A driver caused road chaos as police shot his car tires to stop his drunk driving rampage in Thailand.

The heavily intoxicated man, aged around 30, was said to have ploughed into at least three vehicles while racing along Mittraphap Road in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

He drove over a footpath then crashed into a traffic sign before being surrounded by police at around 8:30 pm on March 25.

Footage shows the officers peppering his car wheels with bullets to keep from fleeing. White smoke erupted from the red Ford Ranger pickup truck as the cops dragged the motorist out of his seat.

The suspect was found to have a blood alcohol level of 300 mg per cent, well above the legal limit of 50 mg per cent.

Police Colonel It Boonyarit, superintendent of Sung Noen Police Station, said: ‘We apprehended the suspect for further interrogation.  

‘We charged him with driving under the influence, damaging others' property, and obstructing officers on duty before handing him over to the prosecutor to face legal action.'

Tim Kanphai, 50, a vendor near the crash site, said she saw the driver crash into her customer's vehicle before speeding away.

She said: 'I was sitting in front of my shop when the red Ford Ranger slammed into a pickup truck belonging to one of my customers. After that, it reversed then grazed a sedan before driving over the footpath and crashing.

'At the time, we were all afraid of approaching the crashed truck because we were scared the driver might be holding a weapon.'

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, all appear to hamper the efforts.