Who is in the wrong? Video of car knocking down cyclist along AYE sparks debate

A video of a cyclist getting knocked down by the car behind him drew mixed reactions from netizens, who questioned which party was in the wrong.

The clip, showing a cyclist riding in the middle lane of Clementi Road, was posted on Facebook group SG Road Vigilante on Thursday (Aug 8) and garnered over 229,000 views.

In the video, as the traffic light turned green and vehicles around the cyclist started moving off, the cyclist began to pedal but slowed down for a moment.

The driver of the red Honda Jazz behind him, however, did not seem to notice this and ended up colliding with the bicycle, knocking the rider down.

The bicycle was pinned underneath the car and the cyclist remained lying on the road, seemingly unable to get up as the driver exited his car to check on him.

Some netizens believed the cyclist to be at fault for the accident, stating that he should have kept to the side of the leftmost lane and "got what he deserved".

One netizen commented: "What is the cyclist doing in the middle of the road? Definitely [in the] wrong."

"Car [is] not [in the] wrong. They (cyclists) should be treated like cockroaches, a pest to be stepped on," wrote another commenter.

On the other hand, some netizens believed that the cyclist had not flouted any rules and that even if he had, he did not deserve to get knocked over.

One wrote: "I'm a driver and no fan of cyclists, but to pin the blame on the cyclist entirely is wrong. He might not be in the correct lane but that doesn't mean you can run him over."

"A life is at stake here while the car is repairable....no one deserves to be in an accident."

Another netizen explained that in the case of Clementi Road, the extreme left lane is only meant for turning left onto the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) and those continuing straight would have to use the two remaining lanes.

"Given he wanted to go straight, the cyclist was in the correct lane," he wrote.

Others pointed out that the cyclist was not in the car driver's blind spot at the time and that it was impossible for the driver to have missed him.

Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that it was alerted to an accident involving a bicycle and a car along AYE towards Clementi Town at about 6pm on Wednesday.

A 40-year-old male cyclist sustained minor injuries but refused to be taken to the hospital after being assessed by paramedics from Singapore Civil Defence Force.

A 61-year-old male car driver is assisting with police investigations.

ALSO READ: 'Blatant disregard of rules': Video of cyclists ignoring red traffic light at West Coast Highway sparks criticism

bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com