A heated confrontation erupted in San Pa Tong, Chiang Mai, when a pick-up truck driver reacted aggressively to an ambulance overtaking him. On January 15th, the ambulance, responding to an urgent call, manoeuvred past the truck while it was on its way to the hospital with a patient in need of immediate care. The truck driver, however, pursued the ambulance, honking and hurling insults at the medical staff.

The Facebook page "JayMoi V+" captured and shared the incident, highlighting the pick-up driver's erratic behaviour following the ambulance's manoeuvre. The medical vehicle was transporting a patient suffering from convulsions, with its sirens and emergency lights fully activated, requesting the right of way. As the ambulance passed the silver Toyota pickup with a Bangkok licence plate near the San Pa Tong agriculture bank intersection, the truck driver began to shout obscenities and persistently tailgate the ambulance.

Witnesses reported that the altercation continued for nearly a minute before the ambulance turned left at the junction, while the pickup truck continued straight, thus ending the chase. The reckless actions of the truck driver have raised concerns about road safety and the respect due to emergency vehicles, especially during life-threatening situations.

The local community expressed outrage at the driver's conduct, while law enforcement officials are reportedly investigating the incident. This event not only emphasises the value of increased public awareness about road etiquette but also calls for strict enforcement of traffic laws to safeguard emergency responders’ routes. In light of this, law enforcement authorities may consider implementing more stringent penalties for road rage and interference with emergency services, reported Khaosod.

Key Takeaways

• An ambulance transporting a critical patient was pursued aggressively by a pick-up truck driver in Chiang Mai.

• The incident, captured and widely shared on social media, has prompted public concern regarding road safety.

• Local authorities are looking into the incident, which may lead to stricter regulations for ensuring the safe passage of emergency vehicles.

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Thai "opportunists" following ambulances through traffic acting illegally

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Khaosod 2026-01-17

 

 

Been all over the world and driven in numerous places.

Without a doubt some of the stupidest most inconsiderate drivers are in TH.

30 minutes ago, webfact said:

As the ambulance passed the silver Toyota pickup with a Bangkok licence plate near the San Pa Tong agriculture bank intersection, the truck driver began to shout obscenities and persistently tailgate the ambulance.

The worst and most misbehaved drivers in the north are from bkk.

4 hours ago, novacova said:

The worst and most misbehaved drivers in the north are from bkk.

Or they bought the truck on finance and the finance company is headquartered in BKK and hence the car registration is there.

But equally, maybe the driver lives there and bought his truck there….assuming that it is his truck of course.

Driving in Isaan, I wouldn’t say that drivers from BKK are worse than any others, it appears to be an equal opportunity situation.

Seriously what's wrong with these people? Many go off for no reason and have little or no respect for the police, ambulances and others on a daily basis. I think it's time to change it from Land of Smiles to something else.

And if he was inside the ambulance he would want the ambulance to drive slowly??

What a complete moron

I look forward to seeing his face plastered over the news and to see what feeble excuse this one decides to use.

23 minutes ago, jimgilly said:

Seriously what's wrong with these people?

What's right with them?

The ambulance inconvenienced him, how dare they.

Convenience, it's why some drive on the sidewalk, double-park to get a hot dog at Seven, make U-turns wherever and whenever...

Their own convenience comes first and supersedes all law, or etiquette - that they are wrong and inconveniencing others doesn't even fit in their world view.

If you guys think BKK drivers are bad, you ain't seen nothing until you experience the drivers in Massachusetts, and especially Boston!

3 minutes ago, Jim Waldron said:

If you guys think BKK drivers are bad, you ain't seen nothing until you experience the drivers in Massachusetts, and especially Boston!

he's got a point !

Any excuse and the anti-Thai bigotry comes out. No logic. So, is your lack of logic and common sense any better than the things you accuse Thai people of? What do I mean? 1) The driver hasn't yet been identified so we don't know what nationality they are. 2) Anyone registering a car locally will have a local plate so a locally registered plate proves nothing in and of itself. 3) I've witnessed many road rage incidents in the US, never personally saw one here in 13 years. 4) Any and every city is going to have increased driver problems due to the sheer volume of drivers and the frustrating nature of city driving, congestion, traffic jams etc. Did anyone see Jim Waldron's comment?

45 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

The ambulance inconvenienced him

They overtook him.

32 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Any excuse and the anti-Thai bigotry comes out. No logic.

Lots of logic.

Having lived in and driven in numerous countries around the world, Thailand is the only place where I have ever witnessed and read numerous news reports of locals purposefully blocking ambulance, slowing down ambulances, haranguing ambulances, and sometimes even attacking them with weapons.

It's unfortunate that you've taken on one of the worst Thai traits. An absolute inability to accept any form of criticism.

