Reckless driver fined $3,600 and banned for a year
Published on Sep 9, 2014 4:16 PM
By Elena Chong
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SINGAPORE - A man was fined $3,600 on Tuesday for driving dangerously along an expressway and failing to stop after his car was involved in an accident with another.
Lee Kim Chien, 42, was also banned from driving for a year.
He had pleaded guilty to driving his Hyundai Tuscani car in a dangerous manner along Kallang Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE). In the incident on July 24 last year, he had switched lanes without signalling; swerved to the right without signalling; and cut across the chevron road marking when approaching the slip road.
He also admitted to failing to stop, after his car was involved in an accident with a Mitsubishi car along KPE.
District Judge John Ng said in court on Tuesday that the driving ban served to protect the public and deter others from driving in a dangerous manner. By his driving, Lee showed "reprehensible conduct'' and demonstrated total disregard for the safe use of the roads, said the judge.
The court heard that the incident was captured on the in-vehicle camera of Mr Tan Kok Huat, 40, who saw through his rear view mirror Lee's Hyundai and a Mercedes-Benz vehicle weaving in and out of traffic. Then the two cars were on the extreme ends of the tunnel.
Mr Teo Chan Hock, 44, the Mercedes-Benz driver, then overtook Mr Tan's car on the centre lane. Lee also overtook Mr Tan's car and switched lanes without signalling, resulting in a near collision between the Hyundai and the Mercedes-Benz.
Mr Teo immediately swerved back to the extreme left lane, and Lee, to the extreme right, to avoid the collision.
While doing so, Lee encroached into the lane of the Mitsubishi, lost control and hit the vehicle.
After Lee regained control of his car, he changed to the extreme left lane and sped off. So did Mr Teo, who has been fined $2,000 and banned for three months.
As the two vehicles were exiting the tunnel, they tried to overtake one another without signalling. As Lee was travelling on the extreme left lane and approaching the slip road, he picked up speed and cut across the chevron marking of the expressway in a bid to trail the Mercedes-Benz which was then travelling on the road shoulder of KPE.
