6-Year-Old Boy Sent To Hospital After Being Hit By Teen PMD Rider
At about 12.45am Sunday morning (29 Dec) near The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, a teen Personal Mobility Device (PMD) rider crashed into a 6-year-old boy. The boy was immediately taken by an ambulance to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
The police told The Straits Times that the boy was conscious as he was being taken to the hospital. No other information was given about his injuries.
The 17-year-old riding the PMD was arrested for causing hurt by a rash act. Investigations are ongoing.
The rough area where the accident happened
Source
Reignite calls for greater enforcement
The PMD ban on footpaths came into effect in Nov, but authorities said that it will only be enforced starting 2020. That leaves only 2 days before the punishments for errant riders kick in.
However some netizens are already expressing their discontent — that the ban may not be enough to deter errant PMD riders.
One netizen suggested that the minimum rider age should be increased to 21 rather than the 16 currently in force. He also said that PMDs should be reserved only for those with disabilities and cannot get around on their own.
Finally, one netizen shared a sentiment that came up a lot when the ban first came into effect — that a few errant PMD riders inevitably give a bad name to all PMD riders. Which is not true because there are responsible riders who depend on PMD for work.
We hope the boy is alright and recovers soon. As for the PMD enforcement, we can’t say how effective it will yet be until 2020. Nevertheless, riders ought to be more responsible and considerate — not for the sake of the law, but for the sake of others.
Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
