Driverless car wreaks havoc, strikes fear among onlookers

SIBU: A car with no driver sped up and down Island Road on Friday at nightfall here sending chills down the spines of a huge crowd who witnessed this paranormal happening.
The hair-raising incident occurred at 7.15pm after the driver got out of the car to go to the night market, leaving a woman in the front passenger seat and the car engine on.
According to an eye-witness the car suddenly reversed at high speed, screeching, before ramming into a steel railing.
It then continued reversing before ramming into the front portion of another car.
The impact caused the other car to also reverse before ramming into another car behind it.
The driverless car then surged forward before reversing another time to slightly brush the side of a car behind it.
It reversed further after that and rammed into another car.
The car then made a 360 degree turn before surging forward again.
It then made another reverse and surge forward before ramming into the metal gate of a shop. Only then did it come to a halt.
The woman passenger was badly shaken but luckily sustained only minor cuts and bruises on her face, head, knee and arms in the incident.
As it was only a week from the 15^th day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar year – the day the Chinese believe the gates of hell would be opened for ghost and demons to roam the earth, many speculated that perhaps some might have snuck out before the stipulated time.
One of the witnesses said it was extremely eerie as it happened in the month of hungry ghost overlooking the fact that such an incident would be frightening anytime of the year.
He likened it to a scene in a horror movie, saying it was like watching “Nightmare on Elm Street”.
“How can a car travel at high speed up and down the road with no driver inside?” he asked with a quaver in his voice.
However, another eye-witness offered a more mundane explanation saying it could be due to a mechanical fault.
When the reporters arrived at the scene, the driver requested the reporters not to take any photos, but, this was stopped by policemen at the scene.
A policeman said this related to public interest and the reporters had the right to take photographs and report the incident.
Rescuers from the Fire and Rescue Department arrived with the policemen.
The rescuers took the frightened woman out and an ambulance sent her to the hospital where she was given outpatient treatment.

Borneopost 26.8.2012