PUBLISHED ONMay 18, 2026 2:00 AMBYSean LerWhat would you do if you come across an accident? While some would step forward to help, few would offer to drive those affected to their destinations.
First-term MP Cai Yinzhou (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) found himself in this situation at about 4.05pm on Saturday (May 16) while driving along the West Coast Highway.
Dashcam footage shared by Cai shows three people standing by the roadside in front of a tanker truck and a white private-hire vehicle (PHV).
Cai wrote in the caption: "Stopped by an accident at West Coast Highway, offered to pick up stranded PHV passengers in the rain."
@asiaone First-term MP Cai Yinzhou (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) came across an accident, involving a PHV car and tanker truck, along West Coast Highway on Saturday (May 16). He decided to render assistance as he felt it was unsafe for the PHV's passengers to be waiting there. They turn out to be his residents. #sgnews #Singapore #Accident #Kindness ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
And the encounter had a twist. It turned out the trio are residents of his Toa Payoh Central constituency.
Speaking to AsiaOne on Sunday, Cai said he was on his way to pick up his wife after a People's Association event at the National Community Leadership Institute in Buona Vista when he came across the accident.
Asked why he chose to stop, especially since the highway is frequently used by heavy vehicles, Cai said he had slowed down to assess the situation first.
"It was raining the entire day and it seemed dangerous for the three of them to stand by the roadside. I thought that transporting them off to a place of safety was the least I could do.
"It would also be what I would wish somebody could do if my loved ones encounter such a situation," he explained.
According to Cai, no one was injured in the accident and the drivers were waiting for tow trucks while the trio were trying to arrange for help from Grab's customer support.
Once back in his car, Cai realised from their destination that they are his residents. He then decided to take a detour to send Ben, Hazel, and their mother home.
Recalling the trip back to their constituency, Toa Payoh Central, Cai said that Ben and Hazel's mother could recognise him as their MP as he had given her oranges during Chinese New Year, while Hazel found him familiar.
He took the opportunity to get to know them better, while they also gave him some feedback on constituency matters — to organise more overseas trips.
Hazel later went on Cai's Instagram to thank him for helping them. She wrote: "Still can't believe the crazy coincidence that the person who helped us was our MP."
Replying to Hazel, Cai said that it was also a surreal experience for him, but that he was just glad they were okay.
When asked if he would help someone by the roadside again, Cai said this wasn't his first time doing so.
"I've picked up the elderly walking along the expressway and dropped them off at home or at the police station," he said.
Cai also shared that he is a part of the Singapore Civil Defence Force's myResponder programme, which alerts members of the public to nearby fire and medical cases through its app. He added that he keeps an automated external defibrillator (AED) and fire extinguisher ready in his car for such emergencies.
"As citizens, we can all play a part," he added.
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