Bus driver hit in the head by a smartphone, was the sudden braking an excessive response?

The issue of right-of-way at an intersection without traffic lights and the controversy over whether a bus driver's sudden braking was an excessive response were addressed through JTBC's 'Han Moonchul's Dashcam Review'. In the episode broadcast on October 13, 2026, various opinions were exchanged among the cast regarding an accident where judging road priority was difficult and whether the driver's response to a passenger's behavior was appropriate.

Priority for the narrow road or the duty to slow down... The crux of the intersection accident

First, an accident that occurred at an intersection without traffic lights was discussed. It was a collision between a vehicle driving on a wide road (the subject vehicle) and a vehicle that entered from a narrow road. Based on the width of the road, the subject vehicle on the wide road has priority, but the point of contention was that the vehicle entering from the narrow road entered quickly without a verification process.

The cast focused on whether the vehicle coming out of the narrow road performed any action such as stopping or slowing down to check. In the viewer voting results, the opinion that it was the fault of the other vehicle was predominant. However, during the police and Korean National Police Agency objection stage, the subject vehicle was judged to be the offending vehicle. This was a result based on the legal grounds that the duty to slow down takes precedence over right-of-way. On the other hand, the Automobile Insurance Dispute Mediation Committee showed diverging judgments, assigning 80% of the fault to the subject vehicle, citing that the other vehicle had entered first.

Striking a passenger's head and the bus driver's sudden braking, controversy over excessive response

Next, an accident that occurred inside a city bus was introduced. It was an incident where a passenger, who was standing without pressing the stop bell, struck the driver's head with a smartphone while protesting to the bus driver. In this process, the bus driver performed a sudden brake, causing passengers in the vehicle to lurch.

After the accident, the driver requested insurance processing because they were hit in the head by the passenger, but opinions were divided among the cast regarding this. One cast member took the position that the person who hit was at fault, stating that the sudden braking occurred because the passenger hit the driver's head. On the other hand, some opinions pointed out that the driver responded excessively to the point of slamming the brakes, mentioning the possibility of the crew's excessive response. It is known that the passengers at the time were fortunately not seriously injured.

Source: JTBC Entertainment (YouTube)