S'porean private-hire driver, 46, hits & kills M'sian motorcyclist, 38, after not realising red light on for 7 secs

A 46-year-old Singaporean private-hire driver failed to notice that the traffic light had already turned red for seven seconds and proceeded to travel across a road junction in Eunos.

She ended up hitting and killing a 38-year-old Malaysian man, who was riding a motorcycle.

Another car was also struck in the incident.

The motorcyclist succumbed to his injuries and passed away about three weeks after the collision.

The female private hire driver, Bok Chuan Yue, pleaded guilty to two counts of negligent and careless driving on Feb. 10.

Accident

She was driving along Changi Road towards Geylang Road on the night on Mar. 26, 2024 at about 11:40pm.

After dropping off a passenger, she had wanted to wait for customers in Geylang, where demand tended to be higher.

As she drove to the junction of Changi Road and Jalan Eunos, she was distracted by her search for customers and failed to notice that the traffic light had turned red.

Seven seconds later, she ran the red light and crossed the stop line, colliding with the motorcycle that was travelling along Jalan Eunos and had the right of way, as well as another car.

The motorcyclist, Wong Jun Jie, was flung off his bike upon impact and fell onto the lane of the opposite traffic.

Bok's car spun approximately half a round before coming to a stop.

Wong was reportedly seriously injured and sent to Changi General Hospital, where he underwent surgery and later fell into a vegetative state.

When he did not recover from his injuries after more than two weeks and showed no signs of improvement, his family made the decision to take him off life support.

He passed away on Apr. 14, 2024.

Charges

In court, Bok said the festive lights on the road at the time of the accident, as well as her unfamiliarity with the area, caused her to miss the red light.

She also reportedly did not drive again following the incident.

Her lawyer argued that as she was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and was not speeding, but only thinking about work, her sentence should be no more than six months in prison.

Her sentencing is slated for Feb. 27.

For causing the death of the motorcyclist, she faces a fine of up to S$10,000, up to three years' imprisonment, or both.

Top images via court documents