Parent kicks car that nearly reverses into students at River Valley after failed U-turn

A parent has won praise online after he was seen kicking the rear end of a car that nearly reversed into schoolchildren who were crossing the road in River Valley.

The incident occurred on a rainy morning on Aug. 5, as the car had been attempting a U-turn at the junction near the side gate of River Valley Primary School.

The incident

Dashcam footage of the incident taken by a car waiting at the junction of River Valley Close and River Valley Green at around 7:10am, showed a number of vehicles attempting the U-turn.

The traffic light and right turn arrow were red at the time, and pedestrians holding umbrellas started crossing the road.

Two vehicles ahead of the car managed to execute the U-turn.

A white car followed suit, but it did not have a wide enough turning radius to complete the turn.

Although there was a group of students and parents crossing the road, the car proceeded to reverse, narrowly backing up into the pedestrians.

A man in a white shirt, who was walking with a child, kicked the car's bumper, prompting the driver to brake.

The man then walked forward and appeared to remonstrate with the driver.

Though the light had turned green, the white car came to a stop near the pedestrian crossing for close to a minute, obstructing traffic.

The man and the driver appeared to converse at the driver side window before the car drove off.

Man wins praise for kicking car

Many online users felt the driver was in the wrong as it was a red light and he was reversing at a pedestrian crossing.

Other users praised the parent for his actions, which prevented the driver from potentially injuring the pedestrians.

One user claimed that the area is a "mess" during the school's drop-off and pick-up times, with other drivers making "illegal U-turns" and parking illegally on the road.

As of February 2024, a U-turn sign has been erected at the junction, according to Google Maps.

According to a 2009 post on the Kiasu Parents forum, the issue of parents making U-turns to drop off their kids at the River Valley Primary side gate was previously met with traffic police enforcement.

"The TP was stationed at the side gate with camera. No U-turns please... sure saman," one user wrote.

Top image from SGRV/Facebook