Footage has emerged of a motorist knocking over a teenager riding an electric scooter at a pedestrian crossing, sparking a furious debate over who was to blame.
The incident occurred in Mornington, near the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne’s south, on Tuesday around 6:40 p.m.
Dashboard camera footage captured the moment the driver of a silver Ford sedan collided with the young driver of the electric scooter.
Moments before the collision, the cyclist, who was wearing a black hoodie and a pair of black sweatpants, drove his scooter into the crosswalk.
Shocking footage has emerged of the moment a sedan driver collided with a young electric scooter driver (pictured)
The young driver appeared unaware of the approaching vehicle, which appeared to be traveling at a normal speed.
The driver who captured footage of the incident on his dash cam slowed down and stopped when the scooter driver entered the crosswalk, but the The driver of the Ford did not do so and collided with him, knocking him down.
The surprised driver looked at the Ford before standing up and grabbing his right leg.
Other motorists came to the scene to check on the motorcyclist.
Video of the incident was uploaded to the Dash Cam Owners Australia Facebook page on Tuesday and has since been inundated with thousands of comments.
Motorists were divided over who was to blame for the collision.
The collision, which took place at a pedestrian crossing in Melbourne’s south, left many motorists divided over who was to blame.
One person said that while it could be argued that the teen should have gotten off the scooter before using the crosswalk, ultimately the driver was at fault because “they hit him at a good speed (and) didn’t even slow down to the pothole.”
“The car is at fault and should face appropriate charges,” another agreed.
Others defended the driver of the Ford sedan, saying the driver of the electric scooter should have looked both ways before entering the crosswalk.
“He was approaching an intersection and didn’t even slow down,” one of them said.
‘Don’t cross blindly. Always be on the lookout for any vehicle that doesn’t look like it’s going to stop,” added another.
“Where I grew up, they taught you to stop and look both ways, especially at a crosswalk.”
Under Victorian road rules, a driver must yield to any pedestrian at a pedestrian crossing and must not overtake a parked vehicle at a pedestrian crossing.
People who use wheeled devices, including electric scooter riders, are considered pedestrians.
Under road rules in Victoria, drivers must give way to all pedestrians at pedestrian crossings, and that includes electric scooter drivers.