Car comes to a complete stop in middle of AYE ahead of ERP gantry in viral video

Along a busy stretch of the expressway, a car abruptly comes to a complete halt in the middle of the road, nearly causing an accident. 

In a video posted to the Facebook group SG Road Vigilante on Saturday (Jan 3), the white Honda can be seen switching on its hazard lights on the second lane and coming to a stop ahead of an active ERP gantry. 

According to the post, the incident occurred along the Ayer Rajah Expressway towards Tuas on Friday evening. The time indicated on the ERP gantry was 5.36pm. 

"White Honda Vezel came to a complete stop in the middle of the expressway to avoid ERP, causing a near collision. After multiple honking from the vehicles around, the vehicle then decided to drive on," the post stated.

In the video, which has since garnered more than 87,000 views, about a dozen motorcycles were also seen stopped on the road shoulder.  

Under the comments section, several netizens shared their views on why the car stopped, with some speculating that the driver might not have had an EZ-Link card or NETS Motoring Card inserted into its On-Board Unit (OBU), or that the card might have insufficient funds. 

"Probably he had forgotten to insert the cash card into the unit but it was no excuse, too risky and inconsiderate," wrote one user. 

Another pointed out that, regardless of the reason, stopping in the middle of the road was dangerous, saying, "That is selfish behaviour. The fine can be paid on the new On-Board Unit." 

According to the Land Transport Authority, motorists who do not pay their ERP charge at the gantry will be given a five-day grace period upon notification of their violation to make their missed payment at no additional cost. 

Those who fail to promptly make payment will have to bear a $10 administrative charge on top of the missed payment. 

The authority also recommends that motorists sign up for auto top-up or backend payment services for convenience, and to avoid violations due to an expired stored-value card, improperly inserted card or a card with insufficient value. 

Meanwhile, the penalty for driving in Singapore without an OBU is $70 for each operating ERP gantry that an offender passes through.

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com