'Big girl moment' or big mistake? TikToker slammed for 'dangerous driving' in viral video
After posting a TikTok celebrating her solo drive, the user was called out for endangering others on the road.
When TikTok user @tingerbel posted a video celebrating her "big girl moment" of being able to drive herself out on "solo dates", she probably wasn't expecting the kind of reaction she ended up getting.
Moments into the 35-second clip, she's seen making a left turn onto a main road without checking for incoming traffic on her right.
In addition, the opening seconds of the video shows her driving with one hand on the wheel while holding a tumbler in the other to take a sip.
At the time of writing, the original video on TikTok had garnered more than 4,300 likes, 2,600 shares and 170 comments.
It has since been reposted on Facebook group SG Road Vigilante by an anonymous user, where it has drawn more than 91,000 views at press time.
A 'danger' to others
Across both TikTok and Facebook, many users criticised the driver for turning onto the main road without checking her blind spot, saying she had endangered other road users.
A TikTok user urged the original poster to "please drive more carefully" so that she will not harm others, and herself, in the process.
A Facebook user echoed the same view, saying: "Be mindful to keep checking all sorts of blindspots when you turn into another road, There are 101 things waiting to go wrong."
Another Facebook user warned that if this habit persists, the poster might end up in an accident one day, suggesting that her parents "need to warn her on this".
"That could have very well been your last solo date," said a TikTok user.
Some netizens questioned whether tingerbel was being overconfident in her driving skills, with some calling her "young and dangerous".
A TikTok account parodying the Singapore Safety Driving Centre took a jab at the original poster's driving skills, quipping: "Hi pls come back for assessment. Thanks."
The full picture, in slow motion
TikToker tingerbel has since uploaded a new video in defense of her driving, lambasting TikTok users who just "think they know everything".
The 20-second clip, uploaded late on Oct 27, shows the "full unedited" video of her driving, in slow motion. She can be seen glancing at the traffic on her right before turning onto the main road.
One TikTok user, whose comment was the most liked at press time, noted that there was "a good four-second gap" between her glance and the turn. He added that "in that four seconds, there could've been other cars in that lane", and urged her to learn from the incident.
Another commenter pointed out that the driver should have waited for the adjacent lane to clear before turning, to "avoid oversteering".
One user's key takeaway? "Just because there's a car behind you doesn't mean you're forced to move off immediately - take as much time as you need to move off safely."
Editor's note: This story was updated to include comments from @tingerbell.