A BMW driver swerved left in front of another vehicle along River Valley Road, forcing the latter to slam on his brakes. Both cars then turned into Oxley Road, where the BMW driver flashed “fight” on an LCD display on his rear windscreen and alighted from his vehicle to confront the driver behind. The exchange de-escalated when the BMW driver apparently noticed policemen nearby. The incident, which occurred around 10:42 pm on Sep. 5, was caught on camera and posted on Facebook via SG Road Vigilante.
Background
The footage showed the camera car driving in the leftmost lane, with the white BMW to its right. As both cars turned left into Oxley Road, the camera car appeared to accelerate in an attempt to overtake the BMW. The BMW driver then cut abruptly in front of the camera car, forcing the latter to brake to avoid a collision. This incident highlights ongoing issues of road rage and aggressive driving in urban areas.
Flashed “fight” on an LCD display
The camera car continued to tail the BMW into a smaller road. “I followed him onto Oxley Road and he stopped after some time and flashed ‘fight’ in his rear windscreen display,” the driver said. The BMW driver, wearing a Paris St Germain football shirt with “Neymar Jr” on the back, alighted from his vehicle to confront the other driver, gesturing for the latter to come out. “I did and shouted at him for driving in a dangerous manner and almost causing an accident,” the driver claimed. “He continued to be belligerent and only backed off when he realised there were two policemen on the road,” the driver also claimed. The video subsequently showed what appeared to be two policemen patrolling the street.
Both drivers at fault: netizens
Commenters on the Facebook post generally agreed that both drivers were at fault in the situation. Some said that the camera car was at fault for accelerating and trying to beat the BMW to the turn when he could have slowed down and given way. Others said that the BMW driver was the main instigator and drove in an entitled manner.
Public reaction and implications
The incident has sparked a debate on social media about road safety and driver behaviour. Many netizens have called for stricter enforcement of traffic laws to prevent such dangerous encounters. This event also raises questions about the effectiveness of current road safety campaigns and whether more needs to be done to educate drivers on the importance of patience and courtesy on the road.
