A power-assisted bicycle (PAB), also known as an e-bike, collided into a car at Serangoon North recently.

E-bike slams into side of car

Dashcam footage posted to Facebook page Roads.sg on Nov. 19, 2019 depicted a car turning out from a side road onto a major road.

A man on an e-bike then abruptly appears on the left riding against traffic.

The rider then slams into the left side of the car and topples out of sight.

A while later, the driver of the car, one Mohamad Fadil Ibn Nordin, exits and can be seen arguing with someone else outside of the camera's frame.

According to Fadil's video caption, the incident took place near Masjid Al-Istiqamah, which is located at Serangoon North Ave 2.

Fadil stated that the e-bike rider allegedly refused to pay for the car's damages.

The man's e-bike also allegedly had a throttle.

Throttles, a modification which allows riders to move the e-bike without pedalling, were banned since 2005 by the Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA), which cited safety reasons.

You can watch the full video here.

Reactions: "More accidents soon"

Most commenters questioned the presence of e-bikes on the road, especially without the need for a license or safety course, as compared to other motorists.

Several pointed out that such riders do not have insurance as well, and entertained doubts about who would foot the bill and pay compensation should accidents occur.

One Facebook user highlighted how the rider had been riding dangerously, considering he had been going against the flow of traffic.

He stated it was unlikely the driver in the incident had spotted the rider, as he would have to look to the right to spot oncoming cars when turning out onto the road.

Another large majority of commenters implied that the incident was linked to the recent ban of e-scooters on footpaths, with some questioning if e-bikes would face the same fate.

Following the backlash from food delivery riders about the e-scooter footpath ban, LTA proposed a new scheme in conjunction with food delivery companies, to provide financial assistance to inconvenienced riders using a grant of up to S$7 million.

Under the scheme, riders will receive up to S$1,000 to switch their existing e-scooters to e-bikes instead.

Perhaps with these changes, more e-bikes can potentially be seen plying the roads in the future.

Top photo from Roads.sg/ FB