Driver takes out electric scooter rider at pedestrian crossing – but who is in the wrong?
Judging by the spirited reaction, many Australians don't understand the law when it comes to drivers giving way at pedestrian crossings in Victoria.
Dramatic dashcam footage of a motorist and a young man on an electric scooter colliding at a pedestrian crossing has sparked heated debate over who is at fault, with Aussies seemingly split right down the middle on the matter.
Captured in Mornington, a town on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne, a pedestrian crossing can be seen along a leafy road with traffic flowing in each direction. As the dashcam owner nears, a young man can be seen approaching the crossing on an electric scooter.
He looks briefly to his left as he rides onto the road, when a car travelling south fails to stop at the pedestrian crossing and ploughs right into him. The scooter rider is flung into the air, cartwheeling as he's knocked off his ride, before landing with a thud on the road.
He can then be seen sitting upright in shock, as people around rush to his aid. The car involved in the collision briefly stops after hitting him, then moves out of the frame. It's unclear whether the driver remained at the scene.
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Thousands of Aussies divided
On social media, the video attracted close to 3,000 responses, with viewers pretty torn over who bore responsibility for the accident. Many argued the young man should've been paying more attention, and, being on the scooter, shouldn't have used a pedestrian crossing they believed was meant for people on foot. However others pointed blame toward the driver, who "clearly didn't stop at the crossing".
"Should be obvious, it's a parkland with kids around, I don't care what you think if he should have got off the scooter or not, the fact is the guy hit him with a good speed [and] did not even slow for the bump," one person argued. "He was flat out not paying attention to his surroundings.
"Thank god it was not a small kid that was running after a ball."
"Where I grew up, you were taught to stop and look both ways, especially on a pedestrian crossing," one woman in the driver's defence.
"This is my biggest fear with pedestrian crossings, cars don't stop," wrote another. "I've stood waiting to cross and cars just keep going. I have to walk out further onto it to get them to stop...everyone just needs to slow down near crossings".
"Yes cars need to stop for him to cross BUT he should still slow down and make sure the cars have seen him," a fourth said.
Legislation settles debate
Though many claimed the scooter shouldn't have been on the crossing to begin with, the legislation is quite clear and in fact states the opposite.
According to VicRoads, under the state's road rules, pedestrians are classified as people on foot, on wheeled devices — such as skateboards, rollerblades, wheelchairs and motorised mobility devices, including scooters — and those pushing a bicycle.
So, the scooter rider did have the right to use the crossing.
Yahoo News has contacted Victoria Police with regard to the matter, but as one person pointed out "you should already be guarding your brake as you approach a crossing".
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