Chiang Mai songthaew driver fined for aggressive road incident (video)

A driver of a red songthaew in Chiang Mai faces two serious charges after reacting aggressively to a car horn by brandishing a wooden stick. He admitted to overreacting and apologised for tarnishing the songthaew’s image.

The incident, which gained attention on social media, involved the driver stopping in the middle of the road to drop off a passenger, prompting the car behind to honk. The driver, identified as 45 year old Opas, then got out and threatened the other driver with a piece of wood, as shown in the widely shared video.

Police Major General Thawatchai Pongwiwatchai, Commander of Chiang Mai Provincial Police, directed Police Colonel Prachaya Thitsala, Superintendent of Mueang Chiang Mai Police Station, to swiftly investigate and locate the driver seen in the clip, due to the inappropriate behaviour and the potential harm to Chiang Mai’s tourism image.

Police Colonel Prachaya Thitsala, along with Deputy Superintendent Satitchai Nittiyawan, Police Captain Poonsak Pakphongsri, and Police Captain Wuttikrai Tahom from the investigative unit, tracked down the driver. Opas was then brought in for questioning at Mueang Chiang Mai Police Station.

Opas recounted that he was driving his red songthaew along Singharat Road as usual. Upon reaching the intersection near the technical college, where he needed to drop off a passenger, a car behind him honked.

He claimed that the driver of the car verbally abused him first, prompting him to retaliate. He then stopped his vehicle, retrieved a wooden stick from the back, and threatened the other driver, leading to the argument seen in the video. Opas insisted that he did not physically harm anyone or damage any property.

Following the investigation, Opas was charged with two offences. The first charge, under the Land Traffic Act 1979, was for obstructing traffic, resulting in a 500 baht fine. The second charge, under Section 392 of the Penal Code, was for causing fear or alarm, which carried a 1,000 baht fine.

Apology

Opas admitted to all charges, acknowledging that he let his emotions get the better of him. The songthaew driver apologised to the other party involved in the incident and to the residents of Chiang Mai for damaging the reputation of the red songthaew, a symbol of the city.

He stressed that he had no intention to cause harm or damage anyone’s property and hoped for forgiveness. Opas vowed to learn from this experience and avoid such incidents in the future, reported KhaoSod.

“I accept that I overreacted. I apologise to the other party and the people of Chiang Mai for tarnishing the image of the red songthaew. I had no intention of causing harm or damage. I hope for forgiveness and will ensure this does not happen again.”