A British expat has been arrested after an alleged drink driving crash that killed a Thai local in the early hours of this morning.

Laurence Gorden Huckle, 58, was driving his Mercedes-Benz sedan along Rattanathibet Road in Nonthaburi when he allegedly slammed into a Honda Wave motorcycle before colliding with two other cars that had stopped at the scene of an accident.

Dashcam footage shows how the Brit's luxury car whizzed through the narrow highway, sending bystanders fleeing for safety as it struck a Honda Accord that had earlier crashed into a concrete road barrier.

The impact sent both vehicles spinning out of control, with the Mercedes-Benz ploughing through the barriers on the right side of the road.

Police officers from the Bang Yai district station and a rescue team arrived on the scene after being notified at 4 AM. They found the dead body of Rewat Srinuan, 44, next to his wrecked Honda Wave motorcycle.

Three other vehicles were damaged - Chatri's Honda Accord, Athipat's Honda Jazz, and Laurence's Mercedes-Benz.

Officers arrested Laurence at the scene. He was allegedly found to be over the drink driving limit and is today being questioned at the local police station with a translator.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Surasak Sangkaew of the Bang Yai Police said: 'The British suspect is 58-years-old. He was given a test shortly after the accident and the amount of alcohol in his body exceeded the legal limit.

'The foreigner is now being questioned at the police station. He has a translator with him. His name is Laurence Gorden Huckle.

'According to the video evidence from the scene, he was travelling very quickly. We believe that the foreigner could not turn in time and he crashed into the other vehicle.'

Athipat Jitsa-nga, 23, the owner of the dashcam video, said he and his friends were coming home from a restaurant when they encountered the Accord that had collided with the jersey barriers.

They went down to assist its driver Chatri Bootkaew, 63, who claimed he had fainted at the wheel. While the group were waiting for authorities, the British man then tore through the road and nearly mowed them down.

Speaking to reporters at the scene of the crash, the British driver claimed he was driving slowly, saying he did not hit Rewat and crashed into the concrete wall when he made a turn. Laurence's passenger allegedly ran away after the crash, local media reported.

Rewat's wife Sujinda Luangprathum, 46, said she worked as a food vendor while her husband was employed as a rider, purchasing ingredients for her from the market.

She said: 'That day, I was worried because my husband had not returned home. He was gone for an unusually long time.

'I asked the other motorcycle taxi riders to help me search for him, but I found out that he was the victim in this accident.'

Police Lieutenant Colonel Surasak added: 'We have conducted a preliminary investigation by gathering surveillance camera footage, dashcam recordings, and interviewing the drivers involved.

'However, further questioning of the British man involved in the incident will be necessary for a more thorough investigation.'

Rewat's remains were taken to the forensics unit of the Thammasat University Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

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, cheap loans for cars, notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws as well as endemic corruption and chronic under-investment in infrastructure hamper the efforts.