A driver was caught on camera sticking a baby halfway out of a car window at a traffic light on Jan. 16, 2024.
The footage of the act was uploaded to the Facebook group SG Road Vigilante by the driver in front, who expressed shock at the scene.
"He held his newborn baby out of the window like this twice in succession as I watched from the rearview mirror in horror," the driver wrote in the caption.
Gif via SG Road Vigilante/ Facebook
Sticks the baby out of the window twice
In the video, the man can be seen taking the baby from the passenger in the front seat and holding the baby through the car window.
He repeated the act, this time sticking the baby slightly further out, before giving the baby back to his companion.
The driver of the dashcam car wrote in his Facebook post: "Newborns are supposed to be strapped into a car seat cradle, but the mother was carrying the baby in the front seat."
Netizens mainly unperturbed
Comments under the Facebook post were varied — many did not find the driver's actions as horrifying as the complainant.
A couple of commenters chided the driver for his immaturity and urged the complainant to report the incident to the relevant authorities.
Screenshot via SG Road Vigilante/ Facebook
However, most users were unperturbed by the man's actions and pointed out that the car was stationary.
Screenshot via SG Road Vigilante/ Facebook
Screenshot via SG Road Vigilante/ Facebook
Some even joked that the man was possibly reenacting the iconic scene of Simba being held up after his birth from the movie "Lion King".
Screenshot via SG Road Vigilante/ Facebook
Screenshot via SG Road Vigilante/ Facebook
Rules on babies in car
Under Singapore's Road Traffic Act, anyone below the height of 1.35 metres is required to be secured with an appropriate restraint, booster seat or adjustable seatbelt in a vehicle, regardless of age.
Drivers and passengers found not using a seatbelt or appropriate restraints could be fined up to S$1,000 or jailed for up to three months, or both.
According to an article by SingHealth, children should travel in rear-facing car seats for at least the first two years of their lives.
Newborns should neither be carried in the arms of an adult nor be swaddled when placed in a car seat.
The latter is so as the straps of the child seat should run across the child’s body snugly with their hands free.
Top photo via SG Road Vigilante/ Facebook