A driver of a red Mercedes in Singapore got upset at the driver of a grey Mercedes for getting too close for comfort while changing lanes.

The 25-year-old male driver of the red Mercedes then confronted the 46-year-old female driver of the grey Mercedes after both cars came to a stop at the traffic light junction in Clementi.

In response, the woman wound down her window and began shouting expletives at the man, which angered him.

He proceeded to hurl vulgarities back at the woman and kicked her car several times.

He went back into his car and wanted to leave the scene but the woman stood in front of his car and blocked him from doing so.

He then slowly drove forward, pushing against the woman briefly, before getting out of his car and pushing her to the ground.

Felt like woman came too close when switching lanes

According to court documents, the confrontation happened at the traffic light junction of Clementi Road and Sunset Way on Jan. 17, 2023.

Naavin Gopalan, who is a Malaysian, and the grey Mercedes' female driver were travelling along Bukit Batok Road at around 5pm that day.

The female driver switched lanes, from where she was in the middle lane to in front of where Naavin was in the right-most lane.

This led Naavin to brake his red Mercedes sharply to avoid colliding with the woman’s car.

Things escalated quickly

Naavin got out of his car when the traffic light at the junction of Clementi Road and Sunset Way turned red to confront the woman, whose car was stopped in front of his.

Things between the pair grew heated and Naavin kicked the side mirror and door of the woman's car several times.

He went back into his car while she got out of hers to stand in front of his to block him from leaving.

According to the woman's in-car camera footage, Naavin drove his car slowly into her for 6 seconds over a distance of 2m to 3m before getting out of his car to push her.

She quickly got up from the ground to block Naavin's car but was pulled aside by Naavin's wife, who was in his car.

Naavin left the scene and claimed he was heading to Clementi Police Division to report the incident.

He headed back to the scene after his wife told him that the woman had already called the police.

Woman suffered abrasions and incurred repair costs

Court documents stated that the incident caused the female driver to suffer abrasions on her knees, shins and left elbow.

She also had to pay S$2,235 to fix the damage that Naavin did to her car.

He did not pay for the repairs.

Handed three charges

Naavin was handed three charges on Jun. 13, 2023, two for causing hurt by rash act and another for mischief.

On Jul. 10, 2023, he pleaded guilty to the charge of causing hurt to the woman by driving his car forward and to the charge of mischief for the damages he inflicted on the car.

The other charge of causing hurt was taken into consideration for sentencing.

Jailed and disqualified from driving

Describing the incident as a case of "road rage", the prosecution sought for Naavin to be jailed between three to four weeks' and a 12-month disqualification from all classes of vehicles.

While the prosecution noted the grey Mercedes driver's provocations, it said it is not an excuse to resort to violence.

Naavin, now 26 years old, was sentenced to three weeks' jail on Jul. 10.

He will be disqualified from driving upon his release.

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