This is the heart-stopping moment a van rolled downhill when the driver forgot to use the handbrake.

The bungling local was pulling up in front of a hotel in Phuket to collect tourists when the vehicle began sliding down the sloped driveway on Sunday.

CCTV footage shows the man frantically trying to pull the handbrake as the van rolled backwards with the door still open. He was slammed into a hedge of bushes before falling motionless on the pavement.

The van then slammed into the gates, coming to a halt just a few feet from the street.

Local media reported the driver was recovering from his injuries.

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.