SINGAPORE – A man allegedly drove against the flow of traffic, hit speeds of around 114kmh, collided with a bus and a lamp post , and left his burning car. The incident left two children on the bus needing medical attention.
According to court documents, Aaron Tan Yao Cong refused to take a breathalyser test when he was arrested. He was later found to have around 148mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, which exceeds the prescribed limit of 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.
The 29-year-old was previously convicted of drink driving and driving without due care and attention in 2019.
On June 18, Tan was charged with drink driving, dangerous driving causing hurt, leaving his car in a position that would cause danger to others, failing to cooperate in the breathalyser test, and driving against the flow of traffic. He will return to court on July 16.
Tan did not indicate if he would plead guilty to any of the five charges.
The incident happened on March 6, 2024. Charge sheets show that Tan had first failed to conform to a straight-only traffic sign along Cavenagh Road towards Bukit Timah Road at 5.50am.
Instead of going straight, he negotiated a left bend and drove towards oncoming traffic before coming to a complete stop on the left of the two-lane Cavenagh Road in the direction of Buyong Road.
Tan, along with three passengers in his car at the time, managed to escape from the burning vehicle.
In a statement on June 17, police said that as officers approached the car at 6am, Tan sped off and was later spotted racing along Bukit Timah Road towards Upper Bukit Timah Road at 6.16am, hitting an average speed of 114kmh as he weaved in and out of traffic between Coronation Road and Anamalai Avenue.
At the junction of Sixth Avenue, Tan allegedly failed to conform to a red traffic light signal and collided with a private bus that was making a U-turn. Tan then hit a lamp post, which resulted in his car catching fire.
Tan, along with three passengers in his car at the time, managed to escape from the burning vehicle.
All of them, including the bus driver and his two passengers, aged nine and 10, were taken to hospital.
The incident left two children on the bus needing medical attention.
Tan faces a jail term of up to two years and a fine of up to $20,000 if he is convicted of drink driving as a repeat offender.
If found guilty of dangerous driving causing hurt, Tan faces a jail term of up to two years, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $20,000 and jailed for up to two years.
He faces a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, if found guilty of allowing his vehicle to rest in a position or manner likely to cause danger to other road users.
He can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $5,000, or both, if found guilty of failing to provide a breath specimen at the scene when required to do so. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $10,000 and jailed for up to a year.
Tan can also be jailed for up to three months, fined up to $1,000, or both, for driving against the flow of traffic. Repeat offenders can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $2,000, or both.
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