Self-driving car almost hits girl crossing at Punggol junction; LTA orders Grab to suspend testing at similar junctions

A self-driving car turning left at a junction in Punggol almost collided with a girl who was about to cross the road. A woman at the roadside reacted quickly, calling out to the girl to stop and pulling her back, averting an accident.

Responding to queries from Lianhe Zaobao (LHZB), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it had launched an investigation and instructed Grab to suspend testing at such junctions.

According to dashcam footage posted by the Facebook group SG Road Vigilante (SGRV), the incident took place at about 8.11am on Thursday (5 November) at a junction along Punggol Field Walk.

The footage shows a Grab self-driving car waiting at the junction with its left indicator on, while a girl and a woman stand by the roadside.

When the traffic lights ahead turn green, the car begins turning left. About two seconds later, the girl also steps onto the road, seemingly unaware of the vehicle approaching from her right.

The woman, who was still at the roadside and had yet to cross, immediately called out to the girl to stop and pulled her back in time to prevent a collision. The vehicle also appeared to detect a pedestrian beside it and slowed down before moving off slowly.

The woman watched the car drive away and, after confirming that vehicles on the right had come to a complete stop, put her arm around the girl’s shoulders and crossed the road safely with her.

In the post, the person who uploaded the video reminded parents to tell their children to take extra care when crossing roads in Punggol and Sengkang. The uploader also urged the public to remain highly alert around self-driving cars, even when the lights are green and pedestrians have the right of way.

The video prompted considerable discussion online, with commenters stressing the importance of road safety. Some said pedestrians should never let their guard down when crossing and must remain aware of traffic conditions, while others expressed concern about how self-driving cars operate.

Responding to queries from LHZB about the incident, Grab stressed that safety remained its top priority. A spokesperson said the company was aware of the incident and was conducting a thorough review with LTA and its partner, Chinese autonomous driving technology company WeRide.

Responding to queries from LHZB on Friday (6 November) evening, an LTA spokesperson said LTA was informed of the incident on Thursday (5 November) and is currently investigating.

“Preliminary data indicates that the vehicle had detected the two pedestrians, and was continuously tracking the pedestrians' movements. The vehicle executed the left turn after the traffic light had turned green.

“The pedestrians were at first stationary for some time. When the child began crossing the road, the vehicle initiated braking and steered away to the right. The safety operator on board took over the vehicle, continued to brake and steer the vehicle away from the pedestrian.”

The LTA spokesperson said the vehicle is currently testing a new route in preparation for enhanced services within Punggol. “LTA has directed Grab to pause testing at such junctions until investigations are completed, and we will review whether the response to such scenarios should be adjusted.”

The spokesperson also thanked the member of the public for sharing the video and reminded pedestrians to wait for oncoming traffic to come to a complete stop before crossing.

As previously reported, Grab began offering the public free rides on its autonomous shuttle service in Punggol in April this year. It began charging a flat fare of $4 per person in the middle of the year.

Grab also recently announced plans to expand its self-driving fleet from 11 vehicles to 50 over the next six months. It will extend the coverage of its autonomous shuttle service within Punggol and also plans to deploy self-driving vehicles in other areas.