SINGAPORE: Mistaking green pedestrian lights as a signal for him to proceed, a driver drove through a red light and collided with a motorcyclist, fracturing his jaw and wrist.
Tan Puay Chey, 51, was sentenced to two months’ jail and a two-year driving ban. As he is appealing against his sentence, the judge laid out her reasons for the decision in a judgment made available on Wednesday (Jun 21).
Tan had pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving where hurt was caused.
THE CASE
At about 8.45pm on Dec 29, 2021, Tan was driving his car along Boon Keng Road when he came to the cross-junction of Bendemeer Road.
He stopped at the red light. However, after he had waited for a while, a set of traffic lights at the pedestrian crossing about 90m after the junction along Boon Keng Road turned green.
According to Tan’s lawyer, Tan thought the light was green in his favour and drove off, even though the lights for motorists at his junction were red.
A witness who was waiting to move off at the junction adjacent to Tan’s saw Tan’s car moving and immediately slowed down.
However, the victim, who was travelling next to the witness, had gone ahead with the lights in his favour and could not stop in time.
Tan’s car collided with the 33-year-old motorcyclist, flinging the victim off his vehicle.
The accident crumpled the front portion of the motorcycle, dented a wheel and broke two side mirrors. Tan’s car also suffered damage, with a crumpled driver’s door and cracked window.
The victim was taken to hospital with an open jaw fracture and a fractured wrist. He suffers permanent numbness in his chin.
The court heard that Tan has previous traffic violations. He paid a compound or out-of-court fine of S$70 (US$52) in 1999 for parking along unbroken double yellow lines.
In 1999, he paid S$70 for parking opposite a continuous white line, and another S$70 in 2000 for disobeying a “No Entry” sign.
In 2003, he paid S$70 for parking along unbroken yellow lines, and the following year, S$200 for failing to conform to a red-light signal.
His last violation was for failing to conform to a red-light signal in 2021, for which he paid S$380.
The prosecution sought two to four months’ jail and a driving ban of between two and three years.
MITIGATION
Tan’s lawyer, Mr Chia Foon Yeow, had asked for a fine of S$8,000 instead.
Mr Chia said his client was heading home from his office when he came to a stop at the junction. Tan was a senior project manager at Pico Art International and had gone back to the office that day to attend a series of meetings and to clear his work.
From Tan’s in-car footage, a set of three traffic lights located along Boon Keng Road about 90m after the junction with Bendemeer Road had turned green and were visible from Tan’s car.
Tan drove forward slowly at a speed of 14kmh before hitting the motorcyclist.
Mr Chia said his client had not driven intentionally to beat the red light, but had done so out of “confusion” and a momentary lapse of concentration.
He said the traffic lights at the pedestrian crossing ahead were larger than normal, and the fact that his client had driven slowly showed it was unlikely that it was a deliberate act to beat the red light.
Tan was also not speeding, not using his mobile phone or intoxicated at the time.
Mr Chia said his client was remorseful and had offered restitution to the victim. He also had a clean record for about 17 years before the 2021 red-light offence.
In response, the prosecutor said even if Tan had seen the wrong light, it is a driver’s responsibility to ensure that his attention is always on the road.
When the witness managed to slow down his vehicle, Tan should have stopped his car. If he wanted to proceed, then he should have done so with caution, said the prosecutor.
On the point of mistaking that the lights were green, District Judge Salina Ishak said she did not place much weight on this, as Tan had a duty to conform to traffic rules and had failed to do so.
The motorcyclist was in a vulnerable position from any impact arising from a collision with a car, she added. He suffered serious property damage to his motorbike.
It was only fortuitous that the witness was able to stop his vehicle in time to avoid a collision.
Tan is on bail pending his appeal.