Passenger alleges PHV driver threatened to drop her off in expressway tunnel over his phone use: 'I feared for my safety'

A female commuter has alleged that a private-hire driver shouted and threatened to make her leave his vehicle after she confronted him over his use of a mobile phone while driving.

A video of the incident was shared by Instagram page Sgfollowsall on Saturday (Sep 5).

According to the woman's account, she was in a ride-hailing car travelling through an underground expressway tunnel when she noticed the driver's phone mounted on the dashboard, with his WhatsApp app open and appearing to be in use.

The woman said she immediately told the driver to focus on driving after seeing him texting.

In the video, the driver can be heard explaining that he had received a message from his daughter.

"My daughter messaged me, can't I just use (my phone) for a while? My daughter asked me, she wants to eat but has no money. Can't I just reply to her?" the driver said.

"You're texting, you are texting while driving," the female passenger countered.

According to the woman's account, the situation escalated, with the driver shouting at her and asking whether she was "too precious to sit in his car".

She further alleged that he told her to get out of the vehicle if she was unhappy, despite the car being inside an underground tunnel.

"As a solo female commuter, being shouted at and threatened with ejection inside an underground tunnel was deeply intimidating," she wrote.

"Trapped in an enclosed vehicle with someone losing his temper at 60-70 km/h, I genuinely feared for my safety, which is why I started recording."

New traffic laws on phone use

The incident has since drawn mixed reactions in the comments section, with some criticising the driver's decision to use his phone while driving.

"What if he crashes into another vehicle and a life is gone?" said one user. "Uncle clearly in the wrong, even admitted he was replying," another added.

Others, however, debated whether the circumstances justified his actions.

"Not siding with anyone, but sometimes we just need to show a little compassion and understanding. What if you're the driver's daughter and you urgently need money?" one commenter wrote.

On July 7, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann tabled the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill in Parliament, proposing several amendments to the law.

Among the key amendments is a stricter rule on mobile phone use while driving.

Previously, authorities had to prove that a driver was actively using their phone. Under the new Bill, simply holding a mobile phone while the vehicle is moving could itself constitute an offence.

However, the amendments do not completely ban mobile phone use in vehicles, with drivers still allowed to use navigation apps, provided their phones are securely mounted on a dashboard or windscreen holder.

xingying.koh@asiaone.com

一名女乘客声称，她因出租车司机开车时使用手机而与其发生争执，结果司机大声呵斥并威胁要让她下车。

事件视频于周六（9月5日）由Instagram页面Sgfollowsall分享。

据该女子描述，当时她乘坐网约车行驶在地下高速公路隧道中，注意到司机的手机安装在仪表盘上，WhatsApp 应用已打开，似乎正在使用中。

该女子表示，她看到司机在发短信后，立即告诉司机要专心开车。

视频中，可以听到司机解释说他收到了女儿发来的信息。

“我女儿给我发信息，我能不能用一下（手机）？我女儿问我，她想吃饭但是没钱。我能不能回复她一下？”司机说道。

“你在发短信，你在开车时发短信，”女乘客反驳道。

据该女子描述，事态升级，司机对她大喊大叫，问她是不是“太娇贵，不配坐在他的车里”。

她还声称，尽管汽车当时位于地下隧道内，但他还是告诉她，如果不高兴就下车。

“作为一名独自通勤的女性，在地下隧道里被人大声呵斥并受到驱逐威胁，这让我感到非常害怕，”她写道。

“被困在一辆时速 60-70 公里的封闭车辆里，车里有人还在发脾气，我真的非常担心自己的安全，所以我才开始录像。”

关于手机使用的新交通法规

该事件在评论区引发了不同的反应，一些人批评司机在开车时使用手机的行为。

“万一他撞到别的车，有人丧命了怎么办？”一位用户说道。“叔叔显然做错了，他自己都承认是他回复的，”另一位用户补充道。

然而，也有人质疑当时的形势是否足以证明他的行为是正当的。

一位网友评论道：“我不是在偏袒任何人，但有时候我们确实需要展现一些同情和理解。如果你是司机的女儿，而且急需用钱呢？”

7月7日，内政部高级政务部长沈颖向国会提交了《道路交通（杂项修正）法案》，提出了几项法律修正建议。

其中一项重要修改是加强了对驾驶时使用手机的规定。

此前，执法部门必须证明驾驶员正在使用手机。而根据新法案，车辆行驶过程中仅仅手持手机本身就可能构成违法行为。

然而，这些修正案并没有完全禁止在车内使用手机，驾驶员仍然可以使用导航应用程序，前提是他们的手机必须牢固地安装在仪表板或挡风玻璃支架上。

邢莹.koh@asiaone.com