British man, 48, dies in head-on motorbike crash in Thailand after veering into oncoming lane ‘while still tired from flight’
- Robert Griffin, 48, was riding his white Honda Click motorbike to the local shops
- He collided head-on with an oncoming motorbike and sidecar and died at scene
A British man died when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into an oncoming biker in Thailand this morning.
Robert Griffin, 48, was riding his white Honda Click motorbike to the local shops when he veered into the opposite lane and collided head-on with a motorcycle-and-sidecar in Krabi province, in the south of the country.
The collision sent him spinning toward roadside, where he was found by police officers in the Ao Nang district at around 10 am on Thursday, August 10.
Robert, from Fife, Scotland, suffered severe head injuries and was found unconscious next to his damaged motorcycle. He was later pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
He is understood to have been on holiday at the time of the crash.
The other driver, who waited at the scene of the crash for police officers and paramedics, was taken to a local police station for questioning.
Robert Griffin, 48, was riding his white Honda Click motorbike to the local shops when he veered into the opposite lane and collided head-on with a motorcycle-and-sidecar in Krabi province
An ambulance is pictured at the scene of the crash, with the wreckage of Robert’s motorbike seen right
Robert’s Thai wife, who has not been named, said that he was visiting her for one of his regular holidays to Thailand and had only arrived in the country the day before.
She said: ‘He still lived in Scotland and came to Krabi a day before the accident. I think he was tired from the flight. I had gone shopping in the city when the crash happened.
‘I am still in shock. I always told him to be careful on the motorbike. I don’t know how he could crash.’
Robert, a senior shipping officer, had previously led operations on cargo ships, oil drilling vessels and rigs with shipping giant Maersk.
Last year, he joined a global shipping agency as a senior dynamic positioning operator – a specialist role that involves managing a technical computer system to keep a vessel at one fixed point in the sea – while studying for shipping exams to fulfil his dream of becoming a captain.
Police believe Robert may have momentarily taken his eyes off the road, then swerved out of control when he found he was driving in the opposite lane and smashed into the oncoming motorbike.
He was travelling without a helmet and suffered severe brain injuries upon impact.
Robert, a senior shipping officer, had previously led operations on cargo ships, oil drilling vessels and rigs with shipping giant Maersk. Last year, he joined a global shipping agency as a senior dynamic positioning operator – a specialist role that involves managing a technical computer system to keep a vessel at one fixed point in the sea – while studying for shipping exams to fulfil his dream of becoming a captain
Police Captain Thirakorn Thairit of the Aonang Police Station said: ‘The police intend to interview the other driver and witnesses as part of the legal process. The dead man’s body will be handed over to his wife for funeral arrangements.
‘The British Embassy in Bangkok has been contacted and informed of the death of their citizen.’
Thailand has one of the world’s worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.
However, a lack of road safety education in schools along with notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws, and chronic under-investment in infrastructure, hamper the efforts.
Motorcycles are one of the biggest dangers and the majority of accidents are related to two-wheelers.
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