A deaf French tourist was killed while walking over a crossing - when he failed to hear an oncoming car in Thailand.

Clement Antoine Valery Billy, 39, from Orleans, was returning home when he stepped onto the faded pedestrian lane without turning his head to the left, seemingly forgetting the cars drive on the opposite side of the road to France.

CCTV footage shows Clement jumping in a panicked attempt to avoid impact as the car roared towards him in front of a market in Kanchanaburi on April 2.

However, the speeding vehicle ploughed into him and he was sent flying around 50ft down the road. Police and medics arrived at the scene after receiving a report at 10:45 pm.

They found the Frenchman severely injured but still alive, lying in a pool of blood. He was rushed to the Paholpolpayuhasena Hospital but succumbed to his injuries at 12:07 am.

Officials said that Clement had only arrived in the country on March 21, seemingly still adjusting to the country's chaotic roads, where cars drive on the left.

The Thai driver, Krittapat Kamrai, 24, and his girlfriend remained at the scene to co-operate with the police investigation. Their black Mitsubishi sedan was dented with its windshield shattered from the force of the crash.

Police Captain Thammawat Sukhiwat, Deputy Chief of Investigation of the Mueang Kanchanaburi Police Station, said: 'The medical team at Paholpolpayuhasena Hospital confirmed the passing of Mr Clement Antoine Valery Billy, a French tourist, whose body was sent for a post-mortem examination at the Police General Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine.

'The French Embassy in Thailand was informed to notify his relatives.

'CCTV footage showed that the Thai driver Krittapat had driven toward the crossing without applying his brakes. We have charged him for reckless driving causing the death of another person, punishable under Section 291 of the Criminal Code. Whether or not he is allowed bail is up to the inquiry officer's judgment.'

Residents in the area complained that the zebra crossing was barely visible. They urged local authorities to install lights and traffic signs to warn oncoming drivers to slow down.

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.