This morning, I turned up for work only to see my boss sitting by the office window, all charismatic and photogenic as he gently sipped from his mug of hot tea.
“What a great morning,” he lamented in a tone that’s not unlike Morgan Freeman’s. “Sun’s shining; birds are chirping; there has been no e-scooter incident for a month. A month.” He looked up and observed a passing cloud. “Simply… a miracle.” Slowly, he turned to look at me, flashing a Colgate smile as he did so. “Wouldn’t you say so too, Mr Chan?”
I stared blankly at him, uncomfortably aware of some news I had just heard an hour ago on the radio. “Err, boss…”
“Yes, Mr Chan?” he grinned from ear to ear, the perfect picture of a happy man.
“About the e-scooters…”
His smile seemed to freeze. “What about it, Mr Chan?”
I looked at him; he looked at me. For a moment I contemplated opening my mouth, but I decided against it. A happy boss is better than an angry boss, I reasoned.
“Erm… right, nothing,” I smiled. “Just wanted to say Good Morning!”
“And good morning to you too, Mr Chan.” My boss winked as he started walking towards his office door. “Have a great day ahead! I’ll be looking forward to your articles!”
I nodded politely as he entered the door, but as I proceeded towards my desk I had this thought:
“Oh well, by the time he reads my article I’ll be gone for the day anyway.”
Sitting down, I cracked my fingers and began typing the headline:
E-Scooter Beating Red Light Crashed Into PMD Rider, Allegedly Resulting in Threats & Broken Ribs
I observed it for a moment.
Yep, I made the right decision.
What happened?
Just yesterday (17 March), Facebook group SG Road Vigilante – SGRV posted an incriminating video to the platform, in which an e-scooter rider can be seen speeding on the road and crashing into an electric bike rider.
The incident supposedly took place on 16 March 2019 at Pasir Ris Drive 1.
16mar2019pasir ris drive 1an escooter rider in black wearing a 3G Logistics Pte Ltd uniform riding at high speed on the road hit a electric bike rider in blue whom tried to cross the pedestrian crossing.the drivers at junction came down to assist & called ambulance & police.the escooter rider and his friends refused to stay and wait for the authorties and threaten the drivers if they tried to stop them.they escaped before the police arrived.the rider in blue whom got hit was badly injured , not able to standup ( fracture his toe & ribs and had to be taken to the hospitalplease contact the police if you can identify or know any info of the riders in the photo or video.
Posted by SG Road Vigilante – SGRV on Sunday, 17 March 2019
After the altercation, the drivers who were present at the junction alighted to offer help, and they subsequently phoned for the ambulance and police.
The e-scooter rider and his friends, however, refused to stay and wait for the authorities. According to the Facebook post’s caption, they allegedly threatened the drivers if they tried to stop them.
They eventually fled the scene, before the police could turn up.
The electric bike rider, who’s decked out in blue in the video, was badly injured from the collision and was unable to stand up. Having fractured his toe and ribs, he had to be taken to the hospital.
In the last paragraph of the caption, the Facebook poster pleaded for netizens to contact the police, should they be able to identify any of the riders in the photo or video.
To date, the video has managed to garner over 68K views and 1.1K shares, and the numbers are still growing.
Netizens speak out
In scenarios like this, you can normally expect one thing, and I’m not preaching about police investigations and whatnot. Rather, I’m referring to…
Netizens’ reactions.
Because as the Sunglasses Guy once foretold: “The sun might burn out one day, but netizens will never stop talking.”
As it is, netizens are, rather unsurprisingly, directing the blame at the e-scooter rider in question.
Amongst the comments, however, there’s also an alleged eyewitness account:
As well as calls for authorities and e-scooter riders to take control of their actions.
The last point, for one, really stands out because…
Here’s the thing:
E-scooters have, somehow, never managed to stay out of the news for long.
In Feb 2019, an electric scooter rider collided with a 45-year-old pedestrian, causing her to sustain lasting injuries. He was eventually sentenced to eight months and seven weeks’ of jail time, although the charges include consumption of drugs.
In Dec 2018, a 49-year-old housewife hit an older pedestrian, causing her to be hospitalised for nine days. The offender was eventually fined S$2,200.
And in the same month, a 15-year-old e-Scooter rider was warded in ICU, following an accident with a bus in Choa Chu Kang. He had traversed the pedestrian crossing while the traffic light was still green (in favour of the bus).
See the pattern here? Or rather, a lack thereof?
While they all differ in age, occupation and activities, they all share a common similarity:
A lack of observance on their part.
And so, really, maybe the main culprit has never been the e-scooter. As this netizen so wisely stated:
Couldn’t agree more.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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