A driver miraculously survived a whole night inside an overturned car that crashed into a canal in Thailand.

Usa Jiraratsameechotikul, 27, was driving from Bangkok to her home when she crashed into the roadside canal in Ayutthaya in the wee hours of April 8.

She was trapped for hours in the upside-down vehicle until volunteers found it and rescued her at around 7 am.

Police Captain Pleng Pankaew of the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Police Station said authorities were notified of the crash at around 1 am.

However, due to poor visibility, emergency responders could not locate the car until later that morning.

Police Captain Pleng said: 'We suspect that the victim might have dozed off and lost control of the car, causing it to veer off the road.

'The tall grass obstructed visibility for the rescue team when they first arrived at the scene.

'We will question the victim to find the cause of the accident.'

A responder named Witthawit Atharn, 19, said the rescuers initially thought the sedan was empty and that the driver had already left the scene when they arrived.

He said: 'We were shocked when we were pushing the car upright and heard a woman's voice inside. We broke the window open to save her. I can't believe she survived inside the submerged car all night. She was lucky she didn't run out of air.'

They had followed the tire tracks leading from the road to the canal, and found Usa's overturned white Honda City half-submerged in the water and hidden in the tall grass.

The volunteers shattered the car window and pulled an exhausted Usa out of the driver's seat.

She had lacerations all over her body and was rushed to the Ratchathani Hospital for treatment.

Though weakened, Usa was conscious and told officials she had been driving from Bangkok back to her home.

She said: 'All I remember is I had travelled from Bangkok and was on my way back to the Ban Phraek District in Ayutthaya. I don't recall anything after crashing.'

Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in Asia, Thailand suffers from chronic underinvestment in its highways and education, contributing to its poor road safety levels. Only a handful of African countries are worse.

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.