- The pensioner was heading home in heavy rain when the accident occurred in Pattaya.
A British pensioner was killed in a head-on crash with an electricity pylon in Thailand after another driver shouted at him and overtook him in a road rage incident, according to local reports.
The 57-year-old man was returning home on a scooter in heavy rain when the collision occurred in Pattaya, in the east of the country, shortly before 11pm on Tuesday.
Onlookers said the man had been arguing with a food vendor on a motorcycle sidecar while the two were riding on the road.
Security cameras show the Briton losing control of his scooter before skidding down the road in a shower of sparks and crashing into the concrete post.
Paramedics arrived but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a helmet and had suffered a serious head injury.
Police said the victim’s Honda Air Blade motorcycle (pictured) was damaged and debris was scattered across the road.
Bystander Panithan Chandee, 27, said “before the accident happened I noticed there was an argument” between the motorcyclist and the food vendor, who he said had a trailer.
Chandee said the pair were traveling side by side when the other driver shouted at the Briton.
‘I saw the food vendor overtake the man on the motorcycle and then there was a big crash. “He hit the light pole and I called the emergency services,” the witness said.
Police Lieutenant Siriyaporn Kongphetsak, who is leading the investigation at Nong Prue police station, said the victim’s Honda Air Blade motorcycle was damaged and debris was scattered on the road.
He added: “Officers have taken photographs of the scene as evidence along with images from CCTV cameras, which could capture a few seconds of the accident.
“The body of the deceased has been taken to a hospital for an autopsy and will be waiting for his relatives to collect him for the funeral.”
Thailand has one of the worst road safety records in the world. Ministers have set a target of reducing deaths from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by 2027.
However, poor enforcement of existing road laws and a lack of road safety education have prevented progress from being made.