Minibus driver hit and injured an electric bike rider, got license suspended for five years

SINGAPORE: A minibus turning at an intersection accidentally collided with an electric bicycle, causing the rider to have a broken bone that needed surgery. With this, the bus rider was fined $2,500, and had his license suspended for five years. 

As reported by Shin Min Daily News, the accident happened at the intersection of Redhill Lane and Tiong Bahru, and the injured electric driver was a 69-year-old man. The suspect, a 68-year-old minibus driver, pleaded guilty to one charge of violating the Road Traffic Act. Other charges are still to be considered by the judge.

As seen in a footage played in court, the suspect was in the far left lane, and was attempting to turn left from Tiong Bahru Road into Redhill Lane. Before the suspect turned left, several other vehicles had also turned left. 

Unfortunately, when it was the minibus’ turn, an electric bicycle that was originally riding on the sidewalk did not stop—it continued onto the crosswalk at the traffic light to cross the road. Because of this, the electric bicycle was hit by the suspect’s vehicle, which was turning left. Due to the impact of the accident, the person and the bicycle fell to the ground.

The suspect did not immediately noticed the collision and managed to drive a short distance before stopping on the side of the road.

The prosecution pointed out that the footage was captured by a nearby CCTV camera. Despite the video, it remained unclear whether the traffic light in which the suspect’s vehicle should follow was green or red at the time of the accident. Moreover, the electric bicycle rider did not stop before crossing the road, instead riding directly from the sidewalk onto the road.

The suspect did not report the incident to the police within 24 hours of occurrence. The charge revealed that the suspect  failed to consider other road users and did not pay attention to road conditions when making a left turn, thus resulting in serious injury to the other party. Furthermore, the defendant did not report the incident to the police within 24 hours of its occurrence.

In similar news about Singapore road accidents, there was a report where a car suddenly burst into flames under the MRT tracks, forcing trains to pass through the thick black smoke. The incident occurred at the Ang Mo Kio junction.

Read more about the news story here.