Fine and driving ban for man who drove into drunk pedestrian walking on expressway, killing him
The driver was travelling at an estimated speed of between 94kmh and 101kmh where the speed limit was 80kmh when he collided with the victim.
A photo of a person driving a car. (Photo: iStock)
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SINGAPORE: A man who was driving along the Central Expressway (CTE) failed to keep a proper lookout and did not notice a drunk person who had strayed onto the first lane.
Daniel Tan Yong Lin, a 37-year-old Singaporean man, collided with 40-year-old Japanese national Kenji Yamamoto while travelling at a speed of between 94kmh and 101kmh.
The impact killed the victim, who was declared dead by paramedics minutes later.
Tan was fined S$6,000 (US$4,670) and banned from driving for eight years by a district court on Monday (Sep 22), after pleading guilty to one count of driving without due care and attention, causing death.
The court heard that Tan was driving his car along the CTE towards the Ayer Rajah Expressway at about 6am on Jun 29, 2023, when the incident occurred. He was near the 4.8km mark of the expressway and in lane one of five.
The victim was intoxicated and was walking on chevron lines in the middle of the expressway, between lanes three and four, against the flow of traffic.
As the victim approached the end of the chevron lines, he began to cross to the side of the expressway, next to lane one.
He was moving from the left to the right side of Tan's field of vision and had successfully crossed lanes three and two and reached the middle of lane one.
At the time, Tan was travelling at an estimated speed of between 94kmh and 101kmh where the speed limit was 80kmh.
Tan did not see the victim crossing the road in front of him until it was too late. Unable to brake in time, he collided with the victim, flinging him forward.
Tan immediately stopped and called for police assistance. Paramedics pronounced the victim dead at around 6.15am.
The prosecutor sought a fine of between S$6,000 and S$8,000, as well as the mandatory driving ban of eight years.
The prosecutor said Tan's culpability was low, although he was travelling above the speed limit.
However, the victim's actions had "significantly contributed to the accident, as he was intoxicated and crossing a section of the expressway where pedestrian access was forbidden", said the prosecutor.
For driving without due care and attention, causing death, Tan could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
