E-Scooter Rider Jailed 8 Days For Crashing Into The Back Of A Car On The Road

A prison sentence, lest you’re unaware, is no laughing matter. Regardless of how short it may be, it’ll undeniably land a huge black mark on your resume, and potentially affect any career prospects of yours in the future.

Yeah, small wonder why people fear the law. It’s incriminating. 

But here’s the thing. While jail sentences are something people would try their best to scurry out of, they’re sometimes inevitable, especially if the alternative’s an absolute no-go. And as queer as it might sound, there are people who opt for the harsher route…

Like this e-scooter rider, who was jailed 8 days for crashing into the back of a car on the road. 

Handed an S$2,000 fine for the offence, he chose to serve the jail sentence instead as he could not afford it.

E-Scooter Rider Jailed 8 Days For Crashing Into The Back Of A Car On The Road

According to TODAYonline, the court heard that the incident transpired on 30 July last year (2018), at around 10:30 p.m.

27-year-old Seow had been riding his e-scooter on the left lane of the main road along Sembawang Crescent, in the direction of Sembawang Way. Mr Zhi Qiuyu, then 54, was initially driving behind Seow before he overtook the rider.

Around 15 seconds later, Mr Zhi parked at the roadside to pick up his wife.

Having been engrossed in checking the route on his mobile phone, Seow, who was planning to make a right turn, failed to notice Mr Zhi’s car and ran smack into it, crashing into the back of the car and hitting his head on its rear windscreen.

The collision occurred just as Mr Zhi’s wife opened the car door and was about to enter.

Video footage of the incident, which was taken by the vehicle’s rear-in-car camera, was played in court and revealed relatively clear roads and good visibility.

Seow then called the police for help, and he was brought to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in an ambulance. He suffered a cut on his scalp, loose teeth as well as small cuts on his foot, and was granted three days of medical leave.

On the other hand, Mr Zhi had to fork out S$100 for the repair of his cracked windscreen.

Sentencing

In court, Deputy Public Prosecutor Angela Ang noted that Seow had “ample time” to slow down and stop and that the lack of lights on his e-scooter “inherently increased the danger”.

“It was fortuitous that he only collided into a car and not a person, though it was unfortunate that he suffered injuries,” she added.

Seow also gave his own mitigation plea, promising that there won’t be a second time. Also, he pointed out that Mr Zhi had parked illegally along a double yellow line.

On 10 July, he was handed a fine of S$2,000 but opted to serve eight days in jail instead as he could not afford it. Seow pleaded guilty to endangering the personal safety of others, as well as riding his personal mobility device on the road.

An additional charge of not having lights on his e-scooter was also taken into consideration for sentencing.

For putting others into danger through a negligent act, he could have been jailed up to three months, fined up to S$1,500, or both.

For taking his e-scooter onto the road, he could have been jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$2,000, or both.

And so… moral of the story here?

Ensure safety on the road, keep to the law…

And you should be just fine.