Car reverses into parking lot near Bukit Timah Food Centre, hits woman and child

Moments of negligence on the road can more often than not contribute to accidents — whether it is the driver or pedestrian at fault. 

In a video clip shared by Facebook group SG Road Vigilante on Aug 27, a white Mazda was seen knocking down a woman and a student while reversing into a lot at the car park outside Bukit Timah Food Centre.

Based on footage taken by the dashcam of another vehicle, the vehicle was reversing into a parking lot at a slow but steady pace. Behind its rear were a woman and child who appeared to be heading to the food centre.

But something caught the attention of the woman and child as they were looking to their left while walking forward while the car continued to reverse.

The vehicle then collided with both the woman and the child. The impact caused the pair to fall back onto a parked vehicle behind them, and subsequently falling to the ground.

They managed to get back on their feet rather quickly, with the woman hitting and striking the car with her umbrella in anger. 

For a brief moment, the woman tried to confront the driver of the vehicle. Shortly after, the pair were seen walking towards the food centre without showing any signs of being injured.

According to the Facebook post, the driver did not get out of his vehicle to check whether the woman and child were hurt by the incident. It also noted that the vehicle had so much sunshade that it could have affected the driver's ability to check for blind spots.  

Netizens call for more ‘situational awareness’

After watching the clip, several Facebook users commented on the post, stating that the driver should not be blamed in this situation and that the pair of pedestrians should have avoided walking behind a reversing car. 

MPVs and SUVs have more blind spots, making pedestrians even harder to spot,” said a Facebook user. 

Other netizens said that if it had been a heavy vehicle that hit the pedestrians, they would be badly hurt or even killed.

Many netizens emphasized the importance of pedestrians to have “situational awareness”, especially in a car park when there can be unexpected movement of vehicles. 

They should be be aware of their surroundings and not assume that drivers can see them or make way for them on the road.

Meanwhile, others said that the driver should have at least checked on the woman and child following the incident.

While it's unclear who is at fault, the incident is a reminder for all to be mindful and always be alert when on the road and even in car parks.

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This article was first published in theAsianparent.