A toddler crossing road unsupervised was saved in the nick of time, thanks to an alert pedestrian.
The incident apparently happened at a traffic junction in front of Block 30 Woodlands Avenue 1 on April 9, 2018, at around 4.30 pm.
A video of the incident was posted on Roads.sg by user Tracy Ong.
Toddler crossing road unsupervised saved
Tracy writes, “Toddler, no shoes, only diapers, unsupervised, dashing across the road. When I stopped at the junction, I only saw the kid pressing the pedestrian light. I felt something was wrong.”
“The driver beside me and I sounded our horn to warn other road users.”
“Thank goodness a man grabs the kid into safety.”
A silver car is seen approaching the junction and slowing down just in time.
Thankfully, an alert passer-by runs forward, nd carries the toddler to safety. He is seen looking around, perhaps searching for the child’s parents.
Netizens blamed the child’s parents for neglect. One Facebook user wrote, “Where are the parents? Someone should report this to social welfare. In the US or Europe, the parents would’ve been arrested for child neglect.”
Teaching road safety rules to children
This incident reminds us why teaching road safety rules to our children is a MUST. We have to start training them from little, and keep reinforcing these rules. Here are some basics that every child needs to be aware of:
- Look for the ‘green man’ at pedestrian crossings: The child should understand that unless the ‘green man’ is on, he cannot cross the road. If the child is too young to understand that, hold his hand (and NEVER let go) while crossing the road.
- Look right, look left, look right again while crossing the road: Even if there’s a green man, and even if it’s a pedestrian crossing, it’s always safer to check for cars coming in. There are so many instances of cars being too busy to give way to pedestrians these days; the look right left, the right drill will help your child wherever he goes.
- Do not jaywalk: Many a time we are tempted to jaywalk, to save a few minutes of our time. Children learn from us, so if they see us jaywalking, chances are that they would be tempted to do it when they are on their own. One wrong move could cost lives.
- Raise your hand when crossing the roads: Raising your hand allows motorists to be aware that someone is crossing. This is especially crucial for small kids, as they may be below the line of sight of motorists.
- Never use your kick scooter on the road: The kick scooter is not permitted for use on the road. Even at pedestrian crossings, the LTA recommends that you dismount and push the vehicle/bicycle instead.
- Stay off the road and use footpaths and walkways wherever possible.
- Don’t cross at road bends: Avoid crossing at road bends because your view is temporarily obstructed. You will be unable to see the oncoming vehicles, and they can’t see you either. Always cross from an area where you have a full view of the traffic.
Also READ: Little boy chases mum’s car for 1 km after she drives off without him