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Van driver hits tourist in Phuket: fine and license revocation!
Thai van driver fined after argument with tourist at Phuket airport; The topic of waste responsibility in transport.
Van driver hits tourist in Phuket: fine and license revocation!
An incident at Phuket International Airport is causing a stir and mixed reactions on social media. A 31-year-old Thai van driver, Ratchawit, was fined 1,000 baht and had his public transport license suspended for 180 days. This happened after he hit a foreign tourist on the head with a plastic bottle. The argument between the two broke out when the woman allegedly left trash in his vehicle, which made Ratchawit extremely upset. Following the incident, a video of the incident went viral, with many users denouncing the driver's unprofessional behavior and stressing that cleaning the vehicle was part of his responsibility. But not all voices were unified; some argued that passengers should also be responsible for their trash. According to The Thaiger, Ratchawit admitted to acting impulsively and apologized to the tourist, who flew back to her home country the same day.
The airport authorities, noticing the incident due to the clear video evidence, filed an assault complaint against Ratchawit. Although the foreign tourist did not file an official complaint, legal action could still follow. Ratchawit had started working as a van driver for a group of 12 tourists who he drove from Patong Beach to the airport for 1,200 baht.
More incidents at the airport
But this is not the only incident that made headlines at Phuket Airport. A few weeks ago, another alarming incident occurred there. A minivan caused an accident due to an alleged fault with the accelerator pedal when the driver, Mr. Somsak, had passengers on board and tried to drive out. The minivan collided with a parked car and then with an SUV, which was pushed into another vehicle. Fortunately, there were no injuries in this incident, but it raises questions about the maintenance standards of transportation services at the airport, as Thailand News reports.
These events represent another example of the existing road safety challenges in Thailand. According to a report by the Asian Transport Observatory, road safety remains a critical concern in the country. Despite some improvements, Thailand's road traffic mortality rate shows a worrying record and remains significantly higher than the regional average. There were an estimated 18,000 traffic deaths in Thailand in 2021. Authorities have launched numerous strategies to improve road safety, including the "Thailand Road Safety Master Plan 2022-2027" to halve fatal road accidents by 2030.
The supposedly high risks in traffic and inadequate maintenance standards for public transport cast a shadow on tourism in Thailand. It is clear that more responsibility and measures are needed to ensure safe travel for both locals and tourists.