A video of a red Trans-Cab taxi colliding with a cyclist at a zebra crossing has gone viral getting nearly 60,000 views since it was posted on Thursday (Mar 24).
Fortunately, the man on the bike did not seem badly hurt. He was able to get up and walk to the kerb but needed to sit down to get over the impact.
Many of those who commented on the video posted on Singapore Incidents’ Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram pages seemed uncertain who was more at fault.
The clip was taken from the dashcam of the vehicle behind the red taxi that hit the bike.
The video’s timestamp says the incident happened at 12:40 pm on Mar 24.
After the cyclist got up and sat on the kerb, leaving his bike momentarily by the side of the road, the cabby switched on the taxi’s hazard lights on and parked a few metres away.
The video then ends as the driver whose dashcam had tracked the collision drives away.
“Always slow down and keep a lookout at zebra crossing,” reads the caption on the post.
Netizens were divided on who bore a greater share of blame. Several pointed out that the cabby should have slowed down more since he was approaching a pedestrian crossing.
Others argued that the cyclist who had ridden in from the right should have dismounted and pushed his bike to cross the road, so that he would moving more slowly and give motorists a better chance to spot him and slow down.
Several commented that the cyclist can hardly be seen on the video as he approaches the zebra crossing because of he was riding so fast.
“Where he came from seh?!,” asked one.
Several commenters decided that both cyclist and cabby were at fault, and that road safety had to be a shared responsibility.
Others observed that situations like this one are not uncommon.
What does the law say? This explanation from the Land Transportation Authority says cyclists are not required to dismount and push their bikes.
The LTA’s Rules and Code of Conduct for cyclists and PMD users under the Active Mobility Act, which can be found here, says cyclists should slow down, be prepared to stop, and be mindful of other road users when approaching crossings.
“Stop and look out for oncoming traffic when approaching pedestrian crossings such as zebra or informal crossings. Make eye contact with the driver of oncoming traffic to make sure you are seen. Give way to vehicles and cross only at walking speed,” it says.
/TISG
When a road accident happens in front of you and the traffic lights are kaput