'Smartphones have our lives': Pedestrian who is seen using his phone was nearly hit by reversing van, netizens expressed mixed opinions

SINGAPORE: On social media, a pedestrian was seen glued to his phone while walking on Somme Road around 11:30 in the morning on May 2, resulting in a near collision with a van reversing into a parking spot. Fortunately, the driver of the van managed to stop just in time, and no accident happened. 

However, this incident has brought up a conversation about the risks of being distracted while walking in busy areas such as the streets, especially when using one’s smartphone. 

In the comments section, netizens shared their thoughts and opinions on the incident. For some, dealing with these kinds of people is not surprising at all—their eyes are glued to their phones, and they didn’t even realise a car was approaching them. Others commented that people should not be walking behind reversing vehicles. 

“Common occurrence. He escaped this time,” a comment claimed. 

One netizen declared that in these types of incidents, the drivers can send signals to people to indicate their presence and said: “They have their lives too, and we too sometimes may see the phone as we walk. Please watch out for them and us, signal/horn if they are really too engrossed and blocking the way. No choice, smartphones have our lives.”

This incident serves as a reminder for all road users to stay vigilant. While smartphones are indeed part of our daily lives, putting them down while crossing or near reversing vehicles could prevent life-threatening tragedies. 

Other related news 

In similar news about pedestrians, there was a report where a Toyota Hiace was caught on video running a red light along Bukit Panjang Ring Road on a rainy day, narrowly missing a pedestrian at a crossing.

The van was seen speeding past the crossing just as a pedestrian steps forward — all while a Traffic Police officer stands nearby at a bus stop.

Read more about the news story here.