WATCH: College Student Shoves Bus Driver to the Ground in South China

What was the first thing your mom would say when you’d get into a car? ‘Put on your seatbelt.’

Zhang, a first-year college student from Zengcheng, Guangzhou was having none of it on a coach bus heading back to school. Although we don't know the exact day the incident occured, a journalist recently got wind of it from the Zhuhai traffic police.

According to Guangzhou Daily, Zhang and a coach bus driver surnamed Tang got into an altercation over wearing his seatbelt. It occurred on the bus outside Doumen Long-Distance Bus Station in Zhuhai, Guangdong.

Watch here (VPN off):

Seatbelts have been heavily emphasized in recent years throughout China. There is no shortage of reminders along major roads and bus and taxi drivers are holding passengers more accountable as well.

Before the fight took place, driver Tang did a routine seatbelt check earlier at the Sanzao bus station in Zhuhai. Every passenger, except Zhang, was safely fastened, leading Tang to remind the young student to strap in. After initial resistance, Zhang complied. It wasn’t until a later stop in Doumen that driver Tang found the student without his seatbelt on again.

At that time, Zhang said the seatbelt was too tight and blamed the driver for having ‘incompliant seatbelt standards.’ (Who says that?). Driver Tang, concerned about the influence this would have on other passengers, attempted to fasten him in personally. Zhang then stood up and proceeded to argue with Tang, eventually shoving the older man to the bus floor.

The other passengers criticized the student while some called the police. In video footage of the altercation, no passengers try to ease the tensions between the student and driver prior to the physical contact.

Only after the authorities arrived did Zhang realize the gravity of his actions, begging the driver to forgive him and claiming a trip to the police station could stain his future career prospects. Driver Tang ultimately forgave the student, even paying for his own medical fees at the hospital after sustaining a minor injury from the incident.

Users on Weibo were disturbed by the college student’s actions, hinting that he got off way to easy. One netizen (@jaywutuo) even commented, “I hope his classmates watching this video will report this to his school. Thanks.”

[Cover: screengrab via QQ Video]