Driver, 79, jailed and fined for knocking down pedestrian, 86, at road crossing
An elderly motorist who knocked down an 86-year-old pedestrian at a signalised pedestrian crossing in July last year was on Wednesday (12 December) sentenced to one day in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Yong Soo Ha, 79, was also disqualified from driving for three years.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of causing grievous hurt through a negligent act, by failing to give way to pedestrian Cheah Ah Heah at a signalised pedestrian crossing during a “Green Man”.
At about 9.25am on 12 July last year, Yong drove along Pandan Gardens Road and wanted to make a right turn into Jurong Town Hall Road. The traffic light had turned green in his favour.
As Yong was making the turn, Cheah started to cross the junction of Jurong Town Hall Road and Pandan Gardens Road. The “Green Man” was flashing in her favour, and she had the right of way.
But just as she started to cross the road, Yong’s car collided into her.
Video footage of the accident retrieved from the in-car camera was played in court.
Cheah was sent to hospital with fractures to her pelvis, shin and jaw. She was hospitalised for a total of three months and two days.
The maximum penalty for causing grievous hurt by a negligent act is up to two years’ jail and a fine of up to $5,000.
The Land Transport Authority said it in April that it would phase out the discretionary right turn at traffic junctions in Singapore in the next five years.
The announcement came in the wake of two high-profile fatal traffic accidents in Clementi and Bukit Timah earlier that month, which sparked an online petition for LTA to do away with the discretionary right turn. In both accidents, one vehicle involved made a discretionary right turn. The petition garnered around 16,000 signatures.
LTA had previously justified the discretionary right turn for optimising the overall efficiency of Singapore’s road junctions. With the phased removal of discretionary right turns, motorists will have to wait for the green arrow sign before making a right turn.
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