At least he didn't shoot him like that jerk on the expressway last week.

1 hour ago, wensiensheng said:

Driving in Isaan, I wouldn’t say that drivers from BKK are worse than any others, it appears to be an equal opportunity situation.

FWIW, I find the Isaan drivers don't really stand out. There are the obvious exceptions (occasional teenage boy racers on their scooters) but I just don't encounter bad behaviour here.

When driving to Bangkok, however, whilst the vast majority are law-abiding citizens, I usually notice exceptions to the rule once I start getting into the built-up outskirts on my way to the Sukhumvit area where my other half has friends and relatives.

Perhaps it's calmer out here in the northeast because Isaan drivers aren't used to the traffic and driving intensity of city driving, in the same way that drivers in rural locations in England aren't necessarily used to driving in London in rush hour.

A relative in Leicester once wondered how I could possibly commute into London by car and motorbike. She remarked that Leicester high street on a Saturday afternoon was the limit of her tolerance. 😄

p.s. I note that all Thai drivers don't appear to make much effort to let emergency vehicles through, unlike England and most other countries I've been to.

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

The ambulance inconvenienced him, how dare they.

Convenience, it's why some drive on the sidewalk, double-park to get a hot dog at Seven, make U-turns wherever and whenever...

Their own convenience comes first and supersedes all law, or etiquette - that they are wrong and inconveniencing others doesn't even fit in their world view.

Mmmmm. Maybe it's the Chinese DNA imbedded into the Thai persona? Not that I am inferring all Thais are like that but just those that have too much Chinese DNA.

49 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Any excuse and the anti-Thai bigotry comes out. No logic. So, is your lack of logic and common sense any better than the things you accuse Thai people of?

In my country traffic parts like the red sea for ambulances.

6 hours ago, NickyLouie said:

Been all over the world and driven in numerous places.

Without a doubt some of the stupidest most inconsiderate drivers are in TH.

Some of agreed...

other countries have their fair share.

3 hours ago, jimgilly said:

Seriously what's wrong with these people? Many go off for no reason and have little or no respect for the police, ambulances and others on a daily basis. I think it's time to change it from Land of Smiles to something else.

The land of Smiles changed a long time ago, and rightfully so.

Lock him up, fine him big for public disturbance of an emergency vehicle and maybe other people will think twice about doing it.

3 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Any excuse and the anti-Thai bigotry comes out. No logic. So, is your lack of logic and common sense any better than the things you accuse Thai people of? What do I mean? 1) The driver hasn't yet been identified so we don't know what nationality they are. 2) Anyone registering a car locally will have a local plate so a locally registered plate proves nothing in and of itself. 3) I've witnessed many road rage incidents in the US, never personally saw one here in 13 years. 4) Any and every city is going to have increased driver problems due to the sheer volume of drivers and the frustrating nature of city driving, congestion, traffic jams etc. Did anyone see Jim Waldron's comment?

I guess the road death statistics would point you toward the fact that the standard of driving here is abysmal.

8 hours ago, NickyLouie said:

Been all over the world and driven in numerous places.

Without a doubt some of the stupidest most inconsiderate drivers are in TH.

A close second could be the Vietnamese.

In Italy I saw ambulances that had monster bumpers on the front and back, and if somebody did not get out of the way I witnessed them pushing the car to the side of the road and creating a lot of damage to the body work in the process. It was an absolutely gorgeous thing to witness.

That would have been an appropriate thing to do here, the ambulance could have simply smashed the car to the point where it was immobile, and then moved on, while the driver was laughing the entire time.

4 hours ago, Packer said:

4 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

The driver hasn't yet been identified so we don't know what nationality they are.

Right so every time I see an ambulance being blocked it just so happens it is always Burmese, Cambodian and Farang drivers being total d*** heads

This breaks the bounds of common decency on so many levels, you have to be self-absorbed to a rather mind-boggling degree to not allow a few seconds to let somebody who might be dying get to the hospital quickly. The penalties for this kind of reckless behavior should be severe. I suggest revocation of a driver's license for at least a year, confiscation of the car for a month, and a 300,000 baht fine to be paid immediately or levied on any real property that someone owns.

Somebody has to put their foot down. One of the super weak, and morally bankrupt authorities has to stand up and say something needs to be done.

Terrible things have happened in THAILAND this week, this is not one of them

5 hours ago, blaze master said:

In my country traffic parts like the red sea for ambulances.

How they do it in Germany. And coming back the wrong way against the traffic as well.

The Germans at 6:50.

5 hours ago, blaze master said:

In my country traffic parts like the red sea for ambulances.

I live up north and I have seen the same. I have also seen the opposite. I have been in an ambulance 3 times in the past 4 years and they do seem to have a good run to the hospital.