Family left 'traumatised' after car nearly collides with bus driving against traffic in Woodlands

A car driver and his family were shocked when their vehicle came face-to-face with a bus driving against traffic after allegedly making an illegal U-turn.

The near miss occurred at the junction of Woodlands Avenue 2 and Avenue 5 past 8pm on Thursday (July 30).

Sameem, 45, told AsiaOne that he was turning right into Avenue 5 when bus service 901 suddenly appeared in his lane.

Fortunately, he reacted in time by slowing down, preventing a collision.

"Had I not been alert, I believe I will not be here now," the private-hire driver said, revealing that his three children and brother-in-law were in the car.

Dashcam footage posted by Sameem on TikTok shows that service 901 had turned into Avenue 5 instead of keeping straight on Avenue 2 to reach its next stop.

The bus then makes a U-turn and goes against the flow of traffic on Avenue 5 to turn back into Avenue 2.

@asiaone The incident happened at the junction of Woodlands Avenue 2 and Avenue 5 at about 8.25pm on Thursday (July 30). #sgnews #Singapore #Bus #Road #Safety ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Sameem claimed that the bus captain did not sound the horn to warn oncoming vehicles.

"Had the traffic signal come earlier, and if me or a motorcycle had turned in, then it is game over. This could have endangered me and my whole family," he told AsiaOne.

"My kids and family are traumatised by the incident."

Sameem added that his brother-in-law has reported the incident to bus operator SMRT and the Land Transport Authority.

He appealed for the issue to be investigated seriously, adding that such "reckless driving" can lead to accidents.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police confirmed that a report has been lodged over the incident. 

Vincent Gay, deputy managing director of SMRT Buses, confirmed to AsiaOne that the bus captain of service 901 had made a wrong turn at about 8pm and drove against the flow of traffic before attempting to return to the correct route.

"SMRT takes a serious view of this incident, as the safety of our staff, commuters and other road users is our top priority," Gay said.

He added that "appropriate action" will be taken against the bus captain after the conclusion of investigations.

"We apologise to our commuters and other affected road users for any inconvenience caused as a result of this incident."

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