A bungling BMW driver blocked a railway crossing while trying to avoid traffic, forcing a train to stop.

The owner ignored warning sounds and tried to traverse the tracks in a rush, but its rear end went past the safety line, causing a delay.

Footage shows the sedan manoeuvring away from the railroad as the locomotive blew its horns in Bangkok, Thailand.

The owner of the German automobile, which costs up to four times the market price in Thailand due to tariffs, then made a right turn to join the other vehicles and speed away from the area.

Onlooker Thititat Saetia said: 'It happened at an intersection near Asoke Railway Station. The driver seemed to be confused by the train tracks.

The white BMW left the area without damage as the train halted immediately.

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.