was definitely the major contributor to this accident and deserves to be prosecuted for careless driving"

 

If the motorcyclist had driven more defensively, which he should have been doing as he was going too fast and doing 2 illegal manouevres, he may have avoided the accident.

 

If you read what I wrote I talked about learning from the experience. As a motorcyclist you are very vulnerable and you need to be aware of other people doing unexpected dangerous things as this Hyundai driver did. Undertaking on the hard shoulder at considerable speed is inherently dangerous and is not defensive driving. If the motorcyclist thinks it is fine to blast along in a straight line on the hard shoulder, irrespective of the traffic conditions, he is taking a considerable risk.

 

The lessons he should take away are

 

i. You cannot be seen from the outside lane if you are riding on the hard shoulder.

ii. You cannot see the outer lanes well if you are riding on the hard shoulder.

iii. Undertaking and riding on the hard shoulder are illegal. If you want to do them, take extreme care.

iv. Consider speed differential. i.e. how much faster am I going than the traffic flow.

v. Look there is a major turnoff to a petrol station. What is going to happen, cars going in or out? I should slow down.

v. Putting all these together he needed to consider that every time he undertook a car, he was effectively popping out from a blind entrance at speed. He could not see and he could not be seen.

 

In summary, the blame for the accident lies with the car driver but to say the motorcyclist did not take significant risk shows a lack of awareness of how to safely ride a bike in heavy traffic.

 

I have ridden bikes daily for almost 40 years and am still here to tell the tale.

I do not know the situation in Pattaya, as I live in the south, not far from Phuket, but here the space to the left of the while line is not classified as "hard shoulder" as used by used, but is generally intended for motorcycles, scooters and bicycles. There are many blue signs with white pictures along major roads indicating this. As a driver I find it irritating when mootorcyclists do not obey.

So, number 1, the motorcyclist was not breaking the law.

Secondly, judging by the fact that he stepped off the bike after the impact, I would suggest that there is no strong evidence that he was "blasting along".

Thirdly, and probably most importantly, the Hyundai driver was in the outside lane and made a sudden left turn across the inside lane and into the path of the motorcycle, despite the fact that there was another saloon car there. This meant that (i) the Hyundai could not see any motorcycles using their correct lane, because his line of sight was blocked, and (ii) the motorcyclist could not see what the Hyundai was doing as his line of sight was blocked by the saloon. If the Hyundai had been in the left hand lane he would have been able to see the motorcyclists in his wing mirror, and the motorcyclist would have been able to se his turning lights, if he had used them.

[Briggsy]

That sign references the law under which motorcycles need to remain in the left hand lane, not the hard shoulder. The sign does not instruct or allow motorcyclists to use the hard shoulder. That is not the law.

 

However, I am well aware it is the cultural norm for road users in Thailand to consider the hard shoulder as the de facto motorcycle lane. This is not the law though.

[Ralf001]

Scooter was in the wrong, I would not have stopped either.

[hotchilli]

He's in a lot of trouble now...

[black tabby12345]

Phuket residents are praising a local good Samaritan who chased down a foreign motorist involved in a hit-and-run incident. 

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

 

Local Hero VS Criminal Alien.

Salute to another gallant instant vigilante.

Unsung Hero of the day.

 

 

[black tabby12345]

4 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

He's in a lot of trouble now...

 

Another Freshman at BKK Hilton.

[Rampant Rabbit]

2 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Please do not talk about that people are driving on the hard shoulder as something wrong.

im interested how you decide which laws to  follow and which to not  follow?

Like the one on major  roads where there is a service road and all the Thais drive on it as a 2  way road despite signs saying NO ENTRY making it one way only.