On the afternoon of August 28, 2024, a food delivery rider collided with a 13-year-old schoolgirl on a footpath in Yishun, leaving the child injured. The incident occurred at about 3:00 PM near Block 365 of Yishun Ring Road, as the girl was walking home from school with two classmates.
The rider, Wang Liqin (phonetic spelling), a 51-year-old woman and permanent resident of Singapore, was operating a personal mobility aid (PMA) when she approached the group of students from behind at a distance of approximately 40 metres. In an attempt to get them to make way, Wang sounded the horn on her mobility device repeatedly.
Two of the students moved to the left side of the footpath to allow her to pass. However, the 13-year-old believed there was enough space on the right side and continued walking down the centre of the path.
Despite approaching the group, Wang did not reduce her speed and kept sounding the horn. The constant honking led the student to assume that there wasn’t sufficient space on the right after all. She then stepped to her right—directly into the path of Wang’s PMA, resulting in a collision.
The student fell to the ground, suffering abrasions to both knees and bruising to her lower right leg. After the accident, Wang reportedly said to the injured girl, “Alamak! You don’t know how to walk?” and checked on her condition. The girl’s friends helped her up, and all three left the scene shortly after. The incident was later reported to the police by the student’s mother.
It was later discovered that Wang had been operating her mobility device at a speed of about 15 kilometres per hour. This exceeded the legal speed limit for PMAs, which is capped at 10 kilometres per hour.
In court, the prosecution emphasised that PMAs are generally larger and heavier than regular personal mobility devices (PMDs), and when misused, pose a greater risk to public safety.
The case was heard in the State Courts on April 4, 2025. Wang pleaded guilty to one count of causing hurt by a negligent act that endangered the personal safety of others. She was fined $5,000.
During the hearing, the judge asked Wang why she was using a PMA. Wang explained that she worked as a food delivery rider and suffered from a back injury, which made it difficult for her to carry out her duties without mobility assistance. She appealed for leniency in sentencing, citing her health and financial needs.
The judge accepted that Wang did not act with malicious intent and considered the injuries to be relatively minor. Nonetheless, her failure to slow down or ensure a safe distance when overtaking pedestrians on a shared footpath was deemed negligent and dangerous. Taking all factors into account, the judge imposed a fine of $5,000.
This case has brought attention to the proper use of mobility devices on footpaths, especially in areas frequented by children and the elderly. Authorities continue to urge users of such devices to exercise caution, adhere to speed limits, and be considerate of pedestrians to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
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