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Updated: May 9, 2026
Imagine driving into a tunnel and glancing in your rearview mirror, only to see an ambulance’s flashing lights filling the glass. That’s exactly what a motorcyclist in Singapore captured on the Central Expressway (CTE) — except the driver in the ambulance’s path did not move for nearly a minute.
The video was posted by the Singapore Road Vigilante page on Sept. 20, and it quickly became a talking point online. In the clip, a Sengkang General Hospital ambulance is seen behind a blue Mitsubishi Attrage in the rightmost lane of the northbound CTE near Orchard. According to the post, the incident happened at about 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 18.
The ambulance’s siren wasn’t active in the footage, but its emergency lights were flashing. If you’ve ever hesitated when an emergency vehicle approaches, these images show why hesitation matters.
The ambulance stayed close behind the car for about 60 seconds, waiting for the Attrage to move. The driver didn’t yield immediately. Only after both vehicles entered the Chin Swee Tunnel, near Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre, did the Mitsubishi signal left and shift into the middle lane. Once the lane was clear, the ambulance passed.
The motorcyclist who recorded the scene then gestured at the Mitsubishi driver, as if to ask, “What were you thinking?” That moment summed up the frustration that many viewers felt after watching the video.
Online reactions came quickly and were blunt. “Give way lah! Don’t tell me can’t see the blinkers inside tunnel,” one person wrote. Another said, “Driving never see mirror one like this.” Some commenters took a darker tone, joking that the driver would one day need an ambulance and would appreciate it if others moved. Several people urged the motorcyclist to submit the video to the Traffic Police. One user said, lightheartedly, “Let TP invite driver to la kopi” — a local slang phrase meaning to call someone in for a chat over coffee.
That last comment touches on something important: in Singapore, failing to give way to an emergency vehicle isn’t just rude. It’s a traffic offence.
Under Singapore’s Road Traffic Act, a motorist driving a light vehicle can be fined S$150 for obstructing an ambulance. Drivers of heavy vehicles face a S$200 fine. In both cases, the offence also carries four demerit points. Those points may sound small, but they add up fast and can put a licence at risk.
This isn’t the first time a CTE video like this has sparked anger. In May 2025, a Toyota multi-purpose vehicle driver was described as “selfish” and “irresponsible” for doing something similar along the same expressway. That pattern makes the latest clip feel less like a one-off and more like a recurring road safety problem.
One possible explanation for the driver’s inaction comes from psychology. Researchers sometimes refer to “inattentional blindness,” where people fail to notice obvious things because their attention is focused elsewhere. At night, drivers may be scanning for brake lights, lane lines, or traffic signals. An ambulance with flashing lights can be right behind them and still not register right away. Tunnel lighting and mirrors can add another layer of confusion.
Nobody knows for sure whether the Mitsubishi driver was distracted, anxious, or simply unwilling to move. What the video shows is that the car eventually changed lanes when the tunnel approached. That suggests the move was possible. The delay, though, cost an emergency vehicle about a minute of travel time.
A minute might not feel long until you think about what can happen in 60 seconds. For someone in cardiac arrest, the American Heart Association notes that survival rates drop by roughly 7 to 10 percent for every minute without CPR or defibrillation. That’s why ambulances don’t have time to sit behind a vehicle that won’t budge.
For U.S. readers, the CTE clip is also a useful reminder that similar rules apply in America. Every state expects drivers to yield the right of way to emergency vehicles using lights or sirens. All 50 states also have some version of a “Move Over” law, which requires drivers to slow down and move over for stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights. Penalties in the U.S. can be much heavier than Singapore’s, and some states allow jail time for serious violations.
So what should a driver actually do when an ambulance is approaching? The key is to stay calm and move smoothly. Use your turn signal first. If there’s an open lane, ease into it. If there’s no open lane, slow down and pull to the edge of the road when it’s safe. Avoid slamming on the brakes, and don’t swerve in a way that creates a second dangerous situation. Giving way doesn’t mean breaking traffic laws — it means making a safe, reasonable move to clear the path.
Tunnels can be especially stressful because there may be no shoulder to pull into. In a tunnel, the best approach is to check your mirrors, signal early, and move into an adjacent lane as soon as it’s safe. The Mitsubishi driver eventually did exactly that, which is why so many viewers found the one-minute delay hard to understand.
Another lesson here is the power of video evidence. In Singapore, clear footage from a dashboard camera or helmet camera can be submitted to the authorities. This could help identify a driver who refuses to yield. Whether that happened in this case is unclear, but the online pressure has already sent a message: flashing lights are not just a suggestion.
For ambulance crews, every moment behind an unresponsive vehicle matters. They are using that time to monitor a patient, plan the next move, and fight against the clock. A driver who refuses to yield is not just annoying — they become part of the emergency.
This is why the CTE video feels so relevant. It’s not really about one specific driver. It’s about whether all road users understand their role when an emergency vehicle is on the road. Are you paying attention? Are you ready to move? Do you know how to react during a high-pressure moment?
The clip being viewed more than 300,000 times shows how much this subject resonates. People want to believe that if they ever needed an ambulance, someone on the road would get out of the way. A sight like this shakes that confidence.
At its core, the lesson is simple: when you see an ambulance behind you, don’t wait for the siren to get louder. Don’t wait for someone else to move. Signal, move over when it’s safe, and let the ambulance pass. It costs almost nothing — and it could save a life.
