Road rage: Trucker clash ignites over middle finger in Songkhla
A roadblock and a rude middle finger gesture led to an altercation between a Thai truck driver and another man on a road in the southern province of Songkhla.
Facebook user Ting Chukamnued shared videos of the altercation on the road on January 7, with a caption that read, “Thanks to the owner of the videos. Let him know that this is not a parking area. So satisfying! Hahaha.”
The videos were taken from the truck’s dashcam. The truck driver was heard honking the horn at a red sedan parked in the left lane. He honked repeatedly and for a long period, but the driver appeared to ignore it.
The man in the yellow shirt with red stripes, who was carrying items from a roadside store to the back of the sedan, then walked in front of the truck and raised his middle finger at the truck driver.
The rude gesture led the truck driver to accelerate his vehicle and approach the man in the yellow shirt in anger. They argued briefly before a physical altercation ensued. The man attempted to punch the truck driver in the face but failed.
The truck driver appeared to have the upper hand in the fight, putting his opponent on the ground before a female sedan driver intervened. Another elderly woman, believed to be a vendor on the footpath, sided with the man in the yellow shirt and came to complain to the truck driver.
Both parties at fault
The argument and physical altercation were eventually stopped after a police officer arrived at the scene. It is unclear whether either party faced legal consequences for their actions.
Most netizens sided with the truck driver, arguing that the man and the sedan driver broke traffic laws and had not realised their fault by raising their middle finger at the truck driver.
“Hey, the man who raised the middle finger. Have you ever seen your video? You’ll be embarrassed for the rest of your life.”
“That’s impressive. Doesn’t he think he’d escape easily after raising his finger like that?”
“He doesn’t even know that what he was doing was wrong. He deserved it.”
“If he’d just told the truck driver he needed a few more minutes, this wouldn’t have happened. Anyway, he chose to raise that finger.”
Some suggested that the truck driver should not have used violence, regardless of the situation. A netizen with legal knowledge noted that both men may have been charged under Section 372 of the Criminal Code for quarrelling loudly in a public place, which could result in a fine of up to 5,000 baht.
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