Woman Pinned Under Bus That Was Making Discretionary Right Turn in Bedok; Police Now Investigating

Discretionary right turns are dangerous stuff, as the fatal Clementi taxi accident would’ve shown you.

It depends entirely on the attention and focus of drivers to keep the move safe, and many have been petitioning for it to be removed after a series of unfortunate events.

Unfortunately, an accident due to a discretionary right turn has happened again, this time at Bedok.

Woman Pinned Under Bus That Made Discretionary Right Turn in Bedok

On 7 Dec 2020, Facebook page Roads.sg uploaded a car dashcam footage of what happened.

At the start of the video, the victim, a lady in white, was spotted crossing the road at the junction of Bedok North Road and Bedok Reservoir Road.

It was unclear how the accident happened as she was briefly covered by the lorry in front but the bus could be seen coming to a sudden stop.

When the bus was fully revealed again in the next moment, the lady in white was seen pinned under the second-most rear wheel of the bus.

She was seen crying out and hitting the tyre, presumedly in an attempt to get the attention of the bus driver.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to the incident at 12.55pm.

The 54-year-old woman was conscious when taken to the hospital and police investigations are ongoing.

Kind Samaritans Stepped Forward To Help

In another video uploaded by Facebook page Complaint Singapore, passers-by could be seen stepping forward to help.

One stood at the rear end of the bus directing the incoming vehicles away from where the woman was lying on the ground.

A few others could be seen holding umbrellas to shield the woman from the sun.

Meanwhile, SBS Transit did not comment on what caused the incident but said that they are now in contact with the victim’s next-of-kin.

The immediate focus, SBS Transit says, is the “well-being” of the woman.

The public bus operator apologises for the accident and is “committed to rendering our assistance as she recovers”.

SBS Transit is also assisting in police investigations.

What is the discretionary right turn?

Well, this term might confuse drivers as well.

According to Budget Direct Insurance, a discretionary right turn allows drivers to make a right turn as long as there’s a gap in the traffic.

Here are some potential pitfalls of the approved road action:

• For drivers who are waiting to turn right, you’ll be focused on the oncoming traffic for gaps, which means you might not be fully aware of pedestrians crossing the road you’re about to drive into
• Because of the line of cars waiting behind, a driver could be pressured into making careless decisions (some even horned!)
• Nosing your way forward, a vehicle which was previously hidden might suddenly appear
• While speeding up to avoid the hidden vehicle, you could suddenly spot a pedestrian right in your drive path

Back in 2018, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that it’ll review the traffic light schemes at cross junctions after a slew of fatal road accidents.

However, it was mentioned that motorists and pedestrians have to play their part too to keep Singapore’s roads safe.

Feature Image: Screengrab from Roads.sg / Complaint Singapore Facebook Video