My mistakes… why punish my family?: Singapore "Road Bully"

The driver of a Honda Civic who has featured in two viral videos showing aggressive driving in Singapore has come out to apologise for his behaviour.

Quek Zhen Hao said he and his family have been criticised and getting death threats after the videos of him appearing as a “road bully” surfaced online this week.

The videos show his Civic chasing other vehicles and Quek himself getting down his ride to approach a car. Viewers flamed him online, calling him a “road bully” and described his behaviour as “crazy” and “childish”.

In a video titled “SGK5423P – the bullying of a Road Bully” posted on YouTube on Wednesday and based on his car plate number, Quek said he is “truly sorry” for his behaviour, adding that he should have controlled his temper.

Death threats

However, he questioned the “cyberbullying” to which he and his family have been subject.

Quek said that his parents’ address and photos of his girlfriend have been circulating online, causing much distress to his and his girlfriend’s families.

Some people have even gone to his parents’ house and made death threats to his family, he said.

He urged these people to remove the address and photos from the Internet.

Quek also said that he and his family have been victims of “hurtful”, “cruel” and “evil” remarks, and that he has been labeled as “rude”, “fat” and “ugly”.

Members of the public have even called him Kim Jong-un due to his resemblance to the North Korean leader.

“My mistakes, my punishments, why punish my parents, my family, my ex and my girlfriend?” asked Quek, adding, “The law will catch up with me, but you don’t have to punish my family for what I’ve done.”

Questioning society

He also asked netizens, “Is my mistake bigger than all of you, such that I deserve more punishment than all of you?”

Quek added that his parents have taught him well and that his poor behaviour is not their mistakes, adding that his family and girlfriend have stood by him throughout the ordeal.

On why he didn’t speak up earlier, Quek said that he wanted to protect his family.

“By doing the right thing for my family, I was giving opportunities for people to twist and turn the story,” he noted.

“My decision showed I was wrong to trust and believe I live in a society where people will not judge,” said Quek, adding, “Instead people enjoyed adding salt, water, fire into the situation though many of you were not around to witness it.”

His side of the story

In his eight-minute video, Quek also gave a detailed explanation, with the aid of a hand-drawn map, of what happened in the first incident, which transpired at an open-air carpark in Bukit Panjang.

Quek said that the motorist who filmed the incident pointed the middle finger at him and that he felt “provoked” and “threatened”, which was why he decided to give chase.

Regarding the second incident, which happened near Yew Tee Square, Quek said he was driving at 43km/h as indicated by his speedometer.

He said that he was catching up with a Red Volkswagen driven by a female driver who was traveling at around 25km/h.

As he had noticed that cars were overtaking her on the left, Quek said he tried to indicate to her that maybe she should change lane by tailgating her for a “very short time”.

Quek’s mother speaks up for son

According to The New Paper, Quek’s mother said that their family has suffered because of the media storm and online abuse and which also affected their Lunar New Year celebrations.

“He’s a nobody, not someone famous. Why would people do this to him?”, adding that her son “may have done something wrong by driving like that, but he wouldn’t have done that without a reason,” Quek’s mother was quoted as saying by the paper.

She also reportedly said, “But many Singaporean drivers also have a foul temper. So why target just him?”

Police investigations

Since the videos went viral earlier this week, many members of the public urged the motorists who filmed the incidents to lodge a police report, adding that the Traffic Police should look into the matter.

On Wednesday, the Traffic Police said in a reply to a post by a concerned member of the public on the Singapore Police Force Facebook page that they had called up the driver of the Civic for investigation.

They also appealed for the drivers who had recorded the incidents on video to assist them with investigations.

Police added that any other persons with additional information regarding these incidents can provide them to the Traffic Police via SPF_Feedback_TP@spf.gov.sg.

You can watch the videos of the two incidents and Quek’s apology here:

Related stories:
‘Road rage’ at Bukit Batok caught on video
Video of dangerous driving in Singapore goes viral
‘Carpark’ rage in Orchard Road

My mistakes… why punish my family?: Singapore "Road Bully"