This is the shocking moment a school van crashed into a parked lorry leaving seven people injured in Thailand.

The school bus was racing across the road when driver Woramet Samanukorn allegedly fell asleep at the wheel.

CCTV footage captures the school bus speeding along the pavement before crashing into the stationary lorry on Highway No. 41 in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Police arrived at the scene after receiving a report at 8 am local time on Monday. They found the 10-wheeler's rear dented, while the front of the van was mangled with debris strewn across the road.

Four pupils, two teachers, and the van driver were rushed to Ron Phibun Hospital for treatment. The truck driver, Anucha Jaingam, 36, remained at the scene for questioning.

A Ron Phibun Police Station spokesman said: 'A preliminary investigation found that in the early morning, a van from Maha Vajiravudh School in Songkhla was transporting seven high school students and teachers to Bangkok for a fruit carving competition.

'Upon reaching the scene, the van smashed into the back of the truck. The crash was suspected to be caused by the driver falling asleep at the wheel. CCTV clearly captured the moment of the crash. There was no other vehicle cutting in front of the van, and the van driver did not brake before the impact.'

Police said they were investigating the exact cause of the accident.

On August 7, a school bus carrying 40 children overturned in Bueng Kan, northeast Thailand, after it slipped off the road, killing two pupils and leaving nine others critically injured.

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.