BANGKOK, Aug 24 — Thailand's Traffic Police Division yesterday warned the public that riding a motorised suitcase on a public road is against the law.
The warning comes after a video went viral earlier this week of a woman riding on a suitcase on Bangkok’s busy Vibhavadi Rangsit Road near Don Mueang International Airport.
The woman, who was not wearing a helmet, was seen unbothered as she rode her suitcase, with another in tow while on her mobile phone.
Many criticised the dangerous act, with some questioning why she was not stopped by police officers.
The police said according to the Vehicles Act and Road Traffic Act 1979, a suitcase is not considered a vehicle and therefore cannot be registered as one and legally used on public roads.
Using a non-vehicle on a public road is also considered “blocking the traffic”, a violation of the Road Traffic Act, police said.
Police said investigations revealed that the woman in the video was a Chinese tourist who had left the country on Thursday.
Two major Japanese airports have already asked travellers not to ride motorised suitcases within their facilities, reported Kyodo news agency.
In June, a Chinese woman in her 30s, studying in Japan, was referred to prosecutors for driving without a licence, after she allegedly rode a three-wheeled suitcase on a sidewalk in Osaka on 31 March, according to Osaka Prefectural Police.
In July, a boy from Indonesia rode a motorised suitcase past pedestrians along a street in Osaka’s bustling Dotonbori shopping district, according to Kyodo, which said his family was surprised to learn that a driving licence was mandatory for such vehicles in Japan.
