PUBLISHED ONJune 29, 2024 5:31 AMByBhavya RawatTwo drivers found themselves at an impasse when neither gave way to the other while trying to switch lanes, and their vehicles ended up colliding.
Dashcam footage of the collision was posted to Facebook group Singapore Road Vigilante on June 27.
In the video, which is slightly longer than a minute, the bus and car are stopped at a traffic light side by side along the two leftmost lanes of a road identified in the comments as Loyang Avenue. The car is seen signalling left from the beginning.
As the light turns green and the two vehicles start moving, the bus signals right and starts to move closer to the car.
However, neither of the two vehicles slow down to let the other cut in.
As a result, the two vehicles collide near a fork in the road after the bus veers into the car's lane, in a supposed attempt to avoid turning left.
Both drivers are seen exiting their respective vehicles after a few seconds and their interaction was not caught on video.
The clip garnered 122,000 views and sparked online debate among netizens regarding who was to blame for the accident.
Some netizens defended the bus driver, stating that he had a route to follow.
One comment read: "The bus already turned on its signal, [bus drivers] cannot change routes...Why can't cars be patient, just slow down and let buses go first? They serve the public and are carrying so many people."
A netizen who claimed to live in the area explained that this stretch along Loyang Avenue, towards Tampines Expressway, is known to be congested and difficult to manoeuvre.
"The bus has just come out of the left lane after leaving the bus stop...[the driver] had already indicated [his intention to switch lanes] and the front of his vehicle was already a car length in front of the car," he said.
"At this point, any logical driver would allow the bus to filter, both as a form of courtesy as well as just safe defensive driving."
However, some netizens disagreed with this view and defended the driver of the car.
One such comment read: "Whether the car is willing to give way to the bus, it is a choice. The car can be courteous and give way to the bus, but it is not mandatory."
"In my opinion, the bus driver should have given way if he is going straight on a left-turn lane, or slowed down for the car since it has the right of way," wrote another commenter.
Another netizen wrote: "How sure are you that the car saw the bus signalling? On the other hand, the car is in the correct lane to turn left, nothing wrong."
A few netizens, on the other hand, felt that the whole ordeal could have been avoided if both parties exercised courtesy.
"This is totally unnecessary. If either one had let the other pass before switching lanes, it would not have happened... Our pride and rage makes us do stupid things," wrote one netizen.
Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that it did not receive any report regarding the incident.
SBS Transit spokesperson Grace Wu told AsiaOne that they were alerted to a collision between a Service 21 bus and a car along Loyang Avenue on June 27 at about 6.13pm.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt. We are looking into the matter,” she added
bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
