Pokémon GO Has Indirectly Caused The First Accident in Singapore

It has been merely two days since Pokémon GO was launched in Singapore and a series of incredibly interesting events have already followed. Tourist attractions such as Singapore Zoo and Night Safari have been designated as Poké stops and Pokémon Gyms; car rental company Wagon Mate is offering enticing promotions for Pokémon GO players to catch the wild creatures more effectively.

So it is with little surprise that Singapore has already experienced its very first car accident yesterday night on Sunday, 07 August 2016 in Queenstown. According to an eyewitness, Amos Ng, all three occupants on the white Honda sedan’s occupants were seen playing Pokémon GO prior to the crash. He claimed that he saw the car making several stops beforehand and was actually amused by their audacity.

Fortunately, nobody was injured. While it is not confirmed on whether or not Pokémon Go is the direct cause of this minor crash, the likelihood remains high. The car was actually seen making several stops and an attempt to overtake another car before it unfortunately crashed into a railing.

Singapore Police Force has already foreseen this predicament, which was why they have released an official Police advisory on Pokémon GO game on their Facebook page alongside the mobile game’s launch on the Apple and Google Play Stores.

While we are glad that nobody was harmed in this accident, this is possibly only a foreshadow of what might happen in the near future for the traffic safety in Singapore. Pokémon Go has notoriously caused havoc in many other countries. For instance, hundreds of drivers in Taiwan have just been fined for playing the game, while a Pokemon Go player in Melbourne recently crashed his car into a school.

The police authorities are currently still investigating last night’s car accident.

Pictures by Amos Ng