Will comments on road-rage cases make our roads safer?

DJ Keng came under heavy criticism after video clips of him aggressively backing his pick-up truck into a Toyota Yaris hit social media. He earlier issued another clip explaining that his car had been hit by the Yaris earlier and he would have been hurt if motorcycle taxi drivers nearby had not saved him. 

The clips went viral quickly through several social media channels, including LINE, and were soon followed by more clips taken from nearby closed-circuit cameras showing the Yaris trying to cut lanes in the middle of traffic. The driver was then seen showing his middle finger to DJ Keng after the latter refused to give way. 

At Pantip.com, Member 1353439 wrote: “Since DJ Keng’s case, I think I’ve seen fewer cases of vehicles trying to cut ahead of others. I too drive more slowly and am more forgiving. I also avoid following pick-up trucks.” 

 

‘Maybe we need dark heroes’

A user named Kosmo responded: “I feel people cut lanes just the same, if not more because I experienced two in a single day. I used to have confrontations from time to time previously. Maybe these people think that no matter how angry the other person is, they cannot do anything because if we lose our temper we will be condemned by society. The cheat will get away with it anyway. The law cannot punish them, and even social media is on their side.” 

Baby Ant wrote: “Actually we should laud people like him [DJ Keng] as no matter how hard we try, the behaviour of Thai drivers remains the same. Maybe we need dark hardcore heroes to eradicate the bad drivers.” 

Member 1452018 wrote: “Pick-up truck [drivers] are violent, but less violent than those [driving] CR-V -- [a driver of which] pointed a gun at another driver’s head. I also saw a Mercedes-Benz driver knocking another car’s window with a stick. [They get] more cruel every day.” 

The administrator of Uay Sai Taek Haek Sai Cheek Facebook page, which has over 300,000 Likes, asked why the Thai media and the authorities were paying so much attention to a “no-name” DJ and “just a road rage” case and why top officials were even commenting on the issue. “I understand that you want to publicise the story of a liar – a liar on the front page. But hey, three days in a row?”

Pattamon Bthird Pinpetch shared the CCTV clip with the comment: “If [DJ Keng] had not lied and hadn’t driven his car into another, he would have looked really good. The case would have been the other way around. 

The mistake was losing your temper. On the road, stop cutting lanes, stop getting angry and society will be much better.” 

Zuganda Khatii Cinkajit posted: “It’s not just about being kind, but everybody must be disciplined and follow traffic rules.